
The Harrington Family
Recent Blogposts
-
Chris & Leanne August 2025 Prayer Requests
* The Lord has been pouring out his blessings during our first two months in Japan. One blessing we want to highlight is the answer to prayer for finding a house! It was not the first house we tried to apply for, but it is the house the Lord wanted us to have, and the neighborhood you have all been praying for with us. God's plan and place for us is always the best plan and place to be. Please praise his name for this answer to prayer.
* Continue to pray for Chris as he ends his first month in his new role. May the Lord give him wisdom as he leads SEND Japan. We have already seen the benefits of living in the Tokyo area, which has allowed Chris to work more effectively as Area Director.
* Please be lifting our kids in prayer, as this month they will be entering their new schools. Mark, Lillia, and Claire will be entering the Christian Academy in Japan. And Graham will be entering our local Nishibori Elementary School (only a 5-minute walk from our house). Entering school is the last of the big transitions we have foreseen our family facing with our move to Tokyo. God has been with us throughout all of this and has even been preparing the way for us. May our children be a blessing to others at their schools, and may the Lord also use this time in their lives to stretch and draw them closer to Himself.
-
Chris & Leanne July 2025 Prayer Requests
* We made it back to Japan with hearts full of love from our time with our Parkside Church family. We thank the Lord for you all and our partnership in the gospel. Please pray for Chris, as he has now taken on his new role as the Area Director for SEND Japan. May the Lord give wisdom for what is ahead. Please also pray for our SEND Japan missionaries who are experiencing a transition from an Area Director who served them for 15 years.
* Please also continue to pray for a house. Our first house option has fallen through. But that means God has a better situation and different neighbors he wants to impact. Pray we can find it soon and settle in before our kids start school next month.
* We are thankful to have been able to make a trip up to our church for reunions and goodbyes. Please pray for God’s blessing on SBBC and their pastor, Yukimasa. And that God would reveal himself to the Japanese. Our location has shifted, but our heart still desires God to draw that community and those friends to himself.
* Also, pray for the kids’ camps we will be a part of this summer. Some of the students attending the camps were students who came to Cleveland in March. Please pray for the gospel to be shared clearly and for their hearts to be open for salvation.
-
Chris & Leanne June 2025 Prayer Requests
The Harringtons return to Japan on June 10, and Chris will begin a new position as the Area Director for Japan with SEND International. This new assignment has influenced their decision to move from rural Japan, where they have served for ten years, to Tokyo, one of the biggest cities in the world. Pray for all the details this move entails as well as for their Japanese ministry partners in Tohoku as they continue the ministry there.
Pray for Chris as he assumes his new position, which will involve caring for missionaries and networking with Japanese pastors.
-
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.
-
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.