Travel Days, July 30-31, 2015

We started our long day of travel by meeting at Biola at 10am.  Once everyone gathered and we had a time of prayer, we left for the airport.  Our flight was scheduled for 2pm.  Check-in went very smoothly as we were helped by a supervisor and he checked us all through himself.  We arrived at our gate by 12:45 and had about an hour to wait for boarding.  While we were waiting, Austin was called by the airlines to come speak with them.  Paul went with him and it turns out that they notified Austin that his seat was broken, and that he was being moved to Business Class.  Score!  Or so we thought.  When we actually got on the plane, his business seat turned out to be two seats over.  And, the “broken” seat was only because the movie headphone jack was not working.  We had a good laugh over that one.

Also while we were waiting, Asst Coach Phil took the opportunity to begin ministry as he got into a conversation with a Japanese lady sitting next to him (see pictures).  When it came time to board, the supervisor who had checked us in came and “grabbed” us all and checked us in first as a group.  That was nice.  It also could have been that we were seated in the back four rows (see video montage).

The flight was uneventful.  The first meal was either chicken teriyaki with rice, or cod with vegetables.  Everyone I saw had the chicken.  It was actually very good.  Dessert was strawberry ice cream, with the brand being “Three Twins”.  Three Twins?  Not sure how that works, but that is what it was (see picture).  The flight was really long.  Activities included the usual movies, cards, writing testimonies, planning soccer strategy with Phil, and, of course, sleeping (see pictures).  About 2½ hours before we arrived, the next meal was served.  The hot course was noodles with shrimp, accompanied by vegetables (1 piece of cauliflower, 1 piece of broccoli and 1 tomato), and some fruit and yogurt (see picture).  Not bad.

The flight landed at 6:12pm, and we didn’t make it through customs until 8pm.  We were met at the airport by Pastor BJ, Kousei & his Mom, and Mr. Mizuno.  Please pray for Mr. Mizuno as he hangs around every year (he plays on BJ’s 50’s+ team) but has yet to make a decision.  We took the bus from the airport to BJ’s church, dropped our stuff there, went for a ramen dinner, and then off to the sento.  For those new to the tour, the sento is the public bath where people go to bath and relax.  There are a series of pools of varying temperature, some mineral pools, sometimes an electric pool, a cold dip & a sauna.  Some of the pools are outside (simply no roof).  There are two sides so the men’s and women’s sides are segregated (of course).  After sento, Paul discussed tomorrow’s activities on the bus but then sent everyone off to bed. 

           

Pictures (same link every day, just new pictures so scroll to the new.  click the "i" icon for picture description)

Video Montage (a short one today as we didn't do much)

Orientation, July 28-29

     Well, we are off and running.  The day(28th) started slowly in the afternoon as the team trickled in, playing cornhole (bean bag toss) and pool games.  Dinner was followed by some orientation, practicing ice-breaker games, passing out equipment, and then watching the video "God's Fingerprints in Japan" (this video is available in the header above).  It is a great video explaining how God has prepared in Japanese culture the concept of a Creator God, which we can tell them is the God of the Bible.  If you can, take time to watch it.
    Wednesday (29th) started off with practice at the Biola field, and then it was off to Todd's (coach) house for a morning brunch.  After brunch, it was back to Biola for another orientation session.
    Paul started off the afternoon session with some cultural orientation, including some stories of prior trips where mistakes were made, and were illustrative of what to avoid.  Paul spent some time discussing the importance of relationship in Japan.  It takes a long time for them to accept Christ, and even then it is usually because of a long-term relationship.  He stressed that if nothing else, our friendliness and cheerful spirit, and getting outside our comfort zones to establish relationship is key.   We also had a testimony workshop, where Paul discussed the importance of not using words that are Christian based (like "sin") but using words they would understand (like "wrong choices").  It also is not necessary that there be a spectacular change, but it is more about the process. Then we spent some time practicing songs.  In Japan, we will sing one American song, a simple, upbeat song that has a message that is easily translated.  This year's song is "I've Got a Friend (Ain't Nobody Like Him)".  The Japanese song is Kimi Wa.  It's basic message is in part "You were born to be loved, and you are receiving that love through your life.  The love from God that started since the beginning of your birth . . ." (see full Japanese song below for more detail) After song practice, we worked on several skits.  We usually do one serious skit with a spiritual message that can be translated.  We also have one or two funny skits for times when we are just hanging out with another team.  One is a spin-off of the skit with a person behind another sticking their arms through for feet.  This one is one person laying down, another kneeling on his waist covered by a towel doing yoga moves, but the legs are the 2nd person's legs.  The humor comes when others in the "class" try to duplicate this person's moves (see picture).  We have a creative and enthusiastic bunch of guys and it should be a lot of fun.
     After these sessions, there was a 45-minute break to relax, then the team split into two squads for a practice scrimmage.  Assistant coach Phil Yovino even got into the action.  Great job Phil!  After the scrimmage, we went to the Biola fire pit area for a pizza dinner and send-off with friends and family members.  We were treated to a devotional by Don Willett, a friend of Paul's who played at Biola with Paul, and who, among other things, founded the BOLD program at Biola.  The devotional was followed by the first public performance of our American song and our Japanese song.  The evening closed with a closing prayer by a Biola accounting professor Philip Massey, who has had 3 of the players in his classes (& 1 more next semester).
    For further enjoyment, we have the following for you to view.

Pictures. (Select the picture, then the info icon (white circle with the "i") for a description of the picture)
Video Montage
American Song (full version)
Japanese Song (full version, including song explanation)