OK, OK, so I changed my mind. Since Matthew had his hotspot on the bus I could actually get an unexpected head start, and then breakfast the next morning wasn't until 9 so I had plenty of time to get a post done. This will keep the two-day post from being too long.
This morning we had to still get up early to be ready for the bus by 8:45. This meant not only packing, but putting away all of the bedding and putting the church back the way it was before we got there. Then we had to walk our luggage about 100 yards to where the bus would pick us up. Unlike the bus BJ drove us in, this was a full-size, 50-person bus which couldn't fit on his street. We did something different this year for the bus ride, and that is that we didn't eat breakfast downstairs as usual. Every year there are "tweaks" to how we do things and this was a great idea as it saved preparation and cleanup time. Instead, after loading the bus, we split up to go to various convenience stores and purchase whatever we wanted for breakfast. The bus had been gone about 5 minutes when Matthew got a call on his phone from Masa that one of the team member's backpack had been left behind. She had wanted it to be stored underneath the bus, but the driver thought it would go on the bus, so it got left. Anyway, we stopped and let Masa catch up with us with the backpack (member to remain nameless). Thanks for coming through again Matthew! Little did you know how your presence would minister to us.
The bus ride was nice, particularly through the mountains where it was so pretty. We did hit a lot of traffic, some due to construction in one of the mountain tunnels, and some for no apparent reason. By law, bus drivers in Japan have to stop every 2 hours (at least). The 1st stop was a rest stop, and then we stopped the 2nd time early for lunch because of the traffic ahead. Between the 1st and the 2nd, we did the traditional "hynack" awards. These were originally "created" years ago to represent those who did something culturally inappropriate, but has evolved over the years to anyone who did something silly. What is this doing on a missions trip?! Well, talk to your tour member and ask. It is amazing that spending so much time essentially poking fun at each other would create so much bonding. There was so much laughter as the stories were hilarious. However, because these are more personal stories, and because they are pretty much a "you had to be there' kind of thing, the stories will have to wait to be told until you can talk with your tour member. It was a fun time though. This took up about 45 minutes and the rest of the 2nd leg was spent mostly in much needed sleep. The 2nd stop was lunch and then back on the road for the last 1 1/2 hour leg. It was interrupted half-way through for a much needed pit stop. We arrived in Iwata about 4pm. It was a quick unpacking and then off to the sento, because the ladies from Sangyo University were coming to spend time with our team from 7-9 (and Paul said that knowing the way things go it could end up being until 11).
Well, as usual, things change. We got to the church, took our stuff in and then set up the sanctuary by moving all the benches to the sides and putting them front to front to make beds and then put futons in the middle of the room (see pictures & video). We were able to fit all of the ladies in the sanctuary after all so Paul & I did not need to bother Pastor Hasui by sleeping in his house as we were able to use the second floor after all instead of having to put some of the ladies there (you can see the sliding door to our room to the left of the kitchen door in one of the videos). We went for an early sento as we were going to have the Shizuoka (the name of the prefecture, which is like U.S counties) Sangyo University girls come for a visit. We had dinner at 7 and then met Paul Bostrum, a missionary in Japan who joined us to be a translator. He came along with 3 of his 14 children. We met the head of the Iwata Soccer Association and a Pastor who has arranged for some futsal games on Saturday. It was a time of getting to know them and then we had some worship time together. The Sangyo girls actually came at 8 instead of 7 and there were only 2 of them, so fellowship was with not only them, but some of the church members who came to be a part of the evening. Again, our team did a great job of mixing with everyone there. The ladies were off to bed by 10:45, but the two Sangyo girls stayed to play ping pong with Paul and another gentleman. Tomorrow is a 9am breakfast, which means sleeping in. Then we get to take a train (not the bullet train) to visit a castle, back to the church, and then an afternoon clinic with young boys. Even though there were only 2 of the Sangyo girls who came, it was great to see the continuing relationship there. They have been involved with the Seahorses for 7 & 6 years respectively. One, Mei, has been to the U.S. twice when the Sangyo team came with Pastor Hasui. The team is planning on coming again next March. Pray that these two (& others) continue to be impacted by the Seahorse ministry.
Pictures, Day 9
Pictures, All
Video Montage, Day 9
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