* We are humbled by and grateful for your partnership in the gospel. Thank you for faithfully praying for the ministry here in Japan. On February 15th we experienced a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. We praise God for the safety of our church members, Japanese friends, and our family. We were able to clean up quickly. But for many around us who experienced the great earthquake of 3/11/2011, this recent earthquake was emotionally jarring. Please pray that we can listen well to them and be an agent of God’s peace. Also, please pray for the 10th anniversary 3/11 memorial service through our church.

* Last term, Chris and I spent a substantial amount of time in language learning. At that time you prayed for Chris’s Japanese teacher, T Sensei. Chris walked with him through his wife’s cancer diagnosis and God gave him a number of opportunities to talk about spiritual things. Recently a new missionary with SEND (another Christopher Alan!) began lessons with T Sensei. In one of this new missionary’s first classes, T Sensei said, “Since you are a missionary, I think you will need to know how to read Kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese writing) in order to read the Bible. Please bring a Japanese Bible to class so we can study together.” Amazing! Please pray for T. Sensei and his family to believe and trust in Jesus.

* The Shichigahama church plant has been meeting twice a month. One of those services is geared towards people who don’t have knowledge of the God of the Bible. A family from Leanne’s Baby English class came last service. Praise God! Please pray that God would give them understanding of Himself and a desire to know Him. Also, please pray that God would bless these services.

* On March 19th our oldest son, Mark, will graduate from Japanese elementary school. We are overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness to him these past six years! From April, we will homeschool Mark. Please pray for that transition for him emotionally and academically. Please also pray for wisdom in how Leanne should balance homeschooling and ministry.

-Leanne & Chris