Monday, July 22nd - A Free Day

Dear Friends - It's 6:30AM, Monday morning.  I have some time before our prayer meeting at 7AM.  I woke at 4AM and spent time in prayer.  Afterwards I went back for an hour or so of rest.  Yesterday was a wonderful day for us.  We started with MEBIG at 9AM, but unfortunately Chi-chan was the only child to show for the program.  A few others were sick and couple others were unable to come.  Pray that more will show up for next week's program.  We then presented the worship service to the Utsunomiya congregation.  There were about 25 members present and we started by leading them in a couple of songs, "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High", and "Hosanna".  I think our biggest fear was that they wouldn't join in singing with us, and our voices would be exposed.  But from the first words of each song their voices drowned out ours and it was a joyous time of singing.  We then had Jayden Yamasaki and Jonathan Yamasaki give their testimonies - it was very special since their grandparents, Takie & Daito Ono were in attendance.
     (I had to leave for our prayer meeting and never got back to you.  It's now 9:10PM and we've just gotten back from a dinner at a nearby restaurant.)  After the testimonies they collected offering and then Donny Chitwood shared the message for the morning.  After the message we led the congregation in singing "Amazing Grace", then Kawano-sensei gave the benediction and we were finished.

Look up "adorable" in the dictionary.  This is the picture you will see.  This young girl is showing off the
necklace and mask she made during the English Conversation Classes.

     We then had a welcoming potluck luncheon with the church members - followed by a time of sharing from everyone there.  This is something the Kawanos have done with every mission I have served them.  Everyone, regardless of age, is given the microphone to introduce themselves and share anything they wish.  A lot that was expressed by the church members was their appreciation for the sharing by Jayden, Jonathan &  Donny.  The Utsunomiya congregation is mainly senior citizens with the youngest member being about 40 years old.  So all three of the people who spoke were much younger than most of the church members, a novelty and blessing for the members.  There were about 23 or 24 of us who shared the lunch together - including out team members, the congregation, and the Kawano family.  Once again, the team was riding high, just like the time after the English conversation classes.  There is always some tension prior to making a presentation and then a combination of relief and elation from doing a good job.  We had some free time after the luncheon and some of us used that time to rest and replenish our batteries.  For dinner, Chihoyo-sensei prepared gyoza for us.  Gyoza are dumplings of meat and vegetables wrapped with thin dough.  It can be prepare in various ways and ours were pan fried, steamed and boiled.  All the variations were delicious.  Prior to coming to Utsunomiya, many of the team members had researched the city.  We found out that Utsuomiya is known for its gyoza.  Many of our friends also knew about the gyoza and wanted a report about these delicacies - so the joke among the team members was we would share the "Gyoza Gospel" with you after sampling these dishes.  Our gospel report is that all the hype about the gyoza is true.  The gyoza we had were delicious.  There was an unofficial competition as to who could eat the most.  I'm not going to say who ate the most, but most of you would probably be surprised by the outcome.  After finishing dinner, Kawano-sensei invited me to join him in going to the onsen.  It is not my policy to ever turn down a request or invitation from him - so off we went.  It was a perfect way to finish the day - to wash up and then soak in the hot tubs.  We we returned to the church, all I could think of doing was brushing my teeth and then lying upon the futon to get a good night's sleep.

Some of the young ladies making necklaces during the English Conversation Classes

Team members sharing their disappointment at having to eat
"okonomiyaki" for lunch.

     Today was a free day, so after our prayer meeting and breakfast we spent time beginning the decorations in the church for the EEC program (English Experience Camp - similar to Vacation Bible School).  We worked until lunchtime when we fed okonomiyaki by Chihoyo-sensei.  My mind is working too slowly right now to fully explain what it is.  Go to YouTube to watch it being prepared.  After lunch, the Kawanos told us to stop working and spend the rest of the day on ourselves.  We walked to a nearby shopping mall, which the young people have already gone to, and did some shopping - window and otherwise.  Chihoyo-sensei, Chi-chan, and Seiko joined us there to have dinner at a shabu shabu restaurant.  Shabu shabu is meat, vegetables, and noodles cooked at our tables in pots of broth.  Again, go to YouTube to see how it is done.  There was a lot of beef and pork brought to our table that we didn't want to go to waste, so I ate far more than I needed to or was safe and healthy for me to eat.   (But it was fantastic)  We walked back home to try and minimize the damage to our bodies and I'm now ready to repeat the routine from last night - brush my teeth and crawl onto the futon.  So, good night to all of you.  Thank you for the blessing of your prayers.  God be with you and bless you richly.  Love, Don

Playing "Musical Chairs" during the play time on Saturday.  Donny, with his back to you in the black t-shirt,
only injured a few young children in his quest to win.