For the past three days, my mind has been fogged in with news reports, photos and videos of destruction, and sheer, utter, disbelief of the horror that befell Japan on March 11, 2011. With prayers, getting involved in donation events, and doing a lot of talking to my friends, I have emerged from the dark tunnel, with a Twitter account. Why??
Since Friday morning I've been keeping in contact with my pen pal, Hitoshi, whose birthday I just recently mentioned. I was so relieved when he emailed me to tell me that he was okay, Yokohama was okay, and that means Chiba is also okay, where another good friend of mine lives. "But" he said, "Northern Japan has undergone severe damages."
My friends are alright, my host family, my church, they are alright. But there are so many numbers. When I think on the thousands of people who are displaced, or the millions without power or water, or the countless missing or dead, even if everything close to me is alright, the country closest to my heart is not, and that hurts more than anything else.
Having taken days to process this catastrophe, I feel that I can write clearly, with deep emotion, but with less anger and frustration that I expressed at 8am on March 11th in front of the television, with tears I was even shocked at how many tears I cried throughout that day.
The physical devastation of Japan is heart breaking to me. Ever since I visited that country, my heart felt at home there, and no where else could do. I have made friends in the country, and have bonded through sharing my limited knowledge of the language with those willing to do so much as to communicate with me. I have exhausted the patience of my Japanese instructors, my pen pals, even my language exchange friends. I never thought I'd be preparing myself to go to a country that is now facing something unlike anything they have faced in over 100 years. From the deepest part of my heart that loves in a way that I don't understand, Japan, my prayers are for you.
The spiritual devastation of Japan has always been around, which makes this so much more difficult for me to sit by and listen to people say, "Oh it's just so sad, what happened in Japan." or coin the empty phrase, "Please pray for Japan." then go on to the next subject. It hurts.
Japan, for many years has been less than 1% Christian, and with countless lives lost, I do not even want to imagine the ratio of believers who died to those who never heard the gospel. Just because a country is economically advanced doesn't mean they've heard of the love of God. In America, where the church has been a fundamental part of our particular generation, for many of us while we were children, it is not the same in other countries, such as Japan. A religious indifference has caused prayer requests for the nation of Japan for many years, and now, coupled with earthquakes and tsunamis, nuclear radiation, and thousands suffering, it just makes the for the worst possible picture I could ever imagine. From the deepest part of my heart that loves in a way that I don't understand, Japan, my prayers are for you.
I'm not going to say that all that I've said makes me better than anyone else, I'm humbly stating my feelings, and saying that their extent reaches far beyond what I can handle some times. I'll admit this keeps me up at night, but giving it to God has worked for me, because He cares more than I am capable to, for me, and for Japan. It is my deepest desire that this situation would bring many to Jesus, that people would experience miraculous rescues, and that those suffering in displacement, without power, or without water, would be helped. I want that more than anything else.
Hitoshi, my pen pal, and I, would write at the end of our emails to each other back and forth over this weekend - Nihon wa tsuyoi des, meaning Japan is Strong! The nation is pulling together in unity to help as many people as possible, and I pray for God's grace to be with them, because His grace is enough, and in their weakness, they will be strong.
(2Corinthians 12:1-9)
Since Friday morning I've been keeping in contact with my pen pal, Hitoshi, whose birthday I just recently mentioned. I was so relieved when he emailed me to tell me that he was okay, Yokohama was okay, and that means Chiba is also okay, where another good friend of mine lives. "But" he said, "Northern Japan has undergone severe damages."
My friends are alright, my host family, my church, they are alright. But there are so many numbers. When I think on the thousands of people who are displaced, or the millions without power or water, or the countless missing or dead, even if everything close to me is alright, the country closest to my heart is not, and that hurts more than anything else.
Having taken days to process this catastrophe, I feel that I can write clearly, with deep emotion, but with less anger and frustration that I expressed at 8am on March 11th in front of the television, with tears I was even shocked at how many tears I cried throughout that day.
The physical devastation of Japan is heart breaking to me. Ever since I visited that country, my heart felt at home there, and no where else could do. I have made friends in the country, and have bonded through sharing my limited knowledge of the language with those willing to do so much as to communicate with me. I have exhausted the patience of my Japanese instructors, my pen pals, even my language exchange friends. I never thought I'd be preparing myself to go to a country that is now facing something unlike anything they have faced in over 100 years. From the deepest part of my heart that loves in a way that I don't understand, Japan, my prayers are for you.
The spiritual devastation of Japan has always been around, which makes this so much more difficult for me to sit by and listen to people say, "Oh it's just so sad, what happened in Japan." or coin the empty phrase, "Please pray for Japan." then go on to the next subject. It hurts.
Japan, for many years has been less than 1% Christian, and with countless lives lost, I do not even want to imagine the ratio of believers who died to those who never heard the gospel. Just because a country is economically advanced doesn't mean they've heard of the love of God. In America, where the church has been a fundamental part of our particular generation, for many of us while we were children, it is not the same in other countries, such as Japan. A religious indifference has caused prayer requests for the nation of Japan for many years, and now, coupled with earthquakes and tsunamis, nuclear radiation, and thousands suffering, it just makes the for the worst possible picture I could ever imagine. From the deepest part of my heart that loves in a way that I don't understand, Japan, my prayers are for you.
I'm not going to say that all that I've said makes me better than anyone else, I'm humbly stating my feelings, and saying that their extent reaches far beyond what I can handle some times. I'll admit this keeps me up at night, but giving it to God has worked for me, because He cares more than I am capable to, for me, and for Japan. It is my deepest desire that this situation would bring many to Jesus, that people would experience miraculous rescues, and that those suffering in displacement, without power, or without water, would be helped. I want that more than anything else.
Hitoshi, my pen pal, and I, would write at the end of our emails to each other back and forth over this weekend - Nihon wa tsuyoi des, meaning Japan is Strong! The nation is pulling together in unity to help as many people as possible, and I pray for God's grace to be with them, because His grace is enough, and in their weakness, they will be strong.
(2Corinthians 12:1-9)
i can't stop thinking about japan either. i even have wished i was there.
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