As Promised... Lip Dub Videos

For anyone who might be curious about the lip dub competition I've mentioned before, here's the videos we have already created.

Round 1 was Disney themed, and here's our video:

Round 2 was 90's or boy bands, and here's our video:

I believe the third round is the final round, so we will see if we make the cut this time!  Happy watching! :)

CONQUERED Mt. Fuji!

Hello everyone!

Guess what?  I successfully climbed Mt. Fuji!  The summit is 3,776 meters high, and I am proud to say I reached it!  It was a very long day, but I am so excited to say that I reached the top!  They said it was the hottest day on the top of the mountain in the past 5 years.  I packed rain gear, pants, and a sweatshirt, thinking it would be around 40 degrees, but was comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt the whole time.

Here’s a peak into the journey: Friday night after work we headed straight to the Outdoor Recreation Office, where I rented a backpack, hiking boots, and gators (they prevent rocks from getting in your boots).  Then we went to an on-base Italian restaurant called Sbarro, where we ate at the buffet (lots of carbs!), and went to the Commissary (grocery store on base) to grab some last minute supplies for the next day.  We were told to get 8 hours of sleep the night before, but I was unable to fall asleep and only got about 3-4 hours in before my alarm went off at 1AM.  We left our housing at 1:30 to meet and get on the bus at 1:45.  The bus rolled out a little after 2, stopped for 20 minutes at a rest stop, and we reached the 5^th station (which is where we started hiking) a little before 5:30.  After purchasing a walking stick, taking a few pictures, and putting on sunscreen and bug spray, we started hiking.  Here’s a picture before we started hiking:

The first hour and half or so was close to the hardest part for me, and I didn’t think there was any way that I was going to make it to the top.  The path was mostly all loose gravel, so with every step forward you slipped back some, so the progress seemed slow and the work seemed hard.  We took very frequent short breaks (it was hard to go for 10 minutes straight).  After we reached the 7^th station, the ‘milestones’ were much closer together, which helped mentally.  There were huts in between the stations, and you could buy stamps for your stick at almost all of them (and sit and rest!).  The stamps were burned into the wooden stick, and each cost about the equivalent of $3.  I don’t want to know how much money I shelled out for the stamps, but the stick with all the stamps is so cool!  I also am not really looking forward to finding out how much it costs to ship the stick back home, but oh well. 

After reaching the 7^th station, the path varied between climbing (quite literally) rocks and walking on fairly loose gravel.  Climbing the rocks honestly seemed easier to me.  In order to be walkable, the path had to switch back frequently, so it was a very windy path, making the distance longer but the slope much more tolerable. 

Here’s a picture of what some of the climbing looked like:

The hike was nearly as much mental and emotional as it was physical, in my opinion.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” was a common verse repeated in my head.  I am usually very hard on myself, so this was one of the first times I have ever been so positive and thought so many positive thoughts about myself, which helped shift my perspective a little bit.  If I would’ve had a bad attitude, I don’t doubt that I would not have made it to the summit.

The group I was with reached the summit a little after noon, and the turn-around time was 1PM, so we had a little while to rest, take pictures, and use the bathroom.  I won’t go into too much detail about the bathroom, but here’s just a little picture for your imagination: it cost $2 to use, was a mixed male/female bathroom, and smelled worse than any port-a-potty I’ve ever used.  The adrenaline rush a few minutes before reaching the top was very beneficial, and the emotions experienced after finally reaching the top were pretty intense.  However, then we had to begin the trek down.  This path was all loose (I mean very loose!) gravel and dirt, and I struggled to keep my balance.  This is when the stick came in very handy, as well as the gators to keep the rocks out of my hiking boots.  I didn’t use them on the way up, but was very glad to have them on the way down.  We made it down to our starting point in 3 hours, then changed clothes, ate some ice cream, and visited the souvenir shop before boarding the bus to head back to base.  We stopped at another rest stop for dinner, and arrived back on base at 9PM, and I returned my rented items before heading back to housing.  I was unable to sleep on the bus either way, but did sleep well Saturday night!  However, in the middle of the night (1:30 to be specific) the fire alarms went off.  I did not wake up, until someone started yelling that we needed to get up and go outside.  The trek down the three flights of stairs was not as painful as I had imagined, thankfully!  However, when I woke up Sunday morning I was significantly more sore.  I took some pain killers, but was not too comfortable all day long.  A few of us headed to the beach, where we swam in the ocean for a little while, but then when we tried to lay out, we realized the wind was so strong it was blowing the sand, which was very painful!  We headed back to base and visited the pool on base for a while, then showered and went out for supper to an Indian restaurant not too far off base before returning to set up the center for the week.

