Comment Problems

Hey Everyone,
I know that some of you have been trying to write comments on my blog and they have not been going through. I don't know the reason exactly, but none of the Comments from regions outside Japan seem to stay. If you would like to get in contact me or comment about the blog, please send me a email at aj.robinson214@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement,
Alex

New blog is below.

New Doors

Dear friends,
I pray that this letter would find you well. Thank you all for your prayers concerning the last letter. God has started to open different doors concerning the next step of my ministry here in Japan and we have been seeing many blessings.

Firstly, there was the beginning of multiple classes each week for shine kids. The children that have been coming to shine kids have now been divided between the Tuesday classes and the Friday classes. This has made each class a smaller of course and we are now praying for the growth of each individual class. However the smaller classes has allowed us more time to talk with the parents and the kids. It seems like each class is allowing us to learn more about those coming and also to develop a deeper relationships with all. God has especially given my wife a lot of opportunity to speak with the mothers of the shine kids and for this we are very grateful. Please pray for God's will to be done in these classes and for them to continue to give us opportunity to share and love on the people coming.

Also, we were blessed to have our very first Kids Brown Saturday trial day program over in Setagaya. Five kids came and they all seemed to have blast and the parents kept laughing and smiling and clapping throughout the lesson, so I think they enjoyed themselves as well. It is Wednesday now and we haven't heard back yet about kids who want to sign up for the program. We have one more trial day this Saturday and then will be starting classes next month. Please be praying for this ministry as we are just starting out. In Japan, it takes a long time to build foundations with people and as such usually it makes us have to be patient when starting a new ministry.  But please pray that more kids would come this Saturday and those kids that have come already would sign up for classes.

In addition, Pastor Rich has asked me to start leading the International Wednesday night bible study instead of only translating. God has been bringing a lot of different people to this bible study including internationals, Japanese, English speakers, non English speakers, people for other churches and people who haven't been to church in a while. It is exciting to see what God will do through this bible study. We have already started working our way through the book of Deuteronomy. It has been a while since I have studied through this book, so please be praying that God would give me wisdom and knowledge as I lead the bible study and that God would continue to work through this time. Also please be praying for a new translator for Wednesday nights as well to replace me.

I also ask that you would keep praying about, inter service events here at the church. We have tried several times to have events that include the Japanese and English fellowships in the past few months. But every single time they have been canceled by rain or some other problem. I am not really sure were to go from here in this area, but God knows. So please be praying that God would help us understand in what ways we can bring the two services together and the timing of everything.

Despite this, the international service retreat was really blessed. It used to be that the international service would have a retreat every year to have a special time of fellowship. But with Pastor Jeremiah moving on and the shift over to Pastor Rich, it has been a few years since we have been able to have it. But this year we were able to and it turned into a great time of fellowship with a lot of great conversation. Praises for that.

Well, I think that is all for now. Thank you for your prayers and support. Praying that you all are  doing good and going strong in the work God has given you.

Because he lives,
Alex

Surprises and Redirection

Dear friends,
It has been almost a month now since my wife and I left you all to return to Japan. My wife and I were so very grateful for the time that we spent in California. It was a huge encouragement for the both of us, so much so that I find it difficult to put in words. When we originally were making our plans to go to the United States, my wife had been a bit worried about meeting so many new people and even feeling out of place. But you all were so kind to my wife and I. Though it had been a long time since I had last visited the church and though it was your first time meeting her, you took us both in with open arms, treated us both like family, and just shared the love of Jesus with us. The fellowship that we had with you all was a beautiful thing and it left us both grateful to God for His mercy and grace. I think for both of us, our time in the States was a mountain top experience of God building us up and leaving us in wonder.

However, as so often is the case when we have these mountain top experiences, eventually we have to come back down from the mountain... and at the bottom waits, well... battle. Upon returning to Japan, we were greeted with the news that the students who had signed up for the preschool that we had talked with you all about had all pulled out last minute. There were no students for the preschool, which meant we could not start this school year.

