Ofunato is a coastal city in Iwate Prefecture; right in the heart of the 3.11 disaster zone. I’ve been here for the last several days with a team from Newsong Church (Irvine, CA) and a few other volunteers from various …
The Popular Gospel…
CGNTV is a Christian broadcasting organization that works in several countries around the world, and is based out of the Korean Onnuri Church. The director of operations in Japan is a former student of mine at the Covenant Seminary and …
Revitalized Hearing
I’m currently going thru a bit of a milestone event. Several weeks ago I got my first pair of hearing aids! I know, 51 seems a bit early for that but it’s something I knew I would face from a …
Scattering and Gathering
As our time in Ofunato came to a close it may have been that my mind was already changing gears and focusing on the Pentecost sermon I’m working on for this coming Sunday. We got an early start, leaving Ofunato …
Hope for the Future
Today we split the team in two again and visited a total of four temporary housing clusters in Ofunato. We once again spent time with residents of these temporary housing clusters talking, singing, doing crafts, enjoying tea and snacks and …
Surreal Mourning
My day began with a short walk thru the neighborhood around Grace House. In particular I wanted to see the local Sakari train station. I had heard on the news that it was reopened recently. At present there are busses …
Back in Tohoku
It’s been ten months since my last trip to Tohoku. Every time I return to the 3.11 disaster zone my heart grieves again, and yet each time there is so much that has changed since the last visit. Today was …
Ryori Village Coming Back!
I’m back in Japan after spending six months in the U.S. visiting supporting churches. Other than being separated from the rest of the family for a couple months, it feels good to be back in Japan. After spending six months …
Surreal Moment in the Capital
I was in Washington D.C. today for the first time since a childhood visit back in the seventies. But it wasn’t remotely like the typical D.C. tour. It was actually just a stop over at the Dulles airport. Airlines have …
A sigh of relief, a prayer of hope
The long and all-consuming presidential election is coming to an end as I write this and it appears that the president has been given four more years to do his job. My first reaction is a sigh of relief. I’m …