7/16/10- GION FESTIVAL!

This morning was a bit different because I led a small devotional on Luke 11:1-13. I was a bit nervous because leading a small group like this is one of my weaknesses, but the Holy Spirit totally led the group. It was a cool time because everyone was involved in the discussion, and I got to share about what happened with Sato yesterday. After our morning meeting, we headed over to campus thinking that it wasn't going to rain (but of course there was a thunderstorm later in the day). Campus time was slow compared to yesterday, so not that much happened. After campus time we went to the Gion festival. It's basically a Japanese block party with lots of food. I spent about $15 just on food, so I need to budget my per diem for the next two days. The atmosphere was pretty amazing, and seeing all the women in their traditional dresses was awesome. I wonder why there wasn't too many guys dressed up. Oh well. It seemed like everyone in Japan was on that long stretch of road because it was so crowded. The only thing bad about the festival was this long hotdog on a stick that I bought. I thought it was going to be good, but it didn't have any flavor and I had too much mustard on it. PLUS I paid 400 yen for it, when I saw the same thing being sold for 200 yen. Honestly, I was mad. Very mad. But overall, the festival was a fun time to just walk around and enjoy a traditional Japanese party.