August 4: To Oshima!

This morning was our last in the hotel; good-bye, air conditioning, and hello, humidity! I began my day by sneaking out with Miyou to find candy to celebrate Sato’s birthday. We went to an AMPM, but we had no luck! I decided to try again later when we stopped to buy lunch.

With our bags packed for Oshima, we left the hotel and headed to the train. When we got to the station, the train car was empty, and Richie and Shun enjoyed horsing around on the handholding rings. Although we were excited for the teen camp, we also had no idea what it would be like. No one on the team had been to Oshima before, but everyone we talked to emphasized two things: the heat and the bugs. Still, we couldn’t wait to see what God had in store.


As we continued on our train ride, we encountered more commuters and collected more campers. It was a crowded trip, so we were relieved to finally reach the dock. The mission team headed to a convenience store to get lunch and drinks, and Shun managed to get some candy to share for Sato’s birthday. We enjoyed our lunch while sitting on some covered steps by the dock.

After lunch, it was time for orientation. The campers and staff gathered to hear a little about the camp schedule and environment. Nojiri sensei emphasized staying well rested; there had been times when people fainted from the heat! We got into the groups we would be in for the rest of the week and introduced ourselves to each other. My group was called “San Fran Tokyo” in honor of the mission team and Tokyo churches coming together. It was then time to get onto the boat!

Shun and I looked at the information card in the seat pocket and learned that our boat was called “Yume” (“Dream”) and that it lifted out of the water when it accelerated! We were so excited that we fell asleep for most of the two-hour journey.

When we arrived at the dock, four staffers holding a giant welcome sign greeted us! We were off to a good start. After loading our luggage into a van, we got onto a pink bus and took a quick ride to the campsite. There was so much greenery and life all around us! The hillside was covered with trees, bushes, and ferns; cicadas and other bugs made a symphony to accompany us as we drove and then walked down to the house where we would be staying.

After a quick description of the site and its facilities, we went to our rooms to settle in. I was very excited because I had a package waiting for me: thanks, familia! After opening it, I found some yummy treats for the whole team inside! Jen and I passed them out and then returned to the room. I taught a couple of the girls to play Set! I was very excited. By dinnertime, however, we were all ready to eat dinner. We ate homemade pizza outside around a stone oven and drank cold mugi-cha. Of course, before the end of the meal, we had to sing happy birthday to Sato! (The sign Miyou and Richie worked on said it was her 18th.)

We started out the evening session with a couple of games. “Mingle Mingle” had us get into groups of people with the same number as the leader’s claps. Then we played another game by getting into a circle. We made our left hands into circles and stuck our right hand’s pointer finger into our neighbor’s hand. When the leader clapped, we had to try and catch our left-hand neighbor’s finger while trying to keep our own from getting caught. (I know; it sounds confusing! It was very simple to play, though!) After that we enjoyed some high-energy worship from the praise team. Jen gave her testimony with Miyou translating, and then it was time for an introductory message from Nobu sensei. Sato and the staff began one-on-one counseling with the students, and the rest of the mission team went to pray for the entire camp.

When counseling was done, we went to our rooms for cabin time. In Jen’s, Sato’s, and my room, we all went around in a circle and shared one thing we liked or learned that day. I enjoyed hearing from all the girls in my room because I could tell how much they were excited to be here and to learn about God.

Finally, it was time for lights out! We prayed that the bugs and the heat wouldn’t prevent us from sleeping, and we looked forward to the first full day of camp!