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
by Robin White | Sep 2, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I’ll keep it short this month since I just sent out my summer newsletter last week.
I just wanted to send you some dates and events to be praying for. I’d especially appreciate your prayer for my trip to Hokkaido, where I’ll be giving a message in Japanese to the youth and young adults.
- 9/4 – English Cafe
- 9/9 – Leading worship at prayer meeting
- 9/20-21 – Immanuel church Chukyo area retreat
- 9/22-23 – Hokkaido area retreat
Thank you so much for your prayers, support and encouragement!
If you haven’t already, please check out my summer newsletter at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12247320/028-summer2015.pdf
Blessings,
– Robin
by Robin White | Aug 26, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Hope you’re having a great summer. I sure have! For the latest news, please follow the link below to read or download my latest newsletter:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12247320/028-summer2015.pdf
As always, thank you for praying for me, the mission and Japan!
– Robin
by Robin White | Jul 29, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Hope your summer is going well so far. In Japan, this time of year is a time of festivals, fireworks, camps and other fun.
Last week we held a Summer Festival event for our kids English students. Along with games, music and snacks, I also shared a message about God’s love, and the kids were a lot more attentive than I’d imagined. Let’s pray they’ll remember — and that they’ll experience God’s love personally!
The reason I’m sending this prayer letter early is that this weekend (July 31 & Aug. 1) is our church’s kids camp. There are about 24 kids attending, and 6 of them are current or former English students of mine. My pastor intends to share the Gospel clearly, so let’s pray for salvations!
Here are some other prayer points:
- English Cafe (Aug. 7)
- Worship leading at a returnees ministry (Aug. 8)
- Teen Camp in Nagano (Aug. 10-14)
- Vacation in South Korea (Aug. 15-19)
- English classes the first and last weeks of Aug.
As always, your prayers and support are much needed and appreciated! Thank you for your partnership with me for Japan and Jesus!
– Robin
by Robin White | Jul 2, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi Everyone,
In June I had the opportunity to go to Thailand to take part in the Global Partners Asia/Pacific area retreat. It was great catching up with other GP missionaries, spending time worshiping together, learning together and praying for one another. As you can see from the photo, we also had the chance to ride an elephant! I’m thankful for this time of refreshing and fun!
Back in Japan, I’ve been keeping busy getting ready for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), an international standardized exam for Japanese learners. Preparing for this exam has given me a goal to aim for and will give me a way to measure my progress, as it’s been a long time since I’ve been tested. Please pray for my last few days of cramming!
Meanwhile, our church held a kids outreach event in June, and there were some 42 kids involved. This is great news in itself, but what makes it special for me is that 13 of those kids are English ministry connections. I’m thankful for how God is using this ministry to connect families with our church. Please keep praying for these relationships to deepen and for God to draw our non-Christian friends to Jesus!
Some specific dates and events to pray for:
- 7/3 — English Cafe
- 7/5 — JLPT
- 7/8 — Prayer Meeting
- 7/19 — English Bible Study
- 7/20 — Kids English Summer Festival
Thank you as always for your partnership in reaching Japan for Christ! Your prayers and support are much appreciated!
— Robin
by Robin White | Jun 1, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
May was a very full month! Thank you so much for praying!
The big highlight was our English Club event on May 10 featuring Kat McDowell in concert (see photo above). We had 61 people there… about half of whom were guests! These included many non-Christians, including a few of my English students and their family members. I shared a message about God’s love for us and our need for Him, based on Jesus’ lost sheep parable.
One of my adult students had told us very firmly when he first joined the class that he was not interested in religion. Well, I’m happy to say that not only did he show up to this event, but he actually complemented me on my message! It’s a little thing, but I feel like it’s a sign that his heart is becoming more open. Please pray for him and the rest of our guests and students.
Another highlight of the month was teaching our twice-a-month English Bible class in place of Denise (who took over this class when I was back in Canada last year). It’s great to see so many non-Christians engaging with the Word and learning about Jesus. Please pray for our English Bible students!
Please pray in the coming weeks for the following things:
- The GP Asia area retreat (June 2-6)
- Worship leading at our June 10 prayer meeting
- Monthly English Bible study June 21
- Continuing English classes and Japanese studies
Your prayers and support are much appreciated! And needed!
Also! One more thing before I go…
Most of you know that I’m an artist, and that I’ve been making comics in my free time seriously for the past few years. You probably also remember that part of my vision is to share our faith through comics, which are huge in Japan.
Well, I’m happy to announce that my first graphic novel has just be published! Doodze is a cartoon fantasy story, and not overtly Christian, but has a lot of positive, redemptive themes. More importantly, getting this published is a huge step in the direction of making my ultimate vision a reality.
All that to say, I’d really appreciate it if you would share this link online, tell any friends who might be interested, and even consider buying a copy. Here’s the link to my online store:
http://www.robinwhite.co/doodze/store/
Again, thank you for your ongoing prayers and support!
– Robin
Robin White — Global Partners, Japan
by Robin White | May 1, 2015 | Ministry News
Here’s a link to the PDF of my newest newsletter. Thanks for reading and praying!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12247320/027-spring2015.pdf
by Robin White | Apr 2, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Here in Nagoya the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom, which means that spring is here! Thank you for your prayers over the past month.
The photo above is from an early Easter tea party hosted by Denise, who leads one of our English Bible classes at the church. Denise continues to do a great job teaching this group.
Meanwhile, I started a new English Bible study in March, which will be meeting once a month. We only had 3 students the first time, but several others have expressed interest. Please pray that this important part of my ministry will grow and bear fruit!
Our monthly English Cafe re-launched in March as well and 8 people took part. Not a bad start…
This past weekend, I attended the Immanuel Church’s annual conference. This year marks their 70th anniversary, so the schedule was a little different than usual. One major highlight was a big youth event on Saturday. It’s good to see the denomination make our youth and young adults a priority. Please continue to pray for the Japanese church!
Please pray with me for the following as well:
1. English Cafe this Friday, April 3.
2. Leading worship at Inspa (returnees ministry) this Saturday.
3. Leading worship at prayer meeting next Wednesday, April 8.
4. English Bible class on April 19.
As always, thank you so much for your partnership in our mission to Japan!
Happy Easter!
– Robin
by Robin White | Mar 3, 2015 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Even though I’ve been back in Japan for over two months, and I’ve settled in pretty nicely, in some ways it seems like I’m still just getting started. This month brings a lot of new beginnings, even as other things come to an end.
The photo above is from our final class with the first kids class we started at my church 4 years ago. It’s a 4-year program and this is the first group we’ve graduated. It’s sad to see them go, but exciting to see how they’ve grown. Please pray that as they move on from this class we won’t lose our connection with them and their families.
As one class ends, a new one is beginning — this Thursday! Also this week, our monthly English Cafe is re-launching. In addition, later this month I’m starting a new, monthly English Bible study.
Please Pray For:
- Our new kids class starting Thursday
- English Cafe this Friday
- Our new monthly English Bible study
- The Immanuel Church 70th anniversary celebrations and annual conference in Tokyo (March 27-29)
Thank you for your continuing prayers and support!
– Robin
