Japan 1 STM 2010: Update #4

Okay, continuing with the recap of the last week.
[If you want to see more pictures - see my Facebook or email me for the links to the pictures on Facebook]

Thursday (7/1)
We went to Arashiyama, Kyoto with OPU students and saw Monkey Mountain and I forget the exact Japanese name for it, but I think it's something like Saruyama. I had a really good time on the slide in the play area part of Monkey Mt., but mostly I had a great time talking to the students. On the way there I was able to have a really good conversation with Shotaro. And I was able to talk to Ryo and Yabi for a bit as well. However, I was able to straight up share the gospel with Shotaro and I think Steve and maybe a few of the other guys were able to as well. Shotaro gave me his email address because he doesn't have Facebook, but I haven't been able to get through. I think it's because it's a "Docomo" address and for some reason it doesn't work. So if any of you know how to do so please let me know as I'd like to keep in touch with him, especially since I only met him that one day.

The station:

the short waterfall

looking at the river... "don't jump!"

the guys attempt to jump in the river

the girls...

a map of the area

resting inside a huge tatami room, it was nice in there

bird's nest

Shota and Alan. Before the end of the day Shota was stung by a bee in the ear and had to go home early and to the hospital as well. We didn't really see him after that, even though he was our liaison between HBC and OPU. I hope he's doing okay.

Miho! My new Japanese friend who studies in the states.

Jun and his strange hat... (it wasn't really his though)

They have the oddest ice cream flavors here - including a vegetable one which one person said tasted okay and another person said tasted awful. either way I didn't try any.

Top of Monkey Mt. with a monkey!

Coolest slide ever. Of course I was the only one that was really able to speed down the slide, everyone else couldn't do it so well. I think it was because I was small and had slippery shorts on. It was really really fun though.

Shotaro and I. Please be praying for him. :)

Friday (7/2)

We spent the day at Tennoji High School to help them promote the ESS club there during the school festival. Beland and Collin both played guitar and sang American songs to help do so. It was an interesting day. However by the end of the day the 3 member club consisting of a president, vice president and secretary grew into a 4 member club. That was kind of cool to see happen. And I had spent most of the day with the girl who joined the club. English skills weren't that great there so at times it was hard to communicate, but it was still enjoyable. The school festival was quite interesting to walk around though.

Jun and Alan and his pink sign that he didn't like that much.

The guys playing guitar and singing

adoring fans...

girls doing nails

guys playing cards

Beland fishing for bouncy balls with a paper net that doesn't really work that well once it gets wet.

The team and the ESS club

Saturday (7/3)

We spent the afternoon playing "American" games at HBC. They were originally going to be outside games, like American football and ultimate frisbee, but it started down pouring outside so we couldn't. In fact I heard it was the worst day of rain so far in the year. We still had a good time with the 4 students that came out though. We ended up playing Conversational Jenga, Shufflebutts - sp?, Nerts - sp? (which Shinichiro and I lost miserably at, but still had a good time - I hope), short games of Pictionary and Charades and "Boom Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"... We also had Costco pizza for dinner which was quite delicious. They have a flavor in Japan that I've never had in the US before. It was some sort of chicken BBQ and it was really good.

Conversational Jenga...unfortunately I was somehow roped into playing. It was soo hard to not make it fall though and figure out what to do and what not to do as far as colors go...

Poor Shinichiro, shortly after I took this picture Jenga crashed on him and he had to do 3 of the color options of our choice - gymnastics trick, dance and I think an animal.

Steve and the 4 students who came out - Kenta, Shun, Ryo and Shinichiro - 3 from OPU and 1 from OU

"Boom Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"...twas hard but hilarious

Sunday (7/4)

BBQ @ HBC

Lucy, Collin and I all gave our testimonies in front of the church between services and we also said our goodbyes and thank you's to the church as a team. During lunch Alan and Dianna gave an update to the church on our trip and we enjoyed our time getting to know the HBC members better. Later before dinner at the church we had 14 students come over and help us prepare and eat the delicious BBQ'ed food. The girls helped prep the food and the guys BBQ'd it. I think it was a pretty good way of getting the girls and then the guys to work together. I'm not sure if everyone enjoyed the prepping and the BBQ, but I think they were able to have good fellowship together. Beland, with Okada-sensei translating, gave a short gospel presentation to the students and told them that not making a decision is a decision. I thought it was really good and I was able to have a good gospel conversation with Hiroki afterwards. So, if you could be praying for him because I know he doesn't believe in Jesus Christ but wants to go his own way.
After dinner we celebrated the 4th of July by setting off small fireworks in the church parking lot. I had a really fun time with the "hanabi", because I had never done that before. They had these really small fireworks that were very delicate but beautiful and are apparently particular to Japan - or so I was told. They were really neat and reminded me of life. We live for but a short time and burn out rapidly and our lives can be sweet, beautiful and point us toward the Lord in its brightness or it can be short, not so pretty and not burn for the Lord at all.

Me and the Tomo's :)

Mr. Mortimer

A few of the "Sudden Death Sauce" victims...it was quite hot, taken in the right amount

Poor Kei - he lost Jon Ken Po and had to eat a bunch of noodles slathered in Sudden Death Sauce

Ryo's version Uncle Sam's "I WANT YOU"

A firework that looks somewhat like a wand! ;)

Lucy and a really cool firework

HBC members, Team 1, OPU and music students all together!

Tsuyoshi and I. He just became a Christian about a month ago. :D

Monday (7/5)

Our last full day in Japan. We spent the day touring Kobe with OU ESS students. It was good, but sad, because I don't know if I'll ever see any of the friends I made there again. I miss Japan.

We walked a lot that day. We went all the way up to the European district to Chinatown to a bunch of malls to the bay where the Kobe Tower is. I was so tired by the end of the day, but I think I made it all the way through. :D Please be praying for the OU students, especially "Taco", "Honey" and Shinichiro. They spent the most time with us on our last day. I was able to give Shinichiro a copy of "Ultimate Questions" as we said our goodbyes. I hope he reads it. Oh! And on our last day we also ran into some Japanese Campus Crusade for Christ (JCCC) workers at OU during lunch. It was so cool to see how God worked everything out. We sat in an area of the cafeteria for lunch that we hadn't sat in before and it happened to be one of the two days of the week that JCCC eats lunch at OU. They saw us praying before we ate so they came in and asked if we were there on a missions trip. Shinichiro was one of the few students with us at the time, so now he has contact with Christians on campus at OU! So cool!

Team 1, Kai and Kondo Sensei on our last full day and before we headed off to OU and Kobe

"King of Kings" and a Sherlock Holmes museum - such an odd combination...

Weathercock House

A square rooted tree (and Taco's foot). We were trying to figure out how that happened, but we're still not sure. The whole street had trees with roots that looked just like this one though.