Chris & Leanne November 2024 Prayer Requests

Over the summer, our church had many youth events focused on the gospel. Every year, one of the events is a three-day camp held in the mountains of Iwate, Japan. This year, we had 23 kids attend from our church alone.

RT, KS, MH, and MA, who have been attending different youth gatherings for some time now, had their hearts open to the gospel. Praise the Lord. Please be in prayer for them as they now enter into more focused discipleship time with our ministry partners. May the Lord grow their faith in His promises. And may He draw them into an irresistible relationship with their Lord.

Chris & Leanne October 2024 Prayer Requests

Following a large earthquake earlier this year, we asked for prayers for the people of Ishikawa, Japan. Since then, our mission (SEND) and our church in Japan (SBBC) have been working to help support local pastor Arakawa and Wajima Bible Church with their relief and recovery work.
 

Recently, there has been significant flooding in the area. Flooding homes that survived the earthquake and temporary housing have also been affected. Pray the Lord would give the church in Japan more ways to be His hands and feet, caring for the needs of the people of Ishikawa.

May the Lord be glorified by His children showing his love, and may this open doors for sharing God's word and the gospel with those receiving care. Lord, please open their hearts and lives to the only true hope found in you.

-Chris

Chris & Leanne September 2024 Prayer Requests

The summer ministry season in Japan, though short, can be full. As our church in Japan moves into the fall season, please pray that our team and church members of SBBC will get much-needed rest and recovery.

Also, pray for the kids and families who heard the gospel for the first time over the summer. May they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling their name. Please, Lord, turn their hearts towards you. May they treasure a relationship with you above all else.

There were chances to grow deeper in relationships throughout the summer. May the Lord give our team gospel moments with friends in the community in the coming months.

It has been a blessing to be back in northeast Ohio and to see and reconnect with our Parkside Church family. Please join us in thanking and praising the Lord for this gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ. It is wonderful to open God's Word and worship with one another again. Please continue to pray for our kids as they continue to settle into new surroundings in school and the community.

-Chris

Chris & Leanne August 2024 Prayer Requests

* During the isolation of COVID, a dear friend, Mrs. R, became a Christian. It has been beautiful to watch her grow in her relationship with Jesus in the years since. Mrs. R has a passion to see her close friends come to know Jesus.

* These friends are part of a group called the “Cherry Ladies.” These ladies have been introduced to the gospel over the years but have not yet made a commitment to follow Jesus. In the recent absence of missionaries, Mrs. R has organized a Bible study with our pastor and three of her friends. Mrs. O (our former neighbor) is attending that Bible study! Please join us in praying for these ladies and for Mrs. R as she shares her faith. Please also pray for Mrs. R’s husband to open his heart to the gospel.

*This month our church in Japan has several more outreaches and camps. Please pray for health, stamina, and unity among the Christian workers. Please pray that the hope of the gospel resonates in the hearts of those who participate.

Chris & Leanne July 2024 Prayer Requests

* We have been blessed to connect with family, friends, and our Parkside family over the past month.

 * Schools in Japan will begin their five-week summer vacation break at the end of this month. Please pray for our team in Japan as they plan and prepare for summer ministries and camps. May the Lord prepare the hearts of those who attend to hear and accept the gospel. Some of the kids have been attending the kid's ministry for years. Pray for courage to ask the deepest-felt questions of their souls. May the Holy Spirit move in mighty ways.

 * Our team is gaining a new family. The Tams have moved from Tokyo to join the Shiogama Bible Baptist Church ministry. May they smoothly transition to this new area and church, and may the Lord bring them into relationships with those in the community. We pray the Lord is already working in the lives and hearts of their new neighbors in preparation for His lights to be moving into their community.

Chris & Leanne June 2024 Prayer Requests

* Transitions is the word of the month for us. Please pray for Shiogama Bible Baptist Church as they experience our family (home service) and another family (retirement) transitioning back to America. With these changes will come opportunities for others to step into areas of need for the church and community ministries.

* Pray also for the church plant we have been a part of as they transition into becoming more independent of the mother church.

* And finally, the Harringtons. We have transitioned back to the States. We praise God for his faithfulness in returning us to our family and church family here in the States. Please pray for us as we resettle here in Cleveland for the following year.