For me, this was like a splash of cold water in the face. I really didn't know what to do. The door was closed.... And it left me with a lot of questions about what God wanted me to do now.

But it can be amazing how God can use our wives to speak to us. Upon hearing the news, I was very discouraged. Honestly my heart sank in my chest. But I looked over at my wife, and she was smiling a really excited smile. When I asked her why she was smiling, she said to me that God was going to be starting something new very soon. I puzzled as I thought about the words she spoke to me, and then I started to smile too.

It brings to mind the apostle Paul as he made his missions trips. So often, he would have a passion for preaching the word, and he would want go into regions he hadn't been before and sometimes God would stop him. I think about Acts 16 were Paul had been traveling around with his companions preaching the gospel and wanted to go into Asia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them go. They tried multiple times, but it says that "the spirit of Jesus would not allow them to". Why? Was is because they were trying to do something wrong? No. And further down the road, God would take the gospel into that region. But at that time, God had a different work that he wanted to start. Paul went here and there for a while, and then finally, God gave him the vision of the man from Macedonia. So Paul goes down to macedonia and starts to minister there and God starts a amazing work there. The time that Paul wanted to go into Asia was the time that God wanted to start a work in Macedonia, starting the church at Philippi.

I really don't know what God wants to do right now in the ministry here. But I don't think the preschool did not start because it was a bad thing. And there may yet be a time when God will want the preschool to begin here. But all I know is that time is not now.

So for now, I want to faithfully tend to the ministries that God has given me. I have been praying and thinking about what to be done now, and I think God is leading in the direction of expanding some of the ministries that are underway. One ministry that needs growth is Shine Kids. We have been holding the shine kids every Tuesday and currently we have about 11 to 13 kids coming regularly. Though I love this ministry, the preparation for the preschool kind of made me move it to the back burner. But now I feel leading to grow this ministry. We start classes from next week. And in addition to the Tuesday class, we will be starting a Friday class as well. Please pray for this ministry, That it would grow and that God would use it.

Also, the Kids Brown program in Setagaya will be expanding as well. I have been assisting in the class on Thursdays, but we will be starting another class on Saturday that I will be leading. It will mix the Kids Brown curriculum with the shine kids games, crafts, and songs.  Lord willing, after a time of building reputation among the community, perhaps we will be able to begin the preschool in a years time.

We thank you so much for your prayers for us. We can feel God leading and are so grateful for your support in reaching the people of Japan.

Because He lives,

Alex and Tomoko Robinson

Picking Up Speed

Dear Family,
Wonderful to be writing you all again. Sorry for the delay, but I did not want to write you all until things were confirmed. We now have reserved our tickets, and the date says March 20, 2013. It's official, the Robinson family is going to be coming to America to visit you all on March 20th, 2013. I am very excited to see you all again and to introduce you all to my wife after all the delays that we experienced here. Thinking on it now, it has been almost 2 years since I have been back in Sonora. Think it is about time to put my feet on American soil again.

Thank you all for your prayers for my wife and baby. Both are doing just fine. Tomoko is now 17 weeks along in the pregnancy now. Her baby bump seems to be growing a little every day now and she is about at that period when lots of rest is essential. She has started to wrap up things at her job and soon will switch over to maternity leave. Please pray for us as we decide the next steps for my wife and I, whether she is to go back to work again or instead if she will be a full time mommy and be a part of the ministry at the church. oh, and for those of you who are asking, we are not sure if it is a boy or a girl yet ^_^

Things here have been moving quickly. It has been a little over a month since my graduation, but many opportunities are opening up. The biggest opportunity being that Horizon is wanting to start a all English preschool as a outreach to the community in Setagaya. And they have asked me to be the lead teacher. At first I was a little bit worried as I have not had any experience leading a preschool, but the more I pray about it, the more I feel like this is the next thing that He has for me. We are going to be starting from April, a little after I return from America. Please be praying for our preparations. We need more teachers as I am the only one so far. Also, please be praying about making your own trip out to visit. No Japanese ability needed, just teaching and playing with kids in English.  You can check out the preschool on the web at www.shineip.jp.
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From this next Tuesday, the next Semester of Shine Kids will be starting. God has been blessing us with more and more children, I think for this next semester, we will be getting about 15 children to start with, maybe more as the semester goes on. Please be praying for helpers for me. Things are starting to get so big that I cannot manage the entire Shine Kids program by myself anymore. God has blessed me with some really wonderful helpers, but I need more actual teachers, people that can help me plan out lessons and help lead the program. Please be praying for more workers here as God continues to bless the work that He started here.

