This is long, but it is powerful! Have you been wondering how the church in Japan has fared? May God cause our hearts to give, to act, to PRAY. PRAY with Passion for revival and His mercy, strength and miracles.
"The light of the world"_After the Earthquake in Japan(English ver.) from Dear.Japan on Vimeo.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Friday, April 15, 2011
Playing in the Dirt
Sometimes you simply need to play in the dirt. Arielle and Nolan had been waiting for me to plant our "garden". I knew I needed to do something comforting.
Our little seedlings have taken off - should have been planted earlier - maybe - but we were busy last week.
It's late and I may be tired enough to sleep. Tomorrow, we need to buy more soil, plant more plants, pay taxes, pick up some plastic containers that Homac will hold for me.....
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Our little seedlings have taken off - should have been planted earlier - maybe - but we were busy last week.
We had lots of plants to put in too. Last year we had about 4 containers and it went so well we are adding many new containers. Michael is home and has ideas to combat the crows.....he's also been watching the farmers with their plastic wrap..... it may have been early...but we needed to do something together that was NORMAL.
I sat with tears and played in the dirt...and I was comforted in some strange way. At one point Arielle and I headed out to buy flowers and more soil. The cashier pointed out we had fertilizer. I'm a bit worried that we planted many of our plants in fertilizer...we should know soon. This is a start....we have the other side of the house, the back of the house and the strip of gravel off the patio too.
Back in February we ordered, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," for Nolan. He's been checking every box that enters our home. It was funny (oh, quake again) to watch him this afternoon. It had arrived and we'd hidden it. Tonight is pizza and movie night. We put on the movie and loved the surprise the kids received.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Riding an Emotional Roller Coaster
I've debated and decided not to gloss over the last couple of days. I've decided to write. This is long. You do not need to read it all. I need to write it all...without editing it to be the "right length" for a blog post. The last couple of days have been hard. This transition home kit project is huge. There have been minutes when I've wondered how I can possibly think of the details to pull it off...and yet God is faithful. I'm not energized by shopping. However, I've LOVED going out with the women who volunteered to help shop. It's been exciting to find "12 more toilet slippers" or "150 pairs of chopsticks"...but the thought of doing it all weekly can be daunting....BUT God is rising up volunteers willing to commit to shopping, counting money, assembling kits, driving to Miyako Shi....He's bringing in funds. I've learned much since March 11th, while separated from family, about "dancing with God" - following His lead....and I'm trying to keep centered in His embrace and follow His lead.
Having said all that....the days this week have been long. I knew Thursday would be an emotional roller coaster. I knew we'd probably see a bit of Tsunami damage on our trip. I'd seen this youtube clip: Be warned this is hard to watch - harder I am sure if you understand Japanese. I can tell homes washed away, cars (some with people in them) float by, cars end up on 2nd and 3rd stories of buildings, ships end up in the middle of town, and the big brown building disappears by the end of the clip. A 38 m wave came over the sea wall in Miyako City. Six thousand homes were destroyed. I can't remember the number of people killed or missing. Many.
Our mission on Thursday was simply to drive to Miyako City, meet Pastor Iwatsuka, encourage he and his wife, and leave the kits. We had 4 vehicles, 9 people. It was a 5 hour drive down and we wanted 2 people in each car for safety. Akikosan asked to come with us. She was invaluable as a translator,as a friend and in providing a Japanese perspective on the things we were to see and do. She is not yet a Christian and I wanted her to see the body in action.
Curious? " Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22
BTW this is a chapel project - Catholics and Protestants working together.....the body as it should be...working together to be salt and light.
I called Akikosan today. I needed to apologize for our cavalier attitude. She was a comfort. She told me I need to talk about what I saw and I need to show pictures so others will understand what is going on. It felt inappropriate to take photos of the housing area...so much pain and they should have the dignity and privacy to go through their things with some measure of - well - privacy. We couldn't read the signs which told us not to enter, and the JSDF waved us in. Akiksoan said we are blessing many people and this is a great work. I will take comfort in not having offended a friend who I so want to meet Jesus. So, with her blessing, I will share what I experienced.
