Friday, June 8, 2012
Thank you for supporting me during my ministry.
I returned home about a month and a half ago from my first year of missionary work in Japan.
Right now, I am not sure when I will be able to return there... some family issues (plus other factors) led me to return home.
My job was very stressful, leaving me with little free time to update my blog. I barely could even get enough sleep!
However, I do want to share with you all a prayer letter that I sent out in February to my supporters. That appears below, and can give you a good idea of some of the difficulties I faced during that time.
I was wondering what I should do with my blog here. I still want to help the believers in Japan. I decided that I will post in the future bilingual devotions from one of my friends in Japan. She finds them somewhere on the web, then she translates them. I have a large number of them already from her.
I hope to be able to post one of her devotions every day (or as frequently as possible) until I have caught up with her recent devotions, which she normally sends me once or twice a month.
I pray this blog will prove useful for your spiritual growth.
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Dear Friends and Family, My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
信愛なる 友人、家族、主にあった兄弟姉妹へ：
I prayed for you and the people around you this morning. Please also pray for me.
皆さんと皆さんの周囲の方の為、今朝お祈りさせて頂きました。私の為にもお祈り下さい。
I am close to the finish line of my year of ministry here. I am planning to leave this kindergarten in the southern region of Japan where I teach to return to my hometown in Michigan (USA).
私はここでのミニストリーを終えようとしています。日本の南方にあり、私が教えている幼稚園からにアメリカのミシガン州に私のホームタウンに帰る予定です。
I can never thank you enough for supporting me in prayer and encouraging me… and other missionaries who also made sacrifices to bring God’s love to those who have not heard it yet.
私を祈りでサポートし、励まして下さった皆さん・・・また、まだ神様の愛について聞いたことがない方々の為に神様の愛をもたらす犠牲を払った他の宣教師の方々にも心より感謝します。
Sometimes I felt like the helpless victim of someone here who acted like they hated me. People were not originally created to hate each other, though. We were born to love and be loved. People find it hard to keep hating someone who loves them in return.
時々、私はここで私を嫌っているかのようにふるまう人の無力な犠牲者のように思われる事がありました。でも、もともと人は、互いを嫌うように造られてはいません。私たちは愛し、愛し合うよう、造られました。人は自分を愛してる人を嫌い続けるのは難しいと感じるものです。
I truly suffered this year, but did pray and stay faithful. Here I stand in Christ. I’m nobody special. It is amazing to see that one year since I first came to this school God’s love has softened the hearts of everyone around me- even those people who at first never smiled at me, lied to me, and attacked me. I forgive them all.
今年、私は本当に苦しみましたが、実に祈り、忠実を保ちました。ここで、私はキリストの代理を務めています。私は特に特別な人ではありません。私が初めてこの学校に来てから一年、神様の愛が私の周りの方々、初めは私に一度も笑顔を見せず、私にウソをつき、私を攻撃した人の心を和らげてくれたのを見る事ができ素晴らしいです。私は彼ら全員を赦しています。
Now they do smile at me. We can talk and laugh. Why? I have Our Father’s endless love inside of me and I share it with them. They can see I care about them.
今では彼らは私に本当に笑顔です。私たちは話し、笑うことができます。どうしてでしょうか？私の内側には神様の終わることのない愛があり、それを彼らと分かち合っています。彼らは私が彼らの事を気にかけているのを見る事ができます。
Yes, I understand my own weakness now more than ever before. Yes, I’m powerless at the school. That’s OK. I can influence the school. I can pray. God has all the power, and He is the only one who can change things at the school to make it better.
えぇ、自分でも今、以前より自分の弱さを理解しています。えぇ、学校で私は弱いです。それで大丈夫です。私はその学校に影響を及ぼす事ができます。祈ることができる。神様は全ての力をもっているし、神様のみが学校での状況を改善できる方です。
Now I am heading back home. I plan to earn my Master’s Degree in Education. Then I hope to go abroad again to do missionary work. The future is uncertain. All I can do is trust God- throw myself into the loving arms of Our Heavenly Father. He loves me and holds the future. That is the unchanging true love available to each of us.
今、私はアメリカの家に帰る予定です。教育学科での大学院をとる予定です。それから、宣教の働きの為、また海外にいけたらと思っています。将来は不確かです。私ができることは神様を信じるだけ・・・私自身を私たちの天国の父の愛情なる腕に投げ込む。神様は私を愛し、将来を握っていてくれる。それは私たち一人一人へ可能な、変わらない真実の愛です。
So if you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever and if you are single like me, don’t worry about it. You can still have a Happy Valentine’s Day~! Just open your arms to receive Our Father’s love.
だから、もし皆さんが彼氏、彼女、もしくは他の物がない、そしてまだ私のように独身なら、心配しないで下さい。それでもバレンタインデーを過ごせるよ～！ただひたすら腕を広げて私たちのお父さんの愛を受け取りましょう。
“So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.” Matthew 6: 31- 34, from The Living Bible.
「そういうわけだから、何を食べるか、何を飲むか、何を着るか、などと言って心配するのはやめなさい。こういうものはみな、異邦人が切に求めるものなのです。しかし、あなたがたの天の父は、それがみなあなたがたに必要であることを知っておられます。だから、神の国とその義とをまず第一に求めなさい。そうすれば、それに加えて、これらのものはすべて与えられます。だから、あすの為の心配は無用です。明日の事はあすが心配します。労苦はその日その日に、十分あります。」（マタイ6:31-34）（新改訳）
LET’S PRAISE GOD:
神を賛美しましょう：
*for good work accomplished on turning the hearts of the children towards the fathers and mothers. I have encouraged all the kindergarteners to say “I love you!” to their parents every day. In Japan, where sharing your feelings openly is not common, this is hard for them to understand and some of them say they never did this before. This is very important though, for the family to stay strong.