Also please be praying for the Sunday school here at Horizon. I have been put in charge of the International children's program here. Also, as I am teaching at the Japanese service as well, I have been trying to work together with the Japanese teachers to make joint events for the children of both services. Again, mostly just a prayer for workers. There is a lot that we are hoping to do, including a VBS this summer, and a youth group for older children that is badly needed, but not enough people to do it all. Pray that God would be leading people to serve in these areas and that God would open the doors to the directions he wants us to go.

That is about all from here for now. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. I can't wait to see you all in March!!

Because He lives,
Alex

Dear Friends,
Many greetings from the land of the rising sun. I have some big news this month for you all and it is news that is going to be changing my schedule a little bit.

But first, I want to thank you all for your prayers for the outreaches that we are planning. The Horizon Cafe went very well. Out of the ten to twelve children that come to shine kids, six were able to make it to the event. This marks the largest amount of Shine Kids and parents to come to a church event that I can remember. And we are praying that this would be just the beginning. The children were able to give a performance of the song "This little light of mine" which they have been practicing. Included is a video of the performance. They were also able to stay after, talk with some people, eat lunch with us, and play some of the carnival games that we had set up for the kids. They all seemed like they had a good time and seemed comfortable in the church setting which is a step in the right direction. Please keep praying for our guidance in church events in the future. We are planning a Christmas event for the shine kids on the 18th of December that I would ask you to pray for. Also, please pray for the next semester of Shine Kids that will be starting from the end of January.

Also I want to ask you all to pray for the Gospel Cafe. Lately on Wednesday nights, before the bible study, we have been having what we call the English cafe. It is a hour and a half where the whole cafe and staff switches over to English and Japanese people can come in and practice their English for free. I usually just sit at the tables and talk with people. And it has been a amazing time. Their are always a lot of people coming in and their has been a lot of good conversations and chances to share the gospel and my testimony. Pray especially for the few regulars that keep coming back every week. Some have been touched by the Gospel and even moved to tears, but they still have not accepted Jesus into their heart. Pray that God would be growing the seeds that have been planted in their heart and that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

I ask that you would keep the future of Horizon in prayer as well. The dynamics of the church have been changing lately and I think it is God's work. If something is alive, it always changes and grows and so it is good to expect constant change and growth in the church. For some time their has been a gap between the Japanese and English services. The two groups are under the same roof, but aside from me and a few others, their has been no real crossover between them. But their is movement among the church to start changing that. We want to start integrating not only events, but other times together. Praying about bilingual services and other ways we can bring the two groups together. Separated, their is not a lot of progress to be made, but when brought together, I think that God will use the time to stir up fires in peoples hearts and give people new passion for ministry. When the logs of the fire are gathered together, the fire burns brightest and things get red hot. Please pray for guidance and wisdom during this time and pray that God would work in hearts towards unity in His church

But now to the big news for this month... The Lord has seen fit to bless Tomoko and I with a baby ^_^!!! My wife Tomoko is now eight weeks pregnant. The due date has been set to be around July 6th of next year, one day before our one year anniversary. We ask you all to please pray for the protection and blessing of our child and for the preparation of our hearts for being parents. Naturally my wife's pregnancy changes our schedule a little bit. The doctors here have said that it would be safer for the baby if we wait until she is three months along before we try to travel. Because of this, we are going to have to push back our visit to America until January. We we let you all know when we set the date.

