Saturday, March 10, 2012

When in Japan... Do as the Japanese!!!!


3-9-12

We left Tokyo, after having a Japanese breakfast buffet, a lot of the food was familiar and a lot was not.
Got on a bus to the airport where we got on a train to Tokyo Station, which is huge and seriously if there hadn't been a guide we would have been lost within seconds. At Tokyo station we got to shop and buy our own lunches – I bought a tea, and a green tea muffin with beans on the inside. o_o
After that we got on the bullet train and rode 2 hours out to Sendai, where we met some other volunteers from Germany who were heading back home. Drove by van from the Sendai station to Shichigahama Base Camp, where we got a quick run down of the way things are done here – (for example: Japanese construction,etc. Is done VERY differently then in the US.) Had dinner and crashed for the night.

3-10-12

Life at Shichigahama -
The day started at 5:30am. With breakfast at 6 and devotions thereafter. The main language here at Shichigahama is Japaglish – basically whatever can be said in Japanese is, and so the typical conversation is part english part Japanese. It has been really cool though to here some of the Japanese volunteers praying in the morning.
After devotions and prayer time the vans roll out to the work sites. Today I worked with Michael, Jason, and Nolan in a house belonging to a couple in their late 70's. I spent the majority of the day using a power drill – on the ceiling, on the walls, on the floor, wherever a screw was needed I put it there. Another good part of the day was spend sitting with the home owners who made sure that we took a break for morning tea, eating our Bento's (aka-lunch), having some homemade soup, etc.
I also got to hear a bit of their story- They have lived in this house for a very long time (in Japan houses are treasures and are passed done the generations.), and the wife has never left Sendai. They don't own a car but bike everywhere they need to go. And on the night of the Tsunami, as the waters came rushing into the house, they run upstairs and onto their roof where they were rescued by helicopter - The wife said that this was the most terrifying event of her life (worst then the tsunami.) They personally witnessed hundreds of people, and whole families get swept away.

Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of the Tsunami and there will be memorial services held all over the county of Japan – unfortunately these services will also include praying to/ worshiping the dead. So please pray for the people of Japan that they would see the darkness and spiritual strongholds in their own lives, and please please pray for the salvation of the people we are working with – they are such dear people!

3 comments:

  1. Wow. I so wish I could be there with you. I have tears in my eyes right now after reading about the spiritual darkness those people live in. I have been praying for you whenever I think of it throughout the day. I will add that older couple, and all of Japan to my prayer list. I'm praying that the Lord will use you mightily as you are there to bring people to Christ! And I know He will. I look forward to hearing about it when He does.

    Love you! <3
    ~Amy

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  2. Just want you to know I am praying for you and thinking of you often! And I am trying to pretend I am there with you as I read your posts, so keep 'em coming. Enjoy your amazing adventure.

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  3. Amazing! I wish I could be there, too!! Wow, that's interesting that tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the tsunami - I totally didn't think of that, but it's incredible you get to be there! So wonderful to meet people from another country, too. It brings back fond memories of the people I met/saw in Mexico. Funny how you never seem to forget them... :)
    I will definitely pray that your team will be bright lights for Jesus to them and all the others. Thanks for posting - can't wait to hear more! :)

    L.J

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