子供達の心がお父さん、お母さんに向けられ、良い行いが得られた事。私は幼稚園の子供たち全員に、ご両親に毎日「愛してるよ！」というよう、励まし続けました。感情をオープンに分かち合うのが一般的ではない日本で、これは彼らにとって理解するのが難しく、幼稚園児の中には、そういう事を一度もしなかったと言った生徒がいました。でも、家族が強くなるので、そうすることはとても大切な事ですが。
*the winter project that some teachers and staff members worked on was successful! Our kindergarten sent Christmas presents (some pictures, snacks, hats, gloves, tea, coffee, etc.,) to a Buddhist kindergarten in Tohoku that was partially destroyed by the tsunami. Hallelujah! What a blessing.
何人かの先生やスタッフが行った冬のプロジェクトが成功しました！幼稚園児がクリスマスプレゼント（写真、スナック、帽子、手袋、お茶、コーヒーなど）を津波で部分的に崩壊した東北の仏教の幼稚園に送りました。ハレルヤ！祝福ですね！
*I have been praying that someone in the Imperial Family would become a Christian. There are more Christians in Pakistan (where our brothers and sisters face persecution) than in Japan, I discovered recently… and one of the reasons that is so is because Christianity is quietly disapproved of as something which is outside of traditional Japanese culture. If only that perception could change. I was encouraged to find out recently from some senior missionaries that the Emperor’s wife graduated from a mission school and read her children the Bible everyday when they were growing up. The Crown Prince also said on NHK that his mother’s Bible reading was very important for him growing up, and he feels that is very important to have in his own family. That is very encouraging to me. Next… let us pray that a pastor will be able to minister to that family in the palace.
私は皇帝家族の誰かがクリスチャンになるよう、祈っています。日本より、パキスタン（私たちの兄弟姉妹が迫害に直面している）の方がクリスチャンがいて、その理由の一つが日本の伝統的な文化外でキリスト教が静かに受け入れられていないからだと最近わかりました。もしその知覚が変わる事ができたら。最近先輩の宣教師の方々から知って励まされたのですが、皇帝の奥様がミッションスクールを卒業し、彼女の子供が成長するとき、毎日聖書を読み続けたそうです。皇太子がまたNHKで彼のお母様が聖書を読んだことが彼の成長においてとても重要であった事、そして彼は自分の家族にそれがとても重要だと感じているとおっしゃっていました。これは私にとってとても励ましになります。さぁ、牧師が公邸の家族に仕える事ができるよう、お祈りしましょう！
LET’S PRAY:
お祈りしましょう：
*for my often depressed, sometimes suicidal friend Junko who lives in Ishinomaki, where many people died from tsunami
津波により多くの方々が亡くなった石巻に住んでいて、時々ウツで、時には自殺願望がるジュンコさんの為。
*for my student Teru, a brilliant third grader who has an incurable disease (MS?). When we recently talked about students’ future dreams and jobs, he would not answer the question. Instead, he said “Oh I’m going to die.” My heart goes out to him. After I prayed at the beginning of our most recent class together, he asked me, “Teacher, is there really a God?”
治らない病気(MS?)持ちで優秀な３学年の私の生徒、テル君の為。最近生徒の将来の夢、仕事等を話していた時、テルはその質問に答えませんでした。代わりにテルは「あぁ、僕は死ぬんだ」と言いました。私はテルの事を気の毒に思っています。私が最近の授業の前に一緒に祈った後、テルは私に「先生、本当に神様っているんですか？」と聞いてきました。
*for M, a Japanese student in college in Nagoya who grew up in China and Singapore, wants to be a doctor, recently became a Christian but has no Christian friends and has little time to go to church or fellowship with other believers.
中国とシンガポールで育ち、名古屋の大学にいる日本人の生徒さん、マ君の為。マ君は医者になりたく、最近クリスチャンになったのですが、クリスチャンの友達がいなく、教会に行く時間が殆どなく、他のクリスチャンとも交わりが殆どありません。
*for Osaka police to be able to solve the case of missing child Yuri Yoshikawa this year. She disappeared around nine years ago and her parents, both teachers, were unfortunately blackmailed out of a lot of money by someone who claimed to know where she may be buried, but that was a lie.
大阪の警察が、行方不明のヨシカワ・ユリさんのケースを今年解決する事ができますように。ユリさんは約９年前にいなくなり、彼女の両親と先生は、不幸にも、ユリさんが埋められてる場所を知っているかもしれないと主張した方に多くのお金を強要されたのですが、それは嘘でした。
*for Chiaki, an English teacher from Tohoku who lost her home in the tsunami. She now has PTSD and cannot return to work because of anxiety attacks. She does want to return to teaching to help her students, though. Many of them lost family members in the disaster and also suffer from PTSD.
津波により家をなくした、東北からの英語の先生、チアキさんの為。今、彼女はPTSDを持っており、不安に襲われている為、働くことができません。でも、彼女は彼女の生徒を助けたいため、ティーチングのお仕事に強く復帰したいようです。この震災の為、多くの家族は家族の方々を失い、またPTSDにより悩まされています。
*I’m hoping to launch an English-language prayer meeting in the area I live. Years ago, an English teacher who lived in this area from my home state of Michigan committed suicide. He had greatly enjoyed the English-language men’s prayer meeting that once met regularly here and was encouraged by fellowship, but after it ceased he seemed to grow increasingly heartsick about various issues in his life. After hearing his story, I was really moved and hope to start a similar group here.
