Autumn has come and almost gone, so it’s about time for one of our big, bi-annual newsletters. This one is a bit of a year-end reflection piece with a bunch of points for your prayers.
Click HERE to get the PDF!
Thank you!
Hi everyone!
Thank you for your continual prayers! We could smoothly sign a contract for our new office space this week! In the midst of the process over past a few weeks, we had some travels and ministry opportunities, as we shared in October prayer letter.
One of the highlight was last weekend. We attended a Christian conference that was held by CBI (Christ Bible Institute) in Nagoya, where we lived before. We were blessed and encouraged through several conference sessions, catching up with old friends and promoting Drawbridge Creations. More than 500 people attended the conference and we could get new connections who showed interest in our ministry. The conference also celebrated CBI’s 20th anniversary. I thank God that I could be involved in the 1/3 of their history as a student and a staff there. So we were very happy to celebrate this milestone with CBI folks!
Another highlight was ministry opportunities in Noto, where the big earthquake took place last year and Christian relief work continues. Robin preached at a church whose current pastoral missionaries were in States and we had a fellowship lunch time there including a non-Christian neighbour of the church. One couple at the church shared with us that the repair of their house finally started more than 15 months after the earthquake happened.
Still about 20,000 people live in temporally housing. There was some sad news that elderly people who lived alone in temporally housing and lost their community after the earthquake died lonely and were found after several days. With some members of our home church in Kanazawa, as a part of volunteer work of NOTO HELP, we visited a temporally housing town, Fugeshi, that has about 100 housing units. We could have some conversation with some residents there. The time and energy of our team is limited, but we hope to visit there monthly and to build relationships as a neighbours.
November will be busy for setting up our new space, and some ministry opportunities are scheduled. Here are some prayer points.
Thank you so much for your partnership with us!
– Yoko (& Robin)
Hi everyone,
September has flown by for Yoko and I, as we returned from Canada and hit the ground running. The big event was the art exhibit I mentioned in our previous update. Please watch the above video to get a walkthrough of the exhibit and hear some greetings from our friend Peter, from Gallery Nani.
In short, the event was a great spiritual bridge-builder, and we were encouraged and inspired to think about how we can engage more with the community through the arts. Thank you for praying!
October also has some travel and special events on the calendar, including a couple of visits to Noto, where the big earthquake took place last year and Christian relief work continues. We’d appreciate your prayers for the following:
Thank you again for your prayers and partnership!
Hi everyone,
Thank you for your prayers after the recent loss of my father. Though it has been a difficult season in many ways, Yoko and I are thankful for the time we had with Dad before his passing, and for the time with Mom and family in the weeks since.
We are scheduled to return to Japan next Wednesday, so please be praying for our travels and also for God’s wisdom and direction as we transition back to life there and get into a new season of ministry.
There are also a couple of upcoming events we’d appreciate your prayers for:
On September 15, planning to be at the Hokuriku Missions Conference, where we have the opportunity to promote Drawbridge Creations. Please pray that we can make good connections and grow our ministry here.
Meanwhile, throughout September, some of my work is on display in Seto (near Nagoya), along with work by Stephen McCranie, in an exhibit called “The Story Behind the Story.” Gallery Nani is run by a missionary couple there who use this space for community connection and outreach. The exhibit runs all month, and Yoko and I are planning to be there in person for the final weekend artist talk event. Please pray that spiritual bridges will be built through this exhibit and event!
Thank you again for your prayers and support for our life and ministry in Japan!
Our latest ministry newsletter is now available! Get the PDF here.
Thank you!
Hi everyone,
Hope your summer is getting off to a good start! In Ishikawa, it looks like we’re just entering the rainy season. Thank you for your prayers this past month. Here are some updates and prayer requests for June:
1. Thank you for praying for our ministries at the Immanuel churches in Fukui and Komatsu last month. God lead, protected and blessed us!
2. We are now attending Immanuel Kanazawa Church as our “home church.” This is an attempt to centre our ministry closer to where we live. There are actually two Immanuel churches in Kanazawa, and both have asked us to work with their young people (mostly university students). This Sunday we went to an adventure park with some of them! Please pray for God’s leading in our church life and local ministries.
3. In June, we are planning to host a team from The Well in Christchurch, New Zealand. This is a Wesleyan-Methodist Church with a heart for Japan and a desire to partner with our work here. This visit is a vision trip with the purpose of learning more about the needs and opportunities in Japan. Please pray for a God’s blessing on this trip.
4. Also in June, I (Robin) am scheduled to spend two weeks in the Philippines attending a Leadership Matters Course. With new workers (Lord willing) coming soon, GP has named me mission director for Japan and recommended this class to me as part of my preparation.
5. Our new missionary Mickey Veach is making good progress in his support raising. We are planning for his arrival in October. Meanwhile he continues to engage with us remotely as one of the writers for our online manga series Waypoints. The latest story is one Mickey wrote, and is scheduled to go online this Friday! Please pray for this ministry, and for Mickey’s continuing partnership development.
As our busy season begins and we have lots on our minds, we’re thankful for partners like you who hold us up in prayer and support the mission in Japan. Thank you for being on our team!
– Robin & Yoko