by Whitey | Aug 15, 2008 | Life in Japan, Ministry News, Thoughts
A couple of months (or so) ago, I was interviewed, via email for GP’s newsletter/magazine GP Worldview. I thought I’d share it here on the blog for those of you who haven’t read it. It was edited for space in the mag, so I’ll include some of the stuff that was cut out.
Tell me about your call to missions, especially to Japan.
I was “finished school” and working full-time as a graphic designer when I first started sensing God call me into ministry. I didn’t know where that would lead me ultimately, but it started with going back to school, where I received my Youth Ministry degree from Bethany Bible College.
After Bible College I still had no plans to go overseas as a missionary. I was a youth major, after all, and had a passion for worship leading. So I pursued various potential opportunities in youth and music ministry. But in all my searching for just the right ministry position, nothing I pursued worked out. For months, it seemed like every door I tried was closed. Then, through the internet, an opportunity came my way completely unexpectedly: a one-year position teaching English and doing ministry in Japan, at a little place in Sayama City, Osaka, called Grace English School.
After a lot of prayer and thinking, I really sensed that God was leading me to accept the offer. So in the summer of 2002 I left Canada for a year in Japan. It will be a great experience — an adventure, I thought, and besides, it’s only for a year, right?
That year changed my life. It was an adventure, yes. But it changed me in ways I didn’t ever realize at the time. It changed the way I looked at the world, the way I looked at missions, the way I looked at life in general, and the way I looked at myself. I fell in love with Japan and, seeing the great spiritual need, have been carrying a burden for the Japanese ever since.
I know this isn’t your first time in Japan. Tell a little bit about your first or past times there.
As I mentioned, my first experience with Japan was the year I spent in Osaka. My day-to-day life consisted mainly of teaching English, but since the English school I worked at was owned and operated by Believers, there was quite a bit of opportunity for ministry as well. We did a weekly event called “International Fellowship”, which was a time of sharing about culture, and a time for people to practice their English, but also a time of worship and Bible study. I played guitar and lead worship almost every week, and had the opportunity to do the Bible study on several occasions as well.
One thing that stood out to me about Japanese society was their ability to embrace modern ideas and technology while at the same time holding on to their distinctive culture and traditions. It’s a fascinating mix of the ancient and ultra-modern. But what I came to love most about Japan was the people.
How is the language learning process coming along? Are you able to communicate in Japanese?
I suppose that depends on how you define “communicate”! For a native speaking, talking to me in Japanese is probably like talking to a two-year old! On the other hand, that’s better than a few months ago. I have certainly made a lot of progress in my first couple of months of formal studies, but language learning is a slow and difficult process.
What cultural practices are the most challenging to adjust to?
In Japan, everything matters. There’s a rule and a right way to do everything. When you’re not from here, that of course means a you face a huge learning curve. Also, communication is often indirect, so you need to learn to read between the lines. And the language barrier just makes all of this learning all the more slow.
I know you have only been in Japan since the end of December, but so far what has been your high point?
It’s been a few years coming, so for me just being back in Japan feels great. But recently I had the opportunity, along with a new Japanese friend, to sing and play a duet during a Sunday afternoon outreach service. We sang a bilingual version of “The Love of God”. I also gave a brief introduction in Japanese. It was an amazing experience to be able to minster in this way in Japanese — even if (to be honest) I didn’t understand every word I said, and had to read the whole thing! One of my dreams is to be able to lead worship completely in Japanese, and this was a small step in that direction.
What will your ministry be?
During this term, my main focus is on learning Japanese. However, I will be involved at Immanuel Nagoya Church by doing some English teaching and helping with their youth ministry. I also recently began giving one-on-one English lessons to a young Japanese guy in exchange for his help with my Japanese. He’s not a Christian, but is open to studying the Bible, so we’re going to be going through the book of Mark together.
Do the Japanese know anything about Jesus? How do you go about sharing the gospel with them?
Japan is basically 99% unreached. That means the average person not only isn’t a Believer, but probably doesn’t even know who Jesus really is. With this being a group-oriented culture, where indirect communication is the norm, aggressive or confrontational forms of evangelism aren’t the way to go. Which is fine by me, since I’m not aggressive or confrontational. I think relationships are the key. That’s one of the reasons English teaching is such a great ministry tool here. As a native English speaker, this is a service I can offer the church as a way to help them to connect with people outside the church. And this is something I can do even while the language barrier keeps me from other areas of service.
What is your vision for the Japanese people?
I think there’s a great openness to the Gospel among today’s youth. I think the opportunity and possibility of reaching Japan may be greater now than ever before. My dream is to see Japanese Believers of this generation seize the opportunity to reach their generation with the love of Christ.
What has God taught you personally on this journey so far?
