Church, FC Papas Game, 8-6-23

     Today we split up into four churches as per the schedule included in yesterday's picture set.  Because, of course, I couldn't be in four places at once, you will have to hear about your team member's experience from them (as we fly home today--as I am writing).  I went to a very small church with just two team members, Jazmin & Erika.  I actually chose this church this year because I have been there twice over the last 14 years.  The first time I went in 2009, a mother had just given birth to a baby and they skyped them in from home so they could say hi.  It was special because the baby's name was Suzuna, the Japanese equivalent of Suzanne, my wife's name.  That little "baby" is now 14.  What a perspective on time as my wife said.  While the church is very small, they are so faithful and so obviously love the Lord so much. Pastor Takei's sermon was titled being proud of our weaknesses, which is almost exactly what Paul had shared several days ago.  Jazmin gave her testimony during the service.  Also, during the service, the pastor got out his dummy and did some ventriloquism. He is very good and uses it to enhance his message.  He actually told me that someone he knows came to Christ after hearing what the "dummy" "said".  God is so creative. After the service it is traditional to each lunch with them (which the other groups did too).  They cooked a very traditional Japanese meal. Yam (white) soup with dried seaweed flakes, served cold, stewed eggplant (also served cold) and chicken over rice.  While it may not be something I would order again, it was great to be served with such honor and care as they were giving us something of them.  After dinner, Pastor got out his shave ice machine and made shave ice for all of us.  Then he wanted us to play a game where we would write down on a piece of paper a color or a fruit (2 games) and then go around the circle guessing who said what.  It really was a lot of fun. Lastly, the church in two weeks will be performing at a gathering, some worship songs they will be singing in English and they wanted to practice with us.  Lots of fun.  I was struck yet once again by their faithfulness with such a little church.  We then went back to the BJ's church for some down time.  About 4:30 ish we left the church to go to the field for the night game with the F.C. Papas.  This is the team BJ plays on, along with Mr. Mizuno.  We played about 8 20 minute periods.  Period 1 was Biola against just the Papas.  Period 2 the Papas would be joined by the men of the tour & Emi (Brett, Daniel, Matthew (who has served locally before), Masa & Emi---Paul played goalie just period 2.) Then, every other period alternated between just the Papas and the Papas+ team against Biola.  Winning wasn't the issue, although some of the guys you could tell REALLY wanted to score.  The games went so long that we didn't have time for either song or a testimony.  All we had time for was Paul explaining his book and why he wrote.  However, God knew this was needed as he "brought it home" in a way that they needed to hear.  Pray for these seeds that continue to grow and that maybe this was the final push that will bring Mr. Mizuno home.  Well, it was yet another long night (after midnight again) as the games didn't end until about 9:15, then it was dinner, then sento, then a 30 minute drive home.  We hadn't told the girls where we were eating so you should have heard their reaction as we drove into the parking lot of ----------McDonalds!  I think they are all ready to be home.  Since BJ, Carrie and Daniel are leaving at 7am for a missions trip to a youth camp, missionary camp and Okinawa, we had prayer for them in a special room at the McDonald's.

      Well, it has been a pleasure to keep you updated and on behalf of the team we want to thank you for your interest and prayers.  Since tomorrow (today) is a travel day, there will be no blog as not much is happening and before I can write it even, your members will be home.  God bless and please keep Pastor Hasui (Iwata), Pastor BJ (Osaka) and Masa & Chie (Osaka: Seahorse Soccer International Club) in your prayers.  Also consider supporting Masa and Chie in their ministry.  You can find the link to do that right in the header of this blog.  God bless and good bye.

Pictures, 8-6-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 8-6-28

Slow Morning & Afternoon, SSIC Evening (Seahorse Soccer International Club--Masa & Chie's ministry)