I'm sad, however God is GOOD, God is redemptive, God can, and I believe WILL, bring good out of this tragedy. I continue to pray for at least one soul for the kingdom for every soul lost in the disasters. I continue to pray for bridges for the gospel. I am still.....
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Having said all that....the days this week have been long. I knew Thursday would be an emotional roller coaster. I knew we'd probably see a bit of Tsunami damage on our trip. I'd seen this youtube clip: Be warned this is hard to watch - harder I am sure if you understand Japanese. I can tell homes washed away, cars (some with people in them) float by, cars end up on 2nd and 3rd stories of buildings, ships end up in the middle of town, and the big brown building disappears by the end of the clip. A 38 m wave came over the sea wall in Miyako City. Six thousand homes were destroyed. I can't remember the number of people killed or missing. Many.
Our mission on Thursday was simply to drive to Miyako City, meet Pastor Iwatsuka, encourage he and his wife, and leave the kits. We had 4 vehicles, 9 people. It was a 5 hour drive down and we wanted 2 people in each car for safety. Akikosan asked to come with us. She was invaluable as a translator,as a friend and in providing a Japanese perspective on the things we were to see and do. She is not yet a Christian and I wanted her to see the body in action.
We laughed that this was Akikosan in a box....surrounded by home kits.
Loved Mt. Iwate on the way down
64 kits delivered to Miyako Community Church
Church is held in the living/dining room of the home....notes on their board.
Ruth and Chaplain B - there are other unloading photos taken by Navy PA. If I see shots, I'll add them. We were really too busy unloading to take photos.
What an honor to meet one of the pastor/ pastor wife which our project will resource.
Team Misawa and Miyako - minus two
We had hoped to take Pastor Iwatsuka and his wife to lunch, but the timing was off. He and one of his parishioners were heading to the center. He prays, the man is a chiropractor who adjusts....
Pastor Iwatsuka said they will take a team of 15 to a home, help clean it and deliver a kit. What a blessing.
We left to grab some lunch. Up to this point the day had been wonderful - really an emotional up...but the sickening plunge downward was coming. As we drove through town we began to see damage. Damage we'd seen on news clips and such...but the impact was different.
Akikosan explained this was a dump site for debris...it was shocking and yet only a dump site.
We've seen lots of boats where boats should not be - both in our city and on the road....but the boats were for the most part in the harbor....damage but not evidence of lost life.
We took a turn and found ourselves in a different, unexpected section of the port. This was residential. Not only were uniformed men working, but there were women also. They were picking through the rubble. It was hard to switch gears so quickly...I recognized the scenery from videos, I remembered the fact that 6,000 homes were destroyed, I noted Akiko's demeanor getting agitated....and it clicked. I asked if we were were seeing people looking through their homes. Yes, we were. The Japanese government, now that piles of rubble have been removed from port areas and city streets, are turning to this housing area to recover the bodies of thousands of missing. I thought my heart had broken for Japan over a year ago. I have prayed to have God's heart for Japan. At this point I was hit with incredible sadness and grief. It was unthinkable to note all the futons, furniture, toys and shoes jumbled in the mess. All we are doing seems so tiny, so pointless.....I was shocked at how quickly we had gone from ministry to voyeurism.....We didn't take pictures. We left. We gathered up back at the church and prayed.
I learned details to make future teams run smoother. I learned something about human nature....it's easy to slide into spectator mode in a completely innocent moment - with a turn of the road. Future teams will not drive to the sea area until we are CERTAIN recovery work is finished. We cannot risk Miyako Shi misunderstanding the motive of love and gospel. We are on a ministry mission - we are not trying to work in tourist trips on the sly.
