The Merger

I’m officially moving my ministry info and updates over to my new website, so I won’t be updating this blog anymore. Please re-direct your links, RSS feeds and eyeballs to RobinWhiteOnline.com. My latest newsletter has just been posted there. Thanks!

Japan Adventures, May 2009

New Photo Gallery

Finally uploaded a new photo gallery featuring stuff from Late ‘08. Check ‘em out.

May Prayer Letter

Hi Everyone,

This Sunday the Immanuel Nagoya Church hosted our annual Kids Festival, featuring music, prizes and of course food! 21 kids came, and they all had a great time — and so did the grown-ups. Best of all, 12 of the kids who came were newcomers. Praise God for new connections with the community!

Other than that, the past month I’ve kept busy with Japanese studies, teaching English, and preparations for a short-term mission trip I’m hosting/leading just a few short days from now.

Please pray for my friends Mike and Nick, who are coming here from Canada to travel and do ministry with me for about a week. They’re scheduled to arrive on Tuesday afternoon (May 5), and flying out on Wednesday, May 13. Please pray for safe travel (both to and in Japan), fruitful ministry and for our physical and spiritual strength during this busy time.

Thanks as always for praying!

Recent Photos

I thought I’d introduce you to some of the people I’ve been sharing life and ministry with. These pics were all shot in the past month or so in various places.

In early March, I went strawberry picking with the young adults from the Immanuel Nagoya Church. Following are some pics from that day; the first is a shot of our pastor Pastor Uchiyama and me, and the rest are of the rest of the gang. And me again. As you can see, they get some big berries here.

Next up, something from school. We’re into a new term now, so I’m in with a new group. But this is a photo of the the class I studied Japanese with the past six months. The other students came from Brazil, China, Italy, Russia and Spain. With us is one of our teachers (front row, far left). She’s Japanese, of course.

And… Just last week I spent a few days in Yokohama, where the Japanese church (Immanuel General Mission) had its annual conference (Nenkai). The next few pics are from that trip.

First, the speaker, Rev. Harriman, director of World Gospel Mission (WGM), one of our partner organizations, along with his tranlator:

Next, here’s me again, along with Pastor Oda, who is another one of the pastors I’ve been working with. He leads a church in nearby Gifu city.

And lastly, here are some fellow-missionaries, all members of WGM: Dennis and Pricilla Probst; and Zach Motts with his bride-to-be, Esther.

April Prayer Letter

Hi Everyone,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying Spring wherever you may be. The streets of Nagoya are lined with Sakura (cherry blossoms) now, which is a sure sign of Spring in Japan.

This month I had a 2 1/2 week break from language school for Spring Break. I wasn’t on vacation, however. Besides spending time reviewing my Japanese, I also continued teaching English, did some music ministry, and helped out with Sunday school here at the Nagoya Church. And last week, I was in Yokohama for a few days for the Immanuel Church’s national annual conference. It was a good opportunity to catch up with some friends and fellow missionaries, as well as to connect with the Japanese church on a larger level.

Thank you for your prayers over the past month. Here are some things you can be praying with me about in the weeks to come:

1. Language studies – I’m back to school for another 6-month term of learning Japanese.

2. English class — My weekly English lessons continue to be well-attended. This month we are making some changes and doing some promotion to hopefully attract some unchurched people to the class. Please
pray that God will use this to help us build bridges with the community.

3. The future — I’m well into my second year of my two-year internship with Global Partners. So it’s time to start praying and planning for what comes next. I definitely plan to continue living and ministering in Japan, but the details of where and in what capacity are yet to be figured out. Please pray that God will lead me to the right opportunities for next year and beyond.

Thanks again for praying!

Down By the Bay

I really do intend to post some photo galleries lately, so you can see what’s been going on the past few months. Until then, whenever “then” is, here’s a photo of myself and the gang, down by the bay. This was on the same day we went strawberry picking (see previous post), about two weeks ago now.