      The morning began with breakfast and a devotional by Brooklyn.  After breakfast there was a time of worship and some team sharing. Paul did an "interview" with our 3 helpers, Carrie, Daniel and Ayaka.  We then had a couple hours of free time--we thought.  Right in the middle of free time, Mr Mizuno shows up, so of course we entertain him.  He came to the men's room and was talking in there with Paul, BJ & Gil.  Then they took him down to meet the girls as he had brought ice cream for all of them (Mr. Ice Cream this year).  Even in his introduction to the girls he mentioned that Mr. Mizuno is thinking of becoming a Christian, which I learned is OK to say in front of others.  I learned actually later in the evening that Mr. Mizuno's wife is also thinking of becoming a Christian.  It goes back to what Mrs. Nakatani (pastor's wife whose church we will visit tomorrow) said in 2010 that it can take the average Japanese 15-20 years to become a Christian.  Mr Mizuno and his wife seem to be following that path.  At 2:30 we left for the evening.  Since the event didn't start until 5, we had time for lunch and a little more shopping and then it was up to the event.  The event started with registration.  Each Seahorse was given 2 name stickers and as kids arrived, they had to find the person their sticker matched to and put it on them.  Good way to mix.  After registration and introductions, the next game was English practice mixer.  Each student had a paper with a list of 6 or so questions (favorite color, etc) that they had to get answered from a Seahorse, but they could only get one answer from each Seahorse--and they had to do it in English (as best they could).  Then it was time to break into groups.  There were 3 fields, Kindergarten-2nd grade on one, 3-middle school and the High School.  There were about 30 minutes of various drills and then games.  After the event there was presentation of many different kinds of gift and awards.  Random winners of the question exercise, awards for best at certain skills, and the Paul Gizzi award for best camper.  Then it was the Seahorses turn for Kimi-Wa, Hippo song and explanation, and a testimony by Brett.  Paul ended the night with passing out tour t-shirts, team brochures and pens for all the kids, along with a copy of his book.  So many ways that they could hear the message.  There were almost 50 kids and about as many parents.  About 10 of the kids had never been to Masa's club before, so pray that maybe they will stay around.  Then there the usual lots of mixing and picture taking, but this time there was a lot of signing the backs of everyones t-shirts.  So much fun and seed planting.  After we left (around 8) we went to the sento and dinner, and then 45 minutes back home.  We didn't arrive home until just after midnight.  So, my apologies if this is a little rushed, but I wanted to get at least the blog and pictures up.  No time for the video montage (good footage though).  I will let you know in a future blog if this montage gets completed.

Pictures, 8-5-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 8-5-23 (I just posted this at 12:30am US time.  If you try to watch soon afterwards, it may not have finished rendering yet.  If that happens, just wait 10-20 minutes and try again)

Slow AM, Kyoto Temple/Shopping, Game-Tachibana HS, Sento, Dinner, 8-4-23

      We started off the day with another slow morning, which was nice.  We then left about 10am for the Kyoto temple, which is about an hour away.  It took almost 90 minute to get there as there was traffic.  The temple was beautiful as always.  We took our official team picture on the steps with the two temples in the background.  Then Paul gave everyone a ticket so they could go into the temple and look around.  Very interesting to observe things like the lighting of incense (what does it do---maybe similar to the fragrant aroma the Bible talks about that our sacrifices are to him.). The most interesting I found was the place where they kneel to pray and before they pray, they strike a drum to wake up the gods so their prayers will be heard.  How sad.  There is another place where water is pouring out over a pool and they wait in long lines to get a pole to hang out and catch some of the water and then put it to their mouths and wash with it.  Must be special as there was such a long line for it.  After the temple, it was off to the game with the Tachibana high school girls.  It was played on a large dirt field, which is actually more common that not here in Japan.  Hot, muggy, dusty (kicked up from the dirt), but there WAS a good breeze, which helped.  We played 3 games of 20 minutes each, with the first two against them, and then the 3rd game we mixed up the teams and played combined.  After the game we started with our Bo-te-le-li chant.  It was a great ice breaker.  Then we did Kimi-Wa and the hippo song with it's translation. We closed with Ella Hively giving her testimony. Once again the team mixed so well with other team and it seemed like some made social media connections to keep in touch.  Pray for the seeds planted here, from the Kimi-Wa words, to the hippo song explanation and the testimony.  While some of the ministry done here is new, like the futsal with the men the other night, the ministry with Tachibana has been going on for about 14 years and was started because of the connections between BJ and Sera the leader of the team.  We decided not to fight afternoon traffic back home, so we found a local sento.  It was very restrictive.  Normally if someone shows a tattoo in a sento they are asked to leave.  They said if WE showed one, the WHOLE GROUP would have to leave.  We managed to cover up, but some of the people with more extensive tattoos just didn't go in.  After the sento, we went to a local Japanese Italian restaurant, the Saizeriya Ristorante & Caffé.  The food was pretty good and surprisingly cheap.  The it was back to the church.  What could have been a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive back with traffic, took only 55 minutes.  Such a blessing.  The team was singing pretty loud as we left.  Paul said, give it 10 minutes and they will all be asleep.  Never happened.  Loud singing all the way back.  It is fun to see them enjoy each so much and bond like this.

