by Whitey | Mar 23, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
The past week or so has been far from normal. As I said in my previous re-cap (well over a week ago now), I had a friend visiting me all the way from Japan. I had some ministry to do on the weekend, but during the week took some time off to spend with Kenji and show him around. It was a really nice change of pace.
Kenji’s come and gone now, and here’s what went down:
- Kenji arrived late Thursday night in Moncton, where we crashed at a friend’s place for the night.
- Friday morning we drove to Black’s Harbour and took the boat to Grand Manan, where we hung out with friends and got ready for Sunday. The church we were visiting was Central Wesleyan, one of my supporting churches.
- Sunday was ministry day, of course. But with Kenji here, we changed things up a bit. I ended up leading worship for the service, Kenji gave a short testimony (in English, for the first time) and I did the short version of my missions talk. I felt like God blessed our ministry, and I really enjoyed re-connecting with the church.
- Sunday afternoon there was some sight-seeing, and Sunday night we chilled out with our hosts. It was a really fun weekend. Grand Manan is a beautiful place with a culture all its own and a lot of friendly locals. I was glad Kenji got to experience the island.
- Monday we traveled to Saint John, met up with a friend for lunch, saw some of the city, and continued on to my home in New Maryland (a suburb of Fredericton, for those who don’t know).
- Tuesday we visited the Sabian cymbal factory, which was really cool. I’m a musician (of sorts) but Kenji actually plays drums, so I think he appreciated it on a deeper level than I did. The rest of that day and Wednesday we just hung around Fredericton, saw some local sights, and chilled out at home.
- Thursday we went to Sussex, where we had the opportunity to sing a song in chapel in Japanese and English, because it happened to be missions week at Bethany Bible College. We mingled with some students after, then did some hiking with my favorite professor and had dinner with his family.
- That night we headed back to Moncton, and Kenji flew out of Canada ridiculously early on Friday morning.
- Friday and Saturday were kind of “recovery” days for me after all the traveling and such. Yesterday I hit the road again, though, and went to Amherst, NS, to re-connect with Amherst Wesleyan Church. I had a great time there, too.
It was great having a friend visit from Japan — a first for me. I enjoyed getting to share my roots with Kenji; seeing him take photos and act surprised about what I consider normal (the same thing I’ve done so often in Japan); catching up on what’s going on in my Japanese church and with our mutual friends; talking about life, faith, church and culture; speaking Japanese, English and “Japanglish”… It was a good week.
And that’s a wrap.
by Whitey | Mar 12, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
Not too much to report this week. This past Sunday I had a great time re-connecting with a couple of churches not too far from here, in Sussex and Brown’s Flat. The church in Sussex did an interview with me, rather than the usual format, which was a nice change of pace. I had a good time visiting with a praying couple in Sussex, and with my parents in Brown’s Flat, where our cottage is.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, except for a couple of meetings (one yesterday in Sussex and another later today in Moncton) requiring a little more driving.
Today a friend of mine is arriving from Japan for a week’s visit. That will make the next week busy and full but really fun. We’ll be on Grand Manan island this weekend for some ministry and sight-seeing. He may be in for some culture shock; Grand Manan is a lot different from Nagoya. It will be interesting to see Canada through his eyes.
The blog will probably be pretty quiet over the next week, but I should have some fun things to share not too long after that.
That’s a wrap for now.
by Whitey | Mar 6, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
I almost forgot to do this. This week…
1. I had a busy Sunday of ministry in Digby and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It was a good time of re-connecting and team building.
2. I spent a couple of days in Halifax visiting some of my favorite people. Really fun and refreshing.
3. I had a really productive day yesterday, catching up on office work and errands, both ministry-related and personal.
4. I’ve been working on setting up my new art computer (a Mac mini with a Wacom Cintiq tablet monitor, to be used for primarily for creative work) and cleaning up my MacBook (the laptop I’ll continue to use for general everyday computing). This has involved installing and uninstalling, uploading and downloading, and lots of waiting for the machines to do their thing.
5. Today I spent some time drawing and coloring on the new art Mac, trying to get used to working digitally. I think when I’ve gotten past the initial learning curve, it will make for a cleaner art style and a faster work flow. And working faster is a good thing, as I plan on this being part of my ministry, not just a hobby anymore.
And that’s a wrap for this week. Looking forward to the next couple of crazy weeks…
by Whitey | Mar 2, 2010 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I’m writing to you today from the home of some close friends in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I’m on the way home from a full and fulfilling weekend in Digby and Yarmouth, where I got to share my testimony and vision 3 times at 2 churches. Home ministries are going really well. I’ve enjoyed re-connecting with many churches and supporters, and I’ve been able to meet many new connections as well.
Please pray for…
1. Safe travel for my Japanese friend Kenji who is coming to visit me from March 12-19.
2. The Japanese church’s denominational annual conference next week.
3. My continuing home ministries — safe travels, effective ministry, and more prayer and financial supporters.
Thank you for your prayers during this time of home ministries travel!
– robin
by Whitey | Feb 27, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
I don’t have very much to talk about this week. Over 3 weeks ago, I caught a cold. Last week I thought I was getting over it, but it seemed to start making a comeback by the weekend. So I went to the doctor, and it turns out I have a sinus infection. So this week I’ve been trying to take it easy, and haven’t been very productive.