私が住んでる地域で英語祈り会を開きたいと思っています。昔、この地域に住んでいて、私の出身地であるミシガン州出身の英語の先生が自殺したようです。彼はここで一度定期的に行われていた男性の為の英語祈り会をとても楽しみ、交わりにより励まされていましたが、それが終了した後、彼の人生のいくつかの問題について、だんだん心臓発作を持ち合わせたようです。彼の話を聞いた後、私は本当に心を動かされ、同じようなグループをここでスタートしたいと思っています。
*I’m attending a JCFN (Japan Christian Fellowship Network *website: http://jcfn.org/dir/index.php?lang=en) Leadership Retreat in Mitaka, Tokyo on Feb. 24 (Friday- took a vacation day from work) and Feb 25 (Saturday- my birthday). This is very important because we will be planning for ANRC (All Nations Returnees Conference) in November- a crucial yearly nationwide gathering for Japanese Christians who were saved abroad. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to improve ANRC. We hope that this year we will be able to plan more events in English and invite more English-speakers. The retreat will be all in Japanese, hope I can understand what is going on!
2/24(金曜ー仕事から休みをもらい）と2/25（土曜ー私の誕生日）に東京のみたかにあるJCFNのリーダーシップリトリートに参加する予定です。11月にANRCが海外で救われた日本人のクリスチャンの為に例年の全国的な集会を持つ計画があるので、この二日間の集まりは重要になります。ANRCを向上することができるよう、私たちに知恵が与えられる様、神様にお祈り下さい。今年、英語でのより多くのイベントを計画できて、より英語を話す方々を招待できればと思っています。リトリートは全部日本語になるので、何が起こっているのか私が理解できればと思っています！
*I’m planning to go back to Tohoku on Feb. 27 and 28 to do some volunteer work at a Buddhist kindergarten there (where our kindergarten sent Christmas presents) and also to encourage some of the people I met before on my previous volunteer trip.
2/27と2/28に仏教の幼稚園（幼稚園児がクリスマスプレゼントを送った）にてボランティアをするため、また以前ボランティア旅行で会った人々、何人かを励ますため、東北に行く予定です。
*for blessings on upcoming trips to Kyoto, Kobe, and Kumano before I leave Japan
私が日本を離れる前の京都、神戸、熊野への小旅行が祝されます様に。
*that I can save money and clean up my apartment before the end of March
お金をためて、３月の終わりにの前にアパートを綺麗にすることができますように。
*that God will bring the best Christian native English teacher(s) to the school here to teach the classes after I leave. We still don’t know who will teach classes here once I leave.
私が退職した後、神様がここの学校に最善の英語のネイティブのクリスチャンの先生をもたらして下さいますように。私が退職した後、誰が授業を教えるのか、まだわからないので。
*for my family, and that I will have the finish line faith to stay strong until the end!
私の家族へ。そして私が最後まで強くとどまる信仰を持つことができますように。
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Japan’s Shake, Wave, and Nuclear Bang Boom
(or, my personal experience of the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis in Japan)
First, here are two poems – both senryu- that I have created so far in response:
japan’s triple threat
samurai spirit outlasts
shake, wave, gamma rays
広がる輪
助け合いには
広がる和
hirogaru wa
tasukeai ni wa
hirogaru wa
widening circles
helping one another brings
widening peace
It’s not important that I ever receive anything in return for writing these poems, but instead I really hope these will bless somebody somewhere as soon as possible. . . that is why I share these poems here.
Before I discuss my personal experiences, I would like to list here again the three most important prayer requests for Japan. About a couple of weeks ago, there was a meeting about Revival in Japan in Osaka, and one of the speakers was Pastor Kenichi Nakagawa. I REALLY WISH some Western media reporters would interview him about his reaction to the current events in Japan, because he is surely one of the most respected Christian leaders in Japan, and for a long time led the long-running Japanese Christian TV series ‘Harvest Time.’
He gave these three prayer requests for Japan:
1) nuclear situation will be brought under control, the staff at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant will have divine protection, and their family members be comforted [I also would like to add that there will be a strong eastern wind to send any radiation to the sea where it can dissipate]
2) all those suffering because of the earthquake and the tsunami may receive the food, comfort, shelter and whatever else that they need as quickly as possible, and
3) for healing of the emotional scars & psychological problems of everyone involved, especially children (short-term and long-term panic, PTSD, depression, etc.)
As we all continue to pray I hope that we can remember his brief but very meaningful description of the three most important prayer requests in this international crisis. Please consider fasting too.
Well . . . so . . . I have some friends who keep asking me to share what I felt and thought of the tragedy on the ground. Currently I am in the United States for my spring break, however I was in a southern suburb of Osaka, Japan teaching English when the earthquake happened on Friday March 11, at around 2:45 PM.
We did not feel anything at the time. Osaka is about 500 km south of Tokyo, and Tokyo is about 320 km away from Sendai, which is the major city closest to the epicenter of the recent quake in the Northeast corner of the country (called Tohoku). I think some of my friends in northern Osaka said they felt something. I think I was probably in the bathroom at the time, actually.