Patience! Maybe I should say he’s teaching me patience. Learning another language takes a lot of discipline and hard work. And with or without language and cultural barriers, ministry in Japan is a slow process of building relationships, planting seeds and trusting God to bring the harvest.
by Whitey | Aug 1, 2008 | Ministry News
Below is a copy of my latest prayer letter, as sent by email to those on the list. As you’ll see, August is going to be a full but fun month — I’ll hardly be home at all actually. Because of this I’ll be offline and not posting anything new to the blog — BUT I have a bunch of stuff pre-posted that will be going live automatically throughout the month. A lot of really fun stuff too (like the rest of the Engrish series — 5 parts in all!), so make sure to check back. Plus my Twitter feed is showing here now. Lord willing I’ll be back “live” in September. Have a great month, all.
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Dear friends, family and supporters,
In Japan, this is the time of year that brings us extreme heat, humidity and the sounds of the cicadas. For students, it’s also time for summer holidays, and as a language student, that includes me! For the entire month of August I’ll have no classes, which will be a nice (and much-needed) break!
But that doesn’t mean I’ll be vacationing all month! Actually, August will be my busiest month of ministry so far this year. In addition to that, I’ll have homework to do (students in Japan generally have homework during their short summer break) and I’m hoping to spend some time each day catching up on some vocabulary and things I’ve missed along the way. At the end of the month I do plan take some time off, but for the first few weeks I’ll be busy — but a different kind of busy, so it’ll still be a nice change!
Here’s a rundown of my schedule for the month:
• Aug. 4-6 — Home in Nagoya getting ready for everything.
• Aug. 7-9 — My church’s youth camp; several unsaved junior high kids come to our youth events — pray for them to come and to have open hearts! I’ll be playing guitar on the worship team as well as being the “official” photographer.
• Aug. 11-14 — Youth Station (Tokyo) — the denomination’s national youth event of the summer. I’ll be taking part in a missions-themed discussion / teaching time, as well as teaming up with WGM missionary Zach Motts to lead some fun activities.
• Aug. 17-19 — Area Retreat (like family camp back home, but probably less “campy”). I’ll be giving a testimony and sharing in song during one of the services, as well as helping out with a youth service as an “MC”.
• Aug. 20-31 — Vacation!!! I’ll be visiting friends in Fukushima (Japanese countryside) and Tokyo (definitely not the countryside) before coming home, regrouping, and going back to school.
Please pray for safe travel, effective ministry, and that God will teach me some things along the way as well. Pray too that I manage to keep up with my studies and take advantage of the ample opportunities I’ll have to practice my Japanese in actual conversations at all these events. Pray, too, that this is a good time of relationship building for me, as it’ll be a good chance to get to know some of the teens I don’t usually see more than once a week.
Thank you so much for your continuing prayer support! I’ll try to send out a full newsletter in early September and let you know how things are going. In the meantime, I won’t be home much, so forgive me if I’m not able to respond right away to any emails you might send. “I’ll see you in September…”
Blessings,
– robin
ロビンホワイト
by Whitey | Jul 19, 2008 | Thoughts
I was reading through Philippians, one of my favourite parts of the Bible, this morning. A couple of things stood out to me I thought I’d share.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus… (Phil. 1:3-6)
I can’t read these verses anymore without thinking about all the churches, individuals and family members who are supporting my ministry in Japan through their praying, giving and encouraging words. So if I haven’t said it enough, THANK YOU! I pray God will bless you all for your part in my ministry and His kingdom.
… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:11-13)
This is a lesson I’m still learning to live out. For me the issue is not money or things. I really do have everything I need. And then some. But when I think about the future, with all the stuff I could be doing, the ministries I could be a part of, the opportunities I could have, sometimes it’s hard to be content now.
I’m a dreamer. I’m always looking ahead. I’m always looking for what’s next. It’s good to dream, it’s good to have goals and plans, but sometimes we can get so focused on the future that we fail to enjoy the present. Sometimes the work we have to do now to reach the goals and dreams we have don’t seem worth all the hassle in the present. We wish we could skip ahead.
I love Japan. I’m happy to be here. I even love learning the language. But it’s hard work. For me, the thing I have to remember is that this of focused language study is a step towards those goals and dreams for the future. It’s not a waste of time. In fact, it’s a necessity. But beyond seeing its value for the future, I need to learn to see the present as good in and of itself, and learn to take joy in the here and now.
There will always be a tension between being content and dreaming of a better future. But the present isn’t so bad. In fact I’m blessed.
Lord, help us to see Your blessings in the here and now!