Pictures, 8-4-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 8-4-23

Ella Hively's Testimony, 8-4-23

Slow AM, Osaka Castle, Slow Aft, Futsal with friends of BJ, 8-3-23

   The morning started with a workout for the team from 8-9, then breakfast, then we left for the castle about 10am.  Our first view of the castle after we got off of the bus, was of the very large moat.  It was interesting to hear Daniel explain how attackers would try to jump in the water, swim across and then try to climb the stone walls.  Very few would make it.  I couldn't imagine someone even trying.  The castle was beautiful and really made one feel that this is really Japan.  Lots of displays on each of the floors.  Too many to take pictures of.  We did not stay together as a group, so there are very few pictures of the group itself inside the entrance to the grounds.  The line to get the elevator to the 8th floor was really long, so we all took the "stairs" line, which wasn't a line at all.  After climbing 8 floors of very steep stairs, one could see why waiting for the elevator wasn't bad.  Speaking of steep, on a prior trip to Japan, I learned that castle steps were designed specifically to be very steep (& narrow) for a reason.  If the castle was breached, then those inside would retreat up toward the top.  The steepness made it harder to climb for attackers and thus more defensible for those inside.  After the Castle, it was the meal that all of the team has been waiting for---"Train" Sushi.  This is where the Sushi plates come by on a track and you take them off as you go by.  Some sushi trains just have random plates going by and you grab whatever you want and are then charged by the plate.  This one was slightly different.  You ordered off a menu, then it was delivered on the "train".  Every table in each train (2 rows of table back to back with the train in the middle) had a number and color.  When you ordered, it would be put on a plate with the plate on top of a stand.  The stand would have a colored label corresponding to the color of the table that ordered it.  So, any plate coming by with your table's color, you would grab because someone at your table ordered it.  The team really loved. We didn't get to the Sushi place until 2:30, and didn't finish until 4.  Very late lunch, but, it was perfectly timed as tonights futsal is from 8-10, and dinner at a normal hour would be too close to the games to be good.  It was back to the church then with free time until about 7.  We left at 7 for the futsal courts.  There were two fields (4th floor of the building).  We divided the team into 6 teams of 4 each and then added 1 of BJ's friends (there were six of them) to each team.  There was a lot of mixing and matching of games as each game was only 6 minutes.  It was a great way to mix.  We played from 8-10 but had to leave immediately as someone else had reserved the courts from 10 on.  We went inside to do our post-game ceremonies.  Paul did some introductions, we did Kimi-Wa and the hippo song and Peyton did her testimony.  BJ had some final words/prayer then it was gift time.  Paul explained and passed out his book and then gave a tour t-shirt to each of the men, along with a team brochure.  This was a very special night because, just like the elementary school kids in Iwata being in a church for the first time, this is the first time these men have heard the gospel.  They heard it through Kimi-Wa, explanation of the Hippo song, Peyton's testimony, Paul explaining his book, and BJ's words.  It took seeds planted in Mr Mizuno's life 20 years to get to this point.  Pray that the seeds planted for the FIRST time in these mens hearts will take hold and prompt them to ask questions of BJ.  The post-game ceremony and after-glow lasted about 30 minutes and much sharing and interaction was happening then too.  We finally left futsal at 10:30 and we still hadn't eaten dinner.  But, before that, we just crossed the courtyard and entered the sento there.  Everyone did not get home until just after midnight and THEN still made a quick trip to the local mini-mart for dinner/snacks.  What a great of ministry!  How exciting to be part of planting seeds for the first time.

Pictures, 8-3-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 8-3-23 (No footage from the castle as we split up once we got in, so castle visit is pictures only)

( I am sure you all have heard enough of these two songs, but just like the cicada version, these are special as the acoustics made them both sound so wonderful)

Kimi-Wa, 8-3-23

Hippo Song, 8-3-23

Peyton's (Petyon's) Testimony

If I have time, I will add a highlight reel of those games that I did record (there were too many to record them all.  Check back to see)

Futsal games, assorted highlights, 8-3-23 (the older man in grey shirt and black shorts is Pastor BJ as goalie, the white-haired old man in black shirt and grey shorts is Paul as goalie) 

