Observations from the three-day trip to Karuizawa for the annual TEAM Men’s Retreat.
The last couple of days have been filled with all sorts of activities as a result of this year’s TEAM Men’s Retreat in Karuizawa. I met with David at 9:45 on Monday morning, and we caught a 10:16 shinkansen (bullet train) from Okayama to Karuizawa, changing trains once in Tokyo. Yesterday was my second time to ride the shinkansen, the first time being my first day ever in Japan almost exactly four years ago when I traveled from Kobe to Okayama via the high-speed train.
Karuizawa is a small mountain town about 45 minutes north of Tokyo by shinkansen. It is one of the most humid places in Japan but its altitude keeps it cool during the summer. For several decades it has been a well-known vacation place for missionaries from various agencies, and is home to TEAM’s language school that all of their career missionaries attend before entering the Japan field. Lately there have been a lot of high-class shopping establishments added in, so Karuizawa picks up a lot of business from nearby Tokyo.
The scenery is vastly different compared to Okayama, particularly because there are so many evergreens and homes with a mountain lodge type of feel. If you ignore the Japanese writing, you might think you’re somewhere in the Rockies in Colorado. The Men’s Retreat is held at the Megumi Chalet, an establishment formerly run by TEAM but now in the care of a separate organization started by TEAM several years ago (if I remember the history correctly). Almost the entire place has a very outdoorsy feel to it, with a lot of natural wood tones and Western decor in places like the Woodshed, a cafe and popular hang-out place in the evening. But there are also a lot of Japanese touches, such as a cabinet for shoes and slippers at the entrance to every building and tatami mats in the rooms.
A total of 23 men from all around Japan were able to attend this year’s retreat. Matt Shipp was planning on joining us, but at the last minute he decided that it would be better for him to stay in Okayama this year to be with his family as they all adjust to life in Japan. Please keep the Shipps in your prayers, by the way, as they continue to get used to life here, and especially for their two boys, Josiah and Isaiah, who are dealing with the adjustment to a new language and an entirely new life along with their parents.
The theme for this year is God’s faithfulness and how we as missionaries can be faithful in our work here, both to God and to those around us. I think this is something that God has been pointing out to me a lot this year, starting with Passion 06 in January. When things are going well I tend to push God into the background and I get the idea that I can do just fine on my own. What I forget is that when I’m not faithful in my relationship with God it’s a lot easier for me to drift away and lower my standards for things that I’ll do or think about.
You would think that being a missionary would mean that you’re always thinking constantly about God and so you have an amazing relationship with Him, but it’s not always like that. Looking back on the last month I see myself getting busier and busier, so my personal time with God often drops out of the picture until I just don’t think about it anymore. So it’s really good to have a refresher like Men’s Retreat to focus on God intensely for a couple of days and regain that passion for getting to know Him better each day. It’s also been great to hear other missionaries speak about issues they’ve dealt with in the field and absorb the guidance that they have to offer.
Wednesday will be a half day, and I will head back to Okayama (minus David, who is going to Tokyo for a day as part of the Japan Council). It’s a five-hour trip back home, so I should get back just in time for the 8:00 student family group on Wednesday evening. All of our English classes from Monday through Wednesday were canceled because of the retreat, but we will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Thursday.