Summer this year brought a soaring number of covid cases. Japan was breaking records and had the highest number of cases in the world during the summer season. The children’s camp was a great success in spite of this.  Tim was happy to be back at camp after a few years of not being able to participate because of the pandemic.

These children are very enthusiastic about their singing. They have a week-long contest going on and there are some songs that are divided into teams. The team that sings the loudest gets the points!  No one wants to lose that one!

A highlight of the week is the onigiri contest.  This is a typical lunch item that consists of a rice ball that is wrapped in seaweed.  It can contain tuna salad and other items in the center. During the contest, the campers use their creativity to make their lunch, and then the onigiris are judged. In the past, there has been anything from Snoopy to Hello Kitty!

Unfortunately, the pandemic didn’t stay away.  On Tuesday, Tim started to have a sore throat but attributed it to sitting in front of the fan all day.  It was quite warm and that is the only way to get relief.  His brother, Phil, also started to experience this symptom.  Tim was also tired, but he had been working hard so didn’t think much of it.  As the week went on, he began to hear of people at our church that tested positive for covid. When he returned home from camp, he thought it prudent to get tested even though his symptoms were minimal.  It was positive.  His brother also tested positive. At least they started symptoms at the same time, so they know that one didn’t give it to the other!

The next week was to be missionary kids’ camp.  Kids from all over Japan travel to attend.  Some had already arrived and the food was purchased.  But over the weekend, other staff members started showing symptoms and tested positive.  As a result, the missionary kids’ camp had to be canceled.  I know this was a tremendous disappointment to everyone.

Tim had a complete recovery and was thankful that his symptoms weren’t very severe.  Kim is still stateside due to the birth of a grandchild, so she was greatly relieved that his case wasn’t serious. Everyone seems to have recovered, although some families are still dealing with it as it moves from one family member to another.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  As you can see, they are needed!!