Fuji, Food, and Friends

Immediately after Amagi was a 2-day CPM (Church Planting Movement) meeting at YMCA’s Tozansai Retreat Center. There was still lots of snow, and in the morning it was clear enough to see Mt. Fuji! Here's Rachel and me showing off the mountain:

<---With Barbara and Wade Akins, the leaders of the CPM meeting. The Akins served as missionaries in Brazil for several years, and now they travel all around the world (Japan was their 48th country within the last 5 years), serving in a special training ministry called Pioneer Evangelism.

The food at the conference center was delicious! This one is a typical Japanese meal... green tea 'n' all. --->

Someone at the CPM meeting told me that his church (Shonan Central Church) had a Spanish service, so the following Sunday I decided to check it out. In short, I had a blast! I enjoyed the lively praise & worship music and the people were very warm and friendly. Right after service I attended their discipleship Bible study, and then after that I went to their fellowship (where we ate Peruvian food!). Communicating with the church members was crazy-fun. There were times where we would switch from Spanish to English to Japanese, all in the same sentence! Most of the people were from Peru and Brazil, and some of them were mixed with Japanese.

Halfway through fellowship time, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to these January birthday celebrants, Luisa and Priscilla --->