I’m scheduled to go to Nova Scotia again this weekend to visit two churches. Just like the previous time, the weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating. Right now I’m in wait-and-see mode, wondering if I’ll even be able to make the trip. It’s only four hours if I go by boat, but the boat’s not running today. If it’s running tomorrow, great. If not, it’s about an 8-hour drive, and we may still be in the middle of a blizzard. I’d hate to have to reschedule at this point, but…
by Whitey | Feb 20, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
I’m at Starbucks right now, where I just ran into an old friend. One thing I’m enjoying about being back in Canada is randomly running into old friends and acquaintances whenever I’m out in public. My hometown is just small enough that it happens pretty much every time I’m out. In Japan I live in a city of over 2 million people, on top of the fact that I’ve lived there a relatively short time, so it happens far less frequently. It’s an interesting contrast. I miss the big city, but there are definitely some things I like about smaller cities too.
This week I feel like I’ve finally gotten back into some semblance of a routine after some time on the road. In particular I’ve studied Japanese more the past few days than I have in a couple of months. I’ve also been exchanging emails with some Japanese friends, which has been good practice, and much more effective than just sitting and trying to memorize stuff. It’s been good.
Speaking of Japanese friends, one of my closest friends from the Nagoya church is planning to come visit me for a week or so in March. This news pretty much made my week. I’m looking forward to showing him around and seeing Canada through Japanese eyes. Should be a blast.
This past Sunday I visited Crosspoint Wesleyan here in Fredericton, and this coming Sunday I’ll be at another local church, Corbette Avenue Wesleyan. It’s nice to have my Sundays booked but not be on the road for a couple of weeks.
You know what’s funny? After starting this blog post talking about running into old friends, I just ran into another, before I could even finish writing.
That’s a wrap for this week.
by Whitey | Feb 13, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
This week…
1. I spoke at two churches on Sunday in Shelburn and Clark’s Harbour, Nova Scotia. It was a good day.
2. On Monday I drove from Clark’s Harbour to Halifax, where I visited some friends for the afternoon and evening.
3. Tuesday, I drove the rest of the way home, which took a bit longer than expected because I took a wrong turn in Halifax.
4. The rest of the week has been spent catching up on emails, mailing newsletters, trying to get over a cold, and trying to get back into studying Japanese more regularly again.
5. I’ve also been working on some comics plotting, specifically for the future of Doodze.
And that’s pretty much it. Thankful to have the long drives behind me for a couple of weeks, and that for the next little while I’ll be on the road a bit less. I’m speaking here in Fredericton the next couple of Sundays, and only traveling on weekends for the next couple of months.
And that’s a wrap for this week.
by Whitey | Feb 6, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
Last week’s re-cap was written on a boat somewhere in the Bay of Fundy during a storm. Obviously I arrived safely in Nova Scotia, but it was a rough ride. So rough, in fact, that they couldn’t dock securely enough to let the vehicles drive off, and we had to wait close to four hours before we could get off. So a 3-hour ferry ride took about 8 hours. Not pleasant, but I made it.
It’s been a good week of home ministries. The weekend through Tuesday was busy, but the week itself has been low-key as I wait for my last two church visits tomorrow. By the time this trip is over, I will have connected with six supporting churches in total — that’s six churches in nine days. I also got to introduce myself at a pastor’s breakfast meeting, which in a way means I’ve connected with even more churches, and may mean more open doors in the near future too.
So it’s been a safe and productive trip thus far. I’ve been well taken care of by my hosts, and I’ve enjoyed getting to catch up with some old friends as well. The only downside has been catching a cold, and even that hasn’t gotten too bad yet. So I’m thankful.
And that’s a wrap for this week.
by Whitey | Feb 4, 2010 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I’m writing to you this time from Wood’s Harbour, Nova Scotia. I traveled to NS last week during the snow storm — which meant a long and rough boat ride, but thankfully I made it in one piece. Between Saturday and Tuesday, I had the opportunity to connect with 4 different churches, sharing about what God is doing in my life and in Japan. This coming weekend I’ll be visiting two more before driving back to New Brunswick. I’d appreciate your continuing prayers for safe travel and fruitful ministry.
As most of you know, a big part of the purpose of my home ministries time is to strengthen my financial support base before returning to Japan later this year. How can you help? I’m glad you asked…
If you’ve been supporting my ministry thus far, please consider re-committing. Unless you’ve told us otherwise, GP will assume that your commitment ended with my first term. If you’re planning to continue giving, you can do so by simply sending me an email telling me two things: how much and how often.
As always, your prayers and giving are greatly appreciated! Without you, this ministry would not be possible.
Just a couple of quick reminders: If you haven’t already, please check out the special edition of my newsletter talking about my vision for ministry in Japan:
http://www.robinwhiteonline.com/ministry-info/vision
Also, you can see where I’ll be over the next little while by visiting my online ministry calendar:
http://www.wesleyan.org/gp/mschedule2/WM04-0316/2010-01
Thanks again, and stay warm!
– robin
by Whitey | Jan 30, 2010 | Weekly Re-Cap
I’m writing today from a boat somewhere in the Bay of Funday between Saint John, New Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia. I’ll be in Nova Scotia for a little more than a week, visiting several churches and re-connecting with supporters and friends. It’s going to be busy, especially the next three days, but I’m hoping for a productive and fruitful trip.
So this week I’ve spent a lot of time getting ready. Since it’s my first big road trip this year, that meant some extra preparations, from presentation to PowerPoint to printed materials. Not to mention figuring getting directions and other logistical stuff.
Last night I got to visit with some friends along the way, which was really nice. The guy I stayed with — a guy I went to college with — is a fellow missionary, although with another organization and working in another part of the world. Since we’ve both hopped around the world a few times since college, we haven’t crossed paths very much, but we have kept in touch, and it was nice to re-connect in person for the first time a couple of years.
There will no doubt be many of those kind of meetings over the next few months as I travel around. This is one of the nice things about being back in Canada.
One of the not-so-nice things, sometimes, is the weather. It’s a stormy weekend, I’m on a boat, we’re behind schedule, and it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride…
And that’s a wrap.