I learned, in my GUT, what I had known intellectually, we cannot meet all the needs we witness. We are fulfilling one small role in God's body. We can do that to the best of our ability. I'd set up an assembly line on Wed. Anna shared that if God has an assembly line and is creating a car, we don't have to make the whole car alone, we simply have the job of ratcheting down the bolts in this one spot. We can focus on the one need and do our best to excel in this one spot. Jan had shared a story weeks ago......and it has come back to me...."Why in the world do you TRY to throw all the starfish on the beach back into the ocean. You can't possibly get them all to safety?" True, true....."but to that one starfish it makes a difference." I pray our little offering makes a difference to those whom we provide kits.
I learned that I didn't fully GET IT. How precious it was to hear the church would, "clean the home and give them a kit." I pictured them dusting building material from FEMA type apartments, wiping muddy footprints from floors.....but these saints are going to help families CLEAN the wreck and rubble of their home plot. I am humbled. I am saddened.
The tears finally came. Yes, some of you have wondered when it would happen. I know I'm tired - but it is more than being worn out. It is weeks of being strong and not allowing myself to grasp the magnitude of HUMAN suffering which surrounds us. I've always been empathetic. I placed myself in the shoes of the women I saw searching through the rubble, and I experienced new levels of brokenness. I'm driven to ever-more passionate intercession for the souls of Japan. I cannot imagine dealing with this level of pain without the comfort of the Holy Spirit - our comforter. My exhaustion from shopping is nothing. My determination to keep going is renewed. "Your kingdom come, Father, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May we be used faithfully for your kingdom purposes, wherever you have placed us."
We declared I would not do chapel work today. I've answered a few volunteer emails.....but today I needed to decompress so I can get back to it for next week. We ran to lunch. We came home and did jobs around the home.....we enjoyed our children and lived a "normal" life for a day.
This photos brings me a measure of peace. Please pray for this dear couple. There is ONE church in Miyako City....one. Imagine it; even small towns in America will have several flavors of churches. Their burden is great. Join me in supporting them in prayer. I'd love to be able to tell them Christians around the world are praying for them. This picture represents to me two pastors, from different countries, serving ONE Lord to meet the needs of a beloved nation.
I called Akikosan today. I needed to apologize for our cavalier attitude. She was a comfort. She told me I need to talk about what I saw and I need to show pictures so others will understand what is going on. It felt inappropriate to take photos of the housing area...so much pain and they should have the dignity and privacy to go through their things with some measure of - well - privacy. We couldn't read the signs which told us not to enter, and the JSDF waved us in. Akiksoan said we are blessing many people and this is a great work. I will take comfort in not having offended a friend who I so want to meet Jesus. So, with her blessing, I will share what I experienced.
I'm sad, however God is GOOD, God is redemptive, God can, and I believe WILL, bring good out of this tragedy. I continue to pray for at least one soul for the kingdom for every soul lost in the disasters. I continue to pray for bridges for the gospel. I am still.....
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
First Assembly Day - history
We set up an assembly line in the Fellowship Hall, moved all the items from the office to the fellowship hall...assembled 65 kits...loaded them into vans...inventoried the things left....went shopping to start for next week....got all the drivers lined up for tomorrow's delivery.... Good day...tiring day...I know in my heart, no matter how great the need, I cannot keep this pace up...but I have plans to alter the pace in upcoming weeks.
Photos:
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Photos:
Our QC ladies were invaluable....
My son, the coach, told me a clipboard and a whistle puts you in charge....I ran around all day answering questions, putting out fires and blowing my PWOC whistle. LOL
Anita checks a kit over
Note to self - next week assign people (like Melissa) at each table with glass that needs wrapping.
Becky takes QC seriously!
Multi-tasking: supervising assembly, wrapping china, giving Navy PA an interview and corralling Zander.
