Napping on the train

So after a very fun-filled Saturday, (and only a few hours of sleep on Friday night because I couldn’t put down a fantastic memoir by Nicholas Sparks), I boarded the last train of the night from Fuji, where I had bowled, to Shizuoka, where I would spend the night at church. It was almost midnight and not surprisingly, I fell asleep during the 1/2 hour train ride. Thankfully I woke up when I heard “Shizuoka” announced; the electronic sign above the door also read, “Shizuoka” so I stumbled off the train in a sleepy daze.

“This doesn’t look like Shizuoka station,” I thought to myself.

"But, usually I arrive from the opposite direction so maybe it just looks different from this side…”

From the top of the escalator though, when I could see the main part of the station, I knew it was wrong. Blinking hard and shaking my head, I wondered if it was all a dream. I looked around and discovered that indeed I had mistakenly gotten off at Higashi-Shizuoka, instead of plain old Shizuoka. I wanted to cry, but managed a small smile of disbelief as I dug out my cell phone and prayed someone who could help me was still awake.

Josef, who knew I’d be spending the night at the church, answered his phone with a cheerful, “Hello!”

“Um, Josef…I made a mistake. I fell asleep and accidentally got off the train at Higashi-Shizuoka!”

(Laughter)

“Right, so can you help me?”

"Yah, it’s going to be fine. Remember that big hill you climbed last fall…find that hill and walk toward it…I know it’s dark and you can’t see a thing...but go toward the hill and I'll meet you there."

Less than an hour later I arrived at church with a warm cozy bed waiting for me!

Praise the Lord for patient friends, cell phones, legs that can walk, and a sense of humor to enjoy the adventures of life!