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 …
Visual Reminders of Things Gone Wrong
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 …
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 …
Nervous Papa…
Kendra left for the U.S. today. She is flying by herself, via Los Angeles, to Colorado Springs. After a few days there with grandparents she will once again fly alone, leaving at about midnight for an all night flight, arrive …