by Whitey | Jun 14, 2010 | Thoughts
I’m beginning to realize that time is running short. If I’m to be in Japan by early August, there are a lot of things I need to get done between now and then. And since I’ll be away for most of July, I need to get a lot of that stuff done this week and next. Should make for a crazy couple of weeks.
On the other hand, I’ve made good progress on some stuff. On the weekend I got rid of about half my stuff that was just taking up space here in my parents’ basement. We had a yard sale, and what didn’t sell got given to a second-hand shop. It’s amazing how much stuff I had that seemed so valuable at one time but seems so useless now. Living half a world away from your stuff for a couple years certainly gives you a new perspective.
So anyway, I am getting stuff done. But then there are the things that need to get done but are completely out of my control. There’s that last 8-10% of my support I’m waiting on; I can get the word out but I can’t determine how people will respond. There’s a visa to apply for; but first there’s an important piece of paperwork to be processed by someone on my behalf in Japan. And when I finally do get that, I can apply for the visa, but again I’ll have to wait…
Having faith sometimes means taking action. Other times it means waiting. For me, right now, it means both.
(Posted Monday June 14 AM)
by Whitey | Jun 8, 2010 | Ministry News
I don’t like for every post on this blog to be about financial support, but that’s the phase of ministry I’m in right now, so…
I just checked my totals this morning and it looks like I’ve reached the 90% mark towards my faith promise goal. I’m expecting a commitment from at least one other church, so it’s probably safe to say I’m actually over 90% already.
Meanwhile, I received an email from my pastor in Nagoya, telling me that the church may have a room for me after all. It needs some renovations before it’s “livable”, so I will need to pay rent… but it will be half (or less) of what I would have paid for an outside apartment. It also means that I may not need to raise that start-up fund after all, or at least that it will be less, because there will be less up-front costs involved. This is good news.
If anyone’s been thinking of joining my support team, now would be a great time. I need that last 10% to come in quickly if I’m to get to Japan by August. Check out the Support page for more info.
(Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010)
by Whitey | May 29, 2010 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Greetings from Napanee, Ontario! I’ve been traveling in Ontario for about 2 weeks now, speaking at several churches and building my support team. It’s been going really well. I’ve been shown great hospitality everywhere I’ve gone — a great reminder of how big God’s family really is!
The good news is that I’m only about $9000 away from reaching my Faith Promise target. And I’m waiting for official word from a couple of churches whose commitments will probably cut that in half. So in reality it’s more like $4000!
I’d been wondering for a while if August was a realistic target date, but now it’s starting to look like I will indeed get back to Japan by then. Of course, I still need the rest of those support commitments to come in, as well as my visa application to be processed in time. Please pray for everything to come together quickly!
If you’d like more information on financially supporting this ministry, please visit the support page at my new blog:
http://japanlog.tumblr.com/support
Please also be in prayer for safe travels as I return to New Brunswick next week.
Thank you so much for your prayers during this busy time of ministry, support raising and preparation!
God bless,
– robin
(posted May 29, 2010)
by Whitey | May 28, 2010 | Ministry News
I’m on the last leg of my Ontario tour. Just two more churches to speak at on Sunday, in Roblin and Napanee. I’ve enjoyed this trip but I’m ready to be done. Ready to be home. Ready to be not living out of a suitcase for a change.
Actually, I’m feeling about ready to be done home ministries as a whole. At this point, I won’t be back in Japan any earlier than August, but I’m feeling good to know that August is a distinct and likely possibility. Of course, it won’t happen without a little more support. And I’ve still got a few more churches to visit, one more big road trip to the US in July, and of course a visa to get… along with a few other details.
Please pray that it all comes together in time. August is not far away, and that’s encouraging. But there’s still a lot of loose ends to tie up.
(Posted:Fri.5/28/2010)
by Whitey | May 26, 2010 | Photos
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Milliken Wesleyan young adults group.
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An old barn near Roblin.
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A amazing chalk artist in Ottawa.
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Near Parliament Hill in Ottawa
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Me at Parliament in Ottawa.
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Another view of Parliament.
Milliken Wesleyan young adults group.
by Whitey | May 23, 2010 | Ministry News
I’m currently relaxing on the back deck at my cousin’s place in Kanata. My road trip in Ontario is continuing to be an encouraging time. I’ve enjoyed some great hospitality, shared my story and vision with a bunch of good churches, and gained some new support. Also, my cousins have a trampoline and a Nintendo Wii. Good times.