Anyways, during a break in one of the classes, one of the mothers of the elementary school kids I teach said to my boss (in Japanese of course but I’ll give you the rough English translation): “You know what? I just heard there was some sort of an earthquake in Tohoku on the radio on my way here. I have to get home to watch TV and find out more about it. I have some relatives there.”
My boss listened and nodded, with a little vague smile. I thought maybe the faraway expression on her face meant that she was not paying much attention and thinking of something else. At any rate, I did not think the earthquake was a serious matter at all. We did not hear anything further about it at work. It was a short day anyways… we just had to teach classes from 2 – 4PM, as our normal kindergarten classes in the morning had all been cancelled.
I went home and turned on the TV. Nearly every channel had the same scenes of devastation- shaking walls, crumbling buildings, waves of water, lines of brand new cars swirled around in whirlpools like toy cars being flushed down a toilet. I was shocked for a moment.
However, my brain was too tired to break down the walls of the Japanese language for me immediately. I can speak and understand Japanese, but at the same time my second language can be draining and I can’t use it well when I am tired. I did not see many scenes of people, and my weary mind did not jump to think that there could be human beings caught in the murky devastation of the roaring tsunami. After about five minutes, I turned the TV to the only station that offered something that seemed light and entertaining- a children’s dance contest.
After about seven minutes of this, a commercial break popped up. I grew restless again, and decided to look online for more information in English about the earthquake. I was shocked to discover that already some articles were saying this was the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in its recorded history.
Now here let me be honest and admit that day before the earthquake hit I was at a personal low, perhaps even at my most selfish point. That week I was having a lot of difficulties, and I felt very unappreciated, much unloved, and even frustrated enough to want to quit and go home. Sometimes it is difficult to live overseas and face a perfect storm of challenges without being able to admit that although you are trying to care for others, you yourself could use some extra heart care.
So I think the most immediate effect the earthquake and tsunami had on my life was that it forced me to recognize again that there are a lot more important problems in the world than those that I deal with in my everyday life. A couple of friends on Facebook asked me if I was safe. With a sigh, I quickly wrote a reply without realizing that there were other people someplace else who might not be so safe, who might be missing.
Only when the NHK news report showed a long line of people waiting to use a public phone so they could tell their friends and family that they were OK did my tired mind finally begin to grasp some of the scope of this tragedy. God finally broke through the walls of my own apathy and indifference. I turned the TV off, turned away from my laptop, and began to pray.
Saturday, the next day, I had been thinking about joining an English haiku event in Kyoto. Instead, I decided to stay at home. I spent the day in a quiet way. I cleaned my apartment and prayed for everyone affected by the earthquake and tsunami. I was thinking of the words of my grandmother Momma Nell, who taught me that during thunderstorms we should not think about rushing about here and there. “When God is doing His work, it is time for us to be still.”
On Sunday, I ended up visiting Chiyoda Gospel Church, where my mentor Rev. Ryosaku Inoue delivered a sermon on thankfulness and gratefulness as a Christian. He spoke on Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were in prison when an earthquake gave them the opportunity to escape.
He mentioned that prayer for Jewish folk means expressing gratitude, while unfortunately we Christians tend to use prayer as an opportunity to give God our Christmas list. We take too much for granted- food, home, clothing, money, a job so much more- when all of these things are not guaranteed to us.
While I listened to him, I realized that I was so focused on my challenges that I was forgetting the blessings of my life in Japan. I really had to repent for all of my selfish thoughts.
Rev. Inoue went on to say that the earthquake completely changed everything. The prisoners who were of low status and who previously could not leave the prison suddenly now had the freedom to move as they wished and even to escape the jail. However, Paul chose not to escape.
Instead, he chose to stay to help the one who was now the weakest person- the jailer. The power over the prisoners that the jailer once held was now completely gone. The jailer also did not have freedom over his own movements- his job required him to stay in the prison, where he would be sentenced to death if any of the prisoners escaped.
And what made Paul decide to stay in prison? Because before he had an encounter with the living and true son of God- Jesus- on his way to Damascus, Paul had been in the same position. He had been the one who other people had given up on, somebody who may have seemed to have a high social position and everything the world could ask for on the outside, but who was still desperately in need of a deep and abiding purpose in life that no riches or status could ever give him.
After the service, I spoke to one of my students and her family and friends. At the church, I enjoyed a simple supper of kitsune udon together with the members there. Afterwards, Rev. Inoue, his wife Haluna, and I ended up hanging out with their friend Yukari from Tokyo. We went to the Kinogawa riverside and the sunny blue sky was painfully beautiful, enough to almost make us forget about the pathos that was constantly in the background of our thoughts.
As Yukari kicked a soccer ball with Yotaro, the Inoue’s two-year old son, I walked along the river, alone with my thoughts. I made a decision: to go back to that completely impossible situation in my life in Japan once again and quietly continue to do that seemingly unappreciated work for the good.
Daisuke Yokoyama, someone who is a far better Christian than I, said this before. However, it needs to be repeated: “Maybe… just maybe. . . this is how the world will now change for the better.”
A small step forward.
But this is enough.
Onward!
2 Chronicles 7: 14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
First, here are two poems – both senryu- that I have created so far in response:
japan’s triple threat
samurai spirit outlasts
shake, wave, gamma rays
広がる輪
助け合いには
広がる和
hirogaru wa
tasukeai ni wa
hirogaru wa
widening circles
helping one another brings
widening peace
It’s not important that I ever receive anything in return for writing these poems, but instead I really hope these will bless somebody somewhere as soon as possible. . . that is why I share these poems here.
