A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/27/2012)

Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.
　On Thursday the 26^th pastor and Mrs. Ito and three lady staff members, a total of 5 people, went from the Higashi Matsushima AG Support Center to Rikuzen Takada city in Iwate prefecture to do relief work. At 9AM we left the Izumi church and took the Sanriku highway to the center where we loaded up on portable gasoline tanks and other various relief items and then continued north on the Sanