Struck Down but not Destroyed

How do you respond when disaster strikes your friends or family? The recent earthquakes and tsunamis that pummeled Japan were devastating for millions of children, men and women (photos). Yet, for Wendy Eros, MB missionary to Japan, they were also an opportunity…

In early May, Wendy and four Japanese friends traveled north to the Sendai/Tohoku region. Without question, this was one of the hardest hit regions in the nation (photos). “The images from that experience will stay in my mind forever,” Wendy reflects. “It was depressing – even devastating. Yet we saw hope among the ruins.”

They group arrived after driving for 10 hours. There was no time to rest. They immediately went to work at the Japan International Food for the Hungry distribution centre in Sendai. Sorting through unending boxes of donated items, they began creating order from chaos. Shell-shocked families came in to pick out some clothes and household supplies.

Driving through Ishinomaki, the women were speechless. The roads were vacant. One elderly Japanese woman stood still, overwhelmed by the rubble (photo). Wendy was impacted by the scene: “As we drove we prayed out loud that God would comfort the people here in the north.”

In Ojika Penninsula only 2 houses remain out of 65. There is nothing left (photo) except a small school up the hill that was high enough to escape the tsunami. 62 people currently live in that school.

The second day, Wendy and her friends joined 100 other volunteers (mostly Christian) in a massive, city-wide clean-up effort (photo). Mr. Takahashi’s grass lawn was covered by beach sand. The women worked hard raking, loosening and hoeing the sand. Later they swept it, bent over a short broom. After several hours of tough labor, the owner was thrilled to be able to see his grass again! (photo) “We were encouraged to see a rainbow forming in the sky behind us,” remembers Wendy. “God was watching over us!”

Of the homes left standing, most are unlivable. In Mr. Matsumoto’s home, the water rose to the second level! Floorboards needed to be removed and lime spread in the basement. Walls were covered in filthy layers of mud, seaweed and sand. Even the bathroom was filthy. (see before and after photos): “It took almost five hours… I was glad I had an extra toothbrush to scrub with!” These acts of compassion really impacted the homeowners. Some had never received this kind of unconditional, practical love.

Wendy and her team returned home safely. They now ask for your prayers. The disaster is by no means over: “Seeing the devastation first-hand was like watching a movie with 3-D special effects! Yet it’s real, not fiction.”

Please pray for families working to rebuild their lives. Pray for safety for volunteers who continue to help sacrificially. Finally, pray that God’s heart of love will continue to shine through the work of our team members – Wendy Eros, Doris Goertz and the other MB churches in Japan.