Recent Ministry
Koyuki and Kazuhito, a couple in their sixties, brought their mother Seiko to our Christmas service. They told us that Seiko has joyfully reflected on her many happy memories from that evening on multiple occasions. Yumiko brought her sister Eriko to the service. Yumiko is still considering Christianity and has not yet made a commitment. We sensed that God touched the heart of each individual. We are praying that those who visited from the community would understand God’s love and grace.
- Pray for Koyuki, Kazuhito, and Seiko.
- Pray for Yumiko to fully understand God’s love and grace. Pray for her to make a confession of salvation.
- Pray for Eriko to attend again with her sister and to be saved.
Several mothers of the youth came for the Christmas gathering of the YY kids. Due to the distance, all the kids who attend the youth group needed a ride. God is using this need to draw the parents to join the group. Several mothers said they are looking forward to the next year’s event and future YY kids’ activities.
- Pray specifically for Yuki Sato and her mother in addition to the other youth and their parents.
God has provided a unique opportunity for us to reach the music-lovers in our area. Naruhiko is a friend of our older son Yuki. Naruhiko won second place in an international competition for the piano held in Warsaw, Poland last year. The NHK Japan-national broadcast group featured the concert four times recently, and we were excited to see our friend on TV. Naruhiko kindly visited my son last December. He is not a Christian, and we are praying for his salvation. My wife is a part of the preparatory committee for Naruhiko’s recital in Yuzawa City of Akita in July, so she is in contact with music-lovers all around the prefecture to promote this recital. We are praying for this role to provide many outreach opportunities.
- Pray for Naruhiko to be curious about salvation and to come to an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for Yuki to boldly and compassionately share the gospel.
- Pray for the interactions in preparation for the recital to provide occasions to share the good news.
Our auto was due for its inspection last month, so we took the vehicle to a Nissan mechanic, Koichi Sasaki. We had a profitable time chatting for several hours. Koichi is in his forties and has a family of four. About four years ago, he attended our group and was expressing an interest in salvation. We introduced him to another church closer to his area, and he went there for a while but is no longer attending. We reestablished a relationship with Koichi and decided to resume our interactions of four years ago by having a Bible study. He was close to coming to know Christ as his personal Lord and Savior at that time, and we are praying for his salvation.
- Pray for Koichi to continue to be interested in the Bible and to come to faith in God.
In our area in the southern part of Akita prefecture, we have very heavy snow. Many of our members have difficulty attending the service this time of year. We expect to do a lot of snow-plowing and request your prayers for God’s protection over the church members and us this winter.
- Pray for energy and physical strength. I have been waking up at four am to spend three hours plowing the snow every day. This work is physically exhausting, and I pray for protection from injury.
Pray for Yuki, my older son, to continue healing and for my wife Emiko as she cares for him. I have been helping with the household chores, and as a family, we are praying for complete healing. Yuki is hoping to resume normal activities by spring.
Masato, my younger son, has another year at the seminary. Pray for tuition and living expenses to be met. As a family, we are praying for him to receive proper training to become a warrior for Christ proclaiming the truth. Pray for God to show Masato which church to serve in the future.
- Pray for our efforts as a church in this snowy area of Japan to be fruitful and bring many people to the Lord.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
Pastor Kazuhiko Saito’s Testimony
My name is Kazuhiko Saito, and I was raised on a farm in northern Japan. In the spring of 1980 when I was a freshman in college, I was searching for truth. I came to attend Ikuta Okanoue Christ Church as a seeker and studied the Bible.
In a study group, I examined two Bible passages. One was John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” and Matt 21:22 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The Lord captured my heart with these two passages of scripture. One Sunday afternoon I believed and prayed to accept Jesus Christ in my life. I professed my faith in Jesus through baptism on the 28th of June 1981.
I pursued knowing God, and he impressed upon me the need for Pastors in my country. After studying and applying myself through God’s grace, I was appointed as a pastor. I am church planting in the city of Yakote in the Akita Prefecture. I am grateful to White Fields for giving my the prayer and financial resources to get started in this community.
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