I ended up going with two guys, although I thought it would just be two of us at first. One was mentioned before who has alot of really good camping gear and graciously drove. The other guy is a close family member of his. He has a five-year old son, is recently divorced and turned thirty the day before we met to camp. He loves the Lakers and playing basketball.
Our plan was to meet a small group from another established church in Tokyo. The organizer is my good friend who I knew from his time as a student at Duke and The Church of the Good Shepherd. I talked a lot to my two friends as we both wanted to learn the other's language.
We had a great time and it was so beautiful! We camped on a hill above a beach that if it was clear, we would have had a fantastic view of Mt. Fuji. It is said that the picture of Mt. Fuji on one of the yen bills was taken from the lake where we were. There were many families, boats, and campers. I felt like I was observing an REI store clothing photo shoot out on the beach. Although the crowd was almost all Japanese apparently, I did meet a couple guys from Texas who gave me a "Go Longhorns" as I replied, "Roll Tide!" That was the end of that.
The weather was beautiful and cool in the evening. There were huge fireworks that night - which we did not plan to see in advance. In Japan, the fire works go one for like an hour! When they boomed, the cannon-like sound echoed through the mountains. I thanked the Lord for our grilled meat and vegetables with the group we ate and we enjoyed each other's company for a long time. I did a lot of listening to the Japanese I am beginning to learn.
The Onsen conversation that went deeper
My friend began to open up a bit while we were sitting quietly in an onsen (hot springs everywhere caused by the volcano island that is Japan) that the friends he met camping were really kind. He said they made his heart warm. I rejoice that the Christians had this effect on him. They seemed really comfortable relating to the group. It is very new for them to even be around Christians so I hope this is just the beginning of God at work in him. He then shared some personal things about marriage. I just listened this time and told him how much I appreciated him telling me that. I was surprised about what I learned. I praise the Lord for this relationship-building man time and felt deeply burdened for these two guys to become followers of Jesus.
While we were driving out of Mt. Fuji, he pointed to the dense, thick woods and said that many people come out there to take their own lives (intentionally get lost in the woods). He said that was sad. This is a reminder to pray for the many pain-filled people in Japan (possibly the #1 nation on psychiatric drug medication) to become restored as image-bearers of God..... through Jesus Christ.
The Festival (Matsuri) later...
When we arrived back home, we went with our families to a big summer festival in our neighborhood. There were loud drums on a stage, some traditional robes, food stands and games for the kids. Our kids had a great time. I met a couple dads through our friends there. One had come to a marriage seminar our team did a while back so it was good to meet him through a Japanese Christian guy who introduced us. Here is another surprising part. We then met another dad (through another dad) who attended Duke University during the same time I lived in Durham! Wow! I was told he did "judgment." I confirmed that this means he is a judge. I was able to get these guys phone numbers so let's pray that we are able to develop relationships.
One mom told Lisa on the walk home together that she wants to talk soon with her about what it means to take communion / the Lord's Table. She has never done so but wants to start!
The Amen Corner
One funny story I will share involves a little two year old boy who goes to church with his mom and us. This boy heard a guy continuously shout "Amen!" (the only person in the room doing so). So the boy shouted "Amen!" Many in the service heard him and laughed. I will never forget that. We joked with his mom (not yet a believer) that the little boy would probably grow up to be the pastor one day. Another twist on the story is that a friend of mine heard the story and though the story was hilarious because he though the boy was saying "O man!" He thought that because he doesn't know what "amen" means since he has never attended a church to my knowledge. We both thought it was funny, but for different reasons. This reminded me how far the nonreligious Japanese culture is from the religious world or those familiar with Christian terms are that many of us know.
Reflections on mission to Japan's next generation