Speaking of support, my goal since coming back to Canada has been to return to Japan in August. For a while I was beginning to think that it might be a bit of a stretch, the numbers having stayed about the same for over a month. But this week I went over my support records, crunched some numbers and realized that I’m a lot closer to the end than I’d thought. After contacting a bunch of churches for updates on their support intentions, the numbers have started to climb. August is beginning to look pretty likely after all.
For a more detailed look at where I’m at, what I still need and how you can help out, please check out my newly posted Support page. If you’ve been thinking about joining the team, now would be a great time!
by Whitey | May 17, 2010 | Ministry News
OK, so I’m not lost. But being on the road is really going mess up my Lost-watching schedule, which is sad, this being the last week of the show… Nobody tell me what happens!
Seriously, though, I’m in Ontario for some speaking engagements and team building at various churches, and it’s going really well so far. Over the weekend, I was in the greater Toronto area, where I spoke to two different groups at Milliken Wesleyan on Saturday. Yesterday I visited the Wesleyan church in Orangeville in the morning and then in Oshawa in the evening. It made for a full and tiring weekend, but it went really well. I received some great hospitality, ate some great food, and had some great conversations. It’s been really fun and fulfilling to re-connect with these churches. I love God’s family.
I’m in Ontario for the rest of the month, connecting with five different congregations and catching up with friends. I’d appreciate your continued prayers for safe travel, effective ministry, and more supporters.
by Whitey | Apr 30, 2010 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
Thank you for your prayers over the past month of home ministries. After a really busy March, April was a bit more quiet, though I still had the opportunity to share my testimony and vision at 3 different churches in the area. When not on the road, I’ve been trying to spend more time studying Japanese and preparing for the months ahead.
This weekend I’m visiting the Wesleyan churches in Perth-Andover and Bristol, New Brunswick. Then, in May, I’ll be spending almost 3 weeks in Ontario, connecting with several churches in the province. I’d appreciate your continuing prayers for safe travel and effective ministry. Please also pray for my Japanese studies and financial support.
Financial support update: Currently my Faith Promise (financial commitment) total is at about 63%. As you can see, things are going OK, but I still have a way to go if I’m going to meet my goal of returning to Japan in August.
How you can help: If you were supporting me during my first term, please consider continuing your financial partnership. You may have already decided to do this. However, unless informed of your intentions, Global Partners will consider your commitment to have ended with the conclusion of my first term. If you could simply send me an email letting me know how much & how often you intend to give, that would help me move towards 100%.
NEW financial partners can sign up by using the form at the following link:
http://www.wesleyan.org/gp/makefaithpromise/WM04-0316/missionaries
GP will count your commitment towards my support in advance of your actual giving. So the sooner you can let me know, the better, as GP will let me return to Japan when my commitments are at 100%.
If you have any questions, please let me know. And whether you can pray or give or both, thank you for being a part of my team! I couldn’t do what I do without all of you!
– Robin
by Whitey | Apr 25, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
I’m writing today from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I’m staying for the weekend on my way to Kentville, where I’ll be going tomorrow for some ministry and support raising. I like Halifax. I think I could live here if I got “stuck” in Canada and couldn’t go back to Japan. It doesn’t hurt that I have friends here.
Last weekend’s missions weekend at KV Wesleyan was a good time. I got to re-connect with some old friends and also heard my boss, GP director HC Wilson, speak.
Other than that, it was a pretty average week, other than taking off a little early for the weekend to hang out here in Halifax. Looking forward to one last evening here and a full day of travel and ministry tomorrow.
Week, wrapped.
by Whitey | Apr 16, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
This past Sunday I had a great time at Saint John First Wesleyan. It was good to see so many familiar faces. I did a short presentation about my ministry in Japan, and had some good conversations with interested folks after the service. It was also great to get a sense of how well things are going there after almost a year with their new pastor. Given that it’s one of my former “home” churches, I like to see good stuff happening there, and I believe it is. Greg seems like a good fit, and it’s good to have him back on the district as well.
The rest of the week was spent working on the usual behind-the-scenes stuff: bookings, budgeting, trip planning and so on. I started my Japanese new study routine, and though I haven’t gotten a full two hours in every day, I did some days and I’m closer to making it a habit. And that’s a good thing.
Another good thing is that I’m also making progress on my webcomic, not only staying on schedule but also working ahead. This will be important when I’m on the road and too busy to work on it. One of these days I’m going to have to write up a blog post about how this comic and comics in general fit into my over all life and ministry vision. For now, let me just say that it’s good to get the ball rolling.
This weekend I’ll be taking part in a missions conference at King’s Valley Wesleyan Church in Quispamsis, NB. If you’re in the area, why not drop by to say hi?
And… that’s a wrap.
