We are in JAPAN! It is so exciting to be the very first world race squad to ever step foot in Japan. And so far, I'm absolutely in love with this country.
We took a redeye from Kuala Lumpur to Osaka and arrived on January 7th to crisp and freezing 30 degree weather, with bright blue cloudless skies. The bus ride to our hostel was so peaceful as I took in the serenity of the city. Although huge buildings and hundreds of factories were all around, I've never seen a more clean and calm place. Everything, even the landfills, was immaculate.
We met our contact, Jef, a native New Zealander with a thick accent who has lived in Japan for 22 years. He is really amazing, and I'm excited to be working for him this month.
We spent the first few days here at a quaint little Japanese hostel, complete with paper sliding doors and tatami floors. After hiking and resting a bit, we sat in on a session where we learned more about Jef and his ministry and more about the culture of Japan.
Google Japan and you might see things like tea ceremonies, cherry blossom trees, and…. Bathhouses. Yep. And our hostel, being culturally accurate and all, definitely had a communal bathhouse.
Being me, I walked up to Jef and said "can I ask you a blunt question? How do we bathe here? Like do we all just stand around naked together?" He chuckled but said in a serious tone, "yes, it's a time for socializing and bonding."
Ok now I know several social activities but bathing is just not one of them. Jef nicely showed a few of us where the bathhouse was and talked us through the process. "Over here are the cubbies for your clothes and towel, then you walk over here, sit on a stool, shower and rinse thoroughly. Only then can you enter the bath. Then you just sit and relax." Now let me be very clear – there are no shower curtains, no stalls, just a giant open room with four shower heads and a giant hot tub. With my jaw practically hitting the floor, I thought, "no big deal, I'll just shower in my bathing suit."
But as we were praying to close out our session, I felt God say, "Embrace everything I give you, on this race and forever."
Bam. That's when I knew I had to embrace the culture and give it a go, sans swimsuit. And I've never felt more liberated in my life.
There's something so beautiful about feeling vulnerable or insecure about something and then releasing it to God. And as weird as it sounds, the girls on U Squad did bond. Through giggles and screeches and steam so thick you could barely see, we bonded as beautiful women of Christ. There was no judgment. There was no gossip. There was no shame. And I honestly experienced God's presence through letting go and feeling comfortable in my own skin – knowing every girl around me was doing the same thing.
What do you need to let go of this week? What do you need to strip yourself of so you can feel liberated?
Maybe a bathhouse is just what you need.
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PS I am still in need of $4,056 by the end of February! I really need your help if I am going to be able to stay on the field. Please please pray about sponsoring me. Every little bit helps!
