Dear Friends,
Yamamoto Town has seen quite a bit of new growth over this past year. Many new houses have been built to replace those washed away by the 2011 tsunami. This fall, a public park, a new elementary school, a supermarket and a drugstore opened. Five years and nine months later, the long anticipated commuter railway was re-opened December 10, connecting Sendai and parts south into Fukushima. All these wonderful signs of “new life” are encouraging.
As the people slowly moved back into their homes from temporary housing over these last few years, they began to come to grips with the deeper levels of loss. Life will never be the same as it once was. Their loved ones and friends are gone; their jobs and local businesses washed away. The staff of Nozomi (Hope) Center has been here to listen and encourage, to work alongside the people, to offer the love of Christ and the hope of knowing the Living God both now and into eternity. Living in the community as Yui Hamada did for 4 years serving at Nozomi Center earned her the trust and love of the people. So we pray that it will be with us.
The Lord has provided us with a home just 2 doors from the Nozomi Center- a fixer-upper of sorts -, and a number of people have told us how glad they are we are moving in. We have been sharing some of the same experiences our neighbors had when they began work to restore their homes. For those who did the work themselves, they began by removing the remnants of belongings, tearing out the walls, floors and insulation, shoveling out the “muck,” and disinfecting the house. In late April, a great bunch of OPC volunteers helped us with this for 5 days. The tsunami reached about 4 feet up the walls of the first floor of this two-story home. Here is what things looked like in the beginning.
The following have moved out and won’t be returning! These provide insight into Japanese culture and the hearts of the people:
"… choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
Through the summer, we made very slow progress as we were busy with the work of Nozomi Center and preparing to open Nozomi Chapel in September. With help from 2 young men, Josh Miller and Daniel Lauer, the clean-up was completed, several walls of sheet rock and some subflooring were installed. James Benefiel returned twice to help in the fall, installing more walls and subflooring. Finally, with the organizational help of the Rev. Jonathan Hutchison of the Ohio Presbytery FMC and support from the tsunami-related offerings given through the OPC Diaconal Committee, four additional OPC volunteers labored here in late November and December. Progress moved forward by leaps and bounds as these pictures show:
As our rental lease in the factory ends in January, we will move in “as is.” We pray that by then, we will have hot running water, a few room heaters, and appliances installed. We covet your prayers that for these things:
- That the Lord will pour out his Holy Spirit on the people of Yamamoto.
- That we will be able to move in January and finish construction soon.
- That the Lord will use this home to bring the gospel to many and to bless other missionaries and visitors.
Please give thanks with us:
1) For these and other (local) hard-working volunteers
2) For the tireless services of our general contractor, Arthur Newton, who is just finishing rebuilding his own home nearby which was completely swept away on March 11, 2011.
3) For the opportunity to bring the gospel to Yamamoto
4) For the sacrificial offerings poured out by many in the OPC to minister in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. These offerings continue to bear fruit as the Word of God and the love of Christ are brought to those living in the spiritual darkness of the Town of Yamamoto.
We give thanks for the opportunity to serve the Lord with you in Yamamoto,
Woody and Laurie Lauer