Hi everyone,
Thank you for continuing to pray for Japan! This past month has been a time of getting back into “normal” routine after the disruption caused by the earthquake back in March. Here’s an update and some prayer requests: 1. Our English ministry at Immanuel Nagoya Church are going really well. The new kids class now has 12 students, 10 of whom are from outside our church. My adult classes have also been going well, and relationships between students and our church are deepening. It’s been really great to see my Wednesday students in particular becoming closer friends. Our monthly English Club event was held on Easter Sunday in April, we had over 20 people of all ages show up, and at least 4 non-Christians, two of whom were students from my weekly classes. I shared a message about how Christ brings us hope in the midst of fear and sorrow. I’m told there were some significant conversations taking place afterward as well. Please keep praying for this bridge-building ministry, as well as for my students. 2. I also returned to Japanese studies at the YWCA this past month. Honestly, I feel like my Japanese has plateaued lately, and it’s been a bit frustrating; so it’s really good to get back into a more regular study routine (classes 2 mornings a week). Please pray for my studies and for my everyday communication. 3. In addition to my weekly English and Japanese classes, I’d ask you to pray for these monthly events: Leading worship at prayer meeting on the11th; youth ministry at Nagoya-Higashi Church on the 14th; English Club on the 22nd. 4. Meanwhile, though it seems to have mostly disappeared from the headlines in the western media, the situation in North-Eastern Japan is still far from back to normal. Some 26,000 people are dead or missing; there is over $300-billion in damages; and thousands are homeless and jobless. Entire towns are being evacuated because of the ongoing nuclear radiation danger. And aftershocks are expected to continue for up to a year. Relief efforts are still ongoing, and rebuilding of affected communities will probably take years. Please remember to pray for the many who have been affected by this tragedy. Pray that the Church will be able to show God’s love through this situation, and that many will find hope in Jesus Christ. I believe God can bring good out of this. Let’s keep praying to that end. As I mentioned last month, if you would like to give to the relief efforts, I would highly recommend giving to CRASH (www.crashjapan.com). Thank you so much for your partnership in my ministry to Japan! – Robin