Back in Chiba & Heading Home

We had several amazing days of ministry where we were happily surprised by an openness of people to talk to us about what they have experienced and to have one lady ask for a Bible for her 23 year old daughter and have another man tell us he listens to Christian radio daily.  Some stories were heartbreaking.  I cannot tell them all, but there was hardly anyone who had not lost a family member or friend in the tsuami.  Before heading back today, we helped an 81 year old man clean out his waterlogged house and get new bedding.  He had not gone to an evacuation center and had lived on his own after the water receded. He was a sailor for many years and said that he lost a total of 80 acquaintances that he had worked with, due to the tsunami. 

We were mostly working in the town of Ishinomaki, serving food and taking supplies to the people there who have no means to get to the store and are trying to rebuild in the midst of the rubble.  We also took a half day trip to the town of Onagawa, where 5,000 of the 10,000 in the town are either dead or missing.  We met a sweet Christian grandmother.  Before her house was swept away, she and 50 neighbors, fled up the side of a mountain.  They camped out that night on top of the hill, waiting for the water to recede.  They built a fire and huddled in the midst of the snow that was falling that night.  Her sister has not accepted Christ into her life, but when the pastor from Ishinomaki asked her yesterday, she stated that she has decided to become a Christian now.  This town has no church of any kind and the pastor from Ishinomaki hopes to begin Bible studies at their house soon. 

We are exhaused, but in good health and good spirits.  We fly out in the morning.  We just went and enjoyed a good bowl or Ramen noodles.  We look forward to seeing you all.  Thank you so much for your prayers and for the many donations that made this trip possible.  I will post some more thoughts when I get back.  There is still so much to process and so much still to be done over here, but we do feel like we had an amazing privilege of having a small part of the relief effort here and of the healing process that God has begun here!