February 12, 2019
Dear Prayer Partner,
A Good Christmas Season
God gave us a good Christmas Season. God blessed us with over 40 in both of our main Christmas services. As usual, a good number of lost people attended our various Christmas services. Pray for God to work in the hearts of the lost who attended. Pray that they will come to know the Christ of Christmas.
More Progress on Our New Building
We are still working on renovating our new building. We are making good progress, but have about 4 months of work to go. We are currently painting and hanging wallpaper. Please pray for strength and wisdom as we continue this huge project. We are excited about what God is going to do here in Nagaoka. He has given a great location and we are excited about what lies ahead. Please pray for God’s continued blessing on us and His work at Agape.
Pray for the Lost
We have a number of people who have expressed a real interest in Christ, but who have yet to make a profession of faith. Please pray for Mrs. Sato. She is a lady who has been studying the Bible with Cindy for over a year. She often expresses her sincere interest but has not yet trusted Christ as her Savior. Others like Mrs. Miyajima (she grew up in a Buddhist temple), Mr. Sakai (the head of his local family clan), and Mr. Taniguchi (a young man who came thru an interest in English, but is sincerely seeking the Lord) have all expressed a real desire be saved, but have yet to take the last step of trusting Him as their Savior. No doubt, in part, they are held back from taking this last step by deep family ties and their fear of being ostracized from Japanese society.
Pray for Believers
A number of believers who have been attending have expressed their desire to join our church. We now are in the process of going thru a new member’s study with them. Others have expressed a desire to be baptized. We look forward to their being baptized in the spring when the weather gets a little warmer. Sadly we have some believers who are struggling in their walk with the Lord. Please pray for them and for us as we seek to guide them back to the Lord. Thank you for giving and praying for us. May God bless you as you serve Him there.
Co-Laborers for Christ,
Mike & Cindy Burgett