Shannon and Casper are the journalists on our team.  Shannon wants to be a broadcast journalist.  Given my interest in things broadcast (just an overgrown hobby of mine) and the friends I’m privileged to know in the business, I’ve enjoyed talking to her about her future.  Something I learned from others and passed along to Shannon – trust in your calling first, trust in your talent second.  That’s helped my friends keep sane in a very competitive business.  Casper is currently in Singapore doing design work.  He’s doing the media work for CRASH Japan, but he’s been worth a lot more to our team.  He’s been willing to do anything and has been doing it well.  He also has some pretty cool insights about worship and ministry.  His inner Australian enjoys making observations – often quite hilarious – about Japanese and American culture.  They’re real encouragements to have on the team.

We actually did well on our 7-hour trip (we were ahead of schedule thanks to Gary’s spirited driving skills).  CRASH Japan headquarters in this region are based out of a simple country house.  We were initially supposed to visit a chair-making operation in Iwate Prefecture, an outreach that’s been both constructive and fruitful.  Schedules got crossed, so we changed our plans and headed to Oofunato, to take a look at the cleanup efforts. I’m still not sure if I’ve the words to describe what we saw this afternoon.

The earthquake and tsunami took place exactly three (3) months ago today.  The government and volunteers have worked together to do an amazing job of clearing the roads and sorting out much of the debris.  So it’s hard for me to imagine the chaos back in March and April before the cleanup effort, given the amount of damage that’s still really obvious.

The first site that we saw was a lineup of cars that were retrieved and parked on a beachside lot.  These were the autos that were swept away during the tsunami, the vehicles colliding and slamming into other cars, buildings, and trees.

How much power is there in a tsunami wave?  This shipping vessel continues to rest on a bridge hundreds of meters from the ocean because the boat is too heavy to move.  The ship will likely be dismantled piece-by-piece.

Again, the piles of debris are massive, so I’m trying to picture what it was like when anything and everything were scattered all over this beach city, blocking roads and burying what was supposed to be there.

We were told there were a number of houses that were built on the waterfront.  Mere skeletons of the homes remain.

Urs, our team leader, remarked that seeing the destruction reminds him of the insignificance of material goods.  There’s still appliances and other items plainly visible within the remains that we saw.

This is but a small sampling of the photos that I have, some of the photos I have are difficult for me to look at again.  CRASH Japan has done an outstanding job working with the local churches, the congregations are now being thanked and acknowledged throughout the region for their assistance.

The question isn’t why this happened – or perhaps more often asked, why did God allow this to happen?  I’m learning that “why” may not be the most important question.  More importantly, “what” we do in response to the call to rebuild both the building and more importantly, the hearts of the people of the Tohoku region is what my prayers should be asking.

Then again, I do see some answers.  In my business, we debate about the future of the next generation, supposedly a group that doesn’t believe in anything and is committed to nothing.  Right now in this house there’s at least a half-a-dozen collegiates and young adults from all over the world, joining us veterans (how’s that for a euphemism?) in seeking God and His desire to fortify the kokoro (heart) of the Japanese people.  And then there’s our friends back at the CRASH Japan headquarters (we’ll see you soon Jonie!).  I think we worry too much — the Millenials (or post-Millenials, I can’t keep track) are finding Jesus and will be just fine, thank you.

We’re off to Sendai tomorrow.   Your prayers, comments, and encouragements are really, really appreciated.  See you again when I’m back in cyberspace.