Hello Dear Friends,
As it says in Luke 6:38 "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
This year, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of God. How he has continued to go above and beyond the measure that I have used. The amount of opportunity that has been poured into my lap that surpasses what I am deserving of continues to leave me in awe of His mercy and grace towards me. There have been times when the hustle of everything has made me forget to be grateful and forget how good He has been to me. And I have grumbled against Him and lost my way a few times since I wrote you all last. But as I have had to look back at all that has happened in writing to you, I am brought back to a renewed thankfulness. God is good. He gives us a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, poured into our laps. And yeah, sometimes that can get messy, but it is always beautiful.
We just finished with our Summer VBS "Superhero City". This year was a very special VBS for us. We started out the event with several complications when it came to school schedules and did not think many children would be able to come. But as we brought it to God in prayer, we started seeing miracles happen and this ended up being the largest turnout we have ever had for a VBS. Altogether we had 67 children in attendance, with a cancelation waiting list of 9 more due the small size of our facility. This year was also the fastest that a VBS has ever filled up, with registration closing 2 weeks before the event. Also what amazed us is where God brought children from. Almost all the children that attended came from families outside the church and many of those had never stepped foot inside a church before. Many came in timidly, but all the kids left singing and dancing with big smiles on their face, many asking when they could come to church again. Many of the moms also were able to sit in on parts of the VBS including the messages, which all stated clearly how Jesus is the greatest hero of all. In addition to the children, we were blessed to
In addition to leading the VBS program, Second Level Ministry also held two reunion parties for students they had ministered to in Atlanta that have returned to Japan. Between the two events, I believe we had about 45 or more students in attendance right here at Tokyo Horizon Chapel. We were able to talk and share with them, invite them to Funky Friday Night , our college group, and also invite them to services on Sunday. Some have been attending our English services ever since. Please pray for God to continue to work in the heart of the students and draw them towards Himself.
Thank you for your prayers for Funky Friday Night as well. As we entered into the summer months, in order to minister to the new members that have been coming, we shifted our format from a bible study to a youth group setting. Every week, we prepare a meal, have a message and sharing time, games, and fellowship. The response has been blessed and we have seen God breath new life into the group. Please pray for us as we are going to be having a big summer get together for Funky on Aug 10. Please pray for new connections to be made and also for God to continue to draw Funky together in unity.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the Shine English Language school. Honestly, God keeps filling us up. The parents over in Setagaya started showing interest in having adult classes over in Setagaya and so from the beginning of this year we began adult classes over there. Now we have six Shine Kids Parents taking classes in Setagaya weekly. Also, though it declined for a while, Shine Kids Setagaya is being filled up again recently and now we have 27 kids coming to classes as well. The classes in Machida continue and we have now 38 students taking classes every month. I thank God that he is giving me opportunity to share with so many people every week through these English classes. But honestly, at least when it comes to Machida, I am starting to have to turn people away. I am full to max capacity when it comes to my teaching schedule, especially after school. If you could, please pray for someone like me, who can teach English and has a heart for ministry that I could partner with to minister to this overflow.
Finally, please keep the International service here at Horizon in prayer. Recently, we have had a suddenly surge of attendance from children outside the church who want to learn English. So much so, that I started a whole new Sunday school class for them that teaches English through the Bible. Please pray for the new kids, that this interest in English would be the stepping stone that would lead to a lifetime relationship with Jesus. Also, in the International service, we are about to go through a very big transition. Our pastor, Rich Chang, who has been serving here at Horizon for over 8 years is going to be heading back to the U.S. very soon. Naturally this is going to be a big change for our church and it has not yet been decided what is going to done in his absence. Of course, it is going to be difficult to loose such an amazing pastor and fellow worker here, especially when fellow workers are so few. But God is good and I know He has a perfect plan for this. Please pray for peace for the congregation and for clarity as we seek His will for the next season.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really miss you all and pray for God to open up a window of opportunity to be with you all again soon.
Alex, Tomoko, Daisy, Caleb, and Hazel Robinson
P.S. Our kids are doing great. Daisy is going to starting Elementary School next year. Please pray for us as we are praying about homeschooling her. Caleb is doing well, always finding ways to make everyone laugh. And Hazel is toddling around and starting to say her first words.
