Memphis will be laid to waste

So I'm back in Ono in Shiga-Ken (prefecture) after an amazing week in Tohoku. The experience was emotionally and spiritually challenging, but ultimately rewarding. We traveled by van on Monday - a twelve hour journey across the island of Hokkaido. 80% of Japan is uninhabitable mountain range and every mountain is covered in trees! We finally arrived at the Karate Dojo in Miyagi-ken, Tohoku late Monday evening. I was personally looking forward to spending time in a real Japanese Dojo. The Dojo itself conformed in the main to what I had expected. There were white and blue mats permanently laid in the main hall. There were certificates (presumably of the students) all around the walls. However, on one side of the hall there were two Buddhist shrines. Nevertheless, culturally it was an impressive site.

Tuesday we began work with the rest of the team that were already there, mostly made up of Americans. We were working with the 'Be-One' team, a group of volunteers from house churches from Osaka. We drove into the city of Ishinomaki where the Be-One team had a base, a house that had been damaged by the Tsunami but that they were renting and had refurbished. Our main task for the week was to clean out mud and sand clogged drains. Over the course of the week we managed to dig out and clear drains in two streets. The reason why the Be-One team was working in the area of Ishinomaki was because there were still people living there trying to rebuild their lives. It was tough work and some of the most physically strenuous work I have ever done. It mostly involved lifting concrete slabs then shovelling out the dirt that was filled with all kinds of debris, filling plastic bags and then transporting the bags to the designated dumping ground.

As the Dojo did not have shower facilities and the Be-One house only had cold water we had to bathe in a local Onsen. For anyone unfamiliar with a Japanese Onsen it is a public bath, where people pay to wash and then relax in a steaming hot communal bath...naked! I must admit Tuesday evening I really struggled with having to use the Onsen, I resented my forced naked exposure and was particularly uncomfortable with the public nudity, especially as children and adults bathed together (although in separate genders). However I put the experience into the bigger picture and the grand scheme of what we were doing in serving the local population and bringing hope to the area, as well as glorifying God through our service. As the week progressed I learnt to resent it less and refused to let it ruin my week of which I grew so much serving the local people and sharing fellowship with the other volunteers. It truly was a great time to bond with others in our common goal and vision to reflect God's love and grace to the people of Ishinomaki.

Ishinomaki itself was a surreal place - literally metres away from the Tsunami devastated areas, only a minutes drive away businesses and roads were reopened and life carried on. As we were digging out the drains there were even a few people living in the houses around us - in the middle of such destruction! Houses were left barely standing, entire walls and rooms ripped apart by the Tsunami - there were huge mounds of mangled metal from vehicles etc and boats deposited in the middle of buildings or left on the streets. The most emotive thing I encountered as I surveyed the ruination was a family's photo album - the photos damaged by the water. It was particularly evocative and moving as it was putting a human face to the tragedy of the Tsunami. I didn't know whether the family were dead, killed in the Tsunami, or had just fled the area. But it was a powerful reminder that there was an entire community in that area that had been swept away by the powerful force of nature.

On Wednesday afternoon we went down to the local park, which the Be-One team had salvaged and restored a few months earlier and invited the children to come out and play. It was such a blessing to bring joy to these young children, many of whom had witnessed people dying in the Tsunami and to hear them laughing and seeing the smiles on their faces. I was incredibly thankful to God that in a small way we were able to bring happiness into their lives and let them be children again. We played tag and ball games and had face painting and guitar lessons. At the end of the afternoon we gave all the children that wanted one a pack of Christian children's books and note pad and colouring pencils.

On Thursday something rather bizarre and exciting yet alarming happened. I went with a small group of men to transport an elderly couples furniture to their new temporary residence on the outskirts of the city; on our way back we were pulled over by the police! As the van only had three seats in the cab of the van, I was riding in the back with another team member, who happened to be our team leader. The police pulled us over for the violation but unfortunately we had hardly any identification on us. I didn't have my passport or wallet on me as they were back at the Dojo and Chad our leader didn't have his foreigner ID card on him. To make matters worse we didn't have all the legal paperwork in the van we needed either! Thankfully the police only gave us a warning and we got away without a ticket. It was a wake up call to not take liberties with the road laws but at the same time we were frustrated because we were there for a good cause. Nevertheless God blessed our service and our outreach.

On Saturday it was a particularly hot day and my body finally succumbed to the nature of the work; I became dehydrated and I felt light headed as well as the circulation in my hands was effected. I had a strange throbbing sensation in my hands and what felt like pins and needles. After lunch and drinking a lot of fluids I felt much better and the sensation in my hands had gone. But I took it easy in the afternoon not pushing myself. Sunday I returned, but as we got back so late I had missed the last train home from Kyoto. Very kindly Catherine let me stay in her apartment complex as there was a spare room. We arrived back in Kyoto at one am in the morning, absolutely shattered! Earlier today, as I was already in Kyoto and had nothing planned, Catherine and I went and did some site seeing. Catherine took me to Nijo Castle, a fabulous historical castle complete with traditional Japanese architecture. It was very exciting to walk around the halls where the Shogun once walked with the Feudal lords. We also went to one of the more historical quarters of the ancient capital and passed through a large Shinto Shrine. I was extremely grateful to Catherine for giving up her own time to show me the city.

Finally I had to take a bus from Catherine's apartment to Kyoto train station and then get a train to Ono where Peter came and picked me up. After the last 24 hours I was very glad to be back in my temporary home while here in Japan. But I have had an amazing week, giving and helping the people of Tohoku as well as making new friends and sharing new experiences with other missionaries from around Japan.

"Am I only in this to feel comfort - without pain I'd never know what comfort was." War of Ages 'When Faith turns to Ashes'

Please give thanks to God for the following:
1. The relief work of the Be-One team in Tohoku and their extraordinary witness to the local people
2. That I am home safe

Please pray for the following:
1. That more missionaries and church groups as well as non-Christians would feel convicted to go and help in the relief work in Tohoku
2. That many people in Ishinomaki would come to faith through the witness and service of the several Christian groups working there