Sunday, March 13, 2011

Rocking and Rolling in Japan - Michael

It has been quite a show the past few days. It began with a base-wide exercise. We were pretending something bad was happening in the world and we had to get there to make a difference. This requires a whole lot of moving parts to work together. The day the exercise began, internet connectivity died. It was wild and slow from the get-go. My time finally came to do the formal part of "getting there," and they had

things flowing relatively smoothly. Went over to the Torii building to drop off all of my paperwork, and things changed. It began with a little shake. Usually these come and go fairly quickly, but this one did not. It took a momentary break that I thought was the end, but, no, it was merely reaching for the next gear.
Things got really wild for a long time. I began to wonder if the building was going to start coming apart. Fortunately, after what seemed like an eternity, it slowed and then quit.

During the shaking, there was a lot of shrieking and yelling - some of the women were shrieking, too. Others took a more laid back view. They went to the window to watch the street lights in the parking lot sway and toss about - you would think it would be the guys doing this, but you would be wrong. :) Soon, the lights flickered and went out - everywhere in the northern end of Honshu (Japan).

I busted out of there and went to the Chapel to drop off the rest of my gear, and then I headed for home to check on the kids. I found them a bit frazzled (OK, maybe a bit of an understatement) and hiding under the dining room tables. Well, not all of them were under the table. The house was quite a mess.

There was one bit of levity in the midst of all of this. Jared had come downstairs after the first tremor had past, and found everyone under the dining room tables. He stood in the doorway when the earthquake managed to grab that "next gear." Alex was screeching and contributing greatly to Stacia's angst, and naturally, Jared is trying to keep things from getting out of hand so he tells Alex, "Calm down, this is no time to get hysterical!"
Alex responded right back as books are falling off of the baker's rack, things are clattering off of the walls, our wind chimes are loudly clanging, "This is the perfect time to get hysterical!" Gotta love it.

That night the boys elected to sleep upstairs, but the girls were not interested. Rather, they insisted on sleeping on the floor in the living with the dining room tables placed
over them. It was well-worth the effort knowing they were going to sleep a bit better.

What is hard to conceive at this point was the devastation that resulted from this quake. We thought maybe we were in the middle of it or at least not far from it. None of us were even close nor could we imagine the immense amount of damage and destruction and the astounding loss of life that came as a result of this quake and the ensuing tsunamis. Even after watching numerous accounts on youtube, and various news channels, we have not even begun to realize how this is going to change life in Japan, forever.

Please pray for wisdom and strength for Japan's leaders and all those involved in rescue efforts; pray for grace, mercy and healing for those all who have been impacted, and pray that through this, many will come to salvation in Jesus.

Blessings
Michael


Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

15 comments:

Kristine said...

Continuing to pray for Japan, your family included.

About Stacia and Arielle sleeping under the table--it reminds me that, following the 1989 Santa Cruz earthquake, my (adult) sister slept in her clothes for months, shoes alongside the bed, just in case.

This is a tragedy of such great magnitude, and it's easy for me to forget the (relatively) smaller and individual effects.

God reigns; Jesus saves.

Linda said...

We are praying! I agree completely with Zander, that was the perfect time to be hysterical. :)

Cynthia said...

GOOD job thinking to take a picture for the blog :).... And on a more serious note, of course, we are praying for all and especially for DeEtta's speedy return!

Kim said...

I was so thankful to hear that you and the kids were OK, Mike. I have gotten e-mails from various friends - all thanking me for the rescue efforts that the US Military has been providing. So, I pass that thanks on to you and those you serve with. We are praying, crying and waiting! (Ryu's family and our friends are still safe in Tokyo.)

Debbie said...

Thanks for the update, Michael. I especially enjoyed the little bits of humor in it all. Often that helps make any situation a bit less scary.

I have watched the videos over and over and I am still in awe over the power of it all and the terrible tragedy.

Praying for you and De'Etta and the children and that you will all be back together again as a family very soon. I wish there was something we could do here in the states for you all.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

wow, I want to be home camping under the table with the girls.

Jen said...

Thinking of and praying for you all and Japan. Thanks for the updates!

Lois said...

Thanks for the update! It seems like the girls knew what to do! And the pictures are great. When this is all over, it'll be interesting to compare this experience with being stranded in Seattle. This assignment has been fraught with peril at every turn, but God is still in it.

Deja said...

Thanks for the update. My kids loved the exchange between Alex and Jared. Since I live in the dark ages and am not on FB, I emailed Jamin Friday morning asking if he had heard from you yet. Literally not more than 5 minutes later, there was a knock at my front door...Jamin. He was on his way over to drop off something basketball related. What an email answer ;-) It was immediately comforting knowing you guys were safe. Praying for God's presence for the people of Japan and that many would know Him. Oh, and we're praying for De'Etta to get home safely!

Ev said...

Praying for Japan & that the glory of God will rest over Japan.

CailinMarie said...

oh my.
I stopped by after something Felicia said at "Stare if you must"
and wow
you have a beautiful family and I am glad everybody is "okay" if frightened and hysterical
praying that grace and peace hold you all and keep you all as you face whatever comes after such a forceful quake and tsunamis.

Progonoskis said...

We're praying, for your family and especially for the people of Japan who face such a difficult road ahead. I have friends over there I would like to be able to account for. I'm grateful to know your family at least are OK.

Paula said...

The Progonoskis comment was from me, I didn't realize I was signed in with my husband's account until that name showed up!

Janette said...

Are you heading home?

Anonymous said...

I know it may be difficult to post, but how are you? We continue to pray for you, your family, Misawa Base, and all of Japan. If you get the chance, please post for those who are not on FB.

Wilma in WV