Advent and Futsal

It continues to be busy with a lot of things going on, as we have moved into the Advent season.  The campus at CAJ is beginning to look much more like Christmas is right around the corner.  The big tree is up in the Atrium and lights are up around the campus.  

Atrium Christmas Tree.

This past Friday evening what the Christmas Concert by the High School Music Department.  There were a lot of different performances with different choirs and different bands/orchestra.  We have it in the gym because it is a bigger space than our Auditorium.  

Audience begins to arrive.

Chairs are set out, decorations up and some of the band/orchestra beginning to get settled.

Handbells are ready.

I am amazed at the musical talent of the students who attend CAJ.  We were certainly blessed by the music lifted to praise God.  There was one audience participation song, the Hallelujah Chorus.  It was a great way to end the concert.  
During the winter season, I am assisting the Futsal coach.  Futsal is something like soccer, played on a smaller field.  Some of the rules aren't quite the same, but it's quick and fun for the girls.  Middle School girls  are able to join the team.  We have about 25+ girls on the team this year.  Saturday was our first Jamboree.  Our first goal was to get to the Yokohama Center and Athletic Club down in Yokohama.  It was about a 90 - 120 minute train ride.  We had to catch three different trains. 

On the platform at Higashi-Kurume getting ready to catch our first train.

Yokohama is located on the bay and since it was a nice sunny day, there was a nice view.  

The bright sun, and the rest of the picture was blurry, but the sun was bright.

Tokyo Bay

 The girls were divided into four teams of about 6 or 7 players.  Each team would play another school's team.  They had five different fields set up.  The girls played 10 minute games mostly self refereeing the games, sometimes the coaches helped out with the refereeing.  The girls played games for most of three hours.

Gathering together for instructions before changing into their uniforms.

The field where the girls played on was some sort of Astro Turf, although nicely kept, wasn't so fun to fall on, we had a couple of skinned knees.  

The fields. 

West side of the fields. 

CAJ is wearing the blue uniforms.

The girls had a good day.  Overall the teams did well and learned how to work together. 
Glad there are Sundays as a part of the weekend.  I was pretty tired by the end of the Futsal Jamboree.  Sunday has been a day of rest, a time to rejuvenate spiritually with the fellowship of believers.   I also took the opportunity to catch up with some of my neighborhood responsibilities.  There is an unwritten rule/law that you keep the curb clean in front of your house.  There are people in my neighborhood that take this very seriously and every morning when I bicycle to school, I see this one lady who is diligently sweeping up her curb.  I cringe when I see her, because I don't follow that pattern at all.  I try occasionally to clean up, but certainly do not do it every day like she does.  Yesterday when I came back from the Futsal Jamboree, I noticed there were a few piles of leaves by my curb.  Today after coming home from church, I decided I should get that swept up.  It wasn't as easy a task because there would be gusts of wind every once in a while, blowing the leaves around.  There was entertainment for me as I was sweeping, since the children from across the street were outside playing.  One was learning how to roller-blade and the other two younger girls were "assisting" him, or it seemed they were giving him advice.  Anyway, I went about my business of sweeping up the leaves.  Funny thing was, half way through my job, I noticed the two girls had gotten a broom and dust pan and were sweeping up their leaves too!  I was chuckling inside, thinking, isn't that just fun, even though we don't speak the same language!  

You see some of the bottoms of the trees that are providing the leaves.

Ok, these were only two of the three curbs, the third one had leaves on it again...:(  I live on a corner lot. 
I hope you were able to take some time to just spend in God's presence today, whether it was at a worship service, or sitting in your own house reading scripture, or spend some quiet time in prayer.  I pray you may have had a Sabbath.