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
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