DALE & ANN LITTLE

Dec 19, 2019

NOTE: This month’s prayer items are copied from our December 2019 newsletter—go there to see pics and further info about the items below.

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH
* GIVE THANKS for the opportunity to share Jesus with children and their parents at Wakuwaku Christmas Family Time.
* PRAY that children will continue to attend our monthly Wakuwaku Family Time.
* PRAY that the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to transform lives at TMC.
* PRAY that the balance in our TMC Church Planting Startup Fund will increase.
* GIVE THANKS that we can enjoy Christmas in Maine with our children.
* PRAY that the first ever EFCCM Asia retreat will be a time of refreshment and encouragement for our missionaries spread throughout Asia.
* GIVE THANKS for our 23 supporting churches (plus individuals).
* PRAY that our 2020 home assignment ministry will be a blessing.

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Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #149

Nov 23, 2019

NOTE: This month’s prayer items are copied from our November 2019 newsletter. Please go there to see pics and further info about the items below.

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH
* PRAISE GOD for the launch of our Japanese language worship service!
* PRAY for continuing ministry strength and joy for Pastor Moto.
* PRAY that Sunday offerings at TMC will cover all of Pastor Moto’s expenses in the next few years and that we might see an increase in our TMC Startup Fund.
(EFCCM MINISTRY EXPANSION FUND 2-2302: TMC Church Planting Startup and Leadership Development Fund. Click here for details about how to give.)
* PRAISE GOD for decisions for Jesus by LQ (baptism) and MK (salvation)!
* PRAISE for the launch of Waku Waku Family Time!
* PRAY for the planning and preparation that needs to be done over the next several weeks and that in addition to having a “waku waku” time, families will be impacted with the wonderful message of Jesus.

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Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #148

Oct 15, 2019

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.

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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.

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

Aug 31, 2019

NOTE: This month’s prayer items are copied from our August 2019 newsletter. Please go there to see pics and further info about the items below.

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH
* PRAISE GOD for our five short term teachers and the nineteen students who came to our summer outreach
English program.
* PRAY for our follow up of those students.
* PRAY for plans, preparation, and volunteers for the monthly family/children’s outreach program beginning
in October.
* PRAY for the continued adjustment of our Japanese Department pastor, Motomichi Harada.
* PRAY for the start of Japanese language worship services in October.
* PRAY that the Lord will raise up future leaders for our Chinese and English Departments.

EFCCM ASIA
* PRAY that Dale will be able to communicate, care, network, equip and recruit personnel in his role as EFCCM Regional Ministries Facilitator.
* PRAY for wisdom as both of us connect with Asia EFCCM personnel and try to encourage them when
we drop into their lives once or twice a year.

FAMILY
* PRAY for our adult children as they adjust to the new adventures of their lives.

Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #146

Jul 15, 2019

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH: Summer Outreach English Classes, July 22-26 (M-F)

* GIVE THANKS for our five teachers coming to TMC from EFCA churches in Washington, Minnesota, and Maine.
* Three children’s classes will be held in the morning and three adult classes in the evening. GIVE THANKS that enough students have registered online for us to hold six classes: 9 children and 7 adults so far. All nine of the children are new to us. PRAY that some more students might even register in the next few days.
* Ann is preparing a Bible story for the children’s classes each morning. Pastor Moto is preparing a Bible talk for adults each evening and one Japanese man from TMC will be sharing his testimony. This Bible content is in Japanese. PRAY that each student will come with hearts open to learn about Jesus.
* PRAY that a number of the Japanese students from our summer English classes and Ann’s ongoing classes throughout the year will connect with TMC in the fall months. In October we launch two more Japanese language events: weekly Sunday morning worship services and monthly Sunday afternoon family outreach events.

