Category: Prayer Update

After returning to Morioka from our trip to Tokyo we promptly packed up again and headed up to the mountains for a church winter retreat. But before that we helped my brother and his family move out of their house and saw them leave to head back to the US for their first home service since they arrived in Morioka two years ago. We’re going to miss having them around, and Titus will certainly miss seeing his cousins on a regular basis, but we’ll see them again in about 6 months when we also head back to the US for our first home service.

While Tokyo was relatively warm (rarely did the temperature drop below the high 40s) and snow free, Morioka is cold and covered in ice, and when we went up to the mountains for our church retreat we spent time in a beautiful camp covered in over a meter of light fluffy powdered snow. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with our church family here in Japan, and for me one of the best opportunities to practice Japanese since my arrival. One highlight was playing a game of “Mafia” in Japanese, there’s nothing like the motivation of trying to convince people not to execute you to get over the nervousness of trying to speak a foreign language. Lately it feels like I’ve really turned a corner in Japanese speaking ability, I’m getting fairly comfortable at having one on one conversations with people (though I quickly get lost in group conversations which tend to flow much faster). At Prayer meeting last Wednesday I was able to share what I learned from the sermon on Sunday and my prayer requests without writing all that down ahead of time like I normally do. Please continue to pray that I am able to communicate well in Japanese, and particularly that I can navigate spiritual topics which is significantly more difficult than talking about the weather.

There are two college students at our church who recently became Christians, which is very exciting. One of them is a student at a college where Pastor Kondo teaches a class on Christianity, and the other is a student in Okinawa who took time off to come volunteer to help out Tsunami survivors. Both of their stories are quite unique and it has been a tremendous joy to see them at church every Sunday and to see the way that Christ is working in their lives. Pray that God works in the hearts of many more to bring salvation to the lost. Next Friday we’ll be having our January English Cafe, please pray that God would use this ministry to reveal the truth of His gospel to those who attend.

Thank you all for your faithfulness in praying for us, supporting us and helping us in so many other little and big ways throughout 2014! You are all such a blessing to us as we continue to adjust our new lives as missionaries in Japan and prepare for the work God is setting before us to do. It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly two years since we’ve first arrived, and yet so much has happened in that time. We became members of our receiving church here in Morioka. God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl. And in almost exactly 2 months I’ll be graduating from language school and starting out into full time church ministry here in Japan.

When I first arrived I knew just a few helpful phrases in Japanese, and now by God’s grace I’m able to carry on basic conversations, give announcements at church, share at prayer meetings, and with enough preparation time, even give short messages. I still have a difficult time communicating, and will continue to study Japanese long after I’m done with language school, yet the difference between where I was two years ago and now is pretty huge. Please pray that I continue to grow in my ability to communicate in Japanese, and that God uses me to speak for Him in this place.

After language school is finished in March we will begin getting more involved in our home church here in Morioka, while at the same time preparing for our first home service in the US from June to September (If any of you know of a place in South Orange County we can stay for a week to a few months during that time please let us know!). We’re looking forward to seeing my family, especially as there are two weddings and one new baby expected during our time there (not us having a new baby, my brother and his wife)! After returning to Japan in September I’ll begin serving as a missionary at our receiving church, helping with the ministry there as well as working with the 3/11 Network to participate in various ministries among the coastal towns. During this time I’ll be putting into practice and improving the Japanese I’ve learned, as well as gaining invaluable experience doing ministry in a Japanese context while serving under Pastor Kondo.

This past December we had to go to Tokyo to take Felicity to the US Embassy and get her US citizenship and passport taken care of. We also were blessed to be able to see all four of Tomo’s grandparents, and introduce them to their new great-granddaughter. We really enjoyed the “warm” weather, which rarely dropped below 40F and only snowed briefly. We had a wonderful time, but have now returned to our currently snow buried home town which despite being entirely different from California is somehow beginning to feel like home.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, we hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and pray God’s Blessings upon you during this new year!