Before I discuss my personal experiences, I would like to list here again the three most important prayer requests for Japan. About a couple of weeks ago, there was a meeting about Revival in Japan in Osaka, and one of the speakers was Pastor Kenichi Nakagawa. I REALLY WISH some Western media reporters would interview him about his reaction to the current events in Japan, because he is surely one of the most respected Christian leaders in Japan, and for a long time led the long-running Japanese Christian TV series ‘Harvest Time.’
He gave these three prayer requests for Japan:
1) nuclear situation will be brought under control, the staff at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant will have divine protection, and their family members be comforted [I also would like to add that there will be a strong eastern wind to send any radiation to the sea where it can dissipate]
2) all those suffering because of the earthquake and the tsunami may receive the food, comfort, shelter and whatever else that they need as quickly as possible, and
3) for healing of the emotional scars & psychological problems of everyone involved, especially children (short-term and long-term panic, PTSD, depression, etc.)
As we all continue to pray I hope that we can remember his brief but very meaningful description of the three most important prayer requests in this international crisis. Please consider fasting too.
Well . . . so . . . I have some friends who keep asking me to share what I felt and thought of the tragedy on the ground. Currently I am in the United States for my spring break, however I was in a southern suburb of Osaka, Japan teaching English when the earthquake happened on Friday March 11, at around 2:45 PM.
We did not feel anything at the time. Osaka is about 500 km south of Tokyo, and Tokyo is about 320 km away from Sendai, which is the major city closest to the epicenter of the recent quake in the Northeast corner of the country (called Tohoku). I think some of my friends in northern Osaka said they felt something. I think I was probably in the bathroom at the time, actually.
Anyways, during a break in one of the classes, one of the mothers of the elementary school kids I teach said to my boss (in Japanese of course but I’ll give you the rough English translation): “You know what? I just heard there was some sort of an earthquake in Tohoku on the radio on my way here. I have to get home to watch TV and find out more about it. I have some relatives there.”
My boss listened and nodded, with a little vague smile. I thought maybe the faraway expression on her face meant that she was not paying much attention and thinking of something else. At any rate, I did not think the earthquake was a serious matter at all. We did not hear anything further about it at work. It was a short day anyways… we just had to teach classes from 2 – 4PM, as our normal kindergarten classes in the morning had all been cancelled.
I went home and turned on the TV. Nearly every channel had the same scenes of devastation- shaking walls, crumbling buildings, waves of water, lines of brand new cars swirled around in whirlpools like toy cars being flushed down a toilet. I was shocked for a moment.
However, my brain was too tired to break down the walls of the Japanese language for me immediately. I can speak and understand Japanese, but at the same time my second language can be draining and I can’t use it well when I am tired. I did not see many scenes of people, and my weary mind did not jump to think that there could be human beings caught in the murky devastation of the roaring tsunami. After about five minutes, I turned the TV to the only station that offered something that seemed light and entertaining- a children’s dance contest.
After about seven minutes of this, a commercial break popped up. I grew restless again, and decided to look online for more information in English about the earthquake. I was shocked to discover that already some articles were saying this was the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in its recorded history.
Now here let me be honest and admit that day before the earthquake hit I was at a personal low, perhaps even at my most selfish point. That week I was having a lot of difficulties, and I felt very unappreciated, much unloved, and even frustrated enough to want to quit and go home. Sometimes it is difficult to live overseas and face a perfect storm of challenges without being able to admit that although you are trying to care for others, you yourself could use some extra heart care.
So I think the most immediate effect the earthquake and tsunami had on my life was that it forced me to recognize again that there are a lot more important problems in the world than those that I deal with in my everyday life. A couple of friends on Facebook asked me if I was safe. With a sigh, I quickly wrote a reply without realizing that there were other people someplace else who might not be so safe, who might be missing.
Only when the NHK news report showed a long line of people waiting to use a public phone so they could tell their friends and family that they were OK did my tired mind finally begin to grasp some of the scope of this tragedy. God finally broke through the walls of my own apathy and indifference. I turned the TV off, turned away from my laptop, and began to pray.
Saturday, the next day, I had been thinking about joining an English haiku event in Kyoto. Instead, I decided to stay at home. I spent the day in a quiet way. I cleaned my apartment and prayed for everyone affected by the earthquake and tsunami. I was thinking of the words of my grandmother Momma Nell, who taught me that during thunderstorms we should not think about rushing about here and there. “When God is doing His work, it is time for us to be still.”
On Sunday, I ended up visiting Chiyoda Gospel Church, where my mentor Rev. Ryosaku Inoue delivered a sermon on thankfulness and gratefulness as a Christian. He spoke on Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were in prison when an earthquake gave them the opportunity to escape.
He mentioned that prayer for Jewish folk means expressing gratitude, while unfortunately we Christians tend to use prayer as an opportunity to give God our Christmas list. We take too much for granted- food, home, clothing, money, a job so much more- when all of these things are not guaranteed to us.
While I listened to him, I realized that I was so focused on my challenges that I was forgetting the blessings of my life in Japan. I really had to repent for all of my selfish thoughts.
Rev. Inoue went on to say that the earthquake completely changed everything. The prisoners who were of low status and who previously could not leave the prison suddenly now had the freedom to move as they wished and even to escape the jail. However, Paul chose not to escape.
Instead, he chose to stay to help the one who was now the weakest person- the jailer. The power over the prisoners that the jailer once held was now completely gone. The jailer also did not have freedom over his own movements- his job required him to stay in the prison, where he would be sentenced to death if any of the prisoners escaped.
