October 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

We were excited to hear that the long-awaited American team from Japan would be coming to the West Coast of the United States in September, and we were praying and preparing to participate in their meetings. However, the day before we left, I caught a cold and developed a high fever of 39°C. I wondered if I would actually be able to participate, but after praying to bind the spirit, wondering if I was under spiritual attack, my fever miraculously dropped to 37°C. By the time I arrived in Los Angeles, my cold symptoms had significantly improved. Both the Los Angeles and San Diego meetings were attended by some participants, and we were richly blessed.

Pastor Akimoto, who served as our deputy leader, was a couple of times in and out of the hospital in Japan, but he was completely protected during our three-day stay in the United States. We praise the Lord for sending the team and advancing America's work as we enter the full-scale occupation shown to our flock by the Lord

On October 5th, I participated in the meeting to pray for the peace of Jerusalem online and prayed live from New York with other missionaries and pastors abroad. At the meeting, the messages were delivered about the significance of praying for peace for Jerusalem and Israel, and it was very inspiring.

 I hope and pray that the Lord will send a team to New York as well next year. We have been asked to hold a joint worship concert with another church in NY when the team comes from Japan. Please pray for the next U.S. team.

September 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and prayers

This month, three things brought me deep joy. Praise the Lord.

First, Pastor Y, from a church affiliated with TLEA, visited New York. Her first transit stop in the U.S. happened to be New York City, on her way to visit family members who have been faithfully serving online and were ordained at her church. Although it was just a brief pause during a long journey, we were blessed to spend precious time together in fellowship and prayer. She also prayed powerfully for God’s work in New York and for the upcoming American team.

Second, Sister M, an online member, submitted a hymn she had received for the upcoming release of Kaze no Hibiki Vol. 13—and it was selected as one of the 70 songs! With the arrangement, it has become an even more beautiful piece. I was surprised and truly delighted. Hallelujah!

Third, my wife and I will be joining the Israel team that will be sent in the new year. During a time when I hadn’t received a clear Word from God and couldn’t confirm or decide, I was reminded that the Word had already been given to me. Although our last two trips to Israel were canceled, we still had ticket vouchers from those journeys—and we’re now able to use them. We thank the Lord for His provision.

The American team will finally be sent on September 22nd, and we will also be participating in the team's holy meetings. Please pray that His will may be fulfilled.

August 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

It has cooled down in New York, and we are enjoying pleasant days. My wife recently returned from Japan and shared her testimony at our worship service. While she decided to extend her stay by a week, she was able to share the gospel with her mother, who came to believe in Jesus and prayed with her.

She testified that it was the work of the Holy Spirit that soften her mother's heart, made possible through the intercessory prayers of many faithful friends. For years, she had been praying for her salvation and sharing the gospel, even as her mother kept her heart closed. But this time, she gave thanks and praise to the Lord, recognizing that  God's appointed time for her mother’s salvation had finally come.

Having fulfilled one of the key missions of this trip, she was able to return safely. I, too, am very grateful —especially now that I can refocus on my central ministry, after carrying various responsibilities during her absence.

Pastor Paul Akimoto's R1 (missionary) visa application was approved on July 30^th, after a long period of  for delayed response from the USCIS. Praise the Lord.

We are now preparing to begin the next step –applying for the visa in the US Embassy in Japan. The timing of this approval, just before the American team is sent out in September, feels like an encouraging sign that the Lord is advancing His work in the U.S. Please continue to pray for the American team as they step into full-scale missionary work.

July 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

I participated in Hakuba Camp online, and even attended both the morning and evening holy meetings in real time. Sensing the Lord's presence, He spoke to my heart in many ways through the messages that were delivered. Since the World Gospel Festival was held in the daytime -- midnight in my time zone, I missed the opportunity to watch it, thinking I'd catch up later. During a prayer meeting over the phone with Sister M, she shared how deeply moved she was by the praise competition. Her words inspired and reminded me to watch the Gospel Festival two weeks later and was able to truly appreciate the praise and worship songs performed by many selected groups, just as Sister M had described. I sensed the praise band's work progressing and felt it was anointed.

