The school year in Japan begins the first week in April as compared to a lot of places in the U.S. where children begin their new school year following Labor Day. The Japanese school year that begins in April ends in March which means that the children in Japan go to school just about all year round. During the first week of April, you will often see many parents proudly taking photos of their kids smiling in front of their elementary schools. The boys will be wearing a new suit with a necktie and a large backpack, and the girls will be wearing a new dress with a large backpack as well. Pray that the students of Japan would be exposed to Jesus during the time they are in school. Ask that they would meet or encounter a child from a Christian home. Children from Christian homes are all too few and yet they are there and include children of pastors and missionaries. Pray for classmates to be invited to Christian homes, and through play and other activities. experience the difference that being in a Christian family can make.