One more day of prep before the start of VBS!
Today, part of the team had the opportunity to support a Bible camp up in the mountains of Gunma while the rest stayed at Little Light to clean up the grounds in anticipation of VBS. Charlene, Josiah, Grace, Audrey and I left Takasaki to go help Akagi Bible Camp (ABC) for part of the day by moving bedding and prepping food for their Japanese barbecue lunch.
The drive up to ABC was so beautiful! Seeing the foggy mountainside and the dark forests were a great reminder of how awesome our Creator is!
ABC requested that we buy corn for the barbecue, and since we forgot to bring some from Ohio, we stopped by a little shop along the way.
When we got there, we helped the camp by moving bedding, shucking corn, cooking noodles, prepping the barbecue, and making bread dough (you’ll be surprised by how we cooked the dough)! It was such a sweet time meeting other believers in Japan and seeing how God was using them to spread the Gospel. It was also so good to see how even though we didn’t all speak the same language, we had the most important thing in common.
Back to that bread dough… when we were all finished eating lunch, the ABC staff taught the campers how to cook the dough over the remaining charcoal from the barbecue. Everyone took a ball of dough, stuck it to the end of a bamboo stick, cooked it over the charcoal, and then filled it with cinnamon sugar! I would love to try this at home sometime!
Going up to help ABC was such a unique experience. While we were sitting down eating lunch, Charlene asked something like, “Did you ever think you would be right here today, in the mountains, eating Japanese barbecue?” I never would have considered it a year ago! My favorite part was trying to converse with some of the staff despite the language barrier. There was a lot of smiling, nodding, and hand motions, but we made it work! I think Grace even made a new friend.
Back in Takasaki, the rest of the team worked on cleaning up the grounds and finishing prep for VBS. They didn’t get Japanese barbecue for lunch, but I think they may have eaten the rest of that delicious Costco pizza.
Our team rejoined at Ikaho, a town famous for its natural hot springs. We spent the rest of the daylight hours climbing the 365 stone steps and exploring the area. The pictures really don’t do this place justice. It was so beautiful to see how the unnatural, man-made buildings complemented the intensely green and lush environment God created.
Tomorrow, we will start VBS! We are praying that God softens the hearts of the children who come so that they may know Him and be saved. We pray that we are faithful to spread the seed of the Gospel as we wait to see God cause the growth.
~ Anna