And what made Paul decide to stay in prison? Because before he had an encounter with the living and true son of God- Jesus- on his way to Damascus, Paul had been in the same position. He had been the one who other people had given up on, somebody who may have seemed to have a high social position and everything the world could ask for on the outside, but who was still desperately in need of a deep and abiding purpose in life that no riches or status could ever give him.
After the service, I spoke to one of my students and her family and friends. At the church, I enjoyed a simple supper of kitsune udon together with the members there. Afterwards, Rev. Inoue, his wife Haluna, and I ended up hanging out with their friend Yukari from Tokyo. We went to the Kinogawa riverside and the sunny blue sky was painfully beautiful, enough to almost make us forget about the pathos that was constantly in the background of our thoughts.
As Yukari kicked a soccer ball with Yotaro, the Inoue’s two-year old son, I walked along the river, alone with my thoughts. I made a decision: to go back to that completely impossible situation in my life in Japan once again and quietly continue to do that seemingly unappreciated work for the good.
Daisuke Yokoyama, someone who is a far better Christian than I, said this before. However, it needs to be repeated: “Maybe… just maybe. . . this is how the world will now change for the better.”
A small step forward.
But this is enough.
Onward!
2 Chronicles 7: 14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Director of Fukushima Nuclear Plant
Missionary friend told me today that the director of the Fukushima nuclear reactor plant is a Christian- his name is Naoyoshi Satoh. This is no coincidence that one of the most important men who can potentially help save northern Japan from long term destruction is a follower of our Lord Jesus- especially when you remember that Christians are less than 2% of the population here. Good opportunity to pray for someone who carries the terrible burden of finding a solution for this crisis.
Also very good news~! 90 tons of aid is headed for Japan courtesy of Samaritan's Purse. You can read more details here: http://www.crashjapan.com/index.php?limitstart=5&lang=en
As for me... Tuesday (tommorrow) I am headed back home to Grand Rapids, Michigan until April 2 for a much needed rest during Spring Break here. I usually have insomnia, but since the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis I really have not been sleeping well at all. I need to refresh and recharge myself! I'll be leading a prayer meeting for the Japan situation while I'm back home. Still thinking of what to say.
I feel there is great hope for Japan, personally! Many people for many years have been praying for revival. We humans cannot understand the reasons why a horrible tragedy like these three hammer blows have hit the same nation three times in a row... however I am certain that Revival is coming into Japan and the Japan that will stand up from the ashes from this one will be wiser, stronger, and more compassionate towards the needs of others.
My prayer for you who may read this blog is that God shall bring you ever closer to Him, my friend.
Also very good news~! 90 tons of aid is headed for Japan courtesy of Samaritan's Purse. You can read more details here: http://www.crashjapan.com/index.php?limitstart=5&lang=en
As for me... Tuesday (tommorrow) I am headed back home to Grand Rapids, Michigan until April 2 for a much needed rest during Spring Break here. I usually have insomnia, but since the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis I really have not been sleeping well at all. I need to refresh and recharge myself! I'll be leading a prayer meeting for the Japan situation while I'm back home. Still thinking of what to say.
I feel there is great hope for Japan, personally! Many people for many years have been praying for revival. We humans cannot understand the reasons why a horrible tragedy like these three hammer blows have hit the same nation three times in a row... however I am certain that Revival is coming into Japan and the Japan that will stand up from the ashes from this one will be wiser, stronger, and more compassionate towards the needs of others.
My prayer for you who may read this blog is that God shall bring you ever closer to Him, my friend.
Church near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant
Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church is located just 5 km (3 miles) from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Church members evacuated the area and were provided shelter by sister churches further away. Below is a report from Pastor Akira Sato who pastors the church (thanks to Leon Hill, Greg & Asa Swenson, and Kazuko Hayashi for this report):
Refugee Life Report by Rev. Akira Satoh
I give thanks for your prayers. On March 15th at one in the morning, my wife and I, having joined a truck which was full of relief supplies, stopped at a local store, taking anything we could get our hands on from the shelves, buying it all and filling our trunk and back seat area; with these supplies we headed north straight for Fukushima. Though on the way we saw sink holes in the road and houses that had partially collapsed we moved smoother than we expected, yet we also heard via the media about another explosion at the nuclear power plant and the leakage of radioactivity and added to that we heard reports of the enlarging of the evacuation area, prohibitions regarding entering the evacuation area and the like, so though perplexed we chose the inland road. It took 10 hours, but finally we arrived safely in Aizu at the refuge shelter (a church) at 11o’clock in the morning. Hallelujah!
About one-third of the 60 church members came from near the nuclear power plant, the radioactivity contamination testing not yet done they then joined us in the afternoon. At that time when we immediately started with a worship service, I began to hear their sobbing voices and I realized just how much each had passed through upon arriving here. In the evening we went to a nearby hot springs and shared the joy of bathing for the first time in five days. We were deeply touched by the kindness of the Aizu Church. One by one, trembling with emotion, I saw them call out and embracing each other saying “Your alive!” and the flow of tears started flowing again.