Travel Day, Iwata to Osaka

       We cleaned up the church from 7:30-8:30 and then had breakfast at 8:30 with a devotional led by Mimi. We were packed and ready to walk to the bus at 9:30, said our final goodbyes at the bus.  We were looking at about a 5 hour bus ride to Osaka.  The first leg of the trip was quite lively as the team had its first hanyack session.  A "hanyack" is usually a cultural faux pas or mistake someone made.  It was very lively with lots of laughter, but are the things that just stay with the team.  When the tour is over the team will eventually be given a copy of the sessions, but they wont be published for awhile.  The busses are required to stop on a regular basis.  Our first stop was quick pit/snack stop.  In between the two stops plenty of the team found time to get some rest. At the second stop we had lunch. You order from a machine which simultaneously gives you a receipt and puts your order in.  You wait for you number to appear and then pick up your food.  After lunch, we made the final leg to Osaka.  Again the bus was too big to stop in front of the church, so it parked where we have always had busses park.  It was about a 5 minute walk but with no vans we had to lug all the bags.  The ground floor of the church is parking and where we eat breakfast.  The 2nd floor is where the ladies sleep, but it is also the sanctuary.  Sunday will be quite the job to pick it all up to get it ready and then put it together.  Our welcome session included some brief instructions on how things work around the church, and meeting two of the people helping us for the week (Carrie & Daniel). The team also met Shizuko, a very lovely and extremely generous lady who comes to see the Seahorses every time and is always bringing gifts.  She and her husband are not believers, but their daughter Emi did become a believer through the Seahorse ministry.  Emi played in the US for a couple years for the MAI Charlotte team Since we had some extra time, we took a quick 10-minute walk to the local temple.  Very interesting, but sad at the same time.  Then it was a short 10-minute walk to mall/food court/shopping/groceries location.  On the way to dinner, we passed by a Pachinko parlor.  These parlors are all over Japan and it is quite a problem as people spend ours in there.  Very mesmerizing and noisy.  After dinner, it was a walk to the sento for a long leisurely time and then back to church for orientation. (As a side note here, it says in the video montage title page that there was going to be a small mini-camp with Masa, with just 4 of the team members, but we got here too late for that to happen.) Pastor BJ and his wife Mary run the church.  Pastor BJ had just returned from 5 hours south teaching at a Bible Camp and after we leave next week, BJ and Carrie & Daniel will travel north for another Bible Camp.  So this week will be good for them to have our help.  BJ gave his orientation about what to expect the next few days.  He also updated us on Mr. Mizuno, who has hung around our ministry every time we are here.  We have seen signs of him gradually getting closer and closer to God.  BJ explained that after the funeral for Mr Mizuno's mother, Mr. Mizuno told BJ that he wants to be a Christian.  20 years we have been waiting for this.  It had Paul & I in tears.  After BJ spoke, we then heard from the other helpers.  Ayaka has been around for many years.  She has been to a seminary and spent 3 years as a missionary in Thailand.  She has even traveled with the Seahorses and been a part of at least 1 tour.  Then the other missionaries here that we are here to serve, Masa & Chie Yokota, introduced themselves and told about their ministry, the Seahorse Soccer International Club (SSIC).  It was great to see all of them again.  Well, it will be a challenging week.  Logistics is one. This year the team is sleeping on air mattresses instead of just the futons (foo-tones). While air mattresses may be softer, they are extremely noisy and awkward trying to walk across,  as they are packed in like sardines.  It was meant for Carrie and Ayaka to room with them, but there is literally no room for anything else down there.  But ministry WILL happen, as it has already begun to with the news of Mr. Mizuno.  He is sooo close now.  Please pray for him that he might make that decision while we are here.  Mr Mizuno coming to Christ would be such a wonderful way to close out the Seahorse ministry visits here in Osaka.

Pictures, 8-2-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 8-2-23

Slow day, Shopping (Mall), Lunch (Mall), Training, Special Thanks Dinner with Iwata Church

     Today was a needed day.  Breakfast was 8-9 and then about 9:30 it was off to the mall for a Japanese shopping experience and then lunch at the mall.  After returning to the church, the team had an hour training session.  Then, since it was a slow afternoon anyway, the Lord used this to help save some money.  Instead of sento, we let the girls shower one at a time at the church (saving several hundred dollars to go to the sento).  This is quite the sacrifice for Pastor Hasui and Keiko, as the shower used is in their house on the 3rd floor.  So, one at a time while the rest of the team is watching the US women's world cup game.  My apologies at this point.  Since I was behind with such a busy day yesterday, I stayed behind to catch up on the blog, I was not able to get any pictures of the morning activities, but have included a few I picked up from the team.  The evening's program was designed as a special thank you dinner with all of the people that the Seahorses have worked closely with over the 23 years (2001-2023) of ministering here in Iwata.  The program started with Pastor Hasui doing a presentation on his computer with pictures over the 23 years and talking about the impact the Seahorses have had and also thanking those Japanese coaches who have partnered with us (Two coaches from SSU and the Daiichi soccer club coach were in attendance).  Each of those coaches spoke to say their thanks also. Then Paul spoke for awhile (as difficult as it was for him) and had many words of gratitude for the people of Iwata, the partnering with them in ministry, the wonderful relationships that were developed and cherished, and how much he will miss coming back with a full team.  He did emphasize though that he would likely be back for visits.  Then there was a whole series of people passing out gifts.  Gifts from the church to the Seahorses, from the Seahorse to all the various church members, gifts from the coaches to the team and from the team to the coaches.  One special gift that Paul gave to all the church members, was a Japan tour t-shirt (which he does every year), except that THIS year, he had them all specially made with the person's name on the back (you probably saw this early when Yoko the cook got her shirt).  Pastor Hasui and Keiko got Paul a special shirt with a picture of him and Vickie on the back.  Pastor Hasui asked me to close the meeting in prayer.  It was so hard to say thank you knowing that most likely I will  (unlike Paul) never see any of them again.  A very difficult but precious evening.  We leave tomorrow morning at 9:30 (ish).