This week may be a little bit difficult because I am so sore, but I hope that I am able to be energized and enthusiastic!  This is week 7 of camp (which I programmed for), so we are nearing the final stretch of our time here in Japan.  It is starting to sink in that I have to seriously work towards doing all the things I have said that I want to do while I’m here, as my time here is quickly coming to an end.

My parents have planned a trip to Japan, and I am really excited for them to be here and experience this awesome culture!  While they are here we are planning to go to Hiroshima together, which I am also really excited about.

This week I am hoping to get down to business again in regards to the homework assignments, as I really hope that I can have those all completed before I head home, as it would be nice to have one less thing to worry about.

Well, I think this is all for now.  Thanks to all of those who have prayed for me and have shared words of encouragement so far this summer (and especially in regards to climbing Mt. Fuji).  They really have helped to lift me up and keep my spirits strong, as some days are much harder than others.  Here’s to another great week, that I’m sure will go by fast!  I pray that you all have a wonderful week, guided by God’s loving hands.

- Becky

Ready for the Rest of the Summer!

This weekend I decided to relax and take it easy, as everything was starting to catch up with me and I was pretty tired.  On Friday evening we headed to Yokohama with the hope of riding the giant ferris wheel and a roller coaster that goes underwater (both at Cosmoworld), but as we were arriving there was lightning and then it started raining so the rides were closed.  So we grabbed some food and then headed home, as we were rather tired!

Saturday morning we slept in, then spent most of the day at wifi, where I worked on my homework for the summer (I have to write 10 papers to get credit).  I got quite a bit done, which was awesome!  Then we ran a few errands on base, and went to a movie, then out for supper.

Sunday we headed the beach, and then went to Kamakura to do some shopping, where I purchased quite a few souvenirs.  Then Sunday evening we had our weekly set up at the center in preparation for this week.

I am on my lunch break on Tuesday as I write this, and I am already feeling tired again, although I'm not really sure why.  I guess I need to start going to bed earlier!  I am still trying to run, but as it gets hotter and hotter it gets harder and harder to motivate myself.  We climb Fuji this Saturday, so I need to keep up on my running this week though.  Last week we did filming for our video for the second round of the lip dub contest.  I will try to post the finished video (and the one from the first round) next week if possible.  Tonight we have "mandatory fun" (something fun, but that we are required to do) as bonding during the second week that many people experience burnout.  They are keeping what we are doing a secret though!  Then Wednesday night is our weekly whole-staff meeting, and then it's already almost the weekend!  Crazy how fast the weeks seem to be going by, although the days sometimes seem to drag on.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!  If you haven't seen on my Facebook page, we are planning a Labor Day/Welcome Home party.  I'm attempting to do everything on a website that my sister just told me about, so here's the link to check it out!  Let me know if you come across any issues, as this is my first time using it.  Hope to see you there!

-Becky

Nearing the Halfway Point

It's hard to believe that I have already been in Japan for 5 weeks, and only have 6 weeks left here!  Time continues to move right along.  The days seem to go by somewhat slowly, but the weeks are flying!  This is around the time that they told us to expect homesickness to hit the hardest, so I am doing my best to stay pretty busy.  However, I am starting to get more tired and less enthusiastic about camp in general.  I am still powering through, but could use a little rejuvenation!

I know this is a little bit personal, but I just want to share with you, as I know many of you are prayer warriors and will continue to lift me up to the Lord, which I would really appreciate.  I started out this summer thinking I would shine God's light to the people I’m surrounded by, but recently I’m feeling like I’m not nearly as bright of a light as I seem to think of myself as.  However (thankfully!), I know where to go to help strengthen my light.  Maybe this trip to Japan is that last little push I need in order to really commit my life to Jesus, not just superficially, but 100%.  I have been blessed to have experienced a rather struggle-free life, but maybe a struggle is exactly what I need to completely surrender my life to Jesus.  I think most of you reading this know that I am quite a control freak (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not so much), which makes it hard to completely relinquish control over my life (even though I really don't have control, it's nice to think I do!) and rely on God, rather than on myself.  However, this is something that I WANT to do, and I plan to spend a lot more time than just a few minutes on daily devotions in the morning in the Word and in conversation with my Savior.  I ask for your prayers specifically for an ever-deepening faith and intimate relationship with the Lord, and for the strength to stay strong throughout the next few weeks.  They tell us that after we get out of the burnout phase, we won't be ready to leave and the last few weeks will fly by faster than we want, but right now my primary concern is simply getting out of the burnout rut.  So I appreciate all the prayers you have sent on my behalf so far, and ask that you continue to do so, especially in the next few weeks!

Now, onto some updates about what I have been up to the last week or so... Altogether last week was a really great week of camp!  On Friday we took the kids on a field trip to LegoLand in Tokyo, which was really awesome!  I was really busy and was only able to take a few pictures, but here they are!  These are Lego models of different areas of Tokyo.  The display changed from daylight to night time, which was super cool!

