Holy Week is upon us. The past year has been full of loss and grief for so many, whether it is because of the global pandemic or because of the personal sorrows that continue even when the world seems to have ground to a halt. It can be some comfort to remember again how our Saviour knows the depths of loss even as he died to offer us the greatest Hope of all. We continue to press on through trials and tribulations by the strength that He gives us, and the crosses we must carry each day are lightened when we remember that He is the one who carries us.
This Easter, we also lift up the great many in the Deaf community of Japan who have not had the chance to learn about Jesus. We are thankful for all the support we have received in the past to allow the translation team to complete all four Gospels in Japanese Sign Language. May this ministry continue to grow so that the entirety of the Bible, the story of Salvation being written throughout history, can be made available to this community in their heart language.
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April 1st (Acts 3:19)
Pray with Ms. Yagi for her parents who are close to 70 years old to come to know Jesus personally during this Easter season.
April 2nd (Titus 2:11)
Pray that during this Easter season, Mr. Hori’s table tennis team mate will be saved and come to worship the Lord.
April 3rd (John 4:24)
Pray for Pastor Kori as she serves on the leadership team and for her congregation in Hiroshima.
April 4th (Matthew 28:6)
Happy Easter! Pray with Pastor Matsumoto that many will get to know the hope of the resurrection as they learn that Jesus is risen.
April 5th (John 3:16)
Pray with Mr. Yamamoto that more Deaf will watch Exodus and John in JSL to get to know the meaning of Easter.
April 6th (Romans 8:27)
Pray for the Romans translation team as they think deeply about Romans 1:14-17. They learned that only the message of the Gospel gives faith for the salvation of everyone who believes. Also, 8:27 shows how God always does what is best. This is the key verse to continue translating this challenging book.
April 7th (Obadiah 1:3)
Pray for the Obadiah translation team as they learn from Obadiah 3-4. God’s Word shows us how much and how often we are prideful.
April 8th (Joshua 1:9)
Pray for the Joshua team as they see that Joshua’s faithfulness changes our hearts and attitudes to the Lord.
April 9th (Philippians 1:6)
Pray for the Ezra translation team as they are currently on hold due to COVID. Pray that soon they’ll be able to resume working on Ezra and have updates to share.
April 10th (Galatians 6:10)
Pray for Pastor Minamida and the Tokyo Deaf Church as they worship today.
April 11th (1 Corinthians 10:31)
A praise from Sora that she’s thankful the team has multiple projects going and are making progress working online.
April 12th (Acts 20:35)
Pray for Ms. Otsubo who has learned the lesson of “giving and receiving” leads people to encourage each other.
April 13th (John 6:63)
Pray for Pastor Matsumoto who has learned that God’s Word has been his source of spiritual life and has become his great lesson to grow in faith.
April 14th (Hebrews 13:6)
Pray for Mr.Ogata, who is grateful that God protects the team’s communication during this challenging season.
April 15th (Isaiah 26:3)
Pray for Mr.Yamamoto who would like to see Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Revelation translated into JSL.
April 16th (Psalm 42:11)
Pray for Ms.Yagi who would like to see the Psalms, especially Psalm 42, translated into JSL.
April 17th (Exodus 15:13a)
Pray for the Fukushima Deaf Church as well as the Yamagata Deaf Church and Pastor Matsumoto as they worship today.
April 18th (Acts 20:24)
Pray for Mr.Ogata, who is challenged by Acts 20:24 to complete the work like the apostle Paul.
April 19th (Hebrews 6:10)
Pray for Ms.Yagi who says the staff reminds her of how she can best serve the team.
April 20th (Matthew 19:26)
Please join Ms.Otsubo in praying that the JSL Bible app will become widely used by the Deaf community in Japan.
April 21st (Ephesians 3:18)
Pray for Mr. Hori who is thankful that our lives depend on God’s immeasurable love.
April 22nd (Acts 15:31)
Pray for Mr. Ogata as he shares that he has learned in Acts 15:31 how church leaders sought counsel from God’s Word.
April 23rd (Proverbs 12:25)
Pray for Kohki who is anxious about multiple responsibilities and time management.
April 24th (Philemon 1:25)
Pray for Pastor Sakaguchi as he serves the team, his family, and Deaf Bible Baptist Church in Kagoshima.
April 25th (Matthew 6:33)
Join with Sora in praying for the translation team, as it is fully run by donations which are vital to employ skilled staff. She’s concerned that the overall donation is decreasing due to the pandemic. Please pray the project will continue to receive donations to further translate the Bible into JSL.
April 26th (Matthew 18:20)
Pray for Ms. Otsubo’s request that the staff be allowed to get together in the Tokyo office again as soon as possible.
April 27th (John 14:27)
Pray that Ms. Yagi can focus and pay attention to every detail of her work. She prays for Jesus’ peace as she thinks about His words in John 14:27.
April 28th (Philippians 4:19)
Pray for the JSL Support Team to serve the project in Tokyo well and for God to provide more volunteers to serve on the Support Team.
April 29th (Mark 16:15)
Pray for Mr. Y and his family as he travels and serves many translation projects.
April 30th (1 Corinthians 15:22)
Pray God’s blessings on the Christian Tokyo office landlady and for her husband to accept new life in Christ.
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These prayer requests come directly from the staff in Japan. Thank you for joining your heart with theirs in prayer. We thank God for all of you who support this project and pray so faithfully! This project would not exist without those who give, pray, and serve.
THANK YOU!
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