During October, we’ve had some amazing times of being able to deepen our
relationships with our Japanese church members.
Fall is the time for Sports Days and last-time-this-year BBQs and
camping trips. Once again, we joined a
few other families from Kabe Chapel at their annual Family Camp. The first activity was fishing and Sungjae
was super excited! It’s been Juhee’s
dream to sleep in a real tent (not just a blanket draped over chairs/sofas/etc)
and she got to do it so she was super happy too! She was also very happy that mommy, not
realizing how expensive marshmallows are in Japan, offered to take
marshmallows, Honey Graham crackers (thanks LSCC!) and chocolate. Juhee and everyone else loved roasting
marshmallows over the campfire for dessert.
For most of them, it was their first time ever making S’mores.
(Click on the pictures to see larger versions.)
(Click on the pictures to see larger versions.)
Fishing at little man-made ponds with lots of fish - the fishing rod was SO long!!!, kids were very impressed with the fish that daddy caught, staff at the center filleted the fish for us, our family caught a total of five :) Even though there were a lot of fish in small enclosed ponds, it still wasn't easy!
Sungjae and I slept in a big classroom inside the renovated Elementary School on rented futons while Peter and Juhee slept in our guarantor's tent outside. Putting it up and then drying it after taking it down were all a LOT of work! I made sure Juhee was bundled up nice and warm for sleeping in the tent.
Food! After the BBQ dinner, we grilled most of the fish that we'd caught earlier that day, ate everything from crunchy mouth/head to crispy tail... We had some as sashimi the next morning as part of our breakfast too (together with our ham, cheese, lettuce, egg rolls)! Everyone had fun roasting marshmallows over the campfire and making S'mores. Those little packets of marshmallow were about a dollar each... Are marshmallows expensive in the US too? Our guarantor brought a huge teppan and made his famous yakisoba for the last meal too.
Sungjae and his friend being silly together before bedtime. They don't get to play often anymore 'cause we don't go to Kabe Chapel very often, but they love playing together. It's really cute too that when our families do get together, the two boys are both excited about their own friend being there and not just having to play with their big sisters' friends. :)
The 3 year old boys hanging out together. The boy on the far right has down syndrome, but to them right now, they're all the same. Hopefully it'll stay that way and they'll continue to grow up as great brothers in Christ. The mom of this boy became a Christian earlier this year and is the first in her family.
Asaminami Chapel had their first ever “Outdoor” Service
& BBQ. “Outdoor” because the service
was actually held indoors… It was a bit
of a challenge as one of the boys who has behavioral issues was having a
particularly rough morning. The men had
to take turns controlling him and the boy’s mom ended up crying in a room for
most of the time we were there. There
were also little logistical things like someone forgetting to turn on the rice
cooker and defrosting the meat… We took
sweet potatoes wrapped in foil and most of them became absolutely delicious
roasted sweet potatoes, but some of them burnt to a crisp. On the positive side, there was an abundance
of food, it was delicious, and there was a lot of time for everyone to chat
while preparing, eating, resting, and cleaning up. We took kimchi and it was all gone very
quickly. We took Honey Graham crackers
and chocolate to this event too and so everyone got to enjoy S’mores (someone
else brought the marshmallows this time =D).
Our "Outdoor" service inside; Parents trying to keep kids happy and quiet in the back; The rice ball making group; Using solar energy to defrost very frozen meat
The kids sitting at tables inside - so much easier & neater than the kids eating outside! Peter, Sungjae and others "roasting" marshmallows above dying charcoals. Fellowship time while eating yummy food. Big smile for S'mores. :)
Juhee and one of our close friends picked flowers and put some in her hair; Group photo; Thank yous and prayer before going home.
It was great being able to spend good quality & quantity
time with the members of all three chapels, along with their friends and family
who don’t usually come out to church.
It was also great being able to enjoy BBQs three times, three weeks in a row... ;)
It was also great being able to enjoy BBQs three times, three weeks in a row... ;)
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