September 2023

Hallelujah! I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

 

The "WEB GOSPEL FESTIVAL 2023" held on September 16th was an international web gospel concert featuring participants from Japan,

Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Israel.

I had the opportunity to watch it later, and I was truly blessed by the amazing performances of the praise teams!

 

Lately, we've been hearing news about frequent group robberies occurring in California, and it has also happened in our city near Los Angeles.

It seems that large malls are being targeted. We are praying for the safety and well-being of America.

In the midst of these circumstances, the Los Angeles church has been provided with Japanese-language manga tracts, and Brother Robert is taking the lead in distributing comic tracts.

 

While we conduct the worship service in Japanese, the MC presides over it in both Japanese and English, and participants used translation devices to listen to the messages.

We were surprised by this new approach, but we received a lot of encouragement and are deeply thankful to the Lord.

We continue to pray for the advancement of God's internet missionary work, reaching out to a million people, and for the growth of online worship and church members.

 

Please continue to pray that we will be able to listen to and obey God’s voice. Thank you. God bless you all!

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

 

 

August 2023

Hallelujah! I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

I had the opportunity to purchase and later watch the online ticket version of the J. GOSPEL Concert "Kokoro Gospel" which took place on August 15th. I was truly blessed by the wonderful performance of the praise team.

In our flock, a new (fiscal) year will begin in November. Furthermore, this year, ahead of the new year, the J. Gospel song collection "Kaze no hibiki 11" will be published in October. Currently, the process of composing and writing for the song collection is underway, and I am praying with the hope that the 11th collection will be richly utilized for the work of the Lord. Additionally, I have also started to pray for the Israel Mission 2024.

At the Japanese language school where I work part-time, we are planning to transition to in-person classes officially starting from September. While we have been conducting online classes for the past three and a half years, this transition to in-person teaching presents a new challenge alongside the changing times. 

Furthermore, the security and economy of Los Angeles have been deteriorating in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and amid these circumstances, I find myself praying about both online and in-person worship services of our church.

I am also praying for 21st-century style evangelism and missions, for the workers, and that we may be guided by the Lord's will.  Please continue to pray that we will be able to listen to and obey God’s voice. Thank you. God bless you all!

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

 

July 2023

Hallelujah! I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

I am grateful for the opportunity to fully participate in the Hakuba Camp (July 18th to 21st) this summer, thanks to the benefits of the internet, even from my local area. Through the camp, I received a lot of learning and encouragement, and it greatly strengthened me spiritually. The praise event during the Hakuba Camp (J. GOSPEL Contest Final in Hakuba) was also live-streamed, and it was truly a blessing.

Furthermore, we have created a testimonial video of Ms. Grace Hoyt, a member of the Los Angeles church living in Missouri, which is being used during our Sunday service. Each of us desires to faithfully fulfill our role as witnesses in various ways.

On another note, the Japanese language school where I work part-time has resumed face-to-face classes for the first time in four years since July. The impact of COVID-19 in the area is gradually subsiding, and we are planning to transition to full-time face-to-face classes from September. Although transitioning from online to face-to-face teaching is a new challenge, I am delighted to return to the original school atmosphere and environment.

Please continue to pray that we will be able to listen to and obey God’s voice. Thank you. God bless you all!

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

 

 

 

 

June 2023

Hallelujah!

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and generous offerings.

This year, Southern California has experienced abundant rainfall, and the beautiful purple jacaranda flowers, which bloomed late, are now starting to scatter as summer approaches.

The Hakuba Camp will take place from July 18th to 21st this summer, and I plan to participate online.

Two groups from the Los Angeles church have submitted audio recordings for the North American Hakuba Praise Preliminary competition.

Additionally, I am very excited about the J. GOSPEL Contest Final in Hakuba, which will take place on July 20th in Nagano, Japan.

 

As part of the English-speaking ministry efforts, the Los Angeles church is gradually incorporating English into the worship service, aiming for a bilingual service.