I just realized how these two points tie together. One of the great blessings I have in the present is the many supporters standing behind me as I travel this journey. So again, thanks.
by Whitey | Jul 15, 2008 | Ministry News
Since I wasn’t around on Friday, and didn’t get anything up on Monday, here’s a re-cap of recent goings-on in my life, along with random thoughts running through my head tonight…
1. Had a great time in Tokyo, hanging out with Zach before and after the meeting I went up there for. Friday night we hit up Tokyo Tower, and Sunday afternoon we visited Yoyogi Park. Yoyogi Park is amazing on Sunday afternoons, with hundreds of people coming and going. There were countless bands and musicians doing their thing. Many of them were awful (it reminded me of round one of American Idol or something) but some of them were pretty good. There were also the famous rockabilly dancers, artists and other freaks. It’s an incredibly creatively-stimulating place. I will have to post some video and photos when I sift through the stuff I shot.
2. The aforementioned meeting (held on Saturday) was all day long and all-Japanese. It was a struggle to sit through at times, I’ll admit. Added to the length and language, most of it didn’t affect me directly. But it was a good learning experience on the Japanese way of doing things. It was also a good look into the youth ministry leadership of the church we work with here in Japan.
3. The downside of the weekend was breaking the lens of my camera, and finding out it will probably cost almost as much to fix as it would be to replace it. Ouch. Any readers know of a good replacement for the kit lens of the Nikon D-50? If I’m going to buy a new one anyway, I may do a little upgrade. And not just because the sales guy at Bic Camera tried to sell me one when we stopped in to check on repair costs. Really.
4. Last Monday’s big test went much better than the previous one. So I’m moving in the right direction. This week I’ve got a kanji reading test on Thursday and a speech contest on Friday — lots of memorizing to do between now and the end of the week.
5. During the month of August, my class goes on natsu yasumi — summer vacation. For me, the whole month isn’t a holiday, though, because August is also the month of three major events I’m going to be a part of: my church’s youth camp, the national denominational youth camp, and all-ages area retreat. After that, I’ll have 11 days before school’s back in, so I’m planning to take some vacation time then. Not sure where, though.
6. I realized tonight, as I was rushing around the 100-yen shop, stationary store and grocery store (all in one building) that the best time to go shopping is right before closing — not because of any deals I got but because when there’s a time limit I don’t linger too long, waste too much time, or spend too much money. I should do that more often. Go late I mean.
7. I’ve been Twittering lately, and more so now that I’ve figured out who to do it via my cell phone. I used to think it was silly and pointless, but today I realized that there’s a haiku-like beauty and simplicity in micro-blogging. Okay, maybe it is silly. But it’s also a great way to keep people posted when you’re not able to sit down at a computer and type up a full blog post like this. If you’re on Twitter, feel free to follow me: I’m called skitzoman over there.
8. This weekend’s a long weekend. I’m not sure what the occasion is, but Monday’s a holiday. And, after the busyness of the past couple of weeks, I’m looking forward to it. Unfortunately, a big part of it will probably be spent cleaning house, something that definitely goes on the back-burner when I’m busy.
And… I guess that’s a wrap. Come back soon for the above-mentioned photos and videos, as well as other fun stuff I should have time to put up on the weekend. See I won’t be just cleaning.
by Whitey | Jul 10, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the third in a 3-part series. If you haven’t read them yet, you may want to check out Part One and Part Two first. Again, if you’ve experienced — or are experiencing — culture shock yourself, feel free to leave a comment with your two cents. Here are some thoughts on my experiences…
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Everybody goes through culture shock when they move to a foreign place. But not everyone goes through the same kind of culture shock.
My experience with culture shock has been mild compared to what a lot of people might go through. Living among and working with fellow-Believers has helped. But in Osaka, there wasn’t as much adapting to do as there in now in Nagoya. There were moments of stress like catching the wrong train and ending up who-knows-where. There was trouble shopping, and other language-related difficulties. And there were times when I just got tired of being a “novelty” or standing out. But in my day-to-day life I could survive without learning Japanese, because my job was English teaching and my friends and co-workers were mostly fellow-expats.
This time is different. I’m definitely more immersed this time, but now I have the advantage of having lived in Japan previously. The main thing that causes culture shock for me is the language barrier: It’s a bit frustrating, even overwhelming, to be surrounded by Japanese and not able to join the conversation. And it feels like in order for the others to include me I have to suddenly become the center of the conversation, which I don’t want; but often it’s either that or feeling left out. Japan is also a more group-oriented society, a place where there’s a right and wrong way to do everything, and a culture where communication is less direct — all of which add to the learning curve.
But when I do face stresses relating to these cultural differences, it’s always an opportunity to learn. Language barriers give me incentive to study Japanese. Doing things the wrong way helps me remember the right way. Dealing with and working through culture shock helps one to understand and relate to the new culture — to acculturate.
And, little by little, God is helping me to do just that.
