After my first two trips to Tohoku in March and early April I more or less promised myself not to take any more photos of the tsunami carnage and destruction. My prayer is that images of hope and healing will …
earthquake
Emergency Warning Systems
Last night we stayed at the base camp in Miyako City. Just as we were getting up, around 6:51AM I heard the rumbling begin. We had felt a small aftershock last night as we were getting ready for bed but …
Listening and Building Trust
The main purpose of this week’s trip to Iwate is to observe, listen and learn. My travel companions are Pastor Shimizu, the chairman of the Japan Covenant, Dave Husby, the director of Covenant World Relief, and Adam Anderson, a pastor …
Dealing With Mud and Contemplating Ministry
This morning we worked at the home of an elderly woman only a block or so from base camp. She lives in a very nice home, probably with several other family members. But she was home alone while we worked …
When Good Fortune Feels Unfortunate
Today we spent time in the morning putting together packages for several people we had visited yesterday in Taro. We were able to give them a lot of things yesterday but several had special requests that we weren’t able to …
And here come the little ones!
I’m back in Iwate again. This is my fifth trip to Tohoku since the earthquake and my team mates this time are two fellow pastors from the NSKK (Japan Covenant). We have linked up with a team of ten from …
Does anything make sense?
We made it home after three days of hard driving and as I tried to sort through my thoughts I was struck by all the conflicted images and emotions we’ve had. It started with the tears of joy and sorrow, …
Death that Leads to Life
Today was another day of stark contrasts. We got up early and were treated to a great breakfast by our friends at the Morioka Minami Church. They are so friendly and seem genuinely happy to have guests. Pastor Otsuka showed …
Tears of Joy, Tears of Sorrow…
May 3rd was a day of celebration for the Japan Covenant Church. We gathered at the Covenant Seminary and celebrated the 60th anniversary of this denomination. Our guest speakers were Gary Walter, President of the ECC, and Curt Peterson, Executive …
Back in Iwate
This week’s trip to Iwate actually started on Monday night when fellow ECC missionary Tim Johnson and I loaded a borrowed one ton truck with a load of 23 bicycles and as much other stuff as we could fit. It …