Ah - Asia Region Board at work. ::snort:: We managed to load 64 kits into 4 minivans.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Body in Action
They recognized me today at Homac....and I have a date to go back on Saturday. I'm hoping Akikosan can go with me so we can really understand each other. One lady told me today she wants a new American friend and gave me her name and number. ::grin:: She offered to write my shopping list in Japanese...but then I wouldn't be able to read it...but they could go and get things for me off the shelf.
They had 42 more containers for Y498 in TOWADA...and Susane and Mary headed off to buy them. This is WELL under the prices of any others in town. They told me they'd have 80 on Saturday. I appreciated this gentleman using TWO phones in his search.
Today PWOC met in the parking lot to go out. Several women purchased items for their own kits which they donated. Others helped me assemble more items for the ones I was shopping for. I've become a pro at finding things in the store.
The ladies suggested lunch at the mall and then finishing off at a 100 yen store. What a great idea. Missed meals yesterday. Yum. Most had 15 min after lunch but Ruth and I started shopping for next week...found the mother lode of fry pans and stock pots at Jusco. LOL
Back at the chapel many folks showed up to help unload. What a nice boost in our lagging energy reserves. Here I discover that Calvary Baptist, a local church, has given us enough Japanese Bibles to meet our need for this week and next week. We're working on more for after that. God is good...I love His body working together.
We have enough items to get 50 kits assembled tomorrow and out the door this week. YES. Several are still bringing in donations and we expect some more monetary gifts. We'll continue as long as God supplies and leads. I think the cut off for accepting funds is April 29th.
I am busy this week creating a system. Once the system is created, others will be able to step in and do more of the work. That's my prayer. I know I can't keep up this pace indefinitely...but the body working together can do great things. Huah! I have created labels and such for tomorrow. Thursday, we'll fine tune directions and procedures for our delivery volunteers and we'll see how this goes next week. My goal is for one or two "others" to know the system so well that this can carry on for the weeks when I'm stateside hugging on our older kids. They need to see us.
I need to get someone to write up IN JAPANESE what I'm doing so I can tell others. Ladies suggested I get a t-shirt that says "I'm going to Miyako City" to wear to stop the hostile stares from other shoppers as I buy cart after cart of merchandise. Anyway, I AM going to have someone write up what I'm doing so I can show the managers....
Funny today - I was trying to say "I am taking this to Miyako City" and evidently, told one and all..."I AM Miyako City." ::snort:: AND in the Daiso they insisted on giving me gifts when they realized where it was all going....strange "art plants" and votive candles.
Need to get go as I need to prepare for assembly day and Retreat Team meeting tomorrow!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
They had 42 more containers for Y498 in TOWADA...and Susane and Mary headed off to buy them. This is WELL under the prices of any others in town. They told me they'd have 80 on Saturday. I appreciated this gentleman using TWO phones in his search.
Today PWOC met in the parking lot to go out. Several women purchased items for their own kits which they donated. Others helped me assemble more items for the ones I was shopping for. I've become a pro at finding things in the store.
You are NEVER to young to catch the giving bug....
The ladies suggested lunch at the mall and then finishing off at a 100 yen store. What a great idea. Missed meals yesterday. Yum. Most had 15 min after lunch but Ruth and I started shopping for next week...found the mother lode of fry pans and stock pots at Jusco. LOL
Back at the chapel many folks showed up to help unload. What a nice boost in our lagging energy reserves. Here I discover that Calvary Baptist, a local church, has given us enough Japanese Bibles to meet our need for this week and next week. We're working on more for after that. God is good...I love His body working together.
We have enough items to get 50 kits assembled tomorrow and out the door this week. YES. Several are still bringing in donations and we expect some more monetary gifts. We'll continue as long as God supplies and leads. I think the cut off for accepting funds is April 29th.
I need to get someone to write up IN JAPANESE what I'm doing so I can tell others. Ladies suggested I get a t-shirt that says "I'm going to Miyako City" to wear to stop the hostile stares from other shoppers as I buy cart after cart of merchandise. Anyway, I AM going to have someone write up what I'm doing so I can show the managers....