Pictures, 8-1-23

Pictures, All

The following 3 videos were spoken with translation.  The translations have been edited out for ease of viewing, but that is why they might seem a little jumpy.

Paul's Thankyous, 8-1-23

Paul Explains His Book, 8-1-23

Gil's Prayer, 8-1-23

Video Montage-None today as there was too little to use

Morning clinic, Afternoon Game, Evening Dinner & Fellowship, 7-31-23

    The morning started off with breakfast and a devotional by Zoe.  She read from Psalm 34 and then prayed for breakfast. Then the team walked about 10 minutes to a local elementary school and did a clinic for the kids there.  We started with the team picture (before everyone was hot and sweaty) and then each team member introduced themselves (watashi wa-- "name", my name is "?").  After introductions we passed out gifts (team brochure and rubber bracelets). We were also visited by the school principal who thanked us and hoped we had a good stay in Japan.  Clinic consisted of various drills and of course games.  After the clinic, we did our post-game ceremony of Kimi-Wa, Hippo song.  We had already done a testimony with this group the other night, so there was no testimony today.  We did pass out another little gift to them (a rubber "popper" thing where you push the circles back and forth).  After the clinic, the team walked back to the church. They were real troopers as it was another hot and muggy day.  The kids "joined" us for lunch.  There were so many of them, that they all ate while we chilled and then we ate while they chilled.  Sooo many people that we have to give another special shout-out to Yoko the marvelous cook, and the team of church volunteers who help serve.  One special note about the meal, which speaks to why we are here in Japan was when the boys and there coaches came for lunch.  It was the first time they had EVER been in a church.  Then Pastor Hasui prayed for the meal.  Very unusual.  Who knows what this introduction to a church, Pastor Hasui's prayer, and the fun they had with the team to follow will mean in the future, but some more seeds were sown.  So, after both teams had eaten, everyone gathered back upstairs for English time.  After breaking into groups, there was time for everyone to practice saying their name, age, favorite color, food, family members, etc. all in English.  The various groups played their own games and then everyone formed one large circle to play some other games.  It would take too much time to explain the various games, so just watch the montage and/or ask your tour member.  Speaking of seeds, after lunch we were visited by Ken-Chan (who became a Christian through the 1998 Seahorse tour) and her parents.  Her dad is the one who would not speak to her for a year after she became a Christian, but yet he still continues to make these trips to visit Paul, despite now his failing health.  Who know what seeds are growing in his heart.  Pray for him.  After a break in the afternoon, it was back to SSU for another game (Sophie scored a goal tonight, Peyton scored one last night).  There was more bonding after the game (as you can see in the pictures/video), many were connecting on social media, and many invites were given to visit the US (more seeds).  Who knows the fruit this will produce in the future?  The clinic had an impact on some of the kids such that some of them came to the game to cheer us on.  After the game, it was showers at the field and off to the Cafe Gusto for dinner.  About 6 of the SSU girls joined us at the restaurant.  A long and tiring day, but lots of seed planting.  Please pray for these seeds

Pictures, 7-31

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 7-31-23

Bo-te-le-li, 7-31-23

Kimi-Wa accompanied by Cicadas, 7-31-23

Church, Lunch with Congregation, Worship Time, Game and Dinner/Fellowship with SSU, 7-30-23

