JAPAN 2011 - Salvation and Healing at a Shelter in Watari

Watari, Japan

Friday, April 22, 2011

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Salvation and Healing at a Shelter in Watari

Everywhere you look there is devastion here on the east coast of Japan. The devastation goes beyond wreckage wrougth by the earthquake and tsunami. So many people here have lost everything, are living in tremendous fear and are in desperate need of hope. Our team has been staying in Sendai where literally every night we have felt earthquakes over 5.0 that wake us up from our sleep.

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Today, our hosts Jeremy and Kumi took us to a place south of Sendai called Watari. They were praying about where we should go to bring relief and they literally heard a cry from this city. Watari is about 80 kilometers from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

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As we drove closer and closer to the coast, the damage became insurmountable. We decided we would go on a treasure hunt in the neighborhoods where homes were destroyed as we hear that some families were gathering together in homes that weren't completely destroyed, some of them freezing to death without water or electricity. We aked the Holy Spirit to be our GPS. He led us to a house where a mother, grandmother and child were cleaning out the first floor of their partially destroyed home. We gave the child candy and toys and the family were so warm and welcoming to us, which we've heard is not the norm. They even let us pray for them. We gave them a Japanese Bible that the grandmother clutched as a precious gift. They told us that there were many families at a school that had been turned into a shelter, so we headed for that shelter.

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We found a school and were met by a school nurse who again, was so warm and said she loved our international team. She showed us where the shelter was. As we entered the shelter, three of our team members dressed up in mascot costumes; Naomi was a monkey, Mark was a tiger and Scott was a crocodile. The 40+ kids at the shelter loved it and hugged our team members in costume. The adults were also so glad that we came. We handed out more candy to everyone at the shelter. We were also able to meet many people and pray with them.

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One lady received Christ. Amy, Kumi and I prayed with her after we had given her a puzzle that Amy had brought from the U.S. of Noah's Ark. When we gave the puzzle to the lady's grand daughter we were informed that the child's name was Noah...which is highly uncommon a name in Japan. "This was no coincidence," the lady said over and over again as we led her to Christ. We explained that like Noah and the Ark, that God had saved their family from the flood waters and that in Jesus is our true salvation. Amazing!

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Naomi, Kumi and I also prayed with another lady who had back pain. Her back was healed and we were able to share with her the gospel of Christ. Our team carried so much of God's love and glory into that shelter in Watari as we simply "stopped for the one." We have an open door to return to that same shelter next week with more supplies. Thank you Jesus!
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Christian Young