"You have to work hard to offend Christians. By nature, Christians are the most forgiving, understanding, and thoughtful group of people I've ever dealt with. They never assume the worst. They appreciate the importance of having different perspectives. They're slow to anger, quick to forgive, and almost never make rash judgments or act in anything less than a spirit of total love . . . No, wait--I'm thinking of Labrador retrievers!" David Learn, 1998

Friday, April 15, 2011

"The Lord said 'Turn'"--and 3 stranded families were found

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Justiniano-  2nd Tsunami Relief Trip Story       April 15, 2011
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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 PrayWe'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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1 comment:

  1. 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.

    Again, thank you.

    Blessings
    Lidia

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