Life continues to fly by as we adjust to becoming a family of four. Felicity is now more than a month old, and is already a rather large 11 pound baby who just loves to be held. Many have commented about how content and peaceful she always seems, which she is as long as she’s not hungry and being cradled in someone’s arms. We’ve managed to catch a few smiles here and there, more often than not directed at her big brother. The kids seem to be getting along pretty well so far.

After taking a month off of English Cafe I was a little concerned that we wouldn’t have many people show up at our last one, however it ended up being one of our biggest turnouts in months. One girl from our church invited 5 non Christian friends, including her boss at work, who all attended. In addition a number of college students who are involved in the a Christian Club at Iwate University also attended. I was talking to the leader of the club who was excited to see that we were continuing the English Cafe as there were other students who also were interested in practicing English that he was planning to invite. Many of the members of the club are not Christians (yet) but are interested in Christianity. Please continue to pray for open hearts and the building of good relationships through this monthly outreach. Our next English Cafe will be November 21st.

Christmas is also fast approaching and even now preparations for Christmas events and outreaches are beginning. Our family got cast in starring roles in the Church Christmas pagent, with Tomo playing Mary, me Joseph and Felicity Baby Jesus. Titus is content to be a sheep (although he’s a little disappointed he couldn’t be a solider), and has been practicing his lines: “Meh Meh, Mow, Mow” which is Japanese for “Baa Baa”.

I’m still studying hard for the N2 Japanese Proficiency test in a little over a month. This is looking to be the most difficult one for me to pass, particularity as the number of Kanji I need to know has jumped dramatically compared to the N3 test. I’m studying lots of flash cards and running through a couple of Japanese learning apps on my smart phone.  It’s hard to believe that in 4 and a half months I’ll be graduating from language school and starting out into full time church ministry. I’m excited and nervous to finally be reaching this stage of ministry after so many years of preperation. Please pray for my remaining time of full time language learning to be productive and for preparation for serving the church here in Morioka and throughout Iwate.

Two kids are a lot of work! Tomorrow Felicity will be four weeks old, and it feels like we’ve been living in the midst of a typhoon ever since she showed up. Incidentally, there’s an actual Typhoon headed our way that’s supposed to hit tomorrow, Titus’s pre-school is canceled, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to figure out a way to get to language school tomorrow. Normally I go by bike, but that will be (probably) out of the question. Prayers for a safe commute are appreciated!

Since Felicity came home I’ve been spending a lot of time here helping Tomo get back on her feet, doing chores, cooking meals and keeping Titus occupied. Thankfully Tomo is doing really well and is basically fully recovered from the delivery. We could use more sleep, and we’ve lost nearly all semblance of a schedule which has caused a pretty big dent in productivity, but we’re adjusting, but yet somehow in spite of it all we’re just so happy to have this new little girl in our lives and constantly thanking God for her.

One of the most challenging things for me has been trying to keep up with Language learning, as I’ve taken a number of days off from class, and not had a lot of time to study outside of school hours. Unfortunately I had some term finals shortly after Felicity was born, which did not go very well. But I’m starting to get back into the swing of things, and trying my best to prepare for the N2 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) next month. This will be the final JLPT test I’ll take before graduating Language School (by God’s grace I’ve passed N5, N4 and N3 already). My goal at the start of Language School was to be able to pass the N2 test before graduating, so please pray that I will be able to really focus and study in this next month, as at this point I haven’t been doing very well on the sample questions I’ve tried.

Despite this I really feel like I’m getting the hang of Japanese, I have little problem navigating daily chores and shopping, and can carry basic conversations. At this point it’s primarily a matter of practicing what I’ve learned and increasing my vocabulary. Pray that I am able to continue to do that.

We took a month off from the English Cafe at church, however we’re starting up again this Friday night. I’ll be getting a lot of help from a team from Singapore, which is extremely appreciated, but I’ve still got some preparation to do. Also with two kids our bedtime routine is still in flux, so it can get a bit tricky for Tomo to put Titus and Felicity to sleep on her own. 

All in all it’s been an exhausting month, especially the last week, as Titus came down with a pretty bad cold, and passed it on to me and Tomo as well. So far it hasn’t been nearly as bad for the two of us as it was for him, and Felicity has up till now managed to avoid it. Please pray for quick recovery for the three of us, and protection for Felicity.

And despite all this, every time I look at my little girl I can’t help but smile and think how blessed we are and how thankful I am to God for this gift. And right after that about how nice it will be to send our kids off to college in America while we stay here in Japan. God Bless, and thank you for your prayers!

At 1PM on September 16, 2014 God blessed us with the safe delivery of our daughter, Felicity 明(Mei) Robison! Felicity weighed 7 lbs. 13oz, and as is the norm here, was delivered naturally without epidural. Tomo went into labor at about 3AM that morning, and though the delivery was painful she’s recovering very well. Felicity seems to be a natural at nursing and loves to sleep… so far.

Tomo and the baby are staying at the hospital until Saturday (standard procedure here in Japan) which means me and Titus are fending for ourselves (ie. eating at McDonalds). Titus really loves his little sister and can’t stop talking about how cute she is.

Felicity’s middle name, Mei (pronounced “May”) is written with this kanji, 明, which means bright. Even at just a day and a half old she certainly has brought felicity and brightness into our lives, and we are constantly praising God for her.

Please be praying for a speedy recovery for Tomo, and that things won’t get too hectic for her after she comes home from the hospital. Titus is doing really well at preschool, so that will make things a little easier, as in the mornings while I’m at school Titus will also be in preschool, and Tomo won’t have to contend with a newborn and an extremely energetic two year old. My normal schedule is to stay at school in the afternoons to study, but for a while I’ll be coming home right after class gets out to help out. Please also be praying for me that I can keep up with learning Japanese, I have some big term finals next week.

Thank you for your faithful prayers for our family as we serve here in Japan. Since we arrived a year and a half ago we’ve seen God answer many prayers, direct us each step of the way. In July I passed the N3 level Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and I’ll take the N2 Test in November. One of my main language goals was to be able to pass the N2 test by the time I graduate language school in March of next year. After language school is over we’re scheduled to take a brief home service in the US in the Summer of 2015, and upon returning to Japan I’ll be starting an internship at our church here in Morioka under Pastor Kondo, where I’ll be able to get some first hand experience in church ministry in Japan, while also putting into practice the Japanese that I’ve been learning. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we work alongside the believers here to reach out to the millions of Japanese who have never heard the gospel. 

Check out more Baby photos!

Tomo’s due date is just 11 days away, so we’re into that time period where the baby could come at any time. Any time she’s out of my sight I’m keeping a close eye on my phone in case I need to rush home and get her to the hospital. We’ve heard that labor often goes quicker with the second child, which just makes me more nervous. It’s a very exciting time. We’ve got the house all ready, new car seat installed, and a bunch of frozen meals to keep me and Titus alive during the week Tomo will be in the hospital (standard procedure here in Japan). Tomo just had a check up today, and as has been the case throughout the pregnancy, everything is going smoothly, both Tomo and the baby are great. Please pray for a smooth delivery in God’s timing!

Tomorrow will a showing of Japanese film that our church is helping to promote. It tells the story of a former Yakuza member (Japanese mafia) who comes to Christ. It is not a Christian film per-se, but the director is a Christian. The cast is filled with very famous Japanese actors, but due to some strange circumstances has been unable to secure a wide release. One of the major backers of the film died while it was in production, which led to a large loss of funding. They were able to finish the film, but had no money left for distribution and marketing. To try to get things rolling they are scheduling private screenings throughout Japan, relying on the help of churches to get the word out. I’ll be helping drive people to the showingtomorrow. Many Christians are inviting non-Christian family members and friends, and so far seeing a lot of interest due to the notoriety of the cast. Pray that this film touches hearts and sparks conversations about the life changing power of the gospel. The film is called Fukemon. You can check out the trailer here if you’re interested.

Thank you for your prayers for Titus entering Yochien, and for my test this past July. Titus has been doing really well at his preschool, and really seems to be enjoying it there playing with all the other kids. After two weeks he’s already starting to pick up Japanese phrases. My goal is to stay ahead of him. Speaking of which, I also found out that I passed the N3 Japanese language Proficiency test. This means that I’m still roughly on track for meeting the language goals I set when starting language school. I hope to take the N2 test at the end of the year, and graduate from language school next March. Thank you for your prayers!

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support! For the last month I’ve been on Summer break from Language School. We’ve tried to find time to relax and catch our breath, while at the same time getting involved in a number of different ministry events that God’s allowed us to take part in. At the same time I’ve also been slowly making progress through the mountain of Japanese homework I took home with me to do over the Summer (Just about done!). To see some photos of our Summer so far, click here.

Other than that our big project has been getting ready for the arrival of our new baby! Tomo’s due date is just a month away, so we’re almost into the “it could happen any time” zone. Thanks in aprt to the help of my brothers and one of their friends who were visiting from America this Summer, we were able to rearrange our little apartment to get a dedicated kids room. Already we’re reaping the benefits of that with Titus sleeping in his own room instead of with us (though he’s still getting used to that arrangement…). Titus is also getting ready to start Yochien, or Japanese pre-school later this month. This will make it a little easier on Tomo when she first takes our new baby home, as I’ll be back in school by then. Please pray that Titus adjusts well and that the baby is born without any complications. We’re really excited to welcome our new daughter home in the coming weeks!

I had a random encounter with a couple of Mormon missionaries, one girl from Oregon, and a Japanese girl from Chiba. I was taking Titus to the store to get some groceries by bike for the first time, but couldn’t figure out how to use the kickstand on it. After struggling with it for a good 5 minutes with many people streaming past, I someone behind me asking if I was ok in Japanese. This is fairly unusual as most Japanese are a little hesitant to strike up conversations with foreigners. I suppose that here too, Mormon’s are among the nicest people you’ll meet. On the one hand it’s devastating to see that the Mormon church is here in Japan leading people away from the truth of the Gospel. Ironically in the years leading up to the Tsunami while all the Evangelical missionaries had moved on from Iwate, the Mormon’s continued to send a steady stream through to their church near our house.

But even more devastating is just how close these Japanese Mormon’s are compared to the vast majority of their countrymen. They’ve overcome all the same hurdles that keep Japanese away Christ, only to land themselves in a false church. I had a nice chat with them, and even got a chance to share a little bit of the Gospel while standing outside the grocery store. Please pray that they would find the truth, and that their efforts to lead other Japanese to Mormonism would fail (or somehow in God’s providence would instead lead them to Himself!).

Thank you for being a part of all that God is doing over here. We appreciate and rely upon your prayers each day.

In our last prayer update we asked for prayer for my children’s message on July 13, and the English Cafe last Friday. We were blessed to see God’s hand in both of these. On July 13th I presented a 10 minute gospel message in Japanese at a children’s Ice Cream Party our church hosted. I was fairly nervous as it was my first time doing anything like that. My prayer before I spoke was simply that I would be understood. I didn’t have high hopes that I would be able to use clever phrases or even that I would be able to avoid stumbling over words, but my hope and prayer was that I would be able to explain why Christ came to die for us, and that those in attendance would be able to understand what I said. I wound up relying far more heavily on my notes than I wanted, and basically read large portions of my talk, while pushing through some pretty rough portions, but when all was said and done two church ladies came up to me afterwards and told me that it was very easy to understand what I said. Praise God.

We took over as hosts for our church’s monthly English Teaching Outreach in May. In June we had a very small turn out with no people from outside the church attending, so we were a little discouraged and concerned about the future of the event. Another concern that we’d noticed is that our normal program seemed to be too advanced for most of the people who attended. Initially the event was geared more towards allowing Japanese who are studying English to practice their conversation skills with native speakers, however over the last six months or so the people who have come were at a lower level of English ability, and were having a hard time following the program.

We asked for prayers for the July English Cafe, which was held this past Friday and were excited to see a large turnout of people from the church, as well as one non believer who has attended once in the past. With help from a team from Singapore, and a few other church members, we reworked the program a little to make it easier for people of any level of English to participate, and it seemed as though it really worked well. Everyone who showed up was able to participate, enjoy the games and activities, and seemed to be learning a lot. I was able to spend a good 20 minutes talking with the non-believer in attendance, and he really seemed to appreciate being able to practice speaking with someone willing to let him go at his own pace and help him along. At the end of the night he said he was looking forward to attending our next event in August. Praise God!

