Dear Friends,
All thanks be to our God! "All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds, You alone are God." Psalm 86:9-10
March 11, 2026, 2:46 p.m. We gathered together with 29 guests fifteen years to the day and time the massive tsunami overwhelmed Yamamoto, spawned by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake (the 4th largest ever recorded in world history). Everyone in the town was related to or knew at least one or many of the more than 630 residents who died. Half of the housing in the town was rendered unlivable, a full quarter of the housing was destroyed completely. Their lives would forever be changed.
1. Just 300 meters down the street from Nozomi Center, the townspeople met at the Memorial Wall at 2:46 p.m. for a moment of silence and prayer of comfort to those who died fifteen years ago in the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami. At 2:46, twenty-six people gathered at Nozomi to pray audibly with us to the Living God. We began adding this prayer time to our concert poster several years ago. The first year only six or so came, and others joined later for the three o' clock concert. Little by little, the number of people coming to pray has been increasing. It is astounding to consider, people who have yet to put their trust in Jesus are willing to risk what their neighbor's think about them (crucial to Japanese) to come to pray with us instead of to attend the town's pagan ceremony. God is at work, and we pray that His Word and Spirit will bring these people all to faith in the Lord Jesus.
Excellent music showing forth God’s glory!
2. The excellence of the performance brought glory to God and reinforced the words of the musicians as they testified to the truth of His Word and Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross in the place of sinners. Mr. Takeuchi, the pianist, and Mrs. Tanabe, the flutist, wove the theme of the concert throughout as they introduced music to be played. Mr. Takeuchi acknowledged that many are still profoundly hurting from the tragedy, and though we cannot answer why the event took place, we do know where to look for help. The theme he posed in question form, "What is the purpose of man? Why are we here on earth?" He talked about how important Japanese think it is to see the beauty of things in creation, to give thanks to and worship those things (sun, moon, stars, plants, animals,etc.). Yet there is one greater to worship, the Creator of all these things, including man. This God of all power has spoken to us in the Bible and throughout history, calling us to know and worship Him. Our failure to worship Him is sin in His sight and condemned us to punishment. Out of His great love, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay that penalty and die in our place so that we can know Him.
Mr. Takeuchi
Paul Lauer’s message on Luke.
3. As the concert was coming to a close, Paul Lauer gave a message from Luke 8:22-26, the essence of which follows. Indeed, we see the many excellent things in creation which sustain our lives: the sun (exuding warmth, light, even Vitamin D), the plants, the animals, the rivers, the earth itself through which we are physically nourished. As we view the strength and beauty of the mountains and the mighty ocean, are we not caused to ask, why do these exist? Who made them? The Bible teaches us that there is a Creator who made all things which reflect His glory. He rules over them. He made man and woman also to reflect His glory.
Luke records the story of Jesus, the Son of God, sent to earth to live among men 2000 years ago. It shows the Creator who rules over the earth. One day He was in a boat, having fallen asleep, with his 12 friends. A great storm arose, threatening their lives, and when it seemed the boat would sink, they woke Jesus crying for his help. Luke 8:24B records that Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves; all became quiet. The disciples said, "Who then is this that commands the wind and the waves, and they obey Him?" The answer is that Jesus is God. God created all things by His Word and by His Word, He continues to sustain and reign over creation. God came to earth to restore his relationship with man.
In the first few chapters of the Bible, we learn that God made man, male and female, to worship Him and to have a direct relationship personal relationship to Him. But, man decided he could live without God. Soon the perfect world in which God created man became filled with sin: refusing to worship God and man fighting against man. The result was great suffering from that time forth. But, God the Creator, out of His great love, came to earth to call men back to knowing Him personally. Each of us has sinned against God. Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin. He came to call us back to know God and to have fellowship with Him. Paul challenged them to turn from giving thanks to created things to giving thanks to the Creator who wants a relationship with you and wants to heal your lives. Put your trust in Jesus as your Savior. Pray each one will!
There was much food for thought in these words. Those who are Shinto and Buddhist have believed that if they are good enough when they die, they will become gods, are faced with the question, "How can we who are dependent on created things become gods?"
4. We are thankful for the many who attended. Of the 29 guests who came to the concert, between six and ten came for the first time. Some attended who have only come a few times in the past. Others who attend regularly needed this challenge! We are thankful the Lord brought all these to hear powerful words of life and comfort from the only true God. Please pray for the message to take deep root in the hearts of the people and for God to grant faith to them.
One woman said to Paul, "I haven't heard the book of Luke for years!" As a first time visitor to Nozomi, we later found out she had been invited by a friend who does come to Friends' Lunch. Both had attended a Christian high school in Sendai (back in the days when the Bible message was taught more clearly). Pray the Lord will bring her to worship.
5. The musicians played three hymns familiar to a number of people which we sing at our Friends' Lunch. "Amazing Grace", "What a Friend we have in Jesus", and "I'd Rather have Jesus." Pray the message brings new meaning to the words of these hymns.
6. Pray for Mr. Oota and his wife. Mr. Oota, the grandson of the Shinto priest, has been attending events for 7 years. He grew up on the grounds of the local shrine and continues to be active. Often, he shakes his head in disbelief, but always has a pleasant demeanor. That day, he listened intently. Pray that God shake the foundation of his thinking and completely change his heart.
7. Pray that many will become convinced it is not enough to be a good person, but they need to know their Creator and seek His forgiveness through Jesus.
8 . Give thanks to God for a clear message of our only hope in Jesus in this life and into eternity!
Thanks be to our God who created all things and will bring all nations to glorify him,
Woody and Laurie Lauer
Yamamoto, Japan