This coming week I’m off to Yokohama for the church’s annual conference (nenkai). If you think of it, please pray for these important meetings and times of worship, as well as for the leaders and pastors who will be making transitions this year. Thanks.

Strawberry Picking: the Aftermath (video)

It’s been a while since I posted a video, so since my friend captured these on the weekend, I thought I would go ahead and share them with you all. In these videos you get to meet some of my friends, hear my poor Japanese, and see me slowly figure out that I’m being videoed and not photographed. Taken last Saturday after a strawberry-picking expedition with some friends from my church. Enjoy.

I just realized I could subtitle these on YouTube, so maybe I should do that some day… But not tonight.

March Prayer Letter

Hi Everyone,

As I reported in last month’s letter, I’ve recently started teaching a new English class at my church. Thank you for praying with me about that. We’ve now had classes four weeks in a row, and it’s been a lot of fun. The challenge has been in figuring out what level everyone is at and trying to teach accordingly. Adding to the challenge is the fact that so far there has been a different mix of people every week. On the bright side, this shows that there is a lot of interest; only time will tell who will keep coming back regularly, though.

Please pray with me about the following things this week and throughout the month to come:

1. Please continue to pray for me as I teach English, and pray that this will be a good “bridge-builder” between this church and the community.

2. Pray for my continuing Japanese studies, which are a huge challenge for me. I have definitely made progress in the past year, and I am thankful, but still have a long way to go!

3. The national Annual Conference (Nenkai) of the Immanuel Church is taking place in Yokohama from March 23-26. I will be attending and bringing greetings (in Japanese). Please pray for this event, as many from across Japan gather for worship, and our pastors and leaders “do business” and receive their assignments for the coming year.

4. I’m also getting more involved in some other areas of church life, mainly involving music and youth ministry. Please pray for these opportunities as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support on my journey so far! You are definitely appreciated! May God bless you as we enter Spring together — a time of new life and new beginnings!

- robin

February Prayer Letter

Hi Everyone,

I hope this email finds you all well; hard to believe we’re a month into 2009 already, isn’t it?

January has been a busy month getting back into the swing of things after the holiday season. As usual it has been my Japanese studies that have kept me most busy. It is always a challenge, but I can definitely see a difference from last year. Of course, I still have a long way to go, so your continuing prayers about my studies are much needed and appreciated.

Next week I am starting a new English class for youth at the church. It will be held on Sunday afternoons. It looks like there will be about 6 students to start with, but we are hoping in time it will grow and multiple, becoming a way for the church to build relationships with people outside the church. Please pray for me as I prepare this week and teach in the weeks to come. Also pray that God will use this ministry.

By the way, the attached photo is from a recent evening I spent, along with my pastors, having dinner with a family from our church, the Yashidas. They are a really nice family, and some of the many people who have helped me feel at home the past year.

Thanks for reading and for praying!

- robin (www.japanlog.wordpress.com)

The Latest

Here is my latest newsletter, in PDF format. Follow the links below to view or download. If you want to print copies for your church, make sure to grab the right version. Below that is a New Year’s video postcard. You can view the YouTube version on the web, or follow the link to download it (in mp4 format) to share in your church. It’s also available on Facebook, for those of you following me over there. Thanks for all your prayers and support!

My Latest Newsletter:

• #10 – New Year’s 2009
• #10 – New Year’s 2009 – Printable (hi-res) Version

And a video:

Download the Video HERE.

Backtracking a Little…

Just an update on the previous post’s announcement: The new site is up and running (at least the blog portion). However, contrary to what I said before, I will be continuing to keep this site going as well. It just won’t be updated as often, and will only feature ministry-related stuff (eg prayer updates on the blog, newsletters, and of course the ministry info pages).

So, summing it up for clarity’s sake: For my personal blog featuring thoughts on life in Japan, the arts, and faith — along with photos, music, sketches and cartoons (eventually) — you can visit robinwhiteonline.com. For ministry news, prayer requests and general info, check back here at JapanLog.

Sorry for any confusion. And by the way, speaking of newsletters, I should have a new one really soon — hopefully tomorrow.