Today I once again made the long drive to Miyako city in Iwate. We left Tokyo around 1:30PM and got to Miyako at 10PM. This week we are here with a team from Wheaton College Graduate School. They have recently …
earthquake
Reasons for Hope
In our morning devotions we talked about finding hope, even when thinks look bleak and reflected on the source of our hope, the resurrection! As people of a resurrection faith, we choose to view lots of difficult situations from a …
Just Chillin’
Today started early. I was up before sunrise, grabbed a couple of cameras and drove down to the nearest beach to get some shots of the sunrise.
The spot where I was shooting is a little harbor and what immediately …
Destruction, loss and heartbreak; up real close!
It rained most of the day so we had to cancel our planned portable cafe; a new service the network has been offering in temporary housing neighborhoods. We expect to do it tomorrow so I’ll report on it then. Instead …
Back in the Zone
It’s been over two months since my last post. I apologize for the long silence. After seven trips to Tohoku in three months I was feeling the need for a break. In August we were able to spend time together …
Seeing the Big Picture First Hand
Today was a long day of driving, and more importantly it was a deeply sorrowful day as we passed through town after town, village after village, and saw the destruction everywhere. We drove along the coast from Miyako to Minamisanriku, …
Facing Death, Planting Seeds of New Life
Today was our last full day in Iwate. Once again we began with morning devotions.
Then we piled in the two vans and once again headed south to Otsuchi. We registered at the volunteer center for a half day’s work. …
When Garbage is So Much More!
Day Three in Tohoku began with team devotions, which is a culturally appropriate activity in itself for a team in Japan, since it means cramming fifteen people in a six mat (9′ x 12′) room.
Then we headed back to …
Meeting Needs, Encountering Beautiful People
How do you meet the needs of a town like Otsuchi? More than one in ten people died on March 11, including the mayor and the top 35 manager class employees at the city office. In the central part of …
Just Getting There!
“Go in all the world” Sometimes just getting there can be quite a task. It was certainly so for my parents’ generation when freighter ship was the standard means of transport and several weeks was the amount of time you …
