We made a quick rest stop and then we made our way to a beautiful garden and park. At the park we ate our lunches and we were able to play with the kids. What made this park so special was the miniature water attractions! (I dont really know what to call it though) We splashed each other until we were all soaking wet. Especially Yuuki who was dripping from head to toe. Literally. We had some time to dry off in the greenhouse which housed many beautiful plants, but with the heat in Japan and the greenhouse, it made the air even hotter so we quickly made our way out.
We hopped back on the bus and made our final approach to Mount Yamanakako. On our way we passed by Lake Yamanakako which reminded me so much of Lake Tahoe. It was gigantic, beautiful, and majestic; truly a sight to see. We arrived at the cabin that we were staying at which is named: Torchbearers. Yabana sensei said that they usually give a story about how it got the name Torchbearers , but we did not get to hear that this year so I am still wondering how it got its name. After we arrived, we got into our groups to prepare our skits to present to the camp. My group was all boys so as you can imagine, they were pretty rowdy but at the same time under control so they didnt tire us out. We then ate a delicious barbeque prepared for us by the Torchbearers staff who are all very nice people. After dinner we had a campfire as the mission team prepared games and songs for the campers to play and sing along to. We ended at 8 and we sent the kids to bed. So early i know! But they must get up at 6 in the morning! But so does the mission team and everyone else. Everyone is sleeping right now as I write this post, but now it is time to go to sleep. Goodnight and God Bless and thank you for your prayers!
~Justin Mao