Once again.. how could I ever have prepared myself for what was ahead. Just the day before I left, I still had no idea where I would be staying in Japan.. nor did I have any idea as to what I would be doing.. but was just trusting God.. that He knew. That day I received a message from Kevin, a friend of a friend in Japan who was there teaching English. He offered to have me stay at his place, and not only that.. mentioned that he had just met this couple that attended a local church in Takasaki where he lived; and they were planning a trip up to Sendai where the tsunami took its toll. They stayed in touch and said that there was a possibility that we might be able to join. I tell you, when I got that message I was overwhelmed...truly without words. As much as I would have loved to make my way up north to be with the people who had been devastated by the recent disaster.. I had no idea how that would even begin to work. Last minute, two spots opened up for me and Kevin to join the caravan up to Sendai.. only to arrive back at midnight on the day I was to fly out. Only God can do this!Sendai...
I was surprised that there were no real visible signs of the earthquake in Tokyo itself or in the surrounding regions.. (other than the fact that there were very very few.. and I emphasize few.. foreigners.. even in Tokyo's city center). When we arrived up to the area of Sendai we were beginning to see evidence of the 8.9 quake- a housing structure that had slid off the side of hill was completely totaled. Upon arriving to the actual city center of Sendai, I was surprised that once again there was very little damage to be seen. There were some large cracks on the sides of buildings, roads that had clearly been repaved, many homes with roofs that had been damaged, but overall, the city was up and running again quite well. After watching the chilling footage of the tsunami that shocked viewers worldwide and listening to the stories of the people we encountered in Sendai, it was clear that we hadn't seen anything yet.
The place where we were staying was the new location for Seaside Bible Chapel that had been swept away by the tsunami's torrent. Many people, such as the pastors son, drove for their lives as the black wave chased behind.
Driving through the wreckage was crazy. When asked to describe all of it... once again I was lost for words. How do you respond to the numerous lives that had been lost and the vastness of wreckage left behind? Cars were flipped upside down & crushed into homes, many of which were completely demolished.. fields were filled with garbage, and electricity lines toppled. There were Japanese military vehicles everywhere and tents set up for those that had lost their homes.. that is those that were even allowed back... the vast majority were still in evacuation camps. It looked like a war zone... but even in the midst of the devastation I was surprised by the amount of work that had already been done. I was amazed at the joy that people had.. the smiles on their faces while it was obvious that they had just endured so much pain.
Driving through the wreckage was crazy. When asked to describe all of it... once again I was lost for words. How do you respond to the numerous lives that had been lost and the vastness of wreckage left behind? Cars were flipped upside down & crushed into homes, many of which were completely demolished.. fields were filled with garbage, and electricity lines toppled. There were Japanese military vehicles everywhere and tents set up for those that had lost their homes.. that is those that were even allowed back... the vast majority were still in evacuation camps. It looked like a war zone... but even in the midst of the devastation I was surprised by the amount of work that had already been done. I was amazed at the joy that people had.. the smiles on their faces while it was obvious that they had just endured so much pain.
The first family that we helped arrived to find that their home was still standing; however the first floor of their home had been completely striped, with nothing but wood beams remaining. They showed us the watermark that remained on the building well above the sliding glass door to give us an idea of how high the wave was
. We sorted through the rubble in their backyard, separating shards of glass, plastic and trash.. finding everything from lipstick, toys, Christmas lights, shoes- anything and everything you could imagine.
While digging through the trash, I found a photo album that the tsunami swept away from an office building a couple miles away. I also found a piece of an origami crane, which I was able to take home as a keepsake.
. We sorted through the rubble in their backyard, separating shards of glass, plastic and trash.. finding everything from lipstick, toys, Christmas lights, shoes- anything and everything you could imagine.While digging through the trash, I found a photo album that the tsunami swept away from an office building a couple miles away. I also found a piece of an origami crane, which I was able to take home as a keepsake.
Going into this trip.. we understood the reality of how many people lost their lives and were effected by this disaster. Amongst those was the neighbor across the street who was at home when the wave hit. He tried to escape, but was swept away, unable to be saved... only to be found right next to his home. It was eerie as his house was in absolute shambles, yet their pink car was washed up into their front yard with little to no damage. His wife was at work that day. You just have to wonder how she is doing.
The second home that we were sent to had been in the family for 11 decades. It was a traditional Japanese home on a large piece of land where for generations family members farmed to make a living. As you can imagine, after the tsunami their crops...their home... their livelihood had been swept away.. instantly. They were at the point of "what now?". The son said that he was going to just pack up and try moving to New Zealand for a fresh start. He really didn't know what else to do. "It was so scary," he said. After the earthquake and tsunami warning he quickly got in his car and booked it west as fast as possible.. with the wave not too far behind. Another precious woman I met was a friend of the family. Her name was Reiko. Reiko recently lived in San Diego and was so excited to meet me, and likewise, I was excited to meet her. She also was hurting for her friends. While her home was located on a hill and was not effected by the tsunami, some of her closest friends had lost everything-and it pained her. Oh, but you should have seen her smile.. her beauty.. her joy.. that resulted from Jesus in her heart. It was amazing. You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the mother and grandmother as they literally skipped down their street with joy. What?? How is this even possible? You should have seen all the people that were coming together to help. The majority were natives from all over the country.
You should have heard as a handful of believers gathered together, crying out to God on behalf of their people and their nation. The sounds of angels, adding to the fullness of the noise.. the presence of God so strong that at times I couldn't help but fall to my knees. God is definitely doing a new thing in Japan. It is happening. He is bringing HOPE through Jesus to the hopeless.. and joy for despair. It is really beautiful. I made beautiful friends while I was there... and have many homes to go back to. Thank you God!
Please continue to pray for these people, specifically Seaside Bible Chapel in Sendai, International Family Church in Takasaki as well as the Abeko and Takeda families.
Thank you.
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The day after I got back from Sendai, I left for South Korea, where I saw my little brother Brian, and
continued on to Shanghai China, where I currently am residing with my older brother Steve and will hopefully proceed down south..
Stay tuned for an update from China!
