August 5: It just keeps getting better

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.

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!

August 3: Preparing for FMTC

Tuesday morning, we ate toast at the hotel, then some of us walked to the McDonalds because Richie really wanted to eat a hamburger. Unfortunately, their breakfast menu was the same as in the states.

We held a brief team meeting with time for prayer and a devotion led by Joanne. Then Mr. Nozawa and Mr. Inoue came to pick us up at 11 AM and drove us to lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant. It was delicious!

Then they drove us to a Sakuragaoka church plant that Sakuragaoka Church built not too long ago. From there, we walked to an outlet mall. They had many western shops like Nike and Coach, but most of the shops were smaller clothing shops.

When we were walking back to the church, we walked down a path lined with trees that were buzzing with the sound of hundreds or maybe even thousands of semi (cicada bugs).

The rest of the afternoon, we spent practicing our skits and worship songs for the Free Methodist Teen Camp (FMTC) in the sanctuary at Sakuragaoka Church.

Nojiri-sensei and Mr. Inoue took us to a restaurant called Bikkuri-Donkey, which was known for their hamburg. Hamburgs are like a mix between meat loaf and a hamburger patty. Our stomaches full and tired from the day’s events, we walked back to the train station and returned to our hotel.

Wednesday, we are leaving for Oshima and FMTC. We hear that the island and the camp is going to be especially hot, and in the past, many people (both staff and youth campers) have passed out with heat stroke. So we hope to be extra cautious about our health and keep hydrated. Emi has a stack of cool packs, just in case. I think she is also the most prepared member with bug repellant, even though she is the only one who has not been bitten by a mosquito yet.

God has been preparing us both mentally and physically for this next leg of our journey, and we thank you for your continued prayers!

August 2: Asakusa Sightseeing

Monday morning, we all ate breakfast together at Koganei Church for the last time during this trip and packed up all our bags. We said goodbye and got on the train. We had to transfer a few time before we finally made it to Asakusa.

We got off at the train station next to a big tower they are building called Sky Tree. It was 408 meters tall at the moment, but it will be about 600 meters when it is completed. Yuuki Fujiyama joined us there.

From there, we walked several blocks in the hot and humid weather to the famous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate). We ate lunch first at a monja-yaki restaurant. Only Emi had eaten a monja-yaki before, and we have a lot of fun watching her cook it on the hot plate right in front of us.

With our stomaches full, we spent the next few hours walking back and forth through the shopping street. Everyone bought presents and gifts for family and friends back at home because the shops there sold very traditional and eclectic souvenirs.

I was still very full, but I ate age-manju (friend manju) and freshly made ningyo-yaki (little cakes filled with red bean paste that are shaped like faces, animals, or flowers).

There is a big temple at the end of the street where we tried our luck at the fortune telling stand. Joanne and Richie got a bad fortune, Emi got a neutral fortune, and I got a good fortune. Though to me, it didn’t seem like such a good fortune.

Tired from all the shopping and the heat, we sat down near the gate and waited for the rest of our team before getting back on the train and heading for Sakuragaoka Church.

Once at church, we got to rest for a little bit before we were treated to a yummy dinner of sara-udon and onigiri. We were tired from walking and riding trains all day. I didn't know there would be a welcome dinner awaiting for us at church. Many of the church members were there and we played a game together and sang a worship song. Everyone got to meet their host families that we will be staying with starting Saturday night.

By the time we got to our hotel, we were exhausted and so thankful that our rooms were clean and cool. I fell asleep right away, but other team members were up later.

August 1: Sunday Services

It was the day after we came back from VBS. We were exhausted from the camp but we successfully sat through the two services that we attended to with out falling asleep.  Also we had to “dress up” and that was really unfortunate for me because the collared shirt made me sweat even more.  
I gave my testimony in the first service and I was nervous, sweaty, and my legs were shaking when I was up in the front. 

