TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH

* PRAISE GOD for the launch of our Japanese language worship service on Oct 13. On the first Sundays of the month we now have a joint English-Japanese service (followed by potluck) but on all other Sundays we have our Japanese service at 9:30am and English at 11:00am.
* PRAISE GOD for our first Sunday afternoon Wakuwaku Family Time on the same day. This is a monthly outreach event for children and parents that Ann leads.
* GIVE THANKS that we were able to hold both these new TMC events on Oct 13, just after Typhoon #19 (Hagibis). The number of people in attendance was lower than usual, but we and our church people are all safe with very few problems other than power outages.

JAPAN

Typhoon #19 (Hagibis) with its record breaking rainfall hammered Japan on Oct 12-13. 36 out of Japan’s total of 47 prefectures were hit. Millions were told to evacuate. Even so, there were about 60 fatalities (with about a dozen still missing). 200 rivers flooded and several river levees ruptured in valleys surrounded by higher mountains, inundating residential areas. There have been 140 landslides.
Some of this destruction occurred on the western and further eastern sides of Tokyo, but most was north and northwest of Tokyo. We are located in the central area of Tokyo, where the damage seemed less even though this was the biggest typhoon to ever hit Tokyo.
* CONFESS that God is the mighty Sovereign who holds everything in his hands even though we don’t know why natural disasters bring destruction and death to certain places and countries more than others.
* BELIEVE that God is loving and able to save everyone who calls on his name.
* ASK God to protect us from loving the wrong stuff and to teach us the priority of that which is eternally important.
* GIVE THANKS that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psm. 46:1…and the rest of the psalm too).
* PRAY for comfort for the grieving, hope for the survivors, wisdom for community leaders, resources for rebuilding, and that God will make his people in Japan a blessing to the nation.

Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #147