Dear Journal friends,
Perhaps Ministry is more important than my livelihood (We do not live by bread alone but by the Word---RobertaStephensVersion) But since ministry depends on my livelihood, I’ll mention that first in this journal entry. International Ministries (IM) has provided many ways of giving to a missionary’s ministry. In addition to the solid monthly givers, some people have taken advantage of matching gifts programs. Others of you have so kindly given to the World Mission Offering. Another category of givers are yearly one-time givers. In these cases, I calculate what this gift is, divided by twelve. You are all precious in my sight AND of course in God’s sight. A big hearty thank-you from the bottom of my heart. You are all equally valuable to me and my ministry.
Some of you may be thinking “well, she’s in Japan now so she must have enough support for her ministry.” Let’s say I’m existing on borrowed time. I can’t, in good conscience continue to ask IM to allow me to be an exception in the system. If the Lord is leading you to join my team, please step forward. You may check my progress on IM’s website http://www.internationalministries.org/missionaries/98 by looking up “Roberta Stephens.” You may be surprised!
SPREADING THE WORD literally and figuratively is my job…. Having tested the waters for several weeks, I’m settling my focus in one particular area of service. I feel good about this news. After November I expect the focus will be at Kanto Gakuin Kindergarten. In the next week or so I will have a wider explanation of what a Japanese kindergarten is like on my personal web page http://robertastephens.com (clicking on “By The Way.”) Until the spring when the new school year begins, the kindergarten principal wants to use me in three ways. First, to share a message with four year olds twice a month or more. No comment on what a challenge this will be! Secondly, engaging in free play with the children. Thirdly, getting acquainted with mothers of kindergarteners through attending a weekly ongoing Bible/inspiration time. Occasionally, “English lessons to tweak the children’s interest in preparation for more regularly scheduled English learning next spring is welcomed,” she said.
The kindergarten is quite a distance from housing and trains. Mothers bring their children on foot, by bicycle or car and drop them off about 9:30 am. While the children are learning the mothers wait until 1:15 pm, hanging around the Kanto Gakuin campus where the kindergarten building is located. They go to the library or to the student cafeteria to “kill time.” There are other activities that they are occasionally engaged in such as special lectures given by the kindergarten, PTA duties or the Bible/Inspiration time I mentioned. When I learned about this situation I asked myself wouldn’t this be an ideal time for interested mothers to visit my house that is also located on campus?
THE ANSWER came when I met Asayo-san. She’s the mother of a five year old and a two year old, and is married to the chaplin of one of Kanto Gakuin’s two high schools. To make a long (interesting) story short, she and another mother began studying the Bible with me three times a month. The next study will be held November 10th. Two more mothers plan to attend. I want to be careful not to take people away from the ongoing Kindergarten sponsored Bible/Inspiration time so I will be moving forward with caution, and try my best to attend that study also. At the same time, I want to look for women interested in looking deeper into the Word of God. Seeing how “hungry these four women are, I don’t doubt that there are plenty more people like them.
IN THE MEANTIME, I must get through November with God’s strength via your prayers. Before I saw clearly what specific area God was moving me into I accepted several ministry opportunities requiring a lot of preparation. These include a chapel message at the University, message at the Japan Baptist Union seminary worship, and a sermon at a church in the Inland Sea near Hiroshima.
THIS MONTH I will definitely be in overload mode, and unable to get out of any promises….I’ve tried! I will be missing an important meeting regarding the future service of volunteers. Of course, volunteers remain a priority for me. Much can be accomplished in the life of a volunteer, and impact on Japanese people can be life-long.
A CASE IN POINT is volunteer Ashley who is heading into her second month of service in Tokyo. What an experience she is having, trying to peel back yet another layer of Japanese culture as she learns how they worship and serve God. At the same time, she is peeling back a deeper layer of her own being which is directly linked to her reliance on God.
Please continue to PRAY for Ashley that her endurance and enthusiasm will be continually rooted in her faith. Pray for me as I give messages, long and short on November 5, 8, 11, 14, 19 and 26. And the Bible studies I have in between! Thanks for being a vital part of my support team!
In Christ, Roberta Stephens
Perhaps Ministry is more important than my livelihood (We do not live by bread alone but by the Word---RobertaStephensVersion) But since ministry depends on my livelihood, I’ll mention that first in this journal entry. International Ministries (IM) has provided many ways of giving to a missionary’s ministry. In addition to the solid monthly givers, some people have taken advantage of matching gifts programs. Others of you have so kindly given to the World Mission Offering. Another category of givers are yearly one-time givers. In these cases, I calculate what this gift is, divided by twelve. You are all precious in my sight AND of course in God’s sight. A big hearty thank-you from the bottom of my heart. You are all equally valuable to me and my ministry.
Some of you may be thinking “well, she’s in Japan now so she must have enough support for her ministry.” Let’s say I’m existing on borrowed time. I can’t, in good conscience continue to ask IM to allow me to be an exception in the system. If the Lord is leading you to join my team, please step forward. You may check my progress on IM’s website http://www.internationalministries.org/missionaries/98 by looking up “Roberta Stephens.” You may be surprised!
SPREADING THE WORD literally and figuratively is my job…. Having tested the waters for several weeks, I’m settling my focus in one particular area of service. I feel good about this news. After November I expect the focus will be at Kanto Gakuin Kindergarten. In the next week or so I will have a wider explanation of what a Japanese kindergarten is like on my personal web page http://robertastephens.com (clicking on “By The Way.”) Until the spring when the new school year begins, the kindergarten principal wants to use me in three ways. First, to share a message with four year olds twice a month or more. No comment on what a challenge this will be! Secondly, engaging in free play with the children. Thirdly, getting acquainted with mothers of kindergarteners through attending a weekly ongoing Bible/inspiration time. Occasionally, “English lessons to tweak the children’s interest in preparation for more regularly scheduled English learning next spring is welcomed,” she said.
The kindergarten is quite a distance from housing and trains. Mothers bring their children on foot, by bicycle or car and drop them off about 9:30 am. While the children are learning the mothers wait until 1:15 pm, hanging around the Kanto Gakuin campus where the kindergarten building is located. They go to the library or to the student cafeteria to “kill time.” There are other activities that they are occasionally engaged in such as special lectures given by the kindergarten, PTA duties or the Bible/Inspiration time I mentioned. When I learned about this situation I asked myself wouldn’t this be an ideal time for interested mothers to visit my house that is also located on campus?
THE ANSWER came when I met Asayo-san. She’s the mother of a five year old and a two year old, and is married to the chaplin of one of Kanto Gakuin’s two high schools. To make a long (interesting) story short, she and another mother began studying the Bible with me three times a month. The next study will be held November 10th. Two more mothers plan to attend. I want to be careful not to take people away from the ongoing Kindergarten sponsored Bible/Inspiration time so I will be moving forward with caution, and try my best to attend that study also. At the same time, I want to look for women interested in looking deeper into the Word of God. Seeing how “hungry these four women are, I don’t doubt that there are plenty more people like them.
IN THE MEANTIME, I must get through November with God’s strength via your prayers. Before I saw clearly what specific area God was moving me into I accepted several ministry opportunities requiring a lot of preparation. These include a chapel message at the University, message at the Japan Baptist Union seminary worship, and a sermon at a church in the Inland Sea near Hiroshima.
THIS MONTH I will definitely be in overload mode, and unable to get out of any promises….I’ve tried! I will be missing an important meeting regarding the future service of volunteers. Of course, volunteers remain a priority for me. Much can be accomplished in the life of a volunteer, and impact on Japanese people can be life-long.
A CASE IN POINT is volunteer Ashley who is heading into her second month of service in Tokyo. What an experience she is having, trying to peel back yet another layer of Japanese culture as she learns how they worship and serve God. At the same time, she is peeling back a deeper layer of her own being which is directly linked to her reliance on God.
Please continue to PRAY for Ashley that her endurance and enthusiasm will be continually rooted in her faith. Pray for me as I give messages, long and short on November 5, 8, 11, 14, 19 and 26. And the Bible studies I have in between! Thanks for being a vital part of my support team!
In Christ, Roberta Stephens