The Healing Hand of God

It's easy to see the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami.  Just turn on the news or do a google search and you'll see the pictures of towns completely whipped out and piles of rubble where buildings used to stand. Nearly 26,000 people lost their lives or have gone missing and over 260,000 people are living in shelters (as of Thursday according to Earthquake Report).  Many people are hurting -- physically, emotionally, or both.

Yet in the midst of the suffering, I have seen God at work in many ways and have experienced His protection, provision, and presence many times throughout the last week and a half.  The words of Jeremy Camp's song "Healing Hand Of God"  are very fitting to my life at this time.  I would like to share some of the ways I've seen God at work.

God's Protection

That we were in an area that was protected from the worst of the earthquake's damage, from the tsunamis, and from the radiation threats of the nuclear plant are no coincidence.  We prayed for God's protection through Jesus Christ and had many, many other people praying for us as well.  I know it was He who protected us and kept us safe.  But I know God protected us not because of who we are or because we deserved it more than others; rather, He wanted to show Sendai who He is.  I think He allowed MeySen and the surrounding areas to  stand so that the school could act as a base for relief groups and so that the people of the school could use the opportunity to be His ambassadors in a difficult time when people would be more open to hearing about Him.

God was also looking out for our families. If we had been any further south and had to travel through Sendai, we might not have been able to evacuate north to Misawa and could have been in the radiation zone.

God's Provision

Another way I've experienced God is the way he has provided for us.  If we had been living on our own as teachers in Sendai, and hadn't been supported by the MeySen community, I don't know if we could have gotten along.  We would have had to fend for ourselves to get water and food, to contact with our family, and to find out about what was happening with the power plant and tsunamis; which would have been extremely difficult since we don't know the language.  Instead, God placed us in a community where we were taken care of and supported.

God also provided us the opportunity to evacuate to the northern town of Misawa and to take refuge on the Air Force base for a few days, to get away from the nuclear power plant until things go under control. There we were able to shower, sleep, eat, be warm, and feel safe. About 40 teachers and staff from MeySen evacuated to the Misawa Air Force base; the rest remained at MeySen to help with relief efforts. At first that was really hard for me: I felt so undeserving of being taken in and treated so well by others, especially when we really didn't have it so bad where we were in Sendai and i knew there were others who needed this kind of comfort much more than me.  But I began to see that God brought us to Misawa for a reason -- to be a light to the air force members who were our escorts and also to allow us to rest physically, emotionally, and spiritually before going back to Sendai to serve.

As it turned out, the families living on Misawa Air Force base had begun to collect donations for the people in Sendai before we had even arrived.  They had asked the Japanese army if they would take the donations and distribute them, but they would not! Our arrival gave the people at Misawa a connection for distributing 5 truck loads of food, water, clothing, and bedding.

Two people from MeySen drove two of the trucks from Misawa to MeySen, where the people still living and working at MeySen were able to distribute them to the community and around Sendai.  The relief groups that had set up shelter at MeySen were also able to help in the distribution of donations. While half the staff was at Misawa, the people who remained at MeySen were able to use the school as a base for relief groups.  They were also able to take in some families whose homes were not livable and to feed those families.  God used Meysen to provide for those hurting and in need in Sendai.

God's Purpose

I don't think God cased the earthquake and tsunamis to happen.  I don't think it was his desire to have thousands dead, missing, and homeless.  What I do know for certain, is that God is using this bad situation to draw people to Himself and to reveal who He is to the people of Japan.  What the adversary intended for evil, God is using for His good.

At this time, many people in Japan are more open to hearing about God and about having a relationship with him through Jesus.  Across from the Takamori campus at the Japanese high school, the government was distributing water (filling only 2 containers each) to the people in the community since there was no running water.  Since MeySen has a well, we also gave out water to people.  One of the Japanese people standing in line for water talked to one of the people at MeySen for an hour, wanting to know about the God he believed in and if our God was real.  This is a huge deal in Japan, as less than 1% of the people are Christian and people are generally not open to talking about religion or investigating other faiths here.

Another really cool story happened on the 2nd evening after the earthquake.  We were still at MeySen and all the teachers and staff were gathering for a time to pray, worship God, and to thank Him for protecting and providing for us.  The family of one of the Japanese teachers, who were taking shelter at the school, joined us.  She is not Christian, nor is her family, and this is a HUGE deal, because, as I said, the Japanese people are not, in general, open to investigating the Christian faith.  That night, as we worshipped God for being bigger and more real than the 9.0 earthquake, the family watched.  That night, the gospel was shared in Japanese with that family and they were open to hearing the message!  They heard about the love of God and they experienced it in the way the MeySen community cared for them.  Praise God!

Kris and I have also experienced God's presence and purpose in a real way.  We feel truly blessed and thankful that He has called us to Sendai, Japan at this time, so that we can be a part of his plan to bring restoration, redemption, relief, and healing to the people here.  We know for certain that he brought us to this place at this time for a reason.

I am reminded of the account of how God put Esther in the position of queen so that she could intervene for the Jewish people, who were going to be killed.  When Esther was hesitant to speak up for the people, Mordecai reminded her of God's purpose for her (in Esther 4:12):

In the same way, who are Kris and I leave Japan at this time?  No, we will stay here and serve God.  We will help with the relief efforts however we can, we will help get the school ready for the new year, and we will share with our students the power, love, healing, and restoration that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings. 

"Don't think that just because you live in the king's house you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this." 

Who knows?  Maybe we were made teachers in Sendai, Japan for such a time as this. :-)