by Whitey | Aug 1, 2008 | Ministry News
Below is a copy of my latest prayer letter, as sent by email to those on the list. As you’ll see, August is going to be a full but fun month — I’ll hardly be home at all actually. Because of this I’ll be offline and not posting anything new to the blog — BUT I have a bunch of stuff pre-posted that will be going live automatically throughout the month. A lot of really fun stuff too (like the rest of the Engrish series — 5 parts in all!), so make sure to check back. Plus my Twitter feed is showing here now. Lord willing I’ll be back “live” in September. Have a great month, all.
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Dear friends, family and supporters,
In Japan, this is the time of year that brings us extreme heat, humidity and the sounds of the cicadas. For students, it’s also time for summer holidays, and as a language student, that includes me! For the entire month of August I’ll have no classes, which will be a nice (and much-needed) break!
But that doesn’t mean I’ll be vacationing all month! Actually, August will be my busiest month of ministry so far this year. In addition to that, I’ll have homework to do (students in Japan generally have homework during their short summer break) and I’m hoping to spend some time each day catching up on some vocabulary and things I’ve missed along the way. At the end of the month I do plan take some time off, but for the first few weeks I’ll be busy — but a different kind of busy, so it’ll still be a nice change!
Here’s a rundown of my schedule for the month:
• Aug. 4-6 — Home in Nagoya getting ready for everything.
• Aug. 7-9 — My church’s youth camp; several unsaved junior high kids come to our youth events — pray for them to come and to have open hearts! I’ll be playing guitar on the worship team as well as being the “official” photographer.
• Aug. 11-14 — Youth Station (Tokyo) — the denomination’s national youth event of the summer. I’ll be taking part in a missions-themed discussion / teaching time, as well as teaming up with WGM missionary Zach Motts to lead some fun activities.
• Aug. 17-19 — Area Retreat (like family camp back home, but probably less “campy”). I’ll be giving a testimony and sharing in song during one of the services, as well as helping out with a youth service as an “MC”.
• Aug. 20-31 — Vacation!!! I’ll be visiting friends in Fukushima (Japanese countryside) and Tokyo (definitely not the countryside) before coming home, regrouping, and going back to school.
Please pray for safe travel, effective ministry, and that God will teach me some things along the way as well. Pray too that I manage to keep up with my studies and take advantage of the ample opportunities I’ll have to practice my Japanese in actual conversations at all these events. Pray, too, that this is a good time of relationship building for me, as it’ll be a good chance to get to know some of the teens I don’t usually see more than once a week.
Thank you so much for your continuing prayer support! I’ll try to send out a full newsletter in early September and let you know how things are going. In the meantime, I won’t be home much, so forgive me if I’m not able to respond right away to any emails you might send. “I’ll see you in September…”
Blessings,
– robin
ロビンホワイト
by Whitey | Jul 10, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the third in a 3-part series. If you haven’t read them yet, you may want to check out Part One and Part Two first. Again, if you’ve experienced — or are experiencing — culture shock yourself, feel free to leave a comment with your two cents. Here are some thoughts on my experiences…
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Everybody goes through culture shock when they move to a foreign place. But not everyone goes through the same kind of culture shock.
My experience with culture shock has been mild compared to what a lot of people might go through. Living among and working with fellow-Believers has helped. But in Osaka, there wasn’t as much adapting to do as there in now in Nagoya. There were moments of stress like catching the wrong train and ending up who-knows-where. There was trouble shopping, and other language-related difficulties. And there were times when I just got tired of being a “novelty” or standing out. But in my day-to-day life I could survive without learning Japanese, because my job was English teaching and my friends and co-workers were mostly fellow-expats.
This time is different. I’m definitely more immersed this time, but now I have the advantage of having lived in Japan previously. The main thing that causes culture shock for me is the language barrier: It’s a bit frustrating, even overwhelming, to be surrounded by Japanese and not able to join the conversation. And it feels like in order for the others to include me I have to suddenly become the center of the conversation, which I don’t want; but often it’s either that or feeling left out. Japan is also a more group-oriented society, a place where there’s a right and wrong way to do everything, and a culture where communication is less direct — all of which add to the learning curve.
