A GREAT WEEKEND
Nature. I love nature.
I was out at Gotemba–the foothill of
Mt. Fuji in
Shizuoka prefecture over the weekend for the Tokyo Union Church (TUC) retreat. Although Baileyna and I arrived on a wet and cold Friday night after a long train ride, we had nothing but beautiful weather for two days following that. I had a refreshing time. The air was simply fresh and delicious. I drank up as much as I could and the weekend was simply great.
We were surrounded by nature and the beauty of
Mt. Fuji was just before our eyes. I spent time helping out with the children and had a superb time with them participating in crafts, walks, games, etc. I felt alive playing with Kaye,
Lynn , and others. I also enjoyed the mini sports rally we had in the gym with the other TUC members too. I liked the campfire best where we huddled and enjoyed the warmth of the fire roasting marshmallows and singing. The kids had a fun time stuffing marshmallows in my mouth and I have definitely had my fill of sugar for the next few weeks!
Church retreats are always refreshing. Even though I was not able to sit in for any meetings since I was with the kids, I learned something from watching Evan Almighty together. "When you pray for patience, God does not give you patience. He gives you an opportunity to be patient. When you pray for courage, He does not give you courage. He gives you an opportunity to be courageous. …" The show was a good family show fun to watch but these lines made sense to me as I am going through a passage of patience myself. As I wait for God to reveal his plans in my life, I do get discouraged when my prayers seem to be not heard. I fail to see that it is not about me but "everything He does, He does it because He loves me." It was a simple reminder for me as I press on towards my dreams and future.
I am feeling at the top of the world right now, but I would deeply appreciate your prayers for the next two weeks as we wait for the final say on my
Macao visa. I have my preference to stay in
Tokyo . But, definitely,
