by Whitey | Apr 3, 2009 | Ministry News
Hi Everyone,
I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying Spring wherever you may be. The streets of Nagoya are lined with Sakura (cherry blossoms) now, which is a sure sign of Spring in Japan.
This month I had a 2 1/2 week break from language school for Spring Break. I wasn’t on vacation, however. Besides spending time reviewing my Japanese, I also continued teaching English, did some music ministry, and helped out with Sunday school here at the Nagoya Church. And last week, I was in Yokohama for a few days for the Immanuel Church’s national annual conference. It was a good opportunity to catch up with some friends and fellow missionaries, as well as to connect with the Japanese church on a larger level.
Thank you for your prayers over the past month. Here are some things you can be praying with me about in the weeks to come:
1. Language studies — I’m back to school for another 6-month term of learning Japanese.
2. English class — My weekly English lessons continue to be well-attended. This month we are making some changes and doing some promotion to hopefully attract some unchurched people to the class. Please
pray that God will use this to help us build bridges with the community.
3. The future — I’m well into my second year of my two-year internship with Global Partners. So it’s time to start praying and planning for what comes next. I definitely plan to continue living and ministering in Japan, but the details of where and in what capacity are yet to be figured out. Please pray that God will lead me to the right opportunities for next year and beyond.
Thanks again for praying!
by Whitey | Mar 1, 2009 | Ministry News
Hi Everyone,
As I reported in last month’s letter, I’ve recently started teaching a new English class at my church. Thank you for praying with me about that. We’ve now had classes four weeks in a row, and it’s been a lot of fun. The challenge has been in figuring out what level everyone is at and trying to teach accordingly. Adding to the challenge is the fact that so far there has been a different mix of people every week. On the bright side, this shows that there is a lot of interest; only time will tell who will keep coming back regularly, though.
Please pray with me about the following things this week and throughout the month to come:
1. Please continue to pray for me as I teach English, and pray that this will be a good “bridge-builder” between this church and the community.
2. Pray for my continuing Japanese studies, which are a huge challenge for me. I have definitely made progress in the past year, and I am thankful, but still have a long way to go!
3. The national Annual Conference (Nenkai) of the Immanuel Church is taking place in Yokohama from March 23-26. I will be attending and bringing greetings (in Japanese). Please pray for this event, as many from across Japan gather for worship, and our pastors and leaders “do business” and receive their assignments for the coming year.
4. I’m also getting more involved in some other areas of church life, mainly involving music and youth ministry. Please pray for these opportunities as well.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support on my journey so far! You are definitely appreciated! May God bless you as we enter Spring together — a time of new life and new beginnings!
– robin
by Whitey | Feb 1, 2009 | Ministry News
Hi Everyone,
I hope this email finds you all well; hard to believe we’re a month into 2009 already, isn’t it?
January has been a busy month getting back into the swing of things after the holiday season. As usual it has been my Japanese studies that have kept me most busy. It is always a challenge, but I can definitely see a difference from last year. Of course, I still have a long way to go, so your continuing prayers about my studies are much needed and appreciated.
Next week I am starting a new English class for youth at the church. It will be held on Sunday afternoons. It looks like there will be about 6 students to start with, but we are hoping in time it will grow and multiple, becoming a way for the church to build relationships with people outside the church. Please pray for me as I prepare this week and teach in the weeks to come. Also pray that God will use this ministry.
By the way, the attached photo is from a recent evening I spent, along with my pastors, having dinner with a family from our church, the Yashidas. They are a really nice family, and some of the many people who have helped me feel at home the past year.
Thanks for reading and for praying!
– robin (www.japanlog.wordpress.com)
by Whitey | Nov 1, 2008 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Is it November already? It’s hard to believe it’s already been 10 months since I came back to Japan!
October was a busy month: In Gifu, the Gospel was preached (I spoke on the story of the Prodigal Son). In Hamamatsu, a church was encouraged (I did a solo and played a part in a short drama) and our church had a great time of learning and fellowship with the people of the Hamamatsu church. I also started a new (level 2) course at the YWCA Japanese Language School here in Nagoya, which is proving to be a big step UP in workload and difficulty — a good challenge but also a bit of an adjustment.
Please continue to pray for my English/Bible student; we haven’t gotten together in a while but I’m trusting that when he’s less busy we’ll get back to studying the Word again. Pray that God will draw him to Himself. Also, please pray for my church as we come to the nearer to end of the year and into a time of planning for the busy holiday ministry season and the coming year’s goals.
I’m sure my fellow Global Partners missionary to Japan, Andrea Swartout, would appreciate your prayers as well. She is currently in the US on home ministries, and is hoping to be back in Japan by the end of the year. Pray that her support comes in. If you want to keep up with her progress, you can check out her blog (http://swartyinjapan.blogspot.com).
Last, but not least, please keep praying for my language studies; pray that I will use my time wisely, stay focused, rely on God’s wisdom, get better at memorizing, and make some real, noticeable progress in the coming months.
