April 2013 Prayer Letter

by | Apr 2, 2013 | Ministry News

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a great Easter! Thank you for your prayers over the past month.

I had a great time celebrating Easter in Nagoya. In the morning we had Easter worship followed by a baptism. And in the afternooon, I hosted a special English Club event. HAPPY Around 40 people attended, and we had a great time playing games, singing songs and eating delicious sweets. Special guest Zach Motts (WGM missionary) gave us a short Easter message and performed an Easter skit with me. And we had seven guests from outside the church!  I’m thankful for God’s blessing on this spiritual bridge-building event!

Please pray with me this month about the following:

1. Japanese studies — I’m starting to take private lessons again, twice a month, starting this week.

2. English Cafe — This Friday, April 5th. Please pray for good conversations and relationship-building.

3. Youth ministry — On Saturday, April 13th I’m speaking at a youth event here at the Nagoya Church.

4. English Bible study — This isn’t starting until May, but please pray for us as we prepare and promote it.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support of our ministry in Japan!
– Robin

March Prayer Letter

by | Mar 2, 2013 | Ministry News

Thursday's kids' class -- 2 year finale.

Thursday’s kids’ class — 2 year finale.

Hi everyone,

The photo at the top of this letter is of the Thursday afternoon kids English class I teach at my church.  This past week, we finished our second year together, and most of these kids have been coming since the first day.  It’s been fun seeing them grow and learn over the past 2 years.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to invest in the lives of these kids, most of whom come from non-Christian homes.  Thank you for your investment in this bridge-building ministry!

This is a season of re-focusing for me.  The past year I’ve done a lot of traveling, and various opportunities have opened up.  Now I’m trying to cut back on monthly commitments elsewhere so that I can give my best to my 40+ English students in Nagoya, while still being available for occasional special events and speaking engagements.

Please Pray With Me About the Following:

1. I’m preaching at the Immanuel Shizuoka Church on March 10. It’s the last Sunday of my monthly commitment there, and as usual I’ll be teaching the youth Sunday school class as well.

2. As part of our English ministry in Nagoya, we’re holding a special English Club event on Easter Sunday, March 31st.

3. March 12-14 is the Immanuel Church’s national annual conference. Please pray for the pastors and leaders taking part in these important meetings.  Also, as this is when new appointments are announced, please pray for those who will be going through transitions in the coming months.

4. I’m hoping to start an English Bible study for any of my adult English students who may be interested. Please pray for direction about the details, and for a good group to join.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

– Robin

PS — For more of my recent photos, please check out the previous post!

February 2013 Prayer Letter

by | Jan 31, 2013 | Ministry News

Hi everyone,

January was a fairly quiet month for my ministry.  I did, however, take my usual monthly trip to Shizuoka, where a couple of interesting things happened:  I had prepared a short message in Japanese for the Sunday school lesson. Usually this class is mostly high school girls, but this time there were some younger kids involved too.  My message didn’t really seem like a good fit anymore, so I improvised.  I was thankful for the fact that I had an interpreter, because it’s a lot harder to improvise in Japanese! We talked about the lyrics of one of the songs we’d been singing, which were taken from the Psalms. It turned out to be a great opportunity to talk about God’s greatness and love in a simple, easy-to-understand way.  Please pray for God to reveal Himself in these kids’ hearts and lives.

Another highlight of my Shizuoka visit was that we had a first-time visitor to my adult English Bible study in the afternoon.  Please pray for God to keep working in this lady’s life, and for her to keep connecting with the Shizuoka church.

As things got back into full-swing in Nagoya, I also had a new student join my Saturday morning English class. Please keep praying for my English students!

As 2013 gets into full swing, I‘d appreciate your prayers for God’s continued direction and provision for my ministry.  And pray for Japan, too!

Thank you!

– Robin