Tiger Athletic Missions Experience Blog

Day 2 Blog
Fallon Hilliard - Junior  
Ronni Ward - Senior

Friday, August 2, 2019
On Friday, the first full day for the ETBU Cheer, Pom and Acrobatics and Tumbling teams in Japan, Senior Ronni Ward and Junior Fallon Hilliard provided their reflections.

Fallon Hillard
"Today was dedicated to orientation and learning what we will be doing for the rest of our trip, as well as getting accustomed to the area. After breakfast, Marty told us a little history of the culture and religion in Japan, which is the second most untouched country by Christian faith and missionary work. He expressed how the culture is based on great respect for each other, but they also carry great shame for their past and their countries history. I'm excited to reach out to the people of Japan and show them the greater love, forgiveness, and freedom God allows. I hope to see them break free of their chains and the weight of shame," Hilliard said.

"After orientation, we headed to Enoshima to see the beautiful scenery of Japan. We took a moment for ourselves and were given a few minutes to swim in the Pacific Ocean. The hike was very hot, long, and exhausting, but the teams stayed on high spirits and we saw so many interesting things. I'm excited for what the next few days hold and how God is preparing our hearts. After today I think all the girls are excited to see what impact we'll have on the people we encounter while in Yokohama on Saturday," Hilliard added.  
 

Ronni Ward
"After a long day of travel, we were able to get a refreshing night of rest and we began today with breakfast at 8:30 in the Grace Room at the Church. The Church was filled with the smell of scrambled eggs cooking, as well as with the excitement of the group as we were preparing for our first full day in Japan.  After breakfast we had an orientation where we learned some helpful tips and facts about the people and culture of Japan and then had lunch before starting off on our adventure of the day," Ward said.
 
"We walked the trails down to the Hongodai train station and got on there to travel to Enoshima where we would spend our day. The train did not travel all the way to our destination so we had to walk for about 30 minutes to get to the other side of the mountain where we could swim. The walk however, was breathtaking. We traveled through the areas where the shops were busy and they sold everything from fresh bread to children's clothing. The cuisine around us was different at every corner, but the heat geared us towards the ice cream and shaved ice. After hiking the mountain and finding our way through the shops, we arrived at a swimming hole where we were able to cool off. It was one of the most amazing views I've ever seen and everywhere you looked the land was different and so unique. 
 
After we swam and took the time to appreciate the beautiful picture God painted on the island, it was time to find our way back home. The walk was much easier this time as it was mostly downhill, but the heat was still very unforgiving. We arrived safely back to the church and even though we are tired, we are so immensely blessed to have seen the things we did today. It was a great way to get rid of any jet lag and prepare our hearts and minds for what God is going to do through us this week," Ward added.