Japan Newletter May 2, 2009


Hello Dear Friends,
This morning finds me well and very joyful. Things are have been really good recently and God’s mercies are just leaving me in amazement. I opened up my bible this morning and found a really amazing verse. I have been reading through Isaiah recently and today made it to the end. There it was talking about the people to whom He has shown his glory going out to the nations. Then it said in 66:19 that they would be sent "to the distant islands that have not heard of My fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim My glory among the nations". I thought about it for a bit and I was like, "Dude, that’s Japan!" And I was given a sense of God’s grace once more. Even in the time of Isaiah, God had a plan to save all of us and even in the time of Isaiah, God loved Japan. And in His grace, He made me a part of that plan. He made me a part of His love story with this world that is older than time itself. You just have to be blown away by that. God is amazing. His love is truly an inclusive love and not an exclusive one. He never loves somebody and dismisses somebody else. When we accept His love, it doesn’t stop there but instead it is the beginning of Him loving others through that person. He loved me and then because of His love, He sent me to Japan that through me He could love Japan. And the grace of Him using a dork like me to do that… it couldn’t be more clear if it was a baseball bat upside my head. It’s just so cool and I am really excited about it. Thank you to those who have been praying for direction and perspective on all I am doing. I really needed it.

Lots has happened lately. Thank you for your continued prayer about my language abilities. This last Sunday I shared my testimony in its entirety for this first time in Japanese. Before this I have talked about my testimony in Japanese in conversation, but this is the first time I made a continuous speech for an extended period of time. About twenty minutes! But it went really great and God really blessed my words and everything flowed very smoothly. I thank God for the progress He has given me in language. Continue to pray for me. Next week I am going to be leading my first bible lesson in Japanese to the Japanese Fellowship’s Sunday School. I am going to be teaching on Moses. Pray that in the months to come, God would continue to add to my language ability and make me into a better tool for His ministry here.

Shine Kids continues on. But I never imagined what doing multiple lessons in two locations would be like. I ping pong back and forth between the Setagaya fellowship and here so much I wish they had something like frequent flier miles for the train systems. Of course the work is good. I love the kids I am teaching and I love the time I get to spend talking with their parents. My time is just a little fuller than I am used to. Perhaps it is Gods way of stretching me, it has helped me to grow a lot, but it would still be so great if I could get some more help with the classes (HINT HINT! NUDGE NUDGE! COME AND VISIT ME!!!! Please!). But anyway, praises to God for blessing the ministries so much. Please continue to pray for growth and that God would use them to touch as many lives as possible. But also please pray that God would continue to give me a sense of clarity about everything. The more full one’s time gets, the easier it is to loose track of God’s will and purpose in all that He is having one do. Please pray that God would give me His eyes during my time here.

Also thank you for praying about my involvement in the Horizon Language School. I have been doing the training for becoming a teacher and a few snags aside, things have going well. Lately I have had so much access to students of HLS and the opportunities have been so many. I look forward to the future of my time in the school and to the face time I will get with even more students at the school. Also, please pray for students of my own.

Anyway, I have to be going. I love you and I pray that all is well with you. Please feel free to write me, or call, or skype, or email, or use carrier pigeon, smoke signals, or whatever ^_^. Eager to hear from you, talk with you, and sharpen one another in the faith. My door is always open to anyone who the Lord has called.

Yours lovingly and affectionately in the grace God has given us,
Alex J. Robinson ><>

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