     This morning started at 8 with the ladies needing to clean up the sanctuary where they sleep and put everything away in the room at the back (where Lauren sleeps) and get the sanctuary ready for church.  Breakfast was at 9 and started by a devotional from Lauren.  Church here is not like in the US where people arrive last minute or late.  People started arriving as early as 9:45 (for a 10:30 service) and were coming up to visit.  Paul got a visit from a man called Yoji.  It was very special, but the story is way too long to repeat here.  We also receive a visit from the Nakamuras (Kojai).  Kojai had become a christian way back in 1998 or 1999 during the Seahorse ministry in Nagoya.  He drove an hour just to see the Seahorses and have a chance to worship with them.  We were also joined by Ken-Chan (& her husband).  Ken-Chan is a master translator who also became a Christian through the Seahorse ministry in Nagoya in 1998.  The service was so special.  Hasui-sensai's son Yo led a lot of the service.  There was a song by 5 children (very sweet), a Bible time done by Keiko (Pastor's wife), singing, Paul's testimony, the team's Kimi-Wa song (accompanied by the band) and Pastor Hasui's sermon.  After church and some post-service visiting, we had lunch upstairs with the congregation who could stay.  This is always a special time of encouragement for all.  At 1:30 it was back to the sanctuary for a time of worship with the band until about 2:45. The words for the songs were on the screen with some verses being in Japanese (but the Japanese included both the Japanese characters and the words using the English alphabet, so we could try to sing along).  There was special music too:  a 6-person choir number made up mostly of the older members and a soloist who had a phenomenal voice.  As one of the girls said, it was a little taste of heaven worshipping with another culture in another language and imagining what heaven will be like.  Sophia gave her testimony at this service.  After worship there was about a 90 minute break and then it was off to the field for our game with SSU (Shizuoka Sangyo University).  They are a very good team.  As I am not a soccer player, I will leave it to the players to tell you about the game.  After the game, Paul told about the team, there was some passing out of gifts (Paul's book, team brochure, a Biola womens soccer shirt for each girl), and then Kierstin gave her testimony.  After testimony, we did our Hippo song and Kimi-Wa song.  After the Hippo song, we had the translator for Kierstin's testimony come up and line by line explain the words of the Hippo song, so it was not just a fun song, but a simple testimony also.  Paul then tried to get them to do a fun song, but this time they were hesitant.  So, Paul improvised to break the ice and put several jerseys in a circle and created a Sumo ring and had some of the girls do Sumo.  You'll just have to see the video to see how it worked.  After that it was a time of mixing, which you can see from the pictures and video went really well.  When that ended it was showers, back to the church for another wonderful meal prepared by the church ladies.  We had invited the Sangyo girls back to the church for dinner and we were told that 15 of them would come.  It was quite a turnout.  All the girls had a great time and seemed to bond really easily.  We have been told in the past that it means something to them to hear that these girls who believe in God can also have fun and express their emotions.  That was certainly evident tonight.  Only God knows the long-term impact it will have, but tonight it was great (as you will see in the pictures and video montage).  AND, the schedule worked such that we will play them again tomorrow night and also have dinner with them.  This is a first and a great way to continue relationships.

Pictures, 7-30-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 7-30-23

Kimi-Wa with Worship Band, 7-30-23

Amazing Grace, Special Song requested by Hasui-sensei, Church joins 2nd time through