We pray that local people and the vessels being led by the Lord will be sent swiftly and be able to participate in the work of the Lord.

 

By the way, I have been sent to Los Angeles in response to the Great Commission mentioned in Mark 6:15.

While being based in Los Angeles; I pray to be able to look further into the world and fulfill the will of the Lord.

Please continue to pray for the work of the Los Angeles church and that we may continue to listen to and obey the Lord, so that His will may be done.

Thank you very much. May the Lord bless you all!

 

"But as for you, turn and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea." - Deuteronomy 1:40

 

 

May 2023

Hallelujah!

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

I am grateful to report that Pastor Paulo Akimoto's missionary visa has been renewed for another two years in the United States.

Although there was a trouble with the delivery of approval documents from the immigration office to the Los Angeles office in February,

Pastor Akimoto was able to obtain his visa, and we give thanks to the Lord for that.

After approximately three years and three months, nine members of the Light of the World International Ministry Association (LWIM),

who have been assisting the Los Angeles church since February 2007, were sent to Japan.

On May 14th, Missionary Han addressed the congregation and delivered a message at the worship service of TLEA Tokyo Antioch Church.

We have been praying for the work of the LWIM Japan missionary team and have received abundant blessings.

On May 4th, I had the opportunity to watch the online ticket version of the J.GOSPEL concert, "Kokoro Gospel" It was truly inspiring and I was greatly blessed.

 

The church website of Big Bear Lake City in Southern California features a photo blog by Sister H-san, a resident of the same city.

While the blog was on break during their temporary return to Japan, it has resumed in May. Please feel free to visit.  (http://usa.wfsmission.info/bigbear/).

Thank you very much.

May the Lord bless you all!

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

 

 

April 2023

Hallelujah!

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

 

It seems that the application for an American missionary visa for Pastor Paul Akimoto has already been approved by the U.S. authorities,

and the procedures in Japan are progressing towards the final stage.

We are praying that we will be able to welcome Pastor Akimoto and the American team this year,

and that every church in North America will be able to hold charismatic meetings for the first time in four years.

I am looking forward to holding our charismatic meetings in Los Angeles!

 

Grace, a member of the Los Angeles church and a resident of Missouri, will participate in the preliminary singing contest for 'Hakuba J-Gospel' in the United States this year.

Our plan is to submit our recorded data to TLEA Tokyo Antioch Church by May 31st. I earnestly pray that we may serve the Lord wholeheartedly on this occasion.

Furthermore, Grace serves as a worship leader and plays the ukulele during our prayer meetings. Her ministry has been a great blessing to us."

 

The other day, thieves broke into the apartment complex where our office is located. Thankfully, we were safe, but unfortunately, our neighbors' belongings left outside,

such as air conditioners, children's bicycles, and shoes, were stolen.

Although our town, located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, used to seem like a relatively safe area, this incident made me realize the importance of praying for the Lord's protection every day.

Thank you once again for your prayers.

May the Lord bless you all!

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

 

March 2023

Hallelujah!

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

Southern California experienced unusually cold weather this winter, but summer daylight saving time has already begun on March 12.

In March, it has been three years since we began to broadcast online the Sunday service that we are truly thankful for the Lord's protection.

 

"Hakuba Snergoi Camp" was held from February 28th to March 2nd.

Thanks to the Internet, I participated in the online Hakuba Camp and was greatly blessed.

I also had the opportunity to take part in the practice of the gift of the Spirit, and I learned a very valuable lesson.

I began to confess actively using "confession" as a practical "gift of faith", and we began to confess our faith in the service.

(Confession: through us, the Lord will lead and save a million people!)

Through the camp program, our church was also strengthened with many instructions and messages.

I hope that, under the guidance of our flock, we can advance together in the work of the Lord. Incidentally,

the award-winning films from the Hakuba film festivals are also very wonderful, and we saw them in the service.

 

Please keep praying for the work of our Los Angeles church.

Thank you very much.

