JapanLog

Hi everyone,

Good news! I’ve reached “financial clearance” status with Global Partners, meaning that my support is about where it needs to be and I’m on track to return to Japan in August.  There are still a bunch of details to be worked out over the next month, so please be in prayer that these will go quickly and smoothly — especially my visa application. I’m hoping to be back in Japan in early August for a couple of youth events.

Meanwhile, July will keep me busy, on the road again.  Please pray for safe travels, friendly border guards, and and fruitful ministry.

Here’s my July itinerary:

July 1-9 — Beulah Camp & District Conference, NB
July 11 — Hillview Wesleyan Church, Lock Haven, PA
July 18 - Lyncourt Wesleyan Church, Syracuse, NY
July 23-24 - Chesapeake District Camp Meeting, Denton, MD
July 25 - AM - Calvary Wesleyan Church, Harrington, DE
July 25 - PM - Elkton Wesleyan Church, MD

Thanks for your prayers and financial support!

- Robin

(posted on June 30, 2012)

Another shot of the gang. Sigh…

I’ve received word today from Global Partners that I’ve reached “financial clearance” status, meaning essentially that I’ve reached my support raising goals. There are still a bunch of details to be worked out before I can actually buy a plane ticket — the biggest detail being my visa application — but this is a big relief and means that I’m on track for returning to Japan sometime in August.  Details will follow as stuff gets worked out. Please be in prayer.

(posted June 22 2010)

I’m beginning to realize that time is running short. If I’m to be in Japan by early August, there are a lot of things I need to get done between now and then. And since I’ll be away for most of July, I need to get a lot of that stuff done this week and next. Should make for a crazy couple of weeks.

On the other hand, I’ve made good progress on some stuff. On the weekend I got rid of about half my stuff that was just taking up space here in my parents’ basement. We had a yard sale, and what didn’t sell got given to a second-hand shop. It’s amazing how much stuff I had that seemed so valuable at one time but seems so useless now. Living half a world away from your stuff for a couple years certainly gives you a new perspective.

So anyway, I am getting stuff done. But then there are the things that need to get done but are completely out of my control. There’s that last 8-10% of my support I’m waiting on; I can get the word out but I can’t determine how people will respond.  There’s a visa to apply for; but first there’s an important piece of paperwork to be processed by someone on my behalf in Japan.  And when I finally do get that, I can apply for the visa, but again I’ll have to wait…

Having faith sometimes means taking action. Other times it means waiting. For me, right now, it means both.

(Posted Monday June 14 AM)

The Nagoya gang, December 2009. Hoping to see them soon…

I don’t like for every post on this blog to be about financial support, but that’s the phase of ministry I’m in right now, so…

I just checked my totals this morning and it looks like I’ve reached the 90% mark towards my faith promise goal. I’m expecting a commitment from at least one other church, so it’s probably safe to say I’m actually over 90% already.

Meanwhile, I received an email from my pastor in Nagoya, telling me that the church may have a room for me after all. It needs some renovations before it’s “livable”, so I will need to pay rent… but it will be half (or less) of what I would have paid for an outside apartment. It also means that I may not need to raise that start-up fund after all, or at least that it will be less, because there will be less up-front costs involved.  This is good news.

If anyone’s been thinking of joining my support team, now would be a great time. I need that last 10% to come in quickly if I’m to get to Japan by August. Check out the Support page for more info.

(Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010)

Hi everyone,

Greetings from Napanee, Ontario! I’ve been traveling in Ontario for about 2 weeks now, speaking at several churches and building my support team.  It’s been going really well.  I’ve been shown great hospitality everywhere I’ve gone — a great reminder of how big God’s family really is!

The good news is that I’m only about $9000 away from reaching my Faith Promise target. And I’m waiting for official word from a couple of churches whose commitments will probably cut that in half.  So in reality it’s more like $4000!

I’d been wondering for a while if August was a realistic target date, but now it’s starting to look like I will indeed get back to Japan by then. Of course, I still need the rest of those support commitments to come in, as well as my visa application to be processed in time.  Please pray for everything to come together quickly!

If you’d like more information on financially supporting this ministry, please visit the support page at my new blog:

http://japanlog.tumblr.com/support

Please also be in prayer for safe travels as I return to New Brunswick next week. 

Thank you so much for your prayers during this busy time of ministry, support raising and preparation!

God bless,

- robin

(posted May 29, 2010)

I’m on the last leg of my Ontario tour. Just two more churches to speak at on Sunday, in Roblin and Napanee.  I’ve enjoyed this trip but I’m ready to be done. Ready to be home. Ready to be not living out of a suitcase for a change.

Actually, I’m feeling about ready to be done home ministries as a whole. At this point, I won’t be back in Japan any earlier than August, but I’m feeling good to know that August is a distinct and likely possibility. Of course, it won’t happen without a little more support. And I’ve still got a few more churches to visit, one more big road trip to the US in July, and of course a visa to get… along with a few other details.

Please pray that it all comes together in time. August is not far away, and that’s encouraging. But there’s still a lot of loose ends to tie up.

(Posted:Fri.5/28/2010)

Photos from my Ontario tour so far, May 14-25.

I’m currently relaxing on the back deck at my cousin’s place in Kanata. My road trip in Ontario is continuing to be an encouraging time. I’ve enjoyed some great hospitality, shared my story and vision with a bunch of good churches, and gained some new support. Also, my cousins have a trampoline and a Nintendo Wii.  Good times.

Speaking of support, my goal since coming back to Canada has been to return to Japan in August. For a while I was beginning to think that it might be a bit of a stretch, the numbers having stayed about the same for over a month. But this week I went over my support records, crunched some numbers and realized that I’m a lot closer to the end than I’d thought. After contacting a bunch of churches for updates on their support intentions, the numbers have started to climb. August is beginning to look pretty likely after all.

For a more detailed look at where I’m at, what I still need and how you can help out, please check out my newly posted Support page. If you’ve been thinking about joining the team, now would be a great time!