Every once in a while I still come across a photo or video clip that takes my breath away my breath.  This is a video I had not seen before of the tsunami hitting Onagawa, a small, quaint fishing town just north of Ishinomaki along the coast.  Several posts ago I put a photo on my blog (here) of a condominium that had been toppled on its side by the tsunami.  I read that these huge concrete buildings were toppled over because of the combined effects of the 9.0 earthquake first, and then the tsunami that followed.  There were nothing else around it.  The town really is gone.  From this video, you can see what actually happened — how a town full of banks, homes, grocery stores, parks, cars, schools, children, seniors, hospitals…. — could be wiped away. Partway into the video, the cameraman exclaims that the waves are ten meters high.  In reality, they later estimated that the tsunami waters reached 17 meters – about 55 feet, or almost six stories.

There are some amazing before and after Google photos on Danny Cho’s website of both Onagawa and Ishinomaki.  I won’t repost his photos – but its worth seeing… He makes a good point for the usefulness of Goggle Earth- it really does allow us to see what used to be.

I just shared this with a friend and thought it was worth sharing with others who may need to read this. As we have been praying about moving our family up to Tohoku, my mind is the type to over-process and, on given nights, lie awake late in my bed, mulling over all the potential problems.  On one such morning in Ishinomaki, I read this from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening (October 17th).  It is in a century-and-a-half old english, but don’t let that put you off.

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.”

1 Samuel 27:1

The thought of David’s heart at this time was a false thought, because he certainly had no ground for thinking that God’s anointing him by Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been varied; they had not assumed one form only, but many—yet in every case he who sent the trial had also graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, “Here is evidence that the Lord will forsake me,” for the entire tenor of his past life proved the very reverse. He should have argued from what God had done for him, that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in the same way that we doubt God’s help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father’s goodness? Have not his lovingkindnesses been marvellous? Has he once failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head he has held aloft the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience is, that he who has been with us in six troubles, will not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God, proves that he will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs devour it.

We had a wonderful time in Tohoku. It was only four days, but it felt like we were able to meet many old friends in Sendai and old and new ones in Ishinomaki.

One of the things we definitely wanted to do was to visit Mrs. S. (see entry below). The first day our family drove over she wasn’t home. So we took just Ian the next afternoon (the older kids were playing in the park with some of the neighbor children), and we had a wonderful, sweet visit with her. She loved on Ian so so much!  Here are some photos that will make sense if you read the entry below (the turtles; and the quilt that the Hawaii team gave her):

Eric later said that he thinks she just lives for these visits.

We continue to learn more of her story as our friendship grows.  It has been neat how many different teams have been able to bless her over this summer.  One of the sad stories that she told us was that when she was out searching for her daughter (she found her a week after the tsunami – she had died near her father and sister’s grave markers), she came across many bodies that had not been collected yet.  There were three children she saw – they were clinging to each other.  She imagines that the older of the three was trying to lead the younger two home when the tsunami came.  The story broke my heart, and continues to haunt her as well.

Her husband (who died several years ago) had planted a special donguri (oak) tree  in the yard for their grandchildren to enjoy. The tsunami had killed it, down to the last root. When a previous team was there working, they had chopped down the dead trees and  dug out the roots.  Eric checked to make sure it was really dead, and it was. When the daughter saw that the roots were dead, she laid down her head and cried. It had obviously meant a great deal to her.

Eric found a similar tree on the internet this past week and had it sent to the Be One house. Today, Chad (and perhaps others) took it to her home and planted it. Chad sent a photo worth a thousand words. I have looked at it at least ten times in the last few hours and just smiled.  And smiled again.  This is her way of communicating cross-culturally:  “It’s great!  OK!  Awesome!  Thanks!”  It is so worth whatever the cost may be if we can bring the light and the love of Jesus to these people.  And now, a new tree of hope grows in Ishinomaki.

Eric came back with many wonderful stories from this past week up in Ishinomaki.  One of the Ishinomaki residents whose story has made a big impact on Eric is Mrs. S. She has been an amazing partner to Be One.  Whenever they have gone into her neighborhood, she has opened up her home, her driveway for distributing relief supplies. She’s been a leader in the community, gathering people to receive help when it comes.  She also goes around and greets people to just make sure they are okay.  After the tsunami, she took it upon herself to make a book of her neighborhood.  She went around door to door of over one hundred homes to find out who had died, survived, who was still living there, etc.

Mrs. S.’s home is located at one of the worst locations in terms of the tsunami– near the ocean and at the mouth of a river.  When the tsunami came in, it travelled in from the ocean side as well as up through the river.  That neighborhood was hit from both sides.