Jen also gave her testimony in the second service and Miyou translated. 


Jen and  I were both approached by people from the church after the services and we were able hear the nice feedback from them. We also saw some of the kids that went to Yamanakako with us and the team and kids were both excited to see each other.

We also saw the Baker family from Peninsula, Emi’s twin sister, Aya and her mom, and Yuki Fujiyama who used to go to the Nichigo services at Peninsula. Also, Jenny was able to see her uncle, Joanne saw her friend, and we also saw many people that we saw from previous mission trips as well. 


We also got to join sunday school for the kids between the two services. We were also able to see people that are going to join us for FMTC. After the second morning services we ate lunch with the people at the church. And we had this! ↓↓↓↓

Pic

It was pretty darn good like all the other meals.


We remained in the church for the afternoon and had meetings. We also prepared for the FMTC camp.

the schedule looks exciting but we are all worried about the heat.

After the whole day joining services and sunday school, we were able to see the culture difference between the Koganei church and Peninsula. Eventhough things were a little different at the church, I was able to see the unchanging love of God working in Japan

by Shun

Videos

Watch videos that Nobu-sensei took of each day at http://www.youtube.com/user/uchusenkanyamato

We'll be updating about Sunday at Koganei Church soon!

July 31: Back at Koganei!

Hullo friends and family at home! Yesterday was bittersweet as we said goodbye to some of thekids. First we had to wake up and clean our rooms before having a delicious breakfast of sausage, scrambled eggs, toast, heart-shaped pancakes, and chocolate custard sandwiches. Nom nom nom.

We performed our second skit, a continuation of the prodigal son. Shun played the older brother who was grumpy about the party being thrown, Joanne was the amazing father again, and I was the servant while everyone else partied their hearts out. (: Then Nobu-Sensei gave his message and the kids were really able to understand it. After that there was more counseling and we helped the kids write an essay about what was fun and what they learned about God. We proceeded to have an ending ceremony of sorts and went around in a circle about what we liked most about camp and how God has touched us.

The bus arrived so we loaded up and headed off to Joy Patio, a delicious ice cream place with various flavors including green apple (my favorite).

After that we started shopping for some souvenirs at Big Daddy's. There were all sorts of things like baked goods, key chains, shirts, and solar-powered toys (I bought one because they're so expensive in America!). Then we finally started heading home. Some of the kids fell asleep but others were making friendship bracelets and snacking. Miyou was attacked by a boy nicknamed Cookie so she barely got any rest. ):

Once we got back to the church it was bittersweet. We said goodbye to the kids and it was pretty sad seeing as some go to other churches and we won't see them at Koganei on Sunday. We sat down and enjoyed some cake while Emi helped Miyou get rid of the itch of a bug bite. I managed to catch her face right as Emi slapped her. (:

The team also tried to lie to Jenny about homestay. She's really staying with Miyou, but we told her that she would be stuck with a woman who had a bunch of cats and didn't know any English. She seemed so confused but as it progressed Sato finally said, "I think this is better than the actual truth." YUKI IF YOU ARE READING THIS REMEMBER WE SAID SATO STRIKES THE LEAST, BUT WHEN SHE DOES, IT HURTS THE MOST?!

After that we set off to do our laundry! It's pretty cool how you can just leave laundry in Japan and not worry about it getting stolen. Plus the laundromats are super clean and not all janky like the ones in America (as far as I've seen anyway). They also had the typical Asian toilet in the back.

While we were waiting for our laundry to finish, we went out to dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant. My legs are too long and I had trouble keeping them under the table and sitting on my knees. ): But the food was delicious and inexpensive for the quality. Yay for good deals! Yay for Japan!

We got our laundry and headed back to the church. Jenny and I went on a nice walk around town and enjoyed seeing the city at night. Shun and Richie evidently did the same and had male bonding time. We might've interrupted them..............okay we miss everybody! Thank you for keeping in us in your prayers!