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Hope in the Midst of Tragedy
Pt. 2
Just after returning from the
the first relief trip, some special needs arose in the disaster zone and the
Lord led us to make a second trip. On top of that we knew there are a number of
devastated coastal towns further north from the larger city of Sendai that don't
get as much attention, such as the town of Rikuzen Takata. It had a population
of 26,000, and 10,000 are still unaccounted for. Many of the survivors are now
in evacuation camps, but we know in cases like these, there would typically also
be some whose houses were not completely swept away, and so their owners
wouldn't qualify to stay in the evacuation camps. With their city completely
demolished, however, they would also have no electricity, water, or gas. We
loaded up our mini-van with supplies and asked the Lord to direct us to people
like those in need. After a long drive from the base camp and much scouting, we
saw lots of devastation, talked to a number of people sorting through the
rubble, but didn't find any who needed supplies. With a long return drive back
to base ahead of us and the time getting late, we decided to call it a day.
At
the last section before leaving the disaster zone, a little side street caught
my eye and the Lord said, "Turn," so we entered a small, tucked away hamlet.
When we asked one of the residents if they needed any drinking water, her eyes
lit up as she excitedly said, "Yes!" "Are you getting electricity here?"
"No!" "Can you use some lanterns?" "Yes! Yes!" When we gave a lantern to
Mrs. Suzuki, she cradled it in her arms like a baby and said with glee, "I've
wanted one of these for a long time." (They've been without electricity for
over a month now.) The 3 families on that hillside had their first floors swept
away by the tsunami, but their houses still remain. They say because they are
only a group of 3 families, the government relief forces don't come. They
scampered up the hillside when they saw the tsunami come, and from there,
watched the tsunami sweep away their all their belongings on the ground and
first floor levels. They were thrilled to see the supplies and quickly called
other family members to see what we had brought.
Please
Pray: We've loaded up the car again with supplies they've
asked for and are scheduled to depart early tomorrow (Saturday morning, Japan
time) so we can have more time to relax and talk with them. Please pray for the
Murakami and Suzuki families,
that they will be hungry to know the Lord Who sent us to them.
Thank you
for your prayer.
Rich blessings to you!
Ralph, for the
Justinianos
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I have recently discovered your blog and have read with interest some of your previous posts. Thank you for doing this. We so need a Christian perspective on how to pray for Japan, as I feel so helpless not knowing where to begin praying in the midst of the devastation.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you.
Blessings
Lidia