The Tsugaru church went on their retreat last weekend, from the 17th-18th. As a short termer I had the privilege of coming along, and enjoy a neat couple of days. The facility which held it was up in the mountains, offering a beautiful view of the plains below. There was also a fair bit of snow, which led to the obvious pasttime to get things started...
...sledding! (And the building of a snowman was also undertaken by a few.)
Everyone had fun shooting down the slopes on sleds and snow tubes, although the walk back to the top was very tiring. When the fun was finished, it was time to head indoors and start the next part of the retreat. These two days provided two opportunities for the Tsugaru Church: first, the chance to pray and seek the direction that the church will take in the year ahead; second, the time to relax and fellowship together.
I joined the children's activities while the adults were 'in session'. (What use would I have been, after all? I don't speak Japanese...) The kid's games were quite entertaining in respect to language as well, though. They were explained carefully and in a very detailed way, but of course I didn't understand a word. It was an interesting experience, knowing that the four-year-old next to me knew what we were supposed to be doing, but I didn't! I had to observe for a while to figure out what was going on, but thankfully was able to join in after a short time.
As the retreat progressed, everyone spent time chatting and playing games well into the night. Getting up the next morning wasn't so easy, though. A worship service was held at the retreat on Sunday morning, and then everyone said their goodbyes and parted ways. I got the impression that the retreat was enjoyed by all who attended, and I hope the church was encouraged by their time to pray and discuss the year ahead.
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