Thank you all for your prayers and support and encouragement. I pray all is well with you and that God would be lighting fires in the church their as well. I pray that their would be a lot of blessed fellowship their, that you would encourage one another and lift each other up to God. I pray that you would be filled with God's love while you bear each other's burdens and that people would take notice of your care and concern and love for one another.

Peace to you my brothers,
Alex

P.S. Here are the shine kids performing!!! Enjoy!

Seeing and New Directions

Dear Friends,
I am glad to be writing you all again coming out of the storm that my wife and I had found ourselves in when I wrote you last.

I thank you so very much for your prayers for my wife's quick recovery. Though she still has minor pains in her ribs from time to time, the pain in her muscles, her neck, and her back have all left her. She has been able to return to her work and  normal daily life. She sends her greetings you all and looks forward to seeing you all in December when we come.

As she has regained her health, I have been able to return to my studies and also to serving at Horizon. With graduation only a little more than a month away, I have given much time and prayer to the next step of my ministry here.  And I feel God has been showing me what needs there are. It has been interesting to me that recently I have been learning a lot about seeing. I have been learning that seeing is a choice. In our ministry, we choose to see the people that we are ministering to. To open our eyes and really look at them.  To see their fears, their weaknesses, their troubles, and to slowly gain better understanding of who they are, and through this, we can better understand how we can serve and minister to them. However, often we choose not to see. Either our focus is on ourselves, or we do not wish to see their problems or pain, and so we do not. And we cannot serve if we cannot see.

God has opened my eyes to the people I have been ministering to in the Shine Kids,  the Children's Ministry of Horizon, and the Japanese and English Fellowships. He has been starting to show me things that I have been blinded to in the past, needs that He can use me to fill. I want to start getting more involved in the children's ministry here at Horizon. I want to start helping in the leadership here and have been in prayer along with the staff here as to how I can best help in these areas. There are so many different areas of children's ministry that I am currently involved in over here. But very little crossover has been done. I am praying as to how we can gather everything together and best bless and serve the kids that God has given us at Horizon and in the English ministries. And one thing that God has been speaking to me more and more about is events.

Shine kids has been a good program and God has been blessing it. Relationships have been built and trust has been earned. But their must be a next step. Something beyond just shine kids. And not only for them, but also for the children of the children's ministry. Times that they can spend together. Times that everyone from the shine kids and the Children's ministry can gather together. Eat together and talk. Share time. Have the children play together. Let Jesus just have the time and use it to strengthen his people in unity and also to reveal himself through them. I want to start planning events for the kids and families. There will be the Horizon Cafe that the church will be putting on that I will be inviting the shine kids to that will be on the 18th. And I ask that you pray for the Shine kids that come to that event. But I want to go beyond a yearly event, to have more times like this in the future. And I am glad that I don't have to do it alone.

We are all family. I know that I am not serving alone but am serving with you all in what God is doing all over the world. And  I was wondering if you could help me and think and pray along with me during this time. And I was also hoping that if anyone had old supplies left over from events such as games, crafts, or even old schedules of events that have been done in the past, ideas, anything, that you could possibly send them my way. When it comes to the materials, I am not asking for anything new, but just things people aren't using anymore.  Before I left for Japan I remember so well the time I spent in the Children's ministry department at Calvary Chapel Sonora. I remember all of the VBSs that we did during the summers as well as the children's outreaches and the blessings that came from them. I want the same for the kids here.

Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support. I pray that God would continue to anoint your eyes to see what he sees and anoint your hands in the work he gives you.

I miss you and love you all,

Your brother,
Alex

Japan Newsletter - September 21, 2012

Dear Friends,
It is good to be writing you all again. Much has happened since last I wrote to you. Many blessings have come our way here, and many surprises that took us quite aback. But we continue to cling to the hope that all things work together for good to those who love God.