Chris & Leanne May 2024 Prayer Requests

* We are preparing to move our things into storage on May 27th so that we can return to the US for a year. With this comes a lot of ministry and responsibility transitions on the field. Please pray the transitions will go smoothly and pray for those taking on new responsibilities.

* Pray also for our kids as they leave their school and friends here for a year to go to America.

* In times of transition, there can be so many emotions that need to be worked out. May we have grace for each other during this time.

* Please also pray for our family as we work to pack up our house and move our things into storage. There is so much to do.

Thank you so much for your prayers throughout these last four years. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Chris & Leanne Harrington

Chris & Leanne April 2024 Prayer Requests

* Thank you for your prayers for the Atlanta homestay at the end of last month. The preparatory Bible studies with the participating families were rich. We are grateful that these kids and parents were able to spend extended time with Christian families. Please continue to pray for these families – that they would desire to learn more about God and His Word.

* During Leanne’s final few Baby English classes with the moms from the Buddhist kindergarten, we were able to share scripture and discuss it. It’s been encouraging to watch these moms grow more and more open to the things of God. This group will disband due to members moving and our return to the States, but we know God is not finished revealing Himself to these ladies. Please pray for God to bring Christians into their lives to continue to share the gospel with them.

* The people of Noto Peninsula are still in recovery after the New Year’s earthquake on the west coast of Japan. Our teammate, Tina Lin, has relocated there for at least 2-3 months to help a local church’s recovery efforts. She and Pastor Yukimasa drove a van load of supplies from our church’s food bank Please pray that this recovery effort would lead to relationships and opportunities to share Christ.

* Lastly, Chris will hand over his SEND leadership responsibilities as we prepare to return to America next month. Please pray for a smooth transition and specifically for Paul Suzuki as he leads the mission here.

Thank you!

Chris & Leanne Harrington

Chris & Leanne March 2024 Prayer Requests

* Thank you all for your prayers. Knowing we are being lifted up in prayer by our Parkside church family is encouraging. Our oldest two kids will be attending a Spring Youth Camp with the same camp they went to last summer. They were so blessed by the time of worship and challenging messages. Please pray the Lord will use this camp to draw them closer to him. May they continue to be encouraged to make their relationship with the Lord theirs.

* At the end of this month, a group of eleven people will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, for a homestay. There will be six non-Christian kids who have been a part of our church's English class outreach for a couple of years now, and one of their moms will be traveling with our pastor and others from the church. The group has been preparing for the trip for the last six weeks by having a Bible study together. Please pray for God's word to penetrate their hearts. May they experience safe travel. And may there be good relationships between the kids and their Christian homestay families. May the Lord use this trip for his glory and their blessing.

* We are undergoing many transitions at our church. This year, three missionary families will be returning to America. We will be the only family returning after a year. Pray for wisdom and God's leading the church through these complex changes. May others within the church feel the Lord's leading to step out in faith and join the ministry in new ways. Pray also for the two families who are transitioning out of missions. All are leaving on good terms but will still need the Lord to walk them through the emotions of this chapter of their lives coming to an end.

Chris & Leanne Harrington

Chris & Leanne February 2024 Prayer Requests

*This month, we will be preparing to say goodbye to some good friends of ours. They have been a part of the church plant we have been working with. The Lord has used them as an example of how we, as Christian brothers and sisters, are to lavish love on each other. To show what it means to be open, honest, and accepting. It has been a privilege to work alongside them. We thank God for what he has taught us through them and pray the Lord will help us as a church continue living out the loving example they lived out. 

*Please pray for them as they transition back to Hawaii. And for us as a church as we look to fill the gaps left behind. Their son is one of Mark's best friends. So, please also keep him in your prayers as he walks through this change in a personal way.

*Please also pray for us as a family as we prepare to return to America for one year, beginning in the Summer of 2024. There will be a lot of details and work to prepare for this return. It will also include many goodbyes with friends. At the same time, this return is always exciting for Leanne and me as we reconnect with our church family at Parkside. For our kids, it means leaving their home, Japan, and going to a place where they feel less connected. So please pray for their hearts as well as we plan for this move back to America.

Chris & Leanne Harrington