I bet you were wondering what the Conference was like once we finally got there. Sorry to leave you hangin! The picture above is everyone that attended the Conference. All in all there was about 90 missionaries! These missionaries are inspiring! If you ever want to be a life long learner with a ton of interesting adventures, then be a missionary. Every time I meet another person that has been on the mission field, I learn valuable life lessons from their experience. As Paul Gateley would say, "Are ya listenin? I'm given you pearls." 
We stayed in a place called Megume Chalet in Karuizawa. Karuizawa is a small tourist town about 2-3 hours drive from Tokyo. It's more north, so there is skiing there in the winter time.
Many people go to Karuizawa for summer vacationsThe Chalet is a Christian Retreat Center that was started many years ago by TEAM. For many years now, the Chalet has been ran by
Japanese
Christians.
It is open to anyone, especially Christian organizations and churches. Recently the Chalet has been a hot spot for people to visit during the Christmas Season. Many people don't know what Christmas is about in Japan, so visiting the Chalet is a truly cultural and spiritual experience for many. There are Christmas lights, gifts, a retelling of the Christmas story, and this coming year there will be a Living Christmas Tree! The great part is that you can see all of this ALL YEAR! It was a little strange to see Christmas stuff in August! But, it's a great way to advertise.Although we were told that it would be a cool escape from the heat in Kyushu, we did not find that to be true. Apparently it's the hottest summer they've had and we got to be there for it! Good thing we brought more than jeans and a jacket!
We would start each morning in worship together. After that we spent the day listening to different speakers and having annual meeting stuff. Nick and I tried to soak up as much wisdom as we could get. It was a great time for learning, fellowship, and fun. We haven't met a dull TEAM missionary yet:)