Golden Week

Hey!
So this week was really interesting. It was Golden Week in Japan. It was our midterm retreat as well as electronics fast. For the midterm retreat other English teachers from Japan came and spent four days at the church. During the day we went to some touristy places and at night we had worship and sharing time. On Saturday we went to Otsukannon, a big outdoor shopping place, which was really cool but I was also frustrated because it feels like we were really rushed for time and I didn't get a chance to see everything. We also went to Nagoya Port on Saturday and just sat by the ocean watching the boats. It was nice to relax and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and sunshine. On Sunday we went to church and then went to Asuke and saw a traditional Japanese village. It was really cool because there they still make everything they need from things in nature and they sell a lot of it. It was a really neat place to see but I wish we had more time there. On Monday it was raining so we went to a shopping mall. It was okay but we made a big mistake going there on Golden week holiday because it was overcrowded and we had to wait almost half and hour to get a seat in a restaraunt. That night for supper we went to a restaraunt that a man, named Pak San, owns and works at. He is from Korea and so it is a Korean barbeque place. They bring you raw meat and you cook it at a grill on your table and dip it in this sauce. It was amazing. On Tuesday we went and saw Okazaki castle and a flower garden place. There I had some matcha (green tea used in a tea ceremony) and it was soo good. It was very peaceful to drink it while looking out at the pond in the garden. Then we came back to the church and the English teachers went home. Every evening we had worship and sharing times with people sharing their testimonies each night. That was probably my favourite part because I love hearing people's stories, how they came to know Christ and all the things that have shaped them. Every night tho everybody stayed at our house late so by the end of the retreat I was pretty tired and really glad to have the chance to rest on Tuesday night. Some prayer requests I have are for our team that we would stay in good health and get good rest and that we would be able to stay focused on what we are doing for the rest of our time here in Japan. Also please pray for our Japanese teacher because she got a slipped disc. Pray for fast healing and recovery. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan and our English students that God would continue to move in their hearts and that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and come into personal relationship with Him. Pray for me that God would give me opportunities to share His love with others and that God would give me words to speak. Pray that I would have continued focus, energy and strength and that I would be disciplined in spending regular time with God. I am so excited to be part of what God is doing here in Japan. Until next time, Sayonara.