by Robin White | Mar 1, 2016 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
The above picture is my Tuesday kids English class. (I wonder who told them to make those faces?) In February, this group finished their four-year course with us, bringing the class to an end. I’m thankful for the relationships formed through this and the other English classes I teach, and that so many students and family members have participated in other church activities like camps, Christmas events and so on. Please pray that God will continue to work in my students’ lives, even the kids who have graduated and moved on.
March is shaping up to be a busy month, so I’d appreciate your prayers for the following:
- English Cafe, this Friday, 3/4
- Immanuel Church annual conference, 3/8-10
- Leading worship at prayer meeting, 3/16
- Preaching at prayer meeting, 3/23
- Also, please continue to pray that God will provide a substitute teacher for the one class I don’t have covered yet for my absence this summer.
- And please pray for God’s direction for next steps in my ministry, especially in the artistic area.
Finally, if you’re interested in some extra reading on the spiritual and religious situation in Japan, here are a couple of articles I came across recently:
https://trimmedtales.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/japan-state-of-missions-infograph/
http://blog.gaijinpot.com/japan-religious-atheist-country/
As always, your prayers are much appreciated — and needed! Thank you for partnering with me for Jesus and Japan!
– Robin
by Robin White | Feb 2, 2016 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Compared to December, January was a pretty quiet month for me. I got back into my regular English teaching schedule, took part in some church events, and led worship a couple of times.
One highlight this month was our church’s mochi-tsuki event. Mochi is a sticky rice cake made by pounding freshly-cooked rice with a big mallet (as in the photo above). After this it gets flavoured with different things to make tasty snacks. At our mochi-making event this past Sunday, we had well over 50 people take part, including lots of kids from my English classes, along with their families and friends. It’s great seeing our church connect with the community. Let’s pray for these connections to grow stronger and for people to become more open to Jesus.
Here are some other things you can be praying for this month:
- English Cafe this Friday, 2/5
- Leading worship at prayer meeting, 2/10
- My English Bible study, 2/21
- Also pray for Denise, a friend who leads another English Bible study at my church. They’re meeting on 2/11 & 2/25.
- Lastly, I need to be away for about 3 weeks this summer, and I’ve got all my English classes covered except one. Please pray that we can find someone to teach in my absence.
Thank you as always for your prayers and support!
– Robin
PS — In case you missed it, here’s a link to the newsletter I sent out last month:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aqvvcrktpvs9gn7/AAAP1K-DU4Qs5IK422gvFHRha/029.pdf?dl=0
by Robin White | Jan 5, 2016 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year! I’ve just done up my latest newsletter. Please follow the link to view/download/pray:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hsi4tu7pngsse6m/029.pdf?dl=0
Thank you, and God bless!
– Robin
by Robin White | Dec 1, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
As the title implies, this’ll be a short/quick update. A full newsletter is coming soon, though, so be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, I’d really appreciate your prayers this month, especially this week and next, as I enter a busy time of studies and ministry. Please pray for…
- English Cafe this Friday, 12/4
- My Japanese exam on 12/6
- Preaching & worship leading at prayer meeting 12/16
- Special Christmas events and outreach
As always, thank you for your prayers and support! I hope you have a happy holiday season and a very merry Christmas!
Robin
by Robin White | Nov 1, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
October was another full month for me. I led worship twice, went to Tokyo to attend a Christian arts festival, and starting doing manga translation work again. I also visited the Immanuel Church in Hamamatsu to help them put on a kids outreach event. All this in addition to my regular English classes and Japanese studies. Like I said, it was a full month, but actually I don’t feel too busy, and still have time to rest. Thank God with me for His strength and protection! And please pray with me for the following…
- English Cafe — 11/6
- English Club outreach — 11/8
- Prayer meeting worship leading — 11/11
- Traveling to Tokyo for a meeting — 11/17
- Preparing for December’s Japanese exam.
- Inspire Union’s 10th anniversary event — 11/14
A note on that last point: this is another ministry I’ve been involved in this year that I think I’ve mentioned but never really explained. Inspire Union is a ministry for returnees — Japanese who have lived abroad and recently returned to Japan. Many Japanese people have trouble adjusting to life back in Japan if they’ve been abroad for a while. And for those who become Christians overseas, it’s an even bigger struggle, as they return to non-Christian families and don’t have their own churches to come home too. Inspire Union’s main focus is on helping these kinds of Christians get connected with local churches and each another. We usually have an event once a month, where we gather for worship and fellowship. I’ve been helping out with planning these events and leading worship. Please pray for this important ministry!
As always, I really appreciate your prayers and support! Thanks for being on the team!
– Robin
by Robin White | Oct 1, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I hope you’ve had a great month. The highlight of September for me was a trip to Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, where I took part in the annual holiness meetings with the IGM churches in that area. I had the opportunity to preach in the youth and young adults session. Preaching in Japanese is always a challenge, and I definitely sensed my own limitations, but I also felt God’s presence and strength, and was able to communicate clearly to a very open and responsive group. Thank you for praying!
Meanwhile, I recently got the results from the Japanese Proficiency Test I took back in the summer… and it’s a pass! Actually I did really well, so thanks for your prayers for that too.
This month, in addition to my regular ministries here in Nagoya, I’m planning a trip to Hamamatsu, where I’ll be leading games and giving a message for a kids outreach event... This time I’ll be working in English, but would still appreciate your prayers!
October Prayer Points:
- 10/02 – English Cafe.
- 10/10 – Leading worship at a returnees gathering.
- 10/14 – Leading worship at our prayer meeting.
- 10/18 – Kids event in Hamamatsu.
- Continuing Japanese studies — next test in December!
- Regular English classes and Bible studies.
I couldn’t do all this without you! Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Japan!
– Robin
