Tohoku- A Lesson in Hope

My team had the privilege of going to the Tohoku region to do some volunteer work for a few days this past week. We helped a man with the finish work on his new restaurant, his old one having been destroyed by the tsunami on March 11, 2011. It was pretty lowkey work, but I really enjoyed being able to help in a tangible way. One of my favorite moments of our trip was when he gave us a tour through the half-built structure. Picturing the kitchen, toilet room, and dining area along with him was exciting and allowed us to share his vision as he rebuilds his life.

A few locals were generous enough to show us a few significant places in the area of Kesunuma where we were working.  It was surreal standing in places that had been so ravaged by the triple disaster, the emotions are hard to put into words. Looking out at the ocean and have it be so calm and deep blue knowing what great destructive power it held was eerie. And to stand next to the fishing boat that was carried inland 800 meters and then dropped was another reminder of how forceful the waves had been. Bare foundations of what used to be homes were painfully juxtaposed with brand new supermarkets. The many places displaying gravestones for sale was a sad reminder of the reality of loss these people face everyday.

Despite all the physical reminders of the losses, there is also a great deal of hope sprouting up here. The lady who helped organize our trip up, Emiko-san, shared a lot of how the area is healing. I got to spend time on our commute to and from the work site with Emiko-san so it was an honor to hear more of her story.

She worked with Cru in Japan for several years before starting a lucrative career with Costco. When the triple disaster hit she felt the Lord calling her to Tohoku. She has since been living in the community of Senmaya being a light to her neighbors. Hearing her vision for a church plant and her observations of how the gospel is slowly softening peoples' hearts was really encouraging. I'm thankful God called her and that she is clearly seeing how he is using her. Please pray for Emiko-san and her faithful work. She is in it for the long haul with these people and that brings a lot of joy as well as sorrow.

Request on Jacob's and my bus ride

Pikachu and Jake- best buds!

Snow day shoveling

Hard at work scraping wood

The work site- future Italian restaurant for any foodies out there

Empty land behind our work site where over 100 people died during the tsunami

Looking back to the mainland from a peninsula that was washed over by the waves on March 11

Lone tree standing at the end of the peninsula, it's thought to be lucky since it is shaped like a dragon

Unreal serenity

Skeleton of a building

The fishing ship that was carried 800 meters inland during the tsunami

Bare foundations

Kylan and Cam with Hoshi-san

With Emiko-san at our "base"

17+ hours on the road home, some of which looked like this

Finally, here are a few video clips I took during our time. The first is the snow fall at the place we were staying. The second is of the area in Kesunuma where the fishing boat was carried in by the waves, and the final one is on our long, snowy trip home. Enjoy!