D-DAY: Flight to Japan

After much research, planning and anticipation, we finally left for Japan on Monday, July 29th at 3:00 pm.  It was a straight 13 hour flight into Narita International Airport.  The flight was uneventful and pleasant.  No one was able to sleep.  But this served us well as we were able to go to bed early and adjust to the 13 hour time difference in Japan.

As we walked toward baggage claim, we noticed friends holding up signs to greet us. We didn't realize we would have a whole group meeting us to welcome us and make sure we got to our hotel ok.  This was a loving gesture since we only knew a few Japanese words and were somewhat anxious about getting the right transportation to our hotel.  Several of our Christian Sisters gave us fabric roses to pin on and all were helpful in making sure we bought the right bus ticket to our hotel. 

It took one hour to arrive at the Yokohama Sheraton.  Brothers had a desk in the lobby also to assist us during our visit.  So everywhere we went during our 5-day stay in the convention city, there were people ready and willing to offer assistance.  From the beginning of our visit, we found ourselves fighting back tears of joy as we experienced the International Brotherhood in action.

We arrived in Japan early evening on Tuesday, July 30th.