I hope this email finds you all well. Thank you as always for your continued prayers and financial support, which have helped me to get this far. Let’s keep dreaming and believing together for the Lord!
– robin
ロビンホワイト
Robin White, Global Partners Missionary to Japan
by Whitey | Oct 25, 2008 | Life in Japan, Ministry News
First of all, many thanks to all of you who have been praying for me. As I’d predicted, this has been a busy month. School is getting harder and I had a couple of ministry trips, too. Last weekend I was in Gifu city, where I preached on Sunday about the Prodigal Son. It went well, but I’m glad to not have anywhere to rush off to this weekend.
As things get busier with school, though, I’m learning again to become a better time manager. My friend AJ wrote a post on his blog recently about focus that offers some good tips, not the least of which is the idea of a “stop doing” list. We get so focused on organizing and working through our to-do’s sometimes that we miss the fact that there may actually be stuff on the we don’t actually need to do.
For me, right now, learning Japanese has to take top priority. I’ve been having trouble keeping up, and last week one of my teachers sat me down to give me some advice — including the suggestion that should be studying about FIVE HOURS a day! That’s outside of class, meaning about 8 or 9 hours total, in class and out. So, to avoid distractions and stay focused, I’m forced to make my own to-not-do list…
1. I’m going to try not to go online more than once a day. I tried it this week, and did pretty well. If it’s work-related email or research I have to do, that’s one thing, but it’s amazing how we can feel compelled to check email, Facebook, and blogs several times a day. Well, no more, for me anyway. I’ll make an exception for weekends and holidays, but limiting my time online during the week will keep me more focused on more important things.
2. On a related note, I’m limiting my blogging to weekends. You might see stuff show up during the week, but usually it’ll be pre-written on the weekend, unless it’s really pressing (which it never is).
3. I’m going to stop doing the photoblog. For now, at least. I was doing all my pre-loading over there on the weekend, anyway, so it hasn’t been a huge time-sink. But it hasn’t been as fun as I’d hoped and may be a bit redundant, since I can and do post photos here as well. I think the occasional gallery and the weekly photo here is better than the daily photoblog thing, though.
4. I’m going to stop renting movies. I find I have a bad habit of renting something and then never actually getting around to watching it before it’s time to take back anyway. So this’ll save me money too. Plus my computer has run out of region-code switches and has forced my hand; I can watch my Canandian-purchased DVDs but not Japanese ones, without hacking. So my hand is forced.
5. I’m going to stop eating out so much. I tried coming straight home most days this week, instead of eating out and then studying and the coffee shop as I often do, and I had some really productive days. This one hinges on keeping a well-stocked fridge and coffee supply, though.
6. I’m going to not feel obligated to show up at every event. My church has been good about not pressuring me to get overly involved or giving me too responsibility, and letting me focus on my studies. But I’ve stilled tried to be involved and show up as much as I could. As a guy I knew in college once said, though: “Use your skips wisely.” I’m going to that now.
7. The podcast. It’s gotten so little response it’s probably not worth my time. Maybe once in a while, but no promises.
Well, there’s a parade going past the building now, and since it’s Saturday, I think I’ll go out and enjoy it. Have a great weekend, wherever you are.
by Whitey | Sep 30, 2008 | Ministry News
The following is a copy of my October Prayer Letter, as I just sent to my supporters via email. As an added bonus, I’m posting some photos with it here. If you’d like to be on the email list, you can sign up via my Support Info page. Thanks.
The guys.
Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for your prayers during my recent end-of-term studies and testings. The good news is I passed the course and can go on to the next level, which starts next Monday.
Last night, I had a group of guys over to my place for a meal. A few guys from the church came, as well as my English student, who is not a Christian. It was a lot of fun, and a good chance for me to connect a non-Christian friend with some of his fellow-Japanese who are Christians. Please keep praying for my friend and for our English/Bible studies.
I’ve been enjoying a little bit of downtime since the first semester of full-time language studies ended. But as I said, next week I’m back to class. In addition, I’ve got a few additions to my schedule that will make for a busy month. Please pray for my studies and for each of these events. Pray that I’ll keep up with the studies and that God will bless and use the events I get to be a part of. Here are some dates…
Oct. 4 (this weekend) — I’ll be in Osaka visiting some friends, and I’ve been asked to provide some music for a charity dinner, where they’re raising funds to help build schools in Africa.
Oct. 12-13 — I’m planning on being a part of a team from my church going to Hamamatsu, where we’ll be doing some music, drama, etc, to help a partner church there do some outreach.
Oct. 19 — I’m scheduled to preach at the Immanuel Church in nearby Gifu. Pastor Oda will be interpreting again.
Thanks again for your prayers, support and encouragement! As always, you can check my blog for more information, news and thoughts on my life and ministry here in Japan.
God bless,
– robin
ロビンホワイト
We also played Jenga. Remember Jenga???
