Tohoku Trip 3 Post #6

As I mentioned in earlier posts the main emphasis of this trip was prayer and our last day was especially marked by this.  In our morning time after sharing together we broke into twos and prayed for one another.

Even our new friends were prayed for.  We had to say goodbye and head off to Sednai Baptist Church to pick up Jason.  Here we introduced our team members to the Pastor who played his flute for us and shared some more of his story.

Not only were we privileged to pray for him and his assistant but Jason took time to wash their feet to express a little of the Love of God for them as individuals and to thank them for all their serving of the volunteers who were comng to Sendai.

One more trip to Tohoku brought  many more lives touched, much more understanding of God and His love for the Japanese people and His ways is sharing love and compassion.

We brought Jason and Jack back to Tokyo for some rest and relaxation and they will return in  a week. Peter, Mike, and Jacky also returned to Hawaii to begin planning for more teams  It will not be until next month that I will get to go again but in the meantime much will happen to enhance our future trips.

Tohoku Trip 3 Post #5

Today we spent the whole day carrying out water damaged materials from the house of a lady who ran a flower shop.  Near  the end we were wondering just how so much had been fitted into so small a building.

As well as the stuff we piled up outside the building there were three truck runs taking stuff away which fortunately could be used again.

Having removed the tatami mats from the floor it became obvious that the floor needed to go, too.

This was pure joy for Ko  - actually getting to smash things up and not get into trouble for it.  Both David and Ko managed to fall through the boards without hurting themselves or drawing blood and stuff like that.

The owner and her brother we so happy at all the work we were able to accomplish in one day and were bursting to share their story with us.

They had kept a scrap book and newspaper articles.  The owner told how she had spent most of her time first looking for,  finding, and then looking after her father before searching for other relatives.  This was why her house and business had not yet been cleaned out.

After hearing her story we took time to pray for her, her brother and other family members and also for her business.

Somehow at the end of the day it became apparent that Ko had added another Grandma to his collection.  Young people are such a blessing on outreach trips like this.  They have a way of opening hearts just by being young and being there.

That night we met some new friends at the base – two university students who had volunteered for their Golden Week holiday.  It was amazing how being in the same place volunteering together opened up their heart so much more than if we had just met them on the streets of Tokyo.

They also made good friends with the other members of our team and as they study in Chiba University it is VERY possible that we will be seeing them again when we are back in Tokyo.

Tohoku Trip 3 Post #4

During trip two Derick and I drove down the coast and passed through bay after bay of destroyed houses.  Fortunately for me we were driving in the dark and did not see the full impact as I knew my heart could not have handled so much in one trip.

This trip however was to be a prayer focus as we covered the same coast line – this time in broad day light.  We stopped at a few places and took time to pray as a team especially for those who were still trying to put their lives back together.

I am sure you have seen many such pictures but the impact of being there is greater than expected.

The journey continued mile after mile, bay after bay - a coastline completely changed in such a short time by one earthquake and a few tidal waves.  All in one day.

Here is the city of Rikusentakata – what is left of it. We spent a while in prayer here.  You can see the apartment building where up to the fourth floor is broken by the waves and only the fifth floor is unscathed.

Other than the buildings you can see in the first picture there is literally nothing still standing for  over a kilometer from the shoreline.  The picture on the right is looking to the left of the apartment buildings.

A whole city once stood here.  Once again – I had seen the video on You Tube of the wave arriving right where I was standing.  The video I feel that gives the best understanding of what happened is linked here.   If you are able to see this, notice  how many buildings there are the first time the camera sweeps round compared to when the camera comes back about two minutes later.

We did finish our trip and arrived in Ishinomaki to join Jack, Jason and the volunteers with J-Help.  It was good to bond together again and prepare for the next day’s work