In the last few weeks since our last update, I was also able to visit the coast with a team from our church to help out at an event put on by a fellow missionary serving in partnership with the Iwate 3.11 Church Network. After three and a half years survivors are finally beginning to move into permanent housing. While this is a huge step for many of them, they now face challenges of really reestablishing their lives in new communities. Pray that the friendships that they have built with each other, and with Christian workers will be able to persist through this change. In the past month I’ve heard stories of five survivors who have given their lives to Christ, which is a huge praise. Pray that they will grow in their new faith in the midst of a very difficult place to be a Christian, and that they will be the first fruits of many more whom God will save in the coming months and years as Christians continue to support, love and share with people in these communities.

This past Sunday I took the JLPT N3 test, and while parts of it were more difficult than I expected, over all I think I did well enough to pass. I won’t get my result until next month though, so please be praying for a good one! Some missions organizations here consider passing the N3 test to be the minimum level of language proficiency needed to begin ministry here in Japan, so passing this one will be a big step. My goal from the beginning was to pass the N2 test, which the one after N3, which is what my brother was able to do after two years of language school. If all goes well I’ll take that test in December.

After two weeks of almost non stop tests and practice tests, the work load at language school is winding down as Summer break approaches. Partly because of this, we’re taking the opportunity to help out a little more at the church. I was asked to give a children’s message at an Ice Cream Party out reach this coming Sunday. Though I was given the option of doing it either in English with a translator, I’m going to try to do it in Japanese. Even for a short 10 minute message it will require a lot of preparation on my part so please pray that I am able to get it all written and practiced before Sunday.

We’re also busy planning the next English Cafe, which will be held on July 25th. After talking with Pastor Kondo we’ve decided to try to target the event more at a beginner’s level of English, as that seems to be where most people are at. Also we’re trying to find good ways to promote it, and hope to get some posters made and put up in advance as well as some fliers distributed. Please pray that the event goes well, and particularly that we get a good turn out. 

There are countless ministry opportunities here, and one of the hardest things is having to turn down so many of them due to the fact that I’m still in language school. And that’s just here in Morioka. The needs on the coast are even greater. Our church is small, with an average attendance of around 70 people, but by God’s grace we’re seeking to have a large impact on this city. It seems that everyone in the church is involved in something, and still there is always more that we hope to do. Pray that God continues to supply laborers, and that He will bring in the harvest!

On Monday, I took 2 exams testing my knowledge of Japanese grammar, and ability to listening ability, and wrote an essay. The essay topic was on whether or not I thought students should be permitted to use their smart phone dictionary in class (I argued that it was, based on the fact that buying an electronic dictionary costs around $400, while the Google Translate app on my phone is free). Tuesday continued with vocabulary, kanji and reading comprehension. In two weeks I’ll take the 4 hour long, 3 part N3 Japanese Language Proficiency Exam, so in preparation for that, today I spend the first three hours of class taking three practice tests once again going over grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and reading comprehension.

It’s been a little bit of a rough transition going back to being a full time student after being out of school for ten years, and learning Japanese is significantly more challenging to me than my computer and Bible classes I took at Master’s. And yet, we are here to share with people the hope of salvation through Christ Jesus, something that is impossible to do unless I can actually communicate with people. Praise God that little by little my Japanese ability is progressing. While I am still far from where I need to be, I feel that I’ve also come a long way from where I was a year ago. Thank you for praying for us as we go through this process, thank you for your long term investment in us, in patiently supporting us through this vital period of preparation for a life time of service here in Japan.

Tomo is officially into her third trimester, and is furiously researching every conceivable baby gadget, tool, and necessity. She’s determined that American baby products are largely superior to Japanese ones, so about half of what we’ll be getting will be coming from the States. She’s feeling pretty ambitious, and is even tossing around the idea of cloth diapers. We’re both really excited about the prospect of having a new baby girl in our home, and also totally exhausted at the mere thought of it. Tomo’s due date is three days before my Fall exams. Please be praying for us to be able to cope with all the preparations, and for a safe and healthy delivery in September!