Didn't know I could cry that much...

Dear Everyone,

24 hours from now I'll be on an airplane back to America. Wow. Did 3 weeks really just go by or am I crazy? God has blessed me more than I could have ever anticipated and I give Him praise for His awesome grace and love. He opened the door for this trip and has been with me EVERY step of the way. Before I get to the sad stuff let me tell update you from my last post. I finished up the English classes at Kyoto Assembly Church and had a wonderful time. I left to come back to Kyoto Christian Center early Saturday morning. After a joyous reunion with the YWAM team it was time for me to enjoy my last free day out in Japan. My friend Carmen took me to an area of Kyoto known as Uji. It was amazing. You will see a whole lot of pictures from there. I went to the Byodoin Temple, Had homemade matcha ice cream (green tea flavor), saw the Tale of Genji museum and rode a bus, train, and subway. It was an amazing day. Saturday night was a youth fellowship which rocked! There were so many people who came who don't know Jesus and they got to some great fellowship first hand and have some delicious BBQ. Yes they have BBQ in Japan, but it's a little different from what you are used to...It was great and I made at least 10 new friends. Once that was over it was bed time. I was really exhausted. I helped with over 14 English classes and had finally caught up with me. Yesterday was another fantastic day of worship and fellowship at Kyoto Christian Center. God is doing incredible things through this church and He is blessing them left and right. They are so faithful and such an inspiration. Persecution is something they face everyday. And I don't mean the kind where someone is just rude to you when you mention Jesus and you feel bad. This is serious. They could loss everything at any moment for their faith. Family, job, friends, etc. Even though it's a free country, cultural it's the most tradition in the world and that can create some incredible pressure. How bad is the pressure you ask? 30,000 people commit suicide every year. I have been so inspired by my brother's and sister's faith. Anyways, after a great service and fellowship, it was time to rest and then prepare for the children's camp. The children's camp was crazy! The Lord definitely confirmed the fact that I work better with high school or college students. I love to play with children, but not teach them. All went well and I pray that the children had a great time and that they will be drawn closer to the Father. The camp ended today around 1:30 and everyone who helped was really tired. We all ran for our beds to take a nap and just recoup from a crazy 2 days. Once the camp was over it was time for the last supper.
The last one with the YWAM team and Leena that is. The team prepared a delicious meal of pasta, spicy pasta, bread, and some other Asian foods which I don't know the name of. You will see some pictures of the supper and some special table markers they made which said "Cody and Leena's Night, You are special". The supper was awesome. After that, it was time for a program. I had no idea that they had planned this, but they wanted to sing me and Leena some songs and just pray for us. Wow. I cried like a baby sasquatch. I didn't know I could cry that much. They sang me a Christian song called "You are special" and all just looked at me with smiles. Then they sang a song that I wrote for them and also threw in some of their own sweet dance moves.. One of the best nights of my life. You will some pictures of me with everyone after crying so don't judge. Next time you make a family across the world and then have to leave them and don't cry, then we can talk. Now we are just sitting around relaxing and getting ready to go to bed. My flight leaves tomorrow at 9 pm and I'll be heading to the airport at 430 pm. There will be 2 more posts and then it will be over so I hope you will finish the blog strong! I hope you enjoy the pictures and will keep praying for me. Please pray for my travels and that I would be drawn closer to God in whatever way possible. Also pray for the YWAM team. They will be here for another 10 days. Pray for their remaining ministry in Japan. I will miss them dearly. Last but not least are the shout outs for the day and you know what, there is only going to be one shout out left for the rest of the posts. And that shout out is to God. Thank you so much Father for everything. Wow. You have provided and blessed me more than I deserve. I give you ALL the glory and praise for this trip. Thank you for your incredible love and grace for me. Thank you for all of the wonderful people you have blessed me with meeting and serving with. And most of all, Thank you for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. I pray that you would draw me closer to you and use me however and wherever you desire. Amen. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. Enjoy the photos and don't forget that there will be 2 more posts!