New Chapters

The summer term is ending. Home stays, cultural outings, camp, the never ending fun of Miss. A and Miss. J - those things are over now. Sunday I go to stay at the Ricers, where I will study Japanese diligently. Until then I must clean, clean, clean. But that's boring stuff, lets talk about camp. 

                FEC - Friendship English Camp. The five classes we offered, the games we played, the friends we made, perhaps to never see again - they were all for the sake of the Gospel. Every night we had an hour of Bible talk, in Japanese of course. We talked about how sin binds one like rope. We talked about how all our goals were like nothing unless we followed Christ. The kids heard the truth preached and now we must trust God to produce their faith. 

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the Earth, and make it bring forth and bud... so shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void."

– Isaiah 55:10-11

To give you a picture of camp, let me describe Wednesday, the day of the water games. In the morning we wake up and have devotions before going to the camps flag raising, where we partake in the Japanese practice of morning exercises (more helpfully described by a youtube video). We break our fast with rice, salad, and whatever else the cafeteria has decided to provide, and then we get start on our English classes. There's a lunch break in between them, and an hour of hilarious bilingual skits, and then we get down to the real business. Games with Mr. Ricer. 

Today the games take place in a big field. A big field marked with plastic tape and containing two big troughs of water and a hundred sponges. We played three entirely different games, but they all involved sponges flying through the air, seeking a target. Needless to say, at the end of two hours we were all completely soaked. By the time we had changed clothes, lowered the flags, and sated our hunger we were ready to sit down and listen to one of the pastors talk about running the race of life. 

One hour later and we are once again hopping, literally. Mr. Ricer fills a soda bottle with water, ties it to a length of rope, and spins it in a circle. Then we, the kids and helpers, stand in a circle and jump over it, allowing it to whizz under our feet. If we don't jump fast enough, or high enough, the rope hit our legs, causing the bottle to wrap them. I've never seen such great vertical jumps.

Now we are all sore and tired. There's a general rush to the ofuro (Japanese bath), and half the cabin gets out the uno cards. The day has been long, but even though we are all half asleep we know don't want tomorrow to come. For tomorrow is Thursday, and on Thursday we all go home. 

Goodbye Miss. A! Goodbye Miss. J! Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye! May God continue to be you northern star, leading to your heavenly home.