ASIA “REGIONAL MINISTRIES FACILITATOR” (new title for “Area Director”), EFC of CANADA MISSION

* GIVE THANKS that in our new regional leadership role we were able to visit all Asia EFCCM personnel in the first half of this year. Traveling to destinations in Asia is relatively simple for us because Tokyo is one of the gateways to Asia.
* PRAY for creativity and perseverance for EFCCM personnel in Asia as they develop and implement ministry platforms for proclaiming and living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.
* PRAY for Dale’s preparation for and leadership of the first EFCCM Asia vision trip October 18-30. Chiang Mai, Manila, Taipei, and Tokyo are on the itinerary. The idea is that these people might become champions for making Christ known in Asia. PRAY that the Lord will provide just the right people for this pilot project. People from churches in both the USA and Canada are welcome to join Dale on this vision trip! Click here for more information.

These monthly prayer requests are found at: http://www.tokyolittles.net/updates/prayer/
EFCCM Asia updates and prayer requests, including a subscription option, can be found here: http://efccm.asia/communication/forefcc/

Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #145

May 27, 2019

NOTE: This month’s prayer items are copied from our May 2019 newsletter. Please go there to see pics and further info about the items below.

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH


* PRAY that our TMC family events and Sunday school will reach many children with the wonderful story of Jesus.
* PRAY for our TMC summer outreach English classes:
- Adequate financial and prayer support for teachers.
- A good number of students, both children and adults.
- Planning and preparatory work, including finding the best way to advertise.
- That each student will have an opportunity to learn about Jesus.
* GIVE THANKS for Moto Harada joining our TMC staff. PRAY for a smooth transition as he moves toward leadership of TMC’s Japanese Department. Duane Dietze will be on home assignment for the last half of 2019 so Moto will be taking on plenty of responsibility early on.

EFCCM ASIA DIRECTOR


* PRAY that our Asia Director travels to visit missionary colleagues in Asia will be a blessing and an encouragement.
* PRAY for Dale’s preparation and leadership of the first EFCCM Asia vision trip in October and that those who join him might consider becoming champions for making Christ known in Asia.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION


* PRAY for Dale’s preparation for teaching another semester of Contemporary Theology in Japanese at Japan Bible Seminary beginning June (not mentioned above). He has enjoyed this little exercise in theology since 2001.

Thank you for Praying for the Tokyo Littles! – PTL #144

Apr 9, 2019

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH

* GIVE THANKS for TMC’s new Japanese pastoral couple, Motomichi & Naoko Harada, who will join us starting Easter Sunday April 21.
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For a number of years we have been requesting prayer that the Lord provide a future leadership team for TMC, including someone who could focus on our Japanese Department. We rejoice that on Mar 31 our TMC members voted to invite Moto to be just that man. On Apr 4 he accepted the invitation. Moto is a Japanese returnee—someone who has returned from significant time outside Japan—who already has a ministry of leading Bible studies in Tokyo with returnees. After Moto goes through his learning curve at TMC he will help us launch our Japanese language worship service. We look forward to working with him over the next several years.
* PRAY that TMC members and attenders will increase their patterns of giving so that we can subsidize Moto. He will be joining us as a bi-vocational pastor with the hope of TMC eventually covering his living expenses.
* PRAY for TMC’s Easter events that provide us with an opportunity to once again share about the love and salvation of Jesus Christ: Apr 14 afternoon family outreach; Apr 21 Easter morning worship service followed by afternoon outdoor singing and tract distribution.

Thank you for Praying for The Littles! – PTL #143

Feb 25, 2019

TOKYO MULTICULTURAL CHURCH


* We are THANKFUL for our Christmas/New Year 2018 family vacation in Maine USA with our six children (3+3) who were all able to join us for some of that time.
* PRAISE GOD! You have prayed for TMC and God is answering. Jesus is building his church at TMC!
* PRAY for TMC as we come to a decision about a Japanese pastoral candidate joining our staff team.
Continue to PRAY that TMC will be able to launch a Japanese worship service in 2019.
* PRAY that the five US volunteers coming to teach outreach English classes at TMC in July will be able to raise funds and begin other preparation. PRAY that we will be able to pull together the logistical details.
* PRAY that God will give us many students!

EFCCM - ASIA


* PRAY for wisdom for Dale in his new role as Asia Director of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission (http://efccm.asia).

Thank you for Praying for The Littles! – PTL #141
(NOTE: This month’s prayer items are copied from our February 2019 newsletter.)