Dear Friends,
I praise God to be writing you on the other side of a amazing month. It is so true that within the kingdom of God, all things are possible. The further I go into Japanese society, the more amazed I am with it's intricacy and depth. I have said many times that Japan is a country of masks. A country that can never be taken at face value. But the truth of all these things goes far deeper than I could imagine. I have been hear eight months and have learned so much, but I know that I have not even scratched the surface of the heart of Japan. And the more time I spend here the more I realize that this is not a place that one can simply walk into and walk out of casually. At least not if you want to be used to make a difference. This is a life time. A lifetime of patiently learning, patiently loving, and patiently revealing the wonder and glory of Jesus to the Japanese people. Tenderly and carefully ministering to hearts as if caring for a precious plant. Not with a spirit of timidity mind you, for God did not call us to such things. But with a meekness. With a strength controlled. Just like Jesus ^_^! It is like being a farmer, planting seed many seeds and being used by God to patiently tend the crop as He does beautiful and amazing things. And when He gives harvest, it is sweet.
I want to start with the praises. Firstly I thank you for your continuing prayer for my unsaved friends who God has brought into the church. I am filled with joy to say that one of my friends came to Jesus two weeks ago at the end of a sunday service. Praise God from whom al mercies flow ^_^!!! Continue to keep him in your prayers as he currently takes his first newborn steps in his new life with Jesus. Also please continue to pray for the miraculous to happen in the hearts of the rest of my unsaved friends in the church. I see so clearly now that everything is possible for the children of God. He is good and truly a lover of souls. Pray that my other friends would draw near to Him soon.
Also thank you for praying for the homeless ministry. I guess it is just God pouring out His blessings, because one of my friends that I talk with at the homeless ministry also was saved one week ago. He was baptised last wednesday in a fountain at the park ^_^. It is great news. Please be praying for him as he follows Jesus. He is also looking for a job, so pray for that too. But there is also some bad news in this area as well. In tokyo's effort to be the sight for the next olympic games (it is a candidate), the Japanese government is cracking down hard on the asthetics of public areas. This includes parks. They have begun sytematically getting the homeless out of public parks. This coming at a time when homeless numbers are greater than ever before due to the current economic downturn. This is really effecting the homeless ministry and it is entirely possible that we will be shut down in Yoyogi like we were in Shinjuku. Please pray against this happening and that we will be able to continue this ministry.
Great things have been happening in Japanese as well. The Sunday school lesson that I asked you to pray for went really well and I have done a couple more since. Lessons are getting easier and easier and my teaching in Japanese is becoming alot more fluid, praises to God. I did my testimony again with hardly any notes and God really blessed it as well. He's awesome. But one of the main things I have to ask you all to pray for is in my listening abilities. I can speak fairly quickly and my vocabulary is increasing daily. However, it is still very small compared to all that I need to know. Also, my vocabulary is very specialized in some areas and laking in others because of what I usually talk about. I know words like covenent, born again, and substitutiary death, but fumble over words like street, office, and duck simply because I don't use them in most of my conversation. Also in Japan, there are casual words you use with friends that indicate closeness, and formal words that you use to show respect. Because I never like distance in relationships, I rarely use the polite words and often go with more informal speach. While this works to my advantage in some cases, it also limits my listening skills when people are trying to be formal. Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), I just want God to pour out his knowledge upon me so I can be a better tool.
Anway I better be on my way, I have more Japanese to study. I love you guys and as always want to say that my door is open to anyone who wants to come and serve. I pray for blessings on you all. OH, and there is another missionary about my age who is working in southern Japan. He wrote a really great post recently about Japanese religion and culture and how it affects our ministry here. Really great writing. Check it out at http://allkaiser.blogspot.com/. Talk to you all soon hopefully.
Yours in our Lord,
Alex J. Robinson ><>
I praise God to be writing you on the other side of a amazing month. It is so true that within the kingdom of God, all things are possible. The further I go into Japanese society, the more amazed I am with it's intricacy and depth. I have said many times that Japan is a country of masks. A country that can never be taken at face value. But the truth of all these things goes far deeper than I could imagine. I have been hear eight months and have learned so much, but I know that I have not even scratched the surface of the heart of Japan. And the more time I spend here the more I realize that this is not a place that one can simply walk into and walk out of casually. At least not if you want to be used to make a difference. This is a life time. A lifetime of patiently learning, patiently loving, and patiently revealing the wonder and glory of Jesus to the Japanese people. Tenderly and carefully ministering to hearts as if caring for a precious plant. Not with a spirit of timidity mind you, for God did not call us to such things. But with a meekness. With a strength controlled. Just like Jesus ^_^! It is like being a farmer, planting seed many seeds and being used by God to patiently tend the crop as He does beautiful and amazing things. And when He gives harvest, it is sweet.
I want to start with the praises. Firstly I thank you for your continuing prayer for my unsaved friends who God has brought into the church. I am filled with joy to say that one of my friends came to Jesus two weeks ago at the end of a sunday service. Praise God from whom al mercies flow ^_^!!! Continue to keep him in your prayers as he currently takes his first newborn steps in his new life with Jesus. Also please continue to pray for the miraculous to happen in the hearts of the rest of my unsaved friends in the church. I see so clearly now that everything is possible for the children of God. He is good and truly a lover of souls. Pray that my other friends would draw near to Him soon.
Also thank you for praying for the homeless ministry. I guess it is just God pouring out His blessings, because one of my friends that I talk with at the homeless ministry also was saved one week ago. He was baptised last wednesday in a fountain at the park ^_^. It is great news. Please be praying for him as he follows Jesus. He is also looking for a job, so pray for that too. But there is also some bad news in this area as well. In tokyo's effort to be the sight for the next olympic games (it is a candidate), the Japanese government is cracking down hard on the asthetics of public areas. This includes parks. They have begun sytematically getting the homeless out of public parks. This coming at a time when homeless numbers are greater than ever before due to the current economic downturn. This is really effecting the homeless ministry and it is entirely possible that we will be shut down in Yoyogi like we were in Shinjuku. Please pray against this happening and that we will be able to continue this ministry.
Great things have been happening in Japanese as well. The Sunday school lesson that I asked you to pray for went really well and I have done a couple more since. Lessons are getting easier and easier and my teaching in Japanese is becoming alot more fluid, praises to God. I did my testimony again with hardly any notes and God really blessed it as well. He's awesome. But one of the main things I have to ask you all to pray for is in my listening abilities. I can speak fairly quickly and my vocabulary is increasing daily. However, it is still very small compared to all that I need to know. Also, my vocabulary is very specialized in some areas and laking in others because of what I usually talk about. I know words like covenent, born again, and substitutiary death, but fumble over words like street, office, and duck simply because I don't use them in most of my conversation. Also in Japan, there are casual words you use with friends that indicate closeness, and formal words that you use to show respect. Because I never like distance in relationships, I rarely use the polite words and often go with more informal speach. While this works to my advantage in some cases, it also limits my listening skills when people are trying to be formal. Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), I just want God to pour out his knowledge upon me so I can be a better tool.
Anway I better be on my way, I have more Japanese to study. I love you guys and as always want to say that my door is open to anyone who wants to come and serve. I pray for blessings on you all. OH, and there is another missionary about my age who is working in southern Japan. He wrote a really great post recently about Japanese religion and culture and how it affects our ministry here. Really great writing. Check it out at http://allkaiser.blogspot.com/. Talk to you all soon hopefully.
Yours in our Lord,
Alex J. Robinson ><>