Then after we got back, we changed clothes and packed our bags quick and headed back to Tokyo!  We spent the night on Friday in a capsule hotel, which was a really neat experience.  Here's some pictures.  The peace sign is very popular in Japanese pictures, we see it all the time!  Also, the capsule hotel had a make-up area and a public shower.  It was very homey, as you were required to take off your shoes upon entering the hotel, and you were not really alone except when you were sleeping in your capsule.  We got a locker to put our things in, but pretty much everything was provided except for clothes!  There were hair dryers, hair brushes, toothbrushes, shower supplies, etc., which was pretty neat!  The atmosphere was pretty cool, I'd definitely recommend staying at a capsule hotel if you ever get a chance to.

Saturday we spent the day hanging out in Tokyo, then headed back to base Saturday evening.  We went up in the Metropolitan Government Office building, which was free, twice (once during the day, and once at night) to see the city from 44/45 floors up.  We also stumbled upon a sweet National Garden in Tokyo, after which we did some shopping in Shibuya, which is the district aimed toward 20-somethings.  We shopped in a 6 floor Forever 21 store (managed to only spend about $10!), and a 4 story H&M (where I also spent only about $15).  Love all the deals I've gotten here!

Sunday morning we got up early and got on a train to Hakone, where we first went up the mountain via train, then transferred to a cable car, then transferred to a ropeway to reach a station where we purchased eggs boiled in highly sulfuric water, which turned the shells black.  Supposedly, eating one of these eggs will add 7 years to your life.  I ate two just for good measure! ;) Actually, you can only buy then in 5-packs, so my friend Haylie and I each ate 2, and we ended up throwing one away because neither one of us wanted to eat another one.  I took a bunch of pictures during this part, because it was so cool!  I'd add a few here, then you can check out my Facebook album to see more if you'd like!

After this journey, we headed partway back down the mountain for an afternoon at a spa/resort.  There was a variety of things to do here, including a coffee bath, green tea bath, sake (Japanese beer) bath, charcoal bath (water was heated by charcoal), wine bath, and slides/pools, to name a few.  It was a pretty cool experience altogether.

That concludes yet another crazy but fun weekend here in Japan!  This has been a long post, so I'll leave you with a few things that have been particularly uplifting recently...

Also, from Psalm 46:1-3... "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Thanks for being patient with all my rambling.  Thank you in advance for your prayers!  Wishing you a wonderful week!

 - Becky

Time is Moving Quickly!

I have officially been in Japan for a month!  And today marks only 2 months till my birthday.  Hard to believe how quickly time is going!  Last Thursday was a great day at camp, and today was also.

Friday was the 4th of July, so we didn't have camp.  However, we did work at a carnival on base.  We did a few hours of set up and decorating, followed by 4 hours of working at carnival games, then tear down right up until the fireworks started.  A few of us ran to get to a good spot to watch the fireworks.  Here's a picture of the fireworks:

Saturday morning we headed to Yokohama for a full day of sightseeing.  We started out visiting an interactive nature-y museum called Orbi.  Here's a few pictures from this stop:

After Orbi, we headed to the Raumen Museum for lunch.  The museum was pretty cool, and the food was alright.  Not super awesome, but not bad either!

After this stop, we started making our way to Yokohama Stadium, where we viewed a baseball game!  The Baystars, which is the home team, were defeated by the Tigers.  The game was fairly uneventful until the end of the 9th inning, where the Baystars hit what looked like a grand slam (which would have made them win), but it didn't go quite far enough and was caught to end the game.  Here's some pictures from the stadium:

After a full day on Saturday, we slept in (till 8:30!) on Sunday morning, then headed out for a little bit of shopping on Blue Street, which is the main street here in Yokosuka.  It is called Blue Street because some of the pebbles in the road are actually blue, which is pretty cool.  After this, we headed to Zushi beach for a day of relaxing and napping.  It was fairly cloudy, but the temperature was still comfortable and the beach was pretty crowded.

Last week I managed to run 3 different days, and started this week off strong by running for 20 minutes tonight.  My goal is to increase my time 1 minute each day (running on weekdays) until I get up to at least 30 minutes.  Hopefully this will help me to be better prepared to climb Mt. Fuji in less than 3 weeks!

There is a potential typhoon headed for Japan later this week, so please pray for safety for everyone here.  It's not supposed to be too bad here in Yokosuka, but sounds like it could be pretty damaging in other parts of Japan.  I will do my best to keep you updated on how things are looking/going.

More later!  Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers throughout this journey!
- Miss Moo (that is my camp name... our theme is onomatopoeias)