11:13pm
Technically today is the start of week 3 that we've been in Japan! o_O
Today we had a meeting at 9am with Ito-sensei and everyone; planned a trip to Mt Zao (yay!) and karaoke with students (yay!) and other stuff - it went on for 2 hours and then I helped Ito-sensei translate some sermons he was planning to teach.
He then drove us to the community pool so we could find our way there later. At first it looked like we were going to a scary rusty old building but we walked behind it and there was this beautiful Olympic-size swimming pool! :)
Jeri, Laurel and I biked to Yamazawa (after biking around a bit, up a few hills and all over - got a bit of a workout) and bought bento boxes and misc stuff, and then went to the pool for awhile. We had a dog paddle race and a backward-kicking race all the way down the length of the pool, then decided to "run" down the pool which got some laughs from the lifeguards. We went back to the house and hung out until 8pm when the 2 ladies came.
We struggled for an hour to teach them phone conversations but laughed alot and had a good time... they brought us cake! We tried to be good hosts this time even though it was a reminder that we should bring gifts when visiting someone's home! :S
Today was pretty cool, lots of exercise with the biking and swimming (I thought I'd never make it halfway down the pool.. I though "just think how good you'll feel when you make it.. keep going...")
Oh yea, before the 8pm meeting we walked back down the main (Kamin) street again and on the way home (as it was getting dark) were approached by some (big) Japanese guys who kept calling out to us.. "sushi!... tempura!..." :S
Woke up to a huge peal of thunder directly above the house around 6:50! Real cool! lots of rain too...
11:25pm... sad to think we only have 3 weeks left... Lord, please use me... my constant prayer is to be made a servant, to not care what people say about me and what I feel people think about me... but to be a leader and a servant... I have nothing to offer but God in me can be made perfect in my weaknesses. He has been teaching /showing me that I am not "good" generally as I often think ("I'm not so bad") but that my attitudes and thoughts are what drags me down... my sin is more "internal" which is worse (not that there's "levels" to sin) than the alternative sometimes. I snipe at people in my head and think disparaging thoughts and beat myself up.
I pray that Jesus in me will shine through... I know I, Courtney Myers have nothing to offer but what He shows through me...
Lord, please use me here in Kaminoyama...
