Days 12 & 13, Clinic/Games, Tournament---Church, Shopping, Tour Wrap up

   Hello all.  Thank you for reading and praying along with us.  This will be the last blog of the trip.  Today (Sunday) there was church in the morning, but the rest of the day was shopping, dinner, sento and tour sharing wrapup.  As there would be nothing much to write about,  This post will cover Saturday and Sunday church.  The rest of the details you can get from your tour member when you see them.
     Saturday morning saw a very special event.  There was a former Japan professional soccer player who had come to the U.S. to see if he could make a team (a number of years ago), and Paul had agreed to host him for the 2 weeks that he hoped to be there.  Well, the 2 weeks turned into 2 months, and he never did make a team.  However, the connections made during that time have continued to be cultivated.  This man is back in Japan and involved in futsal (usually 5 players instead of 11).  Anyway, he invited 10 members of our team to play a match that was going to be recorded and then televised at a later date.  We lost the game 8-1, but we had a great time of ministry.  One note about this that you will have to ask those who went (I didn't)---it was like playing inside a sauna they said.  They could literally wring out the shorts or shirt and water would flow out.  One girl said that at the field even (hours later), her shoelaces were still dripping.  These ladies are such troopers.  Despite the conditions and the score, not one of them complained in any way.  Since next year is an open tour, we are hoping that some of them will decide to return, especially since the Japanese see those who return as something special.  It is nice to come once, but to come more than once says you really liked it.  Please encourage your ladies to repeat next year.
     The rest of us had a free morning until 11:30 when we left for the food court, where it was lunch and shopping until 1:15.  Since Paul Bostrum was not here today, it took 8 drivers to get us to where we were going today.  These people are soooo generous with their time.  It was basically all day (on and off for them).  Then we left for the field (the one surrounded by the rice paddies) to play the same Tahara club we played on Thursday, but this time it was the 5 grade boys (the others were younger).  They basically just wanted to play games, so we broke the large field into 4 smaller ones and just rotated teams for an hour and a half.  After the time we did our songs, cheer and a testimony (Mahe).  Then we had about an hour before the evening activity on the same field, so the ladies went into the air-conditioned clubhouse to relax for an hour.  The evening consisted of playing some teams organized by Pastor Sato of the Hamanako Bible Camp.  We broke into 8 total teams for the four fields that were already set up and actually had a round robin tournament (You can see the winners in the pictures).  Following the tournament we had a short time of worship and actually got to sing our Japanese song with help and accompanied by the guitar.  Rachel did her testimony, then it was off to the sento and dinner at Joyfull (next to the sento)
     Sunday we split up into 3 groups to go to three different churches (one was the missionary Paul Bostrum).  I stayed at Pastor Hasui's church, so that is the report you will get.  The service started at 10:30, and to allow us to participate as much as possible, they projected the words to all the songs in both Japanese and English.  About halfway through they called us up to introduce ourselves and then the ladies that were here did Kimi Wa.  They had us sing it through twice and joined us the second time through.  After the service, they provided lunch for us.  We split up among 4 tables so we could fellowship with them.  After lunch Pastor Hasui had the girls answer some questions (what is their major, what do they want to do in the future, what church do they come from, and what is the size), and then we played some games (Pictionary, 2 truths & a lie).  It was a great time.  We finished about 2:30 and then at 3 most of the team went to Lalaport Mall for shopping and dinner.  Three of us stayed back (including Ayaka and myself and one player not feeling well).  The group had a great time at the mall and even ran into some of the Sangyo soccer girls.  The three of us who stayed back had a great time getting to know each other and sharing our testimonies.  After dinner, it was off to the sento for most of the team.  Tonight will be a team meeting of sharing the impact of the trip, so that will have to be shared individually by each member (three of the Sangyo girls just showed up for the sharing---pray they may see and hear the love of Christ).  Tomorrow we leave at 8:30 by bus for that 5 hour ride back to Osaka, so there will really be nothing to report.
     An interesting cultural note from this morning's church service.  In the pictures, you will see a baby boy that captured the attention of the ladies.  I was talking with the foster dad at lunch (who is an American married to a Japanese) and he told me about the process.  Apparently the mother was a young girl who died suddenly a week after the baby was born.  So, the Japanese (according to the dad) are superstitious such that no one wanted the baby because they felt that if they adopted him that he might die suddenly also.  So, the adoption agency called and asked if they wanted him, they said yes, and a week later they had him.  No paperwork, fingerprints, background check---nothing.  Well, it is obvious this baby will have a loving home (they have 2 of there own and two other adopted children)
     So, thank you for joining on this trip, both financially and in prayer as you have followed what we have done.  We hope that you have learned something about Japan, and about why ministry is so important here despite "results" not being what you might hear from other outreach trips.  As stated earlier, relationship so important here in Japan that a returning trip member would speak volumes, so consider encouraging your member to return again next year.  Pray for the seeds that have been planted and attitudes that the Japanese have been opened up to in seeing how our ladies can be free and open without any sense of judgment.  May this encourage them that there really is something different about this Jesus they heard about that there will want to pursue it further.  We may not see the results, but God has promised us that they are there.
     "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, so shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth.  It shall not return to empty without accomplishing my purpose and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:10-11
     God bless you all for joining us!

Pictures, Days 12-13
Pictures, All
Video Montage, Days 12-13
Testimony-Mahe
Testimony-Rachel
Kimi Wa (with the Hamanako Bible Camp)