But when I do face stresses relating to these cultural differences, it’s always an opportunity to learn. Language barriers give me incentive to study Japanese. Doing things the wrong way helps me remember the right way. Dealing with and working through culture shock helps one to understand and relate to the new culture — to acculturate.
And, little by little, God is helping me to do just that.
by Whitey | Jul 8, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the second in a three-part series of writings that are adapted from stuff I did for the internship program I’m in. Click HERE for part one, where I give an overview of culture shock, at least as I define it.
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Whatever form culture shock takes, it is natural for us to experience it when we are in the process of acculturation. In fact, if we aren’t experiencing any culture shock at all, we’re probably not experience the new culture itself, either. A friend told me about someone he met here in Japan who basically goes home after work and stays there, watching American TV and American movies, in English. Actually I would guess that this person was experiencing culture shock, but instead of facing it and working through it, he was choosing to ignore it by isolating himself from the strange world around him.
While I would agree that “disconnecting” for a while can be healthy, why bother moving to a country on the other side of the world if all you’re going to do is stay in your room and never go out and experience the culture? I myself enjoy reading or watching something English-language and familiar as an “escape” sometimes. One thing about living in a foreign, non-English-speaking culture is that ordinary, every day, easy tasks feel like work; so it’s nice to get away from that from time to time and enjoy doing something that doesn’t require as much thought or that exercises a different part of the brain. But part of the joy of living in another country is what we can learn and experience that people at home only dream about.
Not only is there a lot to enjoy, but if you’re going to live in a foreign country long-term, acculturation is essential. And, like it or not, culture shock is a part of the acculturation process. It’s not just an unfortunate side-effect, though; it can actually aid the process if we let it. As I said, not experiencing any culture shock shows we’re not experiencing the culture, and as such not acculturating. On the other hand, going through culture shock helps us learn the new frames of reference, meanings, and assumptions that are necessary to adopt in order to enjoy living on foreign soil on a long-term basis.
And that — living in a foreign place long-term — is exactly what I’m working towards…
by Whitey | Jun 30, 2008 | Links
This is a shot of Oda Sensei interpreting for me during my recent ministry visit to Gifu.
Scroll down for to read my latest prayer letter, if you haven’t already, or to listen to the latest podcast.
And in other news, as mentioned in the podcast, I recently did a guest post at Worship and the Arts. It’s part of their “Spiritual Bridges in Anime” series. Check it out.
by Whitey | Jun 29, 2008 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I know it’s not July yet, but it’s Sunday night and I thought I’d get the prayer letter sent out before another busy week begins. So here it is…
First of all, a big thank you to all of you who prayed for my ministry in Gifu last weekend! Several people emailed before I left to let me know they were praying, which was really encouraging, so thanks for that as well.
I had a great time in Gifu, where I participated in an outreach service through music and testimony. I had a great time, and was really made to feel welcome too. There were 27 people in attendance, 10 of whom were visitors, and 6-8 of whom were non-Believers! Meanwhile, back here in Nagoya, my own church was having an outreach of their own, and reported 83 in attendance, of which 16 were seekers and 5 were first-time visitors! Praise God for newcomers and for the opportunity they had to hear the Gospel!
Here are some things you can be praying for in the coming weeks…
1. Pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of those who came to both outreach services.
2. Pray for my English/Bible student, with whom I’m still meeting semi-regularly.
3. I’m planning to travel to Tokyo in a couple of weeks for a planning meeting for this summer’s national youth camp. Please pray for safe travel, as well as that I would learn something from the experience, and be able to contribute.
4. And, as always, I’d appreciate your prayers for my language studies. I have to confess that lately I’ve really been struggling to stay on top of things. PLEASE pray that God will help me to understand, to stay focused and disciplined, and to succeed!
I’m beginning to understand the wisdom in taking a whole 2-year missionary term to focus on language studies. And I’m learning to see language school as my “full-time job”. Any ministry opportunities I have on top of that are just icing on the cake — but not my main focus right now. It’s all about a long-term investment that will pay off in the years to come.
As always, your prayers and thoughts are much appreciated! THANK YOU! Hope you all have a happy Canada Day and/or Independence Day this week!
Blessings,
– robin
