Activities Beyond the Worship Service

From one angle, the previous week at Itayanagi offered little that was different than the usual programme. But when you consider that the basic program includes the Sunday service and fellowship lunch, as well as various English classes and a Youth meeting, you realise that there's fair bit to talk about! Bright and early on a Sunday morning, two hours before the service, children's English classes are held at the chapel. The kids bring a lot of energy with them, as you'd expect, but they do a pretty good job of focusing on learning the language. One week the vocabulary may focus on types of food, and another might be about getting washed and eating breakfast, ready for the day ahead. All of the kids were able to introduce themselves to me, telling me their names, ages, and something that they liked to do. (Skiing rates pretty high with most of them!) Thursday night held the usual English class for the adults, which all but guarantees friendly chatter and lots of laughter. Recent sessions have covered topics such as how to ask opening and clarifying questions, and how to tell others about skills and hobbies. The group members get along very well, and everyone hangs around to chat and share coffee for quite some time after the lesson.

The Young Life youth group meets on Friday evenings for a mix of games, food, worship and Bible study. Whether it's playing Capture the Flag or trying to negotiate a maze while linked to their teammates, the kids show a great deal of enthusiasm in their game time, which no doubt helps their appetite when the snack is brought out. Our worship last Friday was provided by the leader, accompanied by three of the young people; this four person band did a good job and hopefully we'll hear more from them yet! The Bible talk looked more closely at Jesus' own words about heaven and hell, and gave everyone a lot to think about. When the group meeting finishes, there's rarely a rush to leave - there's still time to spend practising music, or talking, or eating...

- Jonathan