YWAM Japan National Office Team Outreach to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, December 12-14, 2011

Two staff members from the YWAM Japan National Office went on outreach to Ishinomaki. They distributed Christmas DVDs, Bibles, Jesus Manga, and sweets to evacuees now living in newly built, temporary housing units.

Christmas Gifts to Evacuees

Temporary Housing Unit in Ishinomaki

Google's New Photos of Disaster-Hit Region

Japan: Before and After the Earthquake and Tsunami

Pre- and post-disaster imagery in Google Street View

A new collection of 360-degree, panoramic street view photos of the disaster-hit region in Japan is now available in both English and Japanese at the following Google site:
Street View

For information on how to use Google Street View, click on the option at the bottom of the screen: About Google Street View. The next screen has menu options along the top banner. When you mouse-over the Learn menu, you will see the option Using Street View. On that page, you can find the how-to-use instructions.

According to The Official Google Blog announcement (12/12/2011), the photographic project was undertaken in July and was accomplished by driving some 44,000 kilometers in the "affected regions."The 360-degree panoramic imagery is available through two Google sites: The Street View feature in Google Maps and the Build the Memory web site. These two sites allow you to toggle between them to compare the before and after images.

YWAM Tokyo Team Outreach to Shichigahama & Kesenuma, November 7-13, 2011

In cooperation with Samaritan's Purse, the team worked on getting rid of all dirt and mud from the March 11th tsunami at a family's home. They prayed with the family and enjoyed eating together.

Mucking out the foundation.

The team assisted a church that dedicated itself to building relationship with the residents along the coast. There a full-time volunteer connected the team with families. For one family, the team set up two army-like tents for their fishing business. That family generously blessed the team by welcoming them into their home and serving both lunch and dinner! At another home, the team broke up parts of a concrete foundation with sledgehammers. That family also invited the team into their home to talk and eat together.

Foundation demolition.

At a different location one day, one team member who was born and raised in Japan met and prayed for two older ladies. After prayer, one lady was healed of shoulder pain and another lady was healed of problems in her knee. After prayer, she could kneel! HOORAY God!

The true champions in Tohoku are the local pastors and full-time volunteers who have been faithfully and tirelessly working, helping people to get their lives back in order, and providing ways for outside teams to stay and work alongside them. As the team worked with the local families, they sensed an openness of their hearts. As they prayed with them, it felt easy and seemed that they were very used to praying with Christians.

YWAM Tokyo Team & DTS Outreach to Ishinomaki, July 27-August 5, 2011

Returning to Ishinomaki, we have been blessed to meet and build relationships with many people up there; many with whom we have worked before. During one of our trips, one man started a conversation with a team member about God and Christianity’s history in Japan. He expressed that Christians are a light because they believe that heaven awaits those who believe in Christ. He would like to try and read the Bible again, but can't find the time to do it. Another volunteer openly expressed his deep interest in Christianity. Another man expressed his desire to start reading the Bible; we were able to give him one by the end of the trip. We pray that our relationship with these friends would continue and that they may know the love of the Lord for them soon!

 

While we were there, a two-day festival was held. One DTS student who attended the festival was able to speak with someone about the loss of their loved one in the tsunami. On the 

Spirit’s prompting, he sensed that the widowed man just needed a hug. He offered him a hug and immediately the man broke down and began to wail on his shoulder, overcome with mourning and love. 

There is still so much we can do to help rebuild Tohoku -- not only for their physical well-being. Please continue to keep Tohoku, Japan, in prayer.

 

Candles at a local festival in Ishinomaki.

YWAM Tokyo Team & Hi-BA Outreach to Ishinomaki, June 15-24, 2011

Working with Hi-BA (Highschool Born Againers), we were blessed to be able to send a team for an annual high school outreach called Gospel Team. Three YWAM Tokyo team members were asked to lead this team of four high school students plus one of this year's DTS students. We cleaned and mucked out homes and buildings, prepared Takidashi (outside community cook-out) for a nearby evacuation center, and built relationships. Because of Jesus' example (that He came and lived among us), we wanted to stay at an evacuation center with survivors who share classrooms as their living space. We prayed for favor for one center in Ishinomaki to allow us to reside there for the ten-day duration of our trip. The prayer was answered!

The guys were in one room designated for male volunteers; the girls were placed in a room full of Japanese women survivors. When shown to their room, we all sensed a cold reception thus making the girls intimidated to stay. One teammate wanted to leave the center, but because we had prayed for this housing provision and God knew where they would be placed, we had to take this opportunity. Though they were quiet and kept to themselves at first, the ladies did warm up to our girls. They began to speak with them more, as well as leave the lights on for them in the evenings. On the morning of our departure, the girls wrote a thank-you letter with a Bible verse inside. That same morning, just before 5 a.m., we noticed that those same ladies were waving at us from their windows. 

Evacuation center in Ishinomaki where the team stayed.