Funny today - I was trying to say "I am taking this to Miyako City" and evidently, told one and all..."I AM Miyako City." ::snort:: AND in the Daiso they insisted on giving me gifts when they realized where it was all going....strange "art plants" and votive candles.
Need to get go as I need to prepare for assembly day and Retreat Team meeting tomorrow!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Monday, April 11, 2011
Hoarding?
Japan has anti-hording laws. I stretched the limit today. The chapel has been asked to provide 50 Transition Home Kits per week to families displaced by the Great Easter Japan Quake of 2011. You can see a sample of the list here (though we no longer have to provide the electrical). This is one of our current mission outreaches.
Many have brought completed kits to the chapel. Some have donated funds to purchase and deliver kits. Today, Annette and I headed out as I had a lot of shopping to do. At Homac we ended up with 7 cart loads and a big stack of plastic tubs. As we left each cart in the front and grabbed another one we received stranger and stranger looks. The manager was called. We kept shopping. I was blessed to be able to call Simon, an American who has lived in Japan for decades. He talked to the manager/cashier and explained that all I was buying was going to Miyako City and that I had enough money in my bank to cover the charge.
They called 3 cashiers and another man to help sort and load all of this.
Annette wondered if it would all fit in the little Joy...um...nope. We called the Chapel and Mike joined us with our big van.
Michael headed off to unload the van at the chapel. We went to the next store. We bought as many more items as we could find. Near the end of this store, Tara and son joined us.
We went to one more store and then Tara suggested she take the remainder of our list and head of alone. We dropped off more thing at the chapel. Annette went home to fix dinner. I headed home to collect kids and head back to base for Youth Group and Bible study.
When I arrived home our farmer's wife had brought these gorgeous flowers over....what a great pick me up!
Tomorrow, I head out again. PWOC is doing a group shopping trip for those who like to shop in groups or may be intimidated to purchase off base.
For this one week, we will meet our goal.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Many have brought completed kits to the chapel. Some have donated funds to purchase and deliver kits. Today, Annette and I headed out as I had a lot of shopping to do. At Homac we ended up with 7 cart loads and a big stack of plastic tubs. As we left each cart in the front and grabbed another one we received stranger and stranger looks. The manager was called. We kept shopping. I was blessed to be able to call Simon, an American who has lived in Japan for decades. He talked to the manager/cashier and explained that all I was buying was going to Miyako City and that I had enough money in my bank to cover the charge.
They called 3 cashiers and another man to help sort and load all of this.
Annette wondered if it would all fit in the little Joy...um...nope. We called the Chapel and Mike joined us with our big van.
Michael headed off to unload the van at the chapel. We went to the next store. We bought as many more items as we could find. Near the end of this store, Tara and son joined us.
We went to one more store and then Tara suggested she take the remainder of our list and head of alone. We dropped off more thing at the chapel. Annette went home to fix dinner. I headed home to collect kids and head back to base for Youth Group and Bible study.
When I arrived home our farmer's wife had brought these gorgeous flowers over....what a great pick me up!
For this one week, we will meet our goal.
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Beauty and the Beast
Part of the Misawa Human Video team performed today in Chapel. Jared was in this one. This was before Michael preached on Redemption and John 8 - the "woman" caught in adultery. I really loved how the youth's human video illustrated the sermon so well.
Earlier this month the other part of the video team led into a sermon with "Go Light Your World." I love it when the kids are an integral part of the worship experience, vs. "Aw, how cute the youth are doing something" which doesn't tie in with the rest of the service.
Well done, team!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
Earlier this month the other part of the video team led into a sermon with "Go Light Your World." I love it when the kids are an integral part of the worship experience, vs. "Aw, how cute the youth are doing something" which doesn't tie in with the rest of the service.
Well done, team!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
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