Sakari Station
Back at Grace House we prepared for the day with breakfast and devotions.
Team Devotions
Today our team split into two groups, each of which spent the morning at one temporary housing complex and the afternoon at another. We interacted with the residents, all of whom lost their homes to the tsunamis of 3.11, in an informal and friendly atmosphere, doing little handi-crafts, sharing coffee, tea and refreshments, and enjoying singing and listening to music together. The format is pretty simple and flexible and the purpose is crystal clear. Motivated by the love of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are there to come along-side these people who have endured so much, to show love, to help them rebuild and regain lost community, to lend a listening ear, to offer care when we can, and to proclaim and exude hope no matter what! The funny thing is that we often feel like we are the ones who come away from these encounters as the recipients of rich blessing and profound encouragement.
Crafts
Making friendship bracelets
Crafts
Crafts
Getting to know one another
Small temp housing complex
The afternoon crowd
This lady did it better than any of us
Singing together
Tim’s music
Shakuhachi Hymns
One of the amazing aspects of these encounters is the eagerness with which 3.11 victims want to share their stories. One conversation in particular struck a very deep chord within my heart today. Mrs. K began recalling and describing what she had felt on that day two years ago, when she hurriedly ran from her home completely empty handed. As she stood on higher ground nearby the walls of black water rose up and washed away her home of 35 years. It was so unexpected, so far beyond what she had imagined, that she found herself almost void of emotion as she stood mesmerized by the surreal scene unfolding before her very eyes. She says there were no tears, there was no time for fear or sadness; all she remembers is an almost complete emotional void. The solitary emotion she does recall is a momentary feeling of thankfulness for the thirty five years she had enjoyed in her house; a thought that crossed her mind as the house was being torn apart and washed away by the roaring seas.
Soon she found herself in an evacuation center but became ill and was diagnosed with pneumonia. After spending several weeks in a hospital she went to her son’s home in Sendai which is about 2-3 hours from Ofunato. When fully recovered she experienced the first wave of pain and sorrow, realizing that she had no home to which she could return. Eventually she got settled in government supplied temporary housing but as time has gone by she has found herself increasingly submerged in a profound confusion between reality and her subconscious memory of a past reality. She repeatedly finds herself unsure of, or mistaken about what she owns and what she no longer owns. She knows most of the contents of her wardrobe and will often find herself planning to wear this piece or that piece of clothing on a particular day. But then she goes to her closet and only then does it dawn on her that she lost every piece of clothing she owned, except what she was wearing. Only now, two years later, is the reality of that loss sinking in. Similarly, she knows the contents of her kitchen well in terms of supplies and utensils. So she will frequently begin to cook something, only to realize half way through the process that she no longer has what she needs to complete that recipe. She left it all behind on March 11th, 2011 and within minutes it was taken from her, never to be returned.
It’s taken two years, but only now is she able to truly mourn her great loss; and yet it is a process that takes place in a surreal realm somewhere between her past reality and her present reality. And through it all what seems to disturb her most right now is the difficulty she has distinguishing between the past and present. While one might expect her memory of the horror of March 11th to be what feels surreal, it really isn’t. Its the present that she must live in every day that feels truly surreal to Mrs. K.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mt.5:4
Tulips at Grace House