And all that to realize, they have just started Gypsy like wanderings, no longer having a home, and I ask these who left with just the clothes on their backs, “Do you need to launder anything?” and when they answered “We have NOTHING to wash.” I could not find the words to respond to them. When I asked, I found that some of them have had nothing to drink or eat for 3 days; others had spent those days numb with cold. This drifting lifestyle has just started with the pressing need to secure gasoline and a place to stay. This large family of 60 people trying to live together, and making matters worse this is a nationwide emergency in which it is hard to make decisions, so we have decided to head north preparing to establish ourselves, anticipating a protracted situation. Perhaps as a result of exhaustion, there are those who have received I.V. in the hospitals, from the old to the babes as God’s people after the exodus, we will be traveling in the “wilderness”. Will we ever be able to return to that town? Will it become ruins? Will we be able to return in 2 or 3 months? When will we again be able to open our front doors to the church and our homes? All seems to be a drift, in the midst of feeling our way we unite our strength guided by the pillar of fire and cloud, no other option but to wander.
The day before we left, the police gave a special “disaster relief” certification for our car so we were able to get a full tank of gas. Tomorrow the Yonezawa Church will pay a great sacrifice by receiving us in their building. We give thanks for their compassion and sympathy, and we can do nothing but kindly accept this means of survival. It is just like living out a scene in a drama, I never thought I would have this kind of experience in my lifetime. O Lord, may you protect this flock which is precious in your eye, which has begun to wander scattered about in various places like the “Remnant” like a people left behind.
Psalm 121
1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
Refugee Life Report by Rev. Akira Satoh
I give thanks for your prayers. On March 15th at one in the morning, my wife and I, having joined a truck which was full of relief supplies, stopped at a local store, taking anything we could get our hands on from the shelves, buying it all and filling our trunk and back seat area; with these supplies we headed north straight for Fukushima. Though on the way we saw sink holes in the road and houses that had partially collapsed we moved smoother than we expected, yet we also heard via the media about another explosion at the nuclear power plant and the leakage of radioactivity and added to that we heard reports of the enlarging of the evacuation area, prohibitions regarding entering the evacuation area and the like, so though perplexed we chose the inland road. It took 10 hours, but finally we arrived safely in Aizu at the refuge shelter (a church) at 11o’clock in the morning. Hallelujah!
About one-third of the 60 church members came from near the nuclear power plant, the radioactivity contamination testing not yet done they then joined us in the afternoon. At that time when we immediately started with a worship service, I began to hear their sobbing voices and I realized just how much each had passed through upon arriving here. In the evening we went to a nearby hot springs and shared the joy of bathing for the first time in five days. We were deeply touched by the kindness of the Aizu Church. One by one, trembling with emotion, I saw them call out and embracing each other saying “Your alive!” and the flow of tears started flowing again.
And all that to realize, they have just started Gypsy like wanderings, no longer having a home, and I ask these who left with just the clothes on their backs, “Do you need to launder anything?” and when they answered “We have NOTHING to wash.” I could not find the words to respond to them. When I asked, I found that some of them have had nothing to drink or eat for 3 days; others had spent those days numb with cold. This drifting lifestyle has just started with the pressing need to secure gasoline and a place to stay. This large family of 60 people trying to live together, and making matters worse this is a nationwide emergency in which it is hard to make decisions, so we have decided to head north preparing to establish ourselves, anticipating a protracted situation. Perhaps as a result of exhaustion, there are those who have received I.V. in the hospitals, from the old to the babes as God’s people after the exodus, we will be traveling in the “wilderness”. Will we ever be able to return to that town? Will it become ruins? Will we be able to return in 2 or 3 months? When will we again be able to open our front doors to the church and our homes? All seems to be a drift, in the midst of feeling our way we unite our strength guided by the pillar of fire and cloud, no other option but to wander.
The day before we left, the police gave a special “disaster relief” certification for our car so we were able to get a full tank of gas. Tomorrow the Yonezawa Church will pay a great sacrifice by receiving us in their building. We give thanks for their compassion and sympathy, and we can do nothing but kindly accept this means of survival. It is just like living out a scene in a drama, I never thought I would have this kind of experience in my lifetime. O Lord, may you protect this flock which is precious in your eye, which has begun to wander scattered about in various places like the “Remnant” like a people left behind.
Psalm 121
1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Shining Light in Dark Clouds Above for JAPAN
Last night, I came home around midnight but full of wild uncontrollable joy. Missionaries and all of the on fire Christian people dedicated to REVIVAL in Japan had a big meeting here in Osaka. Pastor Kenichi Nakagawa, who is probably the most revered Christian leader in the nation here, told us that there has NEVER BEEN A TIME BEFORE IN HISTORY WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE WORLDWIDE PRAYED FOR JAPAN. Breakthrough in the dark clouds above!
Nakagawa-sensei led us in group prayer, 1) for calming of the nuclear situation 2) for those suffering from earthquake and tsunami to receive help and 3) the heart problems of all, especially kids (such as panic, shell shock, and depression). Then for one minute we had individual prayer. That was the most intense one minute of my life so far. I truly felt like the Holy Spirit was stirring in the room so strongly that my chest was dangit how do we say it in English? Well...it was like when you see the firewords and there is a big explosion and the sound waves move through your body and then your blood starts moving and then your heart too is affected and then it beats differently. Like that. ドーンときました。
Wow, so many people tell me that now hee hee. It was even kind of ironic/weird/funny how I ended up going to the meeting. Rev. Inoue invited me at first, made it sound really important and for some reason I said, nah I'm not go...ing. Then a missionary friend Kazuko (fellow Wycliffe flunkie ♥ ) said, "Eh, I'm going to this meeting or something Friday for Japanese missionaries and revival stuff..." and then I really really wanted to go.
