4:30 AM: Emi woke up to take a shower.
5:00 AM: Sato woke up to take a shower.
5:20 AM: Joanne woke up to take a shower.
It felt great to take a cold shower after sweating all night! I have been pretty good about running this whole week, but because of all the stories of heat and humidity, I decided not to bring my running things. It’s too bad, because the weather has been similar to or nicer than Tokyo. The morning started out hot and humid, but as the day went on it didn’t get any worse. Sato, Jen, Emi, and I went to the staff meeting at 6:00. We spent nearly the whole time praying, which was very refreshing! I felt energized and ready for the day.
We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, bread, and salad. This was followed by cleaning. Sato and I cleaned the boys’ bathroom… I won’t go into sordid details, but a very distinct and strong smell permeated the whole room! We got ready for the morning by practicing our skit about Peter walking on the water.
During the first session, we played Ultimate Ninja as an icebreaker and then went into worship. It was great to hear all the voices singing out to the Lord so strongly! Miyou gave her testimony, and then we performed our skit. Jenny made a very convincing Jesus! Pastor Nobu followed with a message about having faith in God and his plan. Jesus is always reaching out his hand if only we’re willing to take it! We ended way before lunch, so the Agape team decided to practice for that evening: Peninsula night! We got off to a rusty start, but we ran through our four songs in time for our meal of curry and salad.
After lunch, it was time to head to the ocean! I half expected a beach like the ones in California, with fine white sand stretching up and down the coast. When we got there, however, it was a small beach with large grains of black sand. It felt good on my feet, and I was excited to get in! The water was warm and salty, and everyone splashed around with water toys and goggles. There were even a few snorkels, so a few people went looking for fish. I was amazed at how clear the water was; only a few feet below me, I could see small schools of shining blue fish and lots of seaweed.
Tired but happy, we headed back to the camp to shower before a dinner of nagashi soumen. The staff set up what looked like a long line of gutters and ran water down it. Then they dropped soumen down the gutters, and we had to catch it with our chopsticks before it reached the end! It was very exciting for me, and I’m proud to say that I got enough food to eat without having to ask for help!
We made final preparations for our Peninsula night: we practiced the final skit and went over the schedule for the evening. First, we played a game where two people had to unwind streamers by making circles with their arms. Then we played “Four on a Couch”: my favorite game! Richie passed out CDs and t-shirts to the winners. For worship, we played Jesus Messiah, King of Wonders, Revelation Song, and How He Loves. We took a little too long, so we quickly did the skit about the adulterous woman (he who is without sin, cast the first stone) and then Pastor Nobu talked about how we all need forgiveness. We closed the evening with counseling time and prayer.
Whew, another full day! I was exhausted but excited to see what God would continue to do the next day.
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