Hi everyone,
I hope you’re feeling fine and festive as we enter the Christmas season this year. This past Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, I was in Yamaguchi (3 hours southwest by bullet train) for a day of ministry at the Immanuel church there (whose new building you can see in the photo above). As a bonus, it was a great time of re-connecting with one of my oldest friends/colleagues in Japan, Pastor Hirase, who used to worked at my church in Nagoya.
Before my trip, I hadn’t been feeling very well. But God gave me the strength (and voice) I needed to preach in the morning and do a mini-concert in the afternoon. I had a good time encouraging the church and helping them reach out. Interestingly, the passage I spoke on in the afternoon was the same one they’d put on their poster promoting the event (“God is Love”), though we hadn’t planned it that way. Please pray that God will continue the work He was doing through this event in the lives of the guests who came.
As Advent continues, so do my adventures. Please pray with me for the following over the next few weeks:
- 12/2 – English Cafe
- 12/4 – Preaching at Nagoya Church
- 12/11 – English Bible study
- 12/14 – Leading worship at prayer meeting
- 12/18 – Preaching & music ministry at Gifu Church
- 12/22 – Kids English class Christmas party
- 12/25 – My church’s Christmas events
Thank you so much for your prayers and support this year. And in case you don’t hear from me before then, have a merry Christmas and happy New Year!
– Robin