Over the five months or so that Eric and others have been visiting Mrs. S., she has been exuberant and always welcoming.  It wasn’t until August, when Eric met her Tokyo daughter that they found out the heartache that she has endured.  Mrs. S. was away when the earthquake happened.  The next day when she finally managed to get home, her daughter wasn’t there.  Mrs. S. went out searching. Her body was found a week later at the nearby cemetery, where Mrs. S.’ husband and other daughter were buried.    Those first few days were incredibly difficult with no power, water, food, heat, etc.  The neighbors who survived all pooled resources, sure that they only needed to wait a day or two until the Japan Self-defense forces would bring relief in.  Three days passed;  they did not come.

It was about the fourth day when God led some Be One members to her area.  They brought food, water, and necessary relief.  Mrs. Suzuki says, “I thought Japan was going to save us.  But instead, God came first.”

Be One members continued to visit and bring relief supplies in.  Every time they would come, her Tokyo daughter said she could tell because her mom would have hope in her voice again.

In August, Be One had a worship gathering in Ishinomaki.  It was an important Buddhist remembrance day , so Mrs. Suzuki could not attend, but she sent her daughter.  Her daughter gave an amazing testimony through tears of how important this group has been to her and her mom.

Last week, Eric, other members of Be One, and the Hawaii team went to her home to take out her old floors (destroyed by the tsunami) and put new ones in.  A huge project, but a great group to take this on.  They worked hard for two days, but Eric said Mrs. S. continued to make amazing meals for the team members throughout their time of serving.  At one point, she scolded one of the Hawaii team for trying to do her dishes.

Once some of the flooring was in, some of the women on the team helped to wash off and put away some of the family’s interesting collection. She and her husband had collected large stuffed turtles, buffalo horns, coral collections… They had been stored up on the second floor after being tumbled around during the tsunami.  The women cleaned them and set them upon the shelves downstairs.

As the team was leaving, Mrs. S. was crying with thankfulness.  She said that she then called her daughter, and they both cried together.

During the night, Mrs. S. got up at 3 in the morning and went downstairs.  She realized a crazy thing during the night, and went down to confirm… the team, without knowing it, had set up the turtle and misc. collections in the exact order that Mrs. S. and her husband had had it set up for years, until the tsunami ripped everything apart.  She again melted in tears, and told this story the next day to the team when they returned to finish the floors.  She said, “It’s a miracle!”

Our family will be going up to Tohoku for four days this weekend, and we hope to visit her.  Please pray for Mrs. S., that God will continue to reveal Himself and His amazing care to her.  She still says that she wishes she had died in the tsunami.  She needs the hope of Jesus.

(Photo below:  Chad helping to put in the new flooring):

Eric left on Saturday morning to drive the van up to Ishinomaki.  Last night he shared that during the onsen (public bath) time, Chad had a chance to hang out with a young guy who was sort of watching the team of volunteers.  He went over and they talked for awhile.  Chad found out this guy had been working IN the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the day of the triple disasters.  He has since been transferred to the one near Ishinomaki, but has been living with a lot of guilt and blame for the things that happened that day.  So thankful for the timing and the team being there just then…

Today they had a really special worship service in which a number of members of the community attended.  Eric was really touched – again.  Tomorrow the five who are up there are going to help some families move out of the evacuation centers where they have been living for seven months into the temporary housing that the Japanese government has built for those who lost homes.  It will be a neat chance for them to love on these families who have been through so much…

Tomorrow night a team of ten from Hawaii will be flying into Kansai and taking the bullet train up to Tohoku.  They have been recruited by our friends Dr. Sharon and the Kawates.  Randy, who came and worked with Be One for several weeks in the spring, will be bringing the team – yeah Randy!  He and his wife had come about five years ago and spent a week ministering with us in Sanda.  He is retired and has been using his gifts and time to serve.

Here is a photo and the individual testimonies of the team that is coming.  I love how God is weaving some of their lives back to Japan to do service like this.  Praying for God to use them each in special ways to minister to hurting people.

Last weekend at our training conference, our friend Mike Wilson showed this humorous video (originated with Derek Sivers) that illustrates how people movements happen.  It has to make you laugh!  But it really touched Eric’s heart (I was at the hospital with our friend’s baby being born at the time).  When we got home, he found it for me on YouTube and we watched it together.  It spurred some important discussions for us.  As we continue to pray about our future,  this crazy dancing guy – and his followers – have actually been really instrumental in guiding our prayers.  Enjoy this – and let’s get dancing!