Sophia's Testimony, 7-30-23

Paul's Testimony, 7-30-23

Abby's Testimony, 7-30-23

Kiersten's Testimony, 7-30-23

Sumo, 7-30-23

Iwata Orientation with Hasui-Sensei, Clinic, Game, 7-29-23

      Today was just the day the team needed after a long travel day.  Everyone got to sleep in as breakfast (see pictures) was at 8:30.  It was a leisurely time. Before Paul did his orientation, a lady name Yoko showed up who is a great cook and has prepared food for the Seahorses for many years. Paul honored her this year by having special made a Seahorse jersey with her name on the back. Before we did the orientation, Paul had the team practice both the Kimi-Wa song and the Hippo song.  The hippo song had been more of a chant, so we listened to the real Mary Rice Hopkins version on YouTube to get the tune down. Paul then introduced then introduced Hasui-sensei who gave us a history of ministry here in Iwata as he is a part of JISP (Japan International Sports Promotion).  It is a group of pastors who have seen the vision and benefit of sports ministry.  As he explained (and Paul translated), there are many Japanese who will not go to a church, but they will go to a soccer/sports events where they are willing to hear a message.  After orientation, there was a long break until lunch at 1, so Paul escorted a group to a local mini-mart where the team could buy some snacks on their own (10-min walk). We returned to find lunch all set out on the table.  What a servant heart Yoko has.  Bowls of rice with lettuce, broccoli, chicken & potato salad (see picture), along with some soup.  Before lunch we were visited by the coach of the Daiichi club that we will be playing.  He has had a long-standing relationship with the Seahorse and this church and came for a visit and wanted some pictures. After lunch there was some more down time until 3:30 to prepare for the late afternoon clinic and evening game.  When it came time to go to the clinic, it showed once again what servant hearts these people have as 6 different cars show up to transport us to the field.  On the way to the field, there was a surprise treat for the team.  Hasui-sensei had arranged for us to be taken inside Yamaha stadium where the Jubilo Iwata play.  They play in the J League which is Japan's highest level of play.  They are so careful with their field, that while we could go inside, we could not walk on the grass, but only on the turf around the edges.  The turf is so special, that when it comes time to change it, instead of throwing it away, they remove it and use it for local school fields, so that is why Iwata schools have grass fields and most others are just dirt.  After this visit it was off to do clinics with the boy 6-13 about.  We split into three groups to practice dribbling, shooting and passing.  Then we mixed up the players and played several games. Afterwards we sang Kimi-Wa, the Hippo song, and Brett gave his testimony. After the clinic there was a short break and then it was some games against a men's team of 70 year olds. Hasui-sensei said that this the first time they have had contact with him, so hopefully this will continue. They played very well.  We did our songs after that game and then Paul spoke about his book and then passed it out to the men, explaining how God works in mysterious ways and can work in their lives that way too, and they too can have an assurance of where they are going after they die.  They it was off to the sento (Japanese bath house) for cleanup and relaxation.  Then, believe it or not, at almost 10pm we walked to the restaurant (Joyfull) for dinner.  By the time we ate dinner and got our rides to pick us up, it was 11:30.  While breakfast tomorrow morning isn't until 9, the ladies have to be up early enough to move all of their stuff out of the sanctuary for church by 9, then eat, and then people start to arrive around 10.  It was a loooooonng day.

Pictures, 7-29-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 7-29-23

Kimi-Wa Quartet (Paul, Gil, Hasui-Sensei, Keiko(Pastor's wife)

Hippo Song, Table by Table, and then with Mary Rice Hopkins (who wrote the song)

Travel Day, July 27 & 28, LAX to Tokyo to Nagoya to Iwata

      We met at Biola at 8:30 ish and were off for the airport shortly after our target time of 9am.  We were all there by 10:30, checked in by 11 and through security and waiting by the gate by 11:30.  Relatively painless for such a large group.

     We boarded right on time at 1:10. Japan airlines was very efficient and we loaded quickly.  The plane was a 2-4-2 configuration (787) with a lot of seats empty.  Many of the middle four seats had only 1 or 2 people in them.  This was as empty as I have seen it in my 12 trips. So our whole team got to sit together whereas in past years it was more split up.  We took off at 1:50 and were served our first meal at 3:15. This would have been 7:15am if we were in Japan time.  The meal you see in the picture (main course) was what they called “Ketchup Chicken”.  Didn’t taste that much like it, but it was good.  Uneventful flight (hardly any turbulence).  The 2nd meal was served about 9:15pm (or 1:15pm Japan time the next day).  We made it to Tokyo about 4:30 and had to catch a connecting flight to Nagoya.  Between deplaning, getting our luggage, re-checking in and making it to the gate, we actually had to call the gate and ask them to wait.  Japan airlines employees were absolutely wonderful through this whole process.  This second flight seemed harder in some ways.  Everyone was tired from the first long flight and when we got on the plane, the air wasn’t working and it was rather stifling.  To add to it, the plane was another 20 minutes before it pulled out and then another 20 minutes of taxiing down the runway.  At times it felt like we were going to drive to Nagoya.  Anyway, the flight was only 45 minutes and we were met at the airport by Pastor Hasui who had a bus to take us to Iwata.  The bus ride was 1 hour 40 minutes, so we didn’t get to the church until almost 11pm.  The bus could not fit in front of the church (as the streets are so small), so it parked in the usual spot about 2 mins walk away.  Pastor Hasui’s wife Keiko met us at the bus with her van to be able to load all the luggage that was either the big team stuff and/or ones that weren’t on wheels.  The rest we wheeled to a 2-min walk to church. No evening meal, no showers, just a quick evening meeting and off to bed.  The men are sleeping on the 2nd floor, Paul in Pastor Hasui’s office, and Gil & Brett in the little room off the kitchen.  The ladies are in the sanctuary where the pews get turned front-to-front and makes a little bed to put the futon (foo-tone) on.  Will show pictures of sleeping arrangements tomorrow.  There is no video montage today as not enough happened to make one.  I did include one video though, taken about 5:30 this morning.  It gets light very early, as shown by the sunrise picture taken about 4:30 and the video about 5:30.  The video just shows a panorama of the street the church is on, but the point was for you to hear the noise of the cicadas.  They are really loud and were going at least by 4:30. It  is constant all the time.