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40

February 2023

Hallelujah!

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings.

On the evening of Friday, February 10th, Pastor Peter Kubota, Executive Director of the TLEA Film Mission, attended the Movie Guide Award Ceremony for Christian Films as a member of the press. Pastor Peter Kubota stayed in Los Angeles for a week as a member of the Hollywood team to participate in the ceremony for the first time in three years. Later, Pastor Peter Kubota took a video which is about 8-minute testimony in front of the Dolby Theater, where the venue for the Oscar in Hollywood. We are so glad that we were able to help him take the video. Furthermore, we recorded a video which is about 13 minutes about the testimony of the Hollywood team of Pastor Peter Kubota at the site of the Azusa Revival church in Little Tokyo. I thank the Lord with all my heart that the church has been so strengthened by the Hollywood team.

 

On February 6, I participated in the 26th Memorial Meeting of the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan held in Nagasaki via an online live broadcast. Pastor Paul Akimoto said that they ,the martyrs, chose the best, and I was deeply impressed.

 

"Hakuba Snergoi Camp" will be held from February 28 through March 2. Thanks to the Internet, I will be attending the camp from LA. Although there is a time difference between Japan and the USA, according to the program, I will also participate in the practical training of the Gifts of the Spirit. I am looking forward to the blessings of the flock together.

 

Please keep praying for the work of our Los Angeles church.

Thank you very much. Please stay safe and healthy! God bless you.

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”

Deuteronomy 1: 40

January 2023

 Hallelujah!  

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings. 

We pray for Sister Junko, who has been suffering from sciatic since last September.

I am so thankful that Sister J’s pain has been gradually reduced.

Now she reads the monthly magazine of  “The Appearance of a Rainbow in the Clouds" which I introduced. 

On a side note, I was able to give a DVD of "Prison to Praise " (with Japanese subtitles) to Ms.M, who introduced Sister J. to us.

Ms. M said she would like to share it with many people.

I hope the spirit of thanks and praise will continue to be passed on to her and her friends. 

  

We have just applied for a missionary visa (R1) for Pastor Paul Akimoto at USCIS in Southern California.

We truly pray that he will continue to hold his visa for American missionary work. 

  

Currently, we intercede the outreach teams.

Germany - Switzerland team will be sent from January 24 to 31, and Hollywood team will be sent to Los Angeles from February 8 to 13. 

 

Lastly, I am planning to participate in the Nagasaki Martyrdom Commemoration Services through online live streaming this year.

Because of the time differential, the services will be broadcast live on the evening of February 5 and at midnight in Los Angeles.  

 

Please keep praying for the work of our Los Angeles church. 

Thank you very much. Please stay safe and healthy! God bless you. 

  

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” Deuteronomy 1: 40 

December 2022

Hallelujah!  

I praise the name of the Lord. Thank you for your sincere prayers and precious offerings. 

The "Kokoro Gospel Christmas Concert" took place at "Za Koenji 2" in Suginami, Tokyo, on December 17.

I watched the concert with the recorded version. I was greatly touched and strengthened by the Japanese Gospel. 

Pastor Paul Akimoto will reapply for a Missionary Visa (R1 visa) in June 2023. Currently,

the NY Mission is in the process of preparing its application, and I am working on some of them as well. 

I hope that his missionary visa will be obtained continuously.

And the word of the Lord "the over 100 TLEA churches will be established in North America" will be accomplished. 

 

The conference room on the 1st floor of the Japan-America Cultural Center,

which has been rented as a worship place for the Los Angeles Church,

was turned into an exhibit hall during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, we are looking for a new place to have hybrid worship services, both in-person and online. 

 

Please continue to pray for the work of the Los Angeles Church so that 2023 to be a good turning point

and for the work of the Lord's will to advance. 

And I would be grateful if you would pray that I may listen and obey the Lord’s voice.Thank you very much.

Please stay safe and healthy!

God bless you. 

 

“But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”Deuteronomy1:40