Dearest friends,
I thank you so much for praying for me. I thank you so much for being patient with me. And I thank you for loving me. The mercy of God is beautiful. That He has put me where I do not deserve to be, doing a work I am unfit to do, and that He has made it that I would be prayed for and loved by you... It is beyond my understanding. But He is good. I understand that. And I will keep working from this undertanding. Things with me have been good. This week has been a bit quieter than most with the shine kids programs being on break along with the Bible College, and Jeremiah being out of town. So have mostly been studying the bible, studying language and catching up on my writings. So let me talk about what has been happening recently.
Firstly, thank you very much for your prayer about the Shinekids program in Setagaya. God has been blessing the ministry with new students and a lot of good relationships. In the next semester we will be having about 9 students both of kindergarten and elementary age students with a seperate classes in advanced reading and writing which a couple families in the community have asked me to do. Please be praying for direction and guidance in this ministry for me. For wisdom in loving these children and their families and sharing Jesus with them. It is always very difficult for me to act in patience. As I have said before I love Japan and I love Japanese people and I want them know the love of Jesus right now. But God continues to teach me that out of my love for Him and them I need to be patient and continue to unceasingly share and love. Jesus said in Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." That those who submit their power to His authority will be blessed and will be given this world. I always said that I believed this, but I have come to realize that I rarely lived it because it made me feel weak. And in truth, I do feel powerless in this patient love, but I realize now that I was never supposed to have the power to begin with. That it is God who I am serving and nothing is done of myself. Please pray for my eyes to continue to open in these areas as God patiently teaches me as well.
Also, I want to talk a bit about Funky Friday. I haven't written about it in a while as there was not alot to write. But the group of believers and non believers that meets there has become very close to one another. But know the group will be taking a new direction. We will be hitting the streets. Daichi and I have been praying about how best to outreach more effectively to the youth in the area. We thought about flyers for funky firday and that sort of thing. But I think God brought us to the understanding that the best thing would to be just to take Funky Friday to them. We'll be hanging out in Parks which is one of the most popular places for teenagers to hang out and we'll do everything there. I am really looking forward to it. We saw a pretty popular basket ball court last week so we'll be going there this friday. Be praying for the new style of this outreach and be praying that God would bring good conversations and the people He wants us to talk to.
Also, I spoke briefly in previous letters about the Horizon Language School. It is a kind of a tent making ministry functioning out of the church where people from the church teach students english one on one. It is really a great opportunity to have access to Japanese people and talk with them face to face. Of course it is not exactly straight evangelism but more by a relationship like most evangelism here. I will going with the school to the cherry blossom viewing this Saturday. Please be praying about my time in the school and that God would make it fruitful. Also, please be praying about the possibility of a home stay involving students from the school to Sonora. We all have been kicking the idea of it around and think it would be a great way to further minister to the students. But we need to pray about it a bit more.
Anyway, I should probably be letting you go. But as a last prayer request to you all. Pray about Japan. Pray about it's people, it's ways and culture. Pray that the country would come to know Jesus. Pray about those who are spreading His word and love here. And pray as to whether it is something you also are called to. I thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I love you all
and look forward to seeing you all again someday soon. But not too soon ^_^.
Because He lives and because He loves,
Alex J. Robinson ><>
I thank you so much for praying for me. I thank you so much for being patient with me. And I thank you for loving me. The mercy of God is beautiful. That He has put me where I do not deserve to be, doing a work I am unfit to do, and that He has made it that I would be prayed for and loved by you... It is beyond my understanding. But He is good. I understand that. And I will keep working from this undertanding. Things with me have been good. This week has been a bit quieter than most with the shine kids programs being on break along with the Bible College, and Jeremiah being out of town. So have mostly been studying the bible, studying language and catching up on my writings. So let me talk about what has been happening recently.
Firstly, thank you very much for your prayer about the Shinekids program in Setagaya. God has been blessing the ministry with new students and a lot of good relationships. In the next semester we will be having about 9 students both of kindergarten and elementary age students with a seperate classes in advanced reading and writing which a couple families in the community have asked me to do. Please be praying for direction and guidance in this ministry for me. For wisdom in loving these children and their families and sharing Jesus with them. It is always very difficult for me to act in patience. As I have said before I love Japan and I love Japanese people and I want them know the love of Jesus right now. But God continues to teach me that out of my love for Him and them I need to be patient and continue to unceasingly share and love. Jesus said in Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." That those who submit their power to His authority will be blessed and will be given this world. I always said that I believed this, but I have come to realize that I rarely lived it because it made me feel weak. And in truth, I do feel powerless in this patient love, but I realize now that I was never supposed to have the power to begin with. That it is God who I am serving and nothing is done of myself. Please pray for my eyes to continue to open in these areas as God patiently teaches me as well.
Also, I want to talk a bit about Funky Friday. I haven't written about it in a while as there was not alot to write. But the group of believers and non believers that meets there has become very close to one another. But know the group will be taking a new direction. We will be hitting the streets. Daichi and I have been praying about how best to outreach more effectively to the youth in the area. We thought about flyers for funky firday and that sort of thing. But I think God brought us to the understanding that the best thing would to be just to take Funky Friday to them. We'll be hanging out in Parks which is one of the most popular places for teenagers to hang out and we'll do everything there. I am really looking forward to it. We saw a pretty popular basket ball court last week so we'll be going there this friday. Be praying for the new style of this outreach and be praying that God would bring good conversations and the people He wants us to talk to.
Also, I spoke briefly in previous letters about the Horizon Language School. It is a kind of a tent making ministry functioning out of the church where people from the church teach students english one on one. It is really a great opportunity to have access to Japanese people and talk with them face to face. Of course it is not exactly straight evangelism but more by a relationship like most evangelism here. I will going with the school to the cherry blossom viewing this Saturday. Please be praying about my time in the school and that God would make it fruitful. Also, please be praying about the possibility of a home stay involving students from the school to Sonora. We all have been kicking the idea of it around and think it would be a great way to further minister to the students. But we need to pray about it a bit more.
Anyway, I should probably be letting you go. But as a last prayer request to you all. Pray about Japan. Pray about it's people, it's ways and culture. Pray that the country would come to know Jesus. Pray about those who are spreading His word and love here. And pray as to whether it is something you also are called to. I thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I love you all
and look forward to seeing you all again someday soon. But not too soon ^_^.
Because He lives and because He loves,
Alex J. Robinson ><>