Pictures, 7-27 & 28

Pictures, All

Church Panorama and Cicadas

Orientation Day 2, 7-26-23

     First of all, some words on how to work the links below.  Every day there will be a link to pictures for that day.  If you have already seen all the previous pictures, you can select that link.  If for any reason, you want to see all of the pictures so far, you can select the "Pictures, All" link.  There will always be a daily link so you won't have to scroll every day through all the pictures to find that day's.  Also, when you open the picture, if all you see is the picture and not the info bar on the right side, you can select the little "i" in the circle near the upper right and it will bring up the info bar which will include a description of the picture.  This will be more important once we are in Japan.  Any comments you make here are read by all.  If you want to ask me a question directly, I can be reached at seahorsesinjapan@gmail.com.  Enjoy, and thank you for your prayers and support.

 

      The morning began bright and early at the Biola soccer field as the team gathered for morning practice from 7-8:15.  Then it was off to breakfast at the Biola cafeteria, showers and on to the first orientation session at 10am in the Biola business building Rm 206.  The morning started off with Paul giving the schedule for what we were doing the rest of the day.  Then Paul introduced testimonies practice and discussed that testimonies had to be given in short sentences (for the translators) and that length had to be short (a 3 minute testimony becomes a 6 minute testimony translated).  Lauren then instructed the team on how to complete a testimony, what to include and what not to include.  Paul also added some instructions on how to avoid "Christian-ese".  After spending some time writing, the team broke into groups of 2-3 to each practice their testimonies.  Everyone most likely at some point will give their testimony, but no one is required too.  Then a few of the players got up front to practice.  After completing testimonies, it was off to lunch at the Caf.  After lunch, we got back to the room which had been locked for security and no one was there to open initially, so Paul improvised and started discussion of skit practice while we were in the hallway.  Once we got back in the room we continued skit and song practice.  To explain, we always have at least 2 songs to sing depending on the circumstances.  One is a Japanese song called Kimi-Wa which they love to hear us sing in Japanese. Kimi-Wa means "You Are Born To Be Loved."  Then we sing a fun American song, but one that has a message and hand motions, so the audience can participate and the message of the song can be translated.  To get more of a taste, see songs and skits on the blog header.  The skits are always at least one serious skit that can also be translated (like the House Built on the Rock from Matt 7:24-27).  Coach Brett then organized teams for the clinics to be held at our various locations.  We finished around 2:30.  3:30 to 4:30 was pre-game practice, game from about 4:30-6:30, then off to dinner.  While at dinner, Paul & Cody Snouffer (Seahorse CEO) addressed the parents about what to expect their girls will face in their ministry opportunities.  He also explained that one of the players (Riley) got sick and will not be able to go on the tour.  Another player (Cassidy) is still having passport issues and will not be traveling with the team tomorrow.  Hopefully she will be able to join the tour in 2-3 days.  Please pray that it works out that way.  Paul also introduced some of the staff and explained what their roles were.  After dinner, Paul gave final instructions for departure tomorrow morning and Cody Snouffer gave the send-off prayer.

    Just as a reminder, the will be no blog for at least 2 days as we are traveling.  Then it depends on when we arrive and how much time I have.

Pictures, 7-26-23

Pictures, All

Video Montage, 7-26-23

Japanese Song, Kimi-Wa, 3rd attempt

Bo-te-le-li(fun Samoan chant)

Hippo Song

Kimi-Wa, Surprise Song for the parents, 7-26-23

Scrimmage Highlights

Opening Day Orientation, 7-25-23

     The day began at Biola with the assigning of lockers and rooms.  Then it was off to Paul & Vickie Gizzi's house for dinner and the initial orientation session.  After about an hour or so of relaxing and waiting for all to arrive, Paul gave a brief orientation of what to expect in the next two days, followed by dinner.  Thank you to Vickie Gizzi and Debbie Jones for doing the food preparation.  After dinner, Paul gave a brief orientation on the basics of ministry in Japan.  Then he had Seahorse staff member Lauren Cleope, and long-time Seahorse tour participant Gil Mellis (11 previous trips), share some insights from their experiences.  Paul followed by going over some administration details, including the information included in the team notebook.  The evening ended with passing out the team t-shirts.

Pictures, 7-25-23

Video Montage, 7-25-23