I had work and arrived late, however just in time to hear the climax of the presentation (not the main speaker from Israel actually, it was Nakagawa-sensei's fairly brief conclusion comments) and most important final 30 minutes. That actually is a perfect mirror to how I ended up in Japan this time, isn't it? Rev. Inoue invited me to come to Japan as a missionary and teach at SG. But I said, nah, I'm not going. Then God changed my plans. So here I am. And I arrived one month before Japan faced some of the most challenging times in the recorded history of the nation... indeed the climax of Japan's unfolding story...
Nakagawa-sensei led us in group prayer, 1) for calming of the nuclear situation 2) for those suffering from earthquake and tsunami to receive help and 3) the heart problems of all, especially kids (such as panic, shell shock, and depression). Then for one minute we had individual prayer. That was the most intense one minute of my life so far. I truly felt like the Holy Spirit was stirring in the room so strongly that my chest was dangit how do we say it in English? Well...it was like when you see the firewords and there is a big explosion and the sound waves move through your body and then your blood starts moving and then your heart too is affected and then it beats differently. Like that. ドーンときました。
Wow, so many people tell me that now hee hee. It was even kind of ironic/weird/funny how I ended up going to the meeting. Rev. Inoue invited me at first, made it sound really important and for some reason I said, nah I'm not go...ing. Then a missionary friend Kazuko (fellow Wycliffe flunkie ♥ ) said, "Eh, I'm going to this meeting or something Friday for Japanese missionaries and revival stuff..." and then I really really wanted to go.
I had work and arrived late, however just in time to hear the climax of the presentation (not the main speaker from Israel actually, it was Nakagawa-sensei's fairly brief conclusion comments) and most important final 30 minutes. That actually is a perfect mirror to how I ended up in Japan this time, isn't it? Rev. Inoue invited me to come to Japan as a missionary and teach at SG. But I said, nah, I'm not going. Then God changed my plans. So here I am. And I arrived one month before Japan faced some of the most challenging times in the recorded history of the nation... indeed the climax of Japan's unfolding story...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
OSAKA... the next capital of Japan???
Spoke this evening to a missionary who is staying at a youth hostel in Osaka area (we are 500 kilometers south of Tokyo). She said now there are many foreigners from Tokyo staying there. They are waiting to see what the resolution of the nuclear situation will be before they decide to leave the country entirely or not.
Many of them are French nationals as I hear the French news has really been emphasizing the nuclear crisis. From other news reports, I understand that the range of problems afflicting the Tokyo region (blackouts, reduced trains and buses to conservere energy and gas) has also led companies, non-profit groups, and foreign embassies to shift their operations to Osaka.
I read the Austrian government relocated all of their staff to Osaka.
Well... so far I don't think anyone is saying this yet. . . but I will go ahead and state the obvious.
OSAKA COULD SOON BECOME THE NEXT CAPITAL CITY OF JAPAN IF THINGS DETERIORATE ANY FURTHER IN TOKYO.
In such a short amount of time... let's continue to pray that the genius engineers of Japan will soon find a way to prevent a total meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and that the winds will blow the radiation out to sea where it can dissapate hopefully with as minimal effect as possible on living creatures and the Earth we all share. Dear God, please give the nation of Japan mercy at this time.
Many of them are French nationals as I hear the French news has really been emphasizing the nuclear crisis. From other news reports, I understand that the range of problems afflicting the Tokyo region (blackouts, reduced trains and buses to conservere energy and gas) has also led companies, non-profit groups, and foreign embassies to shift their operations to Osaka.
I read the Austrian government relocated all of their staff to Osaka.
Well... so far I don't think anyone is saying this yet. . . but I will go ahead and state the obvious.
OSAKA COULD SOON BECOME THE NEXT CAPITAL CITY OF JAPAN IF THINGS DETERIORATE ANY FURTHER IN TOKYO.
In such a short amount of time... let's continue to pray that the genius engineers of Japan will soon find a way to prevent a total meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and that the winds will blow the radiation out to sea where it can dissapate hopefully with as minimal effect as possible on living creatures and the Earth we all share. Dear God, please give the nation of Japan mercy at this time.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
URGENT PRAYER UPDATE FOR JAPAN!!!
As we are all continuing to pray for Japan... in Fukushima, Japan there is a nuclear power plant (Fukushima Dai-ichi complex) only 170 miles away from the capital city of Tokyo which is close to meltdown as a result of the recent earthquake. Right now it is leaking radiation and there have been several explosions and fires. 50 workers (heroes, truly) have been working there to do what they can to control the damage of the situation. Today they were ordered to return home as the radiation levels had risen so high that it was deadly. However, radiation levels dropped enough for them to return to work. Still, they are risking their lives at this point to save others.
WE MUST PRAY for these nuclear plant workers. Lord, give them divine wisdom to prevent a tragedy! Protect them from radiation. Comfort their families. Provide a strong wind to take the radiation away from homes and towards the sea. Right now it seems the people living in the Tokyo region are panicking. Heavenly Father, ease their fears because if this grows feeling grows any further, people will be trampled as they seek to buy supplies.
PRAY ON, PRAYER WARRIORS~!!!
WE MUST PRAY for these nuclear plant workers. Lord, give them divine wisdom to prevent a tragedy! Protect them from radiation. Comfort their families. Provide a strong wind to take the radiation away from homes and towards the sea. Right now it seems the people living in the Tokyo region are panicking. Heavenly Father, ease their fears because if this grows feeling grows any further, people will be trampled as they seek to buy supplies.
PRAY ON, PRAYER WARRIORS~!!!
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