Our biggest shock came this week when my wife, Tomoko got into a accident. On Tuesday, she had been riding her bike to work when she came to the signal light just outside our house. The light was green to cross and so she did not hesitate at the light. At that moment a taxi turned a blind corner fast into the four way stop and hit Tomoko directly as she was crossing the street. After being hit she was thrown onto the hood of car and then rolled off onto the street. She was dazed and though she was clear headed enough to call me, afterward she sat there in the road shocked. But of this I am sure, God never left my Tomoko. As she was still sitting in the road, a firefighter on his way home from his shift had been there right as the accident happened. He brought her over to the sidewalk and out of oncoming traffic. He was able to administer first aid to her while she was waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Also, one of her coworkers was there as eye witness and was able to call an ambulance immediately. When I arrived on the seen, both people were taking care of her and the paramedics were only minutes away. As we enter the ambulance, Tomoko's body felt the first wave of pain from the accident. As I sat with her on the way to the hospital, I prayed to God that he would take away the pain. Immediately the pain subsided and did not return until we arrived at the hospital. Upon arrival she was taken to get x-rayed to assess the damage that had been done to her body. Upon hearing the results of the x ray, I gained a better understanding of how miraculously God had protected her through the crash. Though her body had recieved a tremendous impact from the crash, giving her wiplash and much pain in her body, not a single one of her bones had been broken, and there had been no impact to her head. It seemed impossible to me that this could be the case, and in truth it was. But our God is a God that deals in impossibilities. And by his hand, he saved her from death and from broken bones. God delivered my Tomoko back to me and I will praise his name and rejoice in his mercy. Tomoko is not out of the woods yet. It will be a while before she recovers completely and the pain from the accident is still a major issue that we would ask you to pray for. But our God is good, and if he saved her in the crash, he will be faithful to see her through the recovery. This crash has been eye opening to me. Every day with my wife has been a gift from God and I will remember to praise him for the gift He has given me in her.

My last semester of bible college has finally started. Fortunately, because of all the classes I have taken up to this point, my class schedule only consists of three classes that are required of me to graduate. As this is the case, my schedule has been free enough that I have been able to continue on in the ministries. that I was involved with over the summer.

I thank you so much for your prayer about the restarting of the shine kids program. When the program started in June, it started to what was originally to me a bit of a disappointment. Last time I wrote you, I had been having many chance meetings with former members of the Shine Kids Club and was confident that the club could start up where it had left off when it had closed down a year ago. But of all the families that I talked to, not a single one came to the first day. Instead, only one little girl and her mother came whom I had never met before. I thought that this had just been a fluke and expected everyone to come the next week, but they did not. Only the little girl and her mother. I was shocked and for a while so disappointed. I went before God asking why this was the case. Why hadn't they come? But he reminded me of this through my wife, that we are to be faithful to what God gives us. We must ask the question of what has God given to me to do, and once we have answered that question, we must be faithful to that. We get so distracted by our own plans, the grand ideas we have of how we are to minister to God that when God gives us what we are to do, we reject it, looking for something else. God spoke to me that he had given me that one little girl. And I needed to be faithful in ministering to that one little girl and her mother by blessing them and serving them in teaching her English. So for three weeks in a row, the little girl came and I put all I had into teaching her. Then, God blessed the ministry and added to it by bringing some of her friends the next week, and other kids the next. Now I am teaching 8 kids this fall semester and feel convicted by God that I am to be faithful in serving the 8 like he led me to serve the one.  Please pray for this ministry as we bless the kids and families of Machida.

There are many other ministries that are being blessed here. Recently I was asked to help lead the Sunday night bible study at the college and have been teaching every other Sunday there. Also there is Kids Brown English outreach in Setagaya which needs prayer for new students. Also I have been put in charge of the translation ministry and am starting a prayer group at the church which I would ask you to pray for.

Thank you all so much for you prayers and encouragement. Tomoko sends her warmest greetings to you all and is excited to be meeting you all this winter. We are still praying about the dates of our visit and will tell you all when they are fixed. We are aiming for the 22nd of December, though.

May the Lord continue to leave you in awe of who He is and how faithful He is to you.

Because he lives,
Alex and Tomoko