The misty rain reminded me of Seattle as we left our home at 6:30 AM. I'm wondering why I stayed up so late to check on my video equipment. However, with some black tea to help, we made our way through the Tokyo rush hour, rashu, without much delay. There will be no sight-seeing today, Tokyo Skytree was obscured by the fog and mist.

Pastor Yamada welcomed us around 1:30 PM and then began a tour around Shiogama. A new bell in front of the Shiogama Church Chapel downtown commemorates the 100^th anniversary of their pre-school/kindergarten, Rifu-Seiko. Their theme, “As children of Light, let us walk together into the future,” is engraved on a plaque under the bell. He took us to the main church and kindergarten up in the hills where a similar bell is installed at the new kindergarten building under construction. It is wonderful how Shiogama Christ Church and kindergarten, youchien, have maintained this legacy for these many years.

The main church building was not damaged as badly as the kindergarten, but you can see the ground subsided 3-4 inches from the foundation. The walls have cracks but the foundation and structure are still sound. To repair the damage would probably require tens of thousands of dollars. However, the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) donations were used to repair the yochien which serves over 100 families in the community. 

Windows had broken and the facade of the main building had fallen off in some places. The yochien is in the process of completing a rebuild of several buildings that were condemned after the earthquake. They razed three buildings and replaced them with one new facility. The building foundation could not be reused due to cracks.

Most Japanese churches are very small. Shiogama has about 30 members who are mostly elderly.  Operating yochiens are a common way churches in Japan use to afford their pastor. Pastor Yamada is very grateful for the financial help OGHS gave for the rebuilding after the earthquake.

We passed several temporary housing complexes, kasetsu jutaku, in order to see some of the new permanent houses the government is building. The government is renting these units to the survivors who are in the temporary housing. People who can afford to leave the rent-free temporary housing are moving out. However, there are still hundreds of elderly and disabled people living in temporary housing. These people are not (and probably will not) move voluntarily since they may have trouble paying rent.

As the temporary housing communities shrink, the government combines people from different communities in order to reduce costs. This has re-created the problem encountered directly after the earthquake of displaced persons being without community support and friendship. The survivors must start over again, building new friendships and camaraderie. This is putting additional strain on the people.

Perhaps another drawback to the permanent dwellings is that they are very close to the temporary ones. Whether or not the people want to stay in the same vicinity is unknown. The areas that many of the temporary houses are located do not have services nearby and the survivors have had difficulty with transportation.

Please pray for the survivors as they continue to need support and God’s love. Please pray for the volunteers and workers who serve the survivors. Many are very tired after three years of serving. Please pray for the pastor, the members of Shiogama Christ Church, and the staff at Rifu-Seiko Kindergarten as they serve their neighbors and community. Pray that God would send long-term Christian servants for this community.

 

             God has called us to Japan for such a time as this. While the news of this terrible tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear disaster has long since faded from the headlines, peoples’ lives remain severely affected by the emotional, psychological, and certainly spiritual “after-shocks” that plague their lives every day. We don’t have all the answers but at the very least our ministry of encouragement and presence counts for something. The OGHS money has all been spent but we continue to follow up with these folks and it makes a difference! Please pray about how God might lead you to extend your positive influence over these tremendous needs by supporting us financially through International Ministries. We want to continue to serve on your behalf but that takes money! We would appreciate any and all donations that would secure our future to remain your servants representing you here in Japan. One-time gifts are wonderful but we would ask you to consider becoming a regular member of our support team by pledging a monthly gift. You can give through your ABC region office, by sending a check to International Ministries earmarked for our financial support, or just go to the website to give on-line. Lots more information about us and the work that God has called us to is there. Here is the link and thank you very much!

http://www.internationalministries.org/teams/103-hwang

               May the Lord continue to richly bless you!

 Gordon and Lee Ann Hwang

"The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." Ps. 29:10-11 NIV