Chris & Leanne May 2025 Prayer Requests

Thank you for your prayers and support during the Japanese Homestay visit. We were so blessed to have some of our Japanese church family meet our Parkside church family. Praise God for safety in all the travel and health of the participants and host families! The Japanese chaperones were encouraged by some of the conversations they were able to have with the students. Please continue to pray for these students and their families to have a relationship with their creator God.

As we anticipate our return to Japan in June, please pray for God to provide housing for our family and for all the other details that a move entails.

Chris & Leanne April 2025 Prayer Requests

We have prayed throughout this year at Parkside, asking God for direction on where to live and minister in Japan for our upcoming 4-year term. Our thought when we returned last summer was that we were praying for which community we would be moving to in the area we had been serving for 10 years. But after praying and seeking wisdom and counsel from others, we felt it made sense to shift our focus to Tokyo.

This is a huge change for us as a family, as we are moving from rural Japan to one of the biggest cities in the world. Please pray for this transition and all the details that it entails. Please also pray for our Japanese ministry partners in Tohoku as they continue the ministry there. One of the drivers for the decision was that recently, Chris accepted a new position within SEND International as the area director for Japan. Please pray for Chris as he takes on this new ministry caring for missionaries, networking with Japanese pastors, and working towards how to make our Creator God known to the people of Japan.

Chris & Leanne March 2025 Prayer Requests

In March, a group of young people and church members, led by our pastor Yukimasa, will be coming to Cleveland. The purpose of the trip is to go deeper into a relationship through a shared experience. The group will meet to learn about America leading up to the trip. And since they will be staying in Christian homes, they will spend time learning what Christians believe.

The Lord has used trips like this in the past to open hearts to the gospel. One of the chaperones for the trip came to Christ after being part of a past trip. The trip is part of many years of connection with these students through the SBBC (Shiogama Bible Baptist Church) youth ministry and English classes.

Please pray for the group as they prepare for the trip and travel here to Cleveland. May the Lord use this trip for his glory in their lives. Also, pray for our host families here in Cleveland. May the Lord's love shine through their love and care for the students and chaperones living with them for a week.

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Japan Team Hosting Q & A

Have questions regarding hosting Japanese students in March? Can't host but would still like to help out? Come to a brief time of Q&A with Chris and Leanne Harrington.

There are two times available:

*Sunday, January 26, 11:45am, Room B210

*Sunday, February 2, 11:45am, Missions Tables, located in the hallway outside the Venue.

Chris & Leanne February 2025 Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for a reverse mission trip our Parkside church family can participate in next month. Some of our English class students and church youth will be coming to Cleveland for a Homestay. There will be thirteen people coming, including the chaperones. The trip will include staying with host families (Parkside church families) and a tour of the greater Cleveland area.

Our church in Japan uses this once-a-year trip to grow deeper in relationships and have a chance to share the gospel with these kids and their families more directly. To prepare to come and stay with host families, our pastor will, over two months, share with the kids and their parents what Christians believe. It is an excellent opportunity for the gospel. Please pray for the participants and their families that the Lord would open their hearts to the gospel.

We are so thankful for this opportunity for our Parkside family to join our church family in Japan and minister in this way.

Chris & Leanne January 2025 Prayer Requests

The group coming to Cleveland from our community in Japan have purchased their tickets. In the preparation meetings leading up to their trip at the end of March, our pastor, Yukimasa, will be leading the group and their families through an overview of the gospel. This whole trip experience is a huge opportunity for sharing the gospel and for the group members to really have their hearts opened to it. Please join us in praying for the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of the participants and their families. Please also be praying for the planning and preparations on our side of things here in Cleveland.

Our field, Japan, has been lead faithfully by Paul Suzuki for 12 years. He is desiring to step away from leadership and pass the baton on to the next generation. Please be praying for Chris as this January, the missionaries of SEND Japan vote on whether or not to confirm him as the new area director of SEND Japan. This would bring new opportunities to share in and encourage the ministries around the country. We ask for prayer for all of SEND Japan during this time of transition.

Chris & Leanne December 2024 Prayer Requests

Please pray for a reverse mission trip our Parkside church family can participate in in March 2025. A group of our English class students and church youth will be coming to Cleveland for a Homestay. It includes staying with host families (Parkside church families) and getting to tour the greater Cleveland area.

Our church in Japan uses this once-a-year trip to grow deeper in relationships and have a chance to share the gospel with these kids and their families more directly. To prepare to come and stay with host families, our pastor will, over two months, share with the kids and their parents what Christians believe. It is a massive opportunity for the gospel.

Please pray for the participants and their families that the Lord would open their hearts to the gospel. Also, join us in praying that the Lord will provide the necessary host families for this reverse mission trip.

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