 | ||||
| Uncle Martin & Aunt Ruth, Micah, and Tsunami Relief Volunteers |
Granny Kerobe (Kerobe is the name of her village which is a quaint inlet with gorgeous clear blue green water. Descending into the village we saw a deer on the hillside.) is a petite thin granny with a spry step. She worked at the seaweed packagers by the water. The area of Toni is known for seaweed, sea urchins,abalone, scallops, and sea pineapple. I tell her it took me years to figure out whether sea pineapple is plant or animal. She reconfirms it's animal and tells me with great relish in her dialect how to prepare it and eat it. The day of the tsunami she was right beside the water. She ran right away to her house to collect her bag which she had hanging by the door with fresh underwear and a bottle of water. The hills come right down to the water so she scrambled up the bank in time to see the lower part of her village - her house included swept away. She tells us how no one has much but they share what they have. It will take at least 3 years before the sea will be able to produce a harvest again that is if they can get boats again and the starter strings of shellfish and sea weed. Many people are too old to take out a loan to get started again.I tell her I have heard of how the seaweed is especially delicious (I have talked to several others who worked with seaweed and also someone who had a shop that sold only fresh things from the sea. The shop was washed away...)She suddenly disappears and comes back with a bag of seaweed which is now particularly precious because it is not known if or when it can be harvested again. She gives it to me and I feel unworthy of such a gift. I do not want to take it from someone who has lost so much but she has determined to give it to me. That night I insist on preparing it for supper and it is truly delicious. The next morning I ask to leave early so that we can find her village which is set off from the main road. I am awestruck by its beauty even after such destruction. By the water there is only a few steel beams left sticking out of the wharf which is now several inches under water because of the land sinking. I am guessing the steel beams are the remains of where she worked. She who is precious in God's sight lives!
One of the children's books we give out is about being precious to God and on the last page is a mirror page. Everyone loves this book and Grannys often ask for a copy so they can give it to their grandchildren. One Granny who did not have a copy said "OH! THIS is the mirror book! When we first moved into temporary housing none of us had mirrors and everyone kept saying they got a mirror book from you." I am moved that their first mirror was the book which says the person in the mirror is special to God of the universe.
Makiko and her parents live at Wano temporary housing. Previously they lived in a neighborhood near to the hospital up the river bed. Because their neighborhood wasn't directly by the sea many people were indecisive about whether to run or not. Many people were older and so it was no easy task to run. Makiko ran upstairs, grabbed a bag with her medication and a drink. Her cell phone as always dangled from her neck. They didn't take any more time to collect things but rushed outside. They collected a granny who had a stroke and couldn't walk by herself. Huffing and puffing they headed to the mountain. One of them carried her on their back-the others pushed from behind. She being as big as the one carrying her it was quite the struggle to carry her but to leave her behind would mean sure death. They made it as far as the tunnel through the mountain and looked back to see that the tsunami had overflowed the river banks far up into town and washed out their neighborhood. Their neighborhood was on fire sloshing back and forth. As if some horrible dream or the set of some horrible movie they watched in unbelief. Makiko's mother still struggling with the reality of it told Makiko to take a picture of it with her cell phone. As they tell the story Makiko is sent to retrieve the photo from their prefab house. They have had this photo made as large as the shop would make it from a cell phone picture. They have no photo of their pre tsunami house-just the photo of the smoking mass of what was their neighborhood. They decided they could not spend the night in the tunnel so they went through to the other side, proceeding to climb the mountain to find the shelter. The horror of the situation made it so Makiko could not swallow food. She went to relatives who nursed her back to health with rice gruel. Makiko's mother is a networker. She tries hard to find people and gather information and pass it on.
At the cafe many people have gathered-the first time for some to see each other since the tsunami though several months have passed. I sit in silence as together they work through giving the news of what they know of each person in their community. Someone says a name of someone they haven't heard from. "The four of them climbed to their roof. Didn't make it . They were found burned to death on their roof". "N San?". "Her husband put the granny on his back and carried her to safety. N san, she was such a sweet person, no she didn't make it. She last was seen trying to get people to evacuate. She got swept away." "How about the Y's" "No they didn't make it". In their community more people died than lived and I am unable to keep it all straight in my head anymore. Everyone is somber and one lady bursts out with the question on many peoples minds,"Why did WE make it?!" "Why are we alive?!" She senses that she is no better or greater than those that died, what is the greater purpose behind this all? If they have been given the privilege to live then this life must be used for what it was meant for. Although she asked the question quite philosophically another lady answered quite practically-"Why did we live? Because we ran away." There is so much truth in both perspectives. God in His sovereignty did allow it and I think He does have a greater purpose in mind-to save many more people than otherwise would have been. Their lives are precious and have been spared so that they can find Him. From another perspective many who died just did not believe the warnings were for them personally. They just didn't think it would come that far. Some people knew but went into shock and could not figure out what to do. Other people died trying to help others who could not physically move quickly. Considering the huge area and the amount of damage I am amazed at how few people died. If that had happened after people were in bed in the dark-I shudder to think of what that number would be. So many miraculous deliverances. I think God is truly merciful and gracious. I long for these people to meet Jesus and have a no turning back faith. I long for them to walk with Him every day and discover how much He lavishes His grace on us-how He is the Redeemer God who can bring beauty out of ashes, joy out of pain. Please pray with us that there will be long term transformation along the coast that spreads throughout Japan.
Other stories (the children's stories), other comments are treasured in my heart. I may write them yet... These months on the coast have been a privilege. God has allowed us to experience much and allowed us to share in these precious lives and to see life and truth at its rawest. A friend of a friends told her family in another part of Japan "You have to come and see it for yourself otherwise you will never understand me." They came and they said "You're right". Seeing an image on TV is not the same. It is only a glimpse. We plan to still have some part in what is happening along the coast but as previously mentioned we have to put significant energy into our work in the Tsugaru. Pray that we find the right balance and have peace before God about the things we cannot do and that God will indeed send many to live out what it is to walk with Jesus before these precious people.
