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

Chris & Leanne January 2024 Prayer Requests

*We are so thankful for your prayers. The Lord blessed our different Christmas gatherings. We are so thankful for the kids and families who were able to come, connect with our church family, and hear about the God who chose us to be with him by coming to be with us.

*Pray the Lord would give us opportunities to share with our friends about whom our faith, hope, and love come from.

Chris & Leanne Harrington

Chris & Leanne December 2023 Prayer Update

Thank you for your faithful prayers! We praise God that “Children’s Blessing” Sunday went well. We’re grateful for the opportunity to pray God’s blessing over these children. Many of the kids who attended came from a Buddhist school. God has allowed for access into this school little by little, beginning after the great triple disaster in 2011.

It began with cleaning out the school and the homes around it, then meeting kids at a park every Tuesday to play, then the principal asked pastor Yuki to a teach a weekly English class during school. The principal is set against Christianity, but about two years ago she allowed our church to start an afterschool English class. Moms from the class now meet twice monthly for tea or Baby English class during which we have relaxed time for conversation. These are the moms who brought their children to be prayed for!

One mom asked if she could come back to hear more teaching from the Bible!—umm, YES!! Please pray that God would continue to break through the spiritual strong hold in this area. It’s only through prayer that these hearts will open to Jesus.

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Chris & Leanne November 2023 Prayer Requests

* Recently, we hosted a farewell soccer party for the graduating 9th graders. A dad of Mark’s good friend sought out Chris to ask him questions about the Bible, Christianity, and God. Often, these gospel conversations don’t come up at church events, but around the dinner table, at a café, on a walk, or a soccer party. It reminded me of the importance living life IN and WITH our unbelieving community. Please pray for this dad and his family as they consider the truths they learned. And please pray for more of these gospel conversations!

* The holidays are always a beautiful excuse to practice hospitality and ministry. Please pray for us as we enter this season that we would follow God’s leading on who to invite to our home or church events. And please pray that the Holy Spirit would be drawing Japanese to Himself.

* On November 5th, we will have our annual “Children’s Blessing” Sunday. It is a type of substitute for a Japanese tradition to take 3, 5, and 7-year-old children to be blessed by a temple priest. Instead, we invite all ages of children to come and be prayed over by a pastor. Afterwards, a photographer from our church takes a family picture and presents it as a gift. The moms from Leanne’s Baby English class were invited and expressed excitement. Please pray that many would come, and it would be a step in their journey to believing.

* Also, Chris will be travelling to Thailand this month for a couple weeks to meet with SEND mission leaders from countries around the world. Please pray for the safety of all the leaders traveling and for their time together to be fruitful. (And please pray for Leanne and the kids as he’s away.)