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Sushi, typhoons and tsunamis
October 2014
A HUGE, HUGE thank you to those who prayed and/or gave
towards my trip to Japan. This was the trip that had to be
postponed due to my surgery in January. It will be hard to
express here all that was seen, heard and experienced, but I
will try my best!
Japanese Bits from Betsy
SEND INTERNATIONAL
There were the usual views in Tokyo, including the ever present Benevolent Cat, and of course, Hello Kitty, and the oft
seen Shibuya—the center of Tokyo that is the equivalent of
Times Square. The food was great—I even loved the sushi,
and adapted quickly to chopsticks (forks are usually not even
an option). Yes, a typhoon went through, but it’s the same as
a hurricane—been there, done that more than once in my life
already.
But the real reason I was here was people—connecting to our missionaries and their
ministries. Ministry in Tokyo is much like many capital cities of the world—it has 45 million
people and people are hardened to outsiders and pretty much live in their own
worlds/families. It is difficult to get ministry going—life is lived at a fast pace. Tohoku—
the tsunami area that was so devastated on March 11, 2011 (known as 3.11) - was a
different story all together.
We visited several cities in Tohoku, including Tagajo, Ishinomaki, Sendai and Watari.
The devastation was amazing as we were told stories and visited places where lives
have been changed forever. Houses, businesses, and 20,000 lives were washed away
by four separate tsunami waves, some over 25’ high. Anyone or anything at sea level
was washed away for hundreds of miles up the Japanese coast, and in some areas
the water went inland for several miles. Thousands are still homeless and living in temporary housing consisting of about 15 x 15 feet total for each family; many businesses
are gone, and many have no money and/or property to return to even if they could.
The government has declared much of the area uninhabitable and it can’t be rebuilt
on.
Japanese believers, missionaries, and Christians from around the world have poured in
over the last 3 years and in many cases have done the hard work. They mucked out
tons of debris, garbage, mud, sand, and whatever else accumulated in these houses
and ripped out floors and wallboards. Basically, they did the hard work so that when
financial help was finally available, reconstruction could begin at once.
This area used to be considered the least reached area of Japan. In fact, they didn’t
even want other Japanese to come to Tohoku. And now? We were thanked over
and over by non-Christian Japanese for being from the US office that supports the missionaries who have helped them so much. Many would not have their homes and businesses if not for Christians and they recognize that. One gas station owner thanked us
and said that he would not have a way to live—the town is gone– but because Christians come out of their way to buy gas from him, he has a livelihood and can continue
on. Another family invited us for tea. They used to be wealthy. The grandfather said
that volunteers found unbroken wall decorations from his house washed up on the hill
behind his property that he had paid $500 and $1000 for, but what good were they
when he needed a cup to drink out of?
And now the gospel is spreading in Tohoku. Hearts are opened that never would have
been in the past. Churches are growing, new churches started, and new believers are
being baptized. Others are close but are still held by ancestor worship and are afraid
to break with the past. The tsunami survivors have experienced God’s grace first hand
and many are turning to Him even in their grief. Continue to pray for their healing, for
openness to the gospel and for the Christians who pour out love and help to those
who are still so deeply affected on a daily basis.
Mr. Odon also thanked us for being from
SEND’s office. Dave B. spends a lot of
time with Mr. Odon who recognizes the
difference believers are making in his live.
Pray for His openness to the gospel.
From wealthy to living in a former construction site trailer.
They thanked us for being from SEND’s office. Anne Marie on
the left was our SEND Japan host.
Mr. Suzuki’s home was gutted and cleaned out by volunteers. His wife recently
passed away and his children are insisting on throwing out all of her belongings.
Sue and I were privileged to come home with his wife’s kimonos and fans. He,
too, thanked us for being from SEND and was so grateful that we would want his
wife’s things. I couldn’t tell him enough how honored we were to have them. He
did have a concern, though, and asked Dave whether we realized that people
don’t wear kimonos in America. He thought we were going to wear them ourselves on the streets of Detroit. He told us that next time we needed to stay with
him instead of Dave and Eileen. He was serious about the offer.
Clearly visible
remnants of the
tsunami
And, not to be left out, “cutesy”
Japan… construction bunnies anyone? Cute earthquake
signs, and Thomas the Tank Engine school buses
We mistakenly ended up driving 100 km. thru the
radiation area. We saw ghost towns and only
realized why once we saw we were at the gate
of the crippled Fukushima reactor!
Betsy Wambach
SEND International
20481 Gaylord
PO Box 513
Redford, MI 48240
Farmington, MI 48332
734-718-3694
bwambach@send.org
Support account #89067