This September, the American team will be dispatched to Los Angeles and San Diego—their first visit in seven and a half years. I am excited to see this happen again, marking what we call a full-scale stage of our church group’s outreach. My wife and I are praying to fly to the West Coast and participate if God wills. Please join us in praying for the team.

Meanwhile my wife was led to return to Japan at short notice. Her mother's discharge from the hospital coincided with Hakuba Camp just as she had been praying. As a result, I have continued to take on some of my wife's responsibilities. To be honest, it's been very challenging. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:37-38). I declare by faith that the workers God has prepared will gather together for the harvest of revival. Please also pray for the praise band ministry in New York and throughout the U.S.

 

June 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

In June the Iran-Israel war broke out, and the United States joined in, shaking the world. Although a ceasefire has been reached after 12 days of war, there are concerns about how Iran may retaliate against the United States with terrorist attacks in the future, so please pray for this.

My wife and I recently visited Sister O, a member of another church, who used to live in our neighborhood.  She has faithfully attended every NY Charismatic Meeting in the past and even participated once in the Israeli team. Having recently moved into a senior residence, she welcomed us, and we really had a good time with her in her new home. Before we left, she asked us to invite her to the next NY Charismatic Meeting.  Although she now lives quite far away, I am praying that she will be able to join us once again with God’s help.

During the service at Tokyo Antioch Church, Pastor Paul Akimoto clearly spoke about sending a team to the United States. We are praying to move forward with more concrete prayers and practical preparations---especially we explore the possibility of holding a joint praise concert with Japanese-American Church in NYC. Please pray that the next team will include praise band members and the team will be sent in God’s timing and to the places He has appointed.

We also continue to pray with our online member who live in the State of Maine, seeking God's will, to take a step forward in faith in Maine.

May 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

While the TLEA group has entered a full-scale work, we once again started to pray and seek God’s will about going to the State of Maine, where an online member lives. Hopefully we can stand together as a praise band and have a good time of sharing together.

The mission office told us that the American team would not be sent in June, and when we reported this to Pastor Stanley of the Japan-America United Church, he replied, "So sorry." With that, I learned that he is still enthusiastic about holding the joint praise concert. We told him that the team has not been canceled, but postponed. We hope that it will be realized in God’s perfect timing. We are also praying with the pastors of TLEA in North America for the next American team.

The other day, when I went to the dealer for regular maintenance on my car, I happened to meet Pastor N of the Japanese Church in New Jersey. I hadn't seen the pastor for over 10 years. Sister O, who lived four blogs away from my apartment, was a member of that church, yet she never missed the TLEA NY Holy Meeting and also participated in the Israeli team once. I was able to hear from the pastor that Sister O had moved apartments. I found out about this just as I was about to visit her, and I would like to visit her there soon. I am also grateful that I was able to meet the pastor again at this time, reminded that I could send him the invitation to the worship concert once it is ready to take place.

April 2025

 

Praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your offerings and intercessory prayers.

The winter weather has been prolonged, but as of April 20th, it has suddenly become warm, and the buds of the double cherry blossoms in front of our apartment have swelled up all at once, and are about to bloom.

The day after we returned from Japan, the Israel team was sent, and since we had to adjust to the time difference, we were able to follow the live online broadcast of the Israel team's holy meetings. Even through the broadcast, we felt the strong spiritual blessing of the Lord's presence flowing over us, and we were blessed. We have a ticket voucher that we bought for a previous Israel mission team that was canceled, so we have started praying that we will be able to go to Israel next year.

The Sunday after we returned from Japan, we immediately went to meet with the pastor of the Japanese American United Church in preparation for a next American team. We were able to reaffirm our intention to hold a joint praise concert when the team arrives. We also confirmed that the American Presbyterian Church, which we rent as a place of worship for our church, can be used whenever it is free other than Sundays. We are praying that an American team will be sent in God’s time.

We resubmitted the application for extension of Pastor Paul Akimoto's missionary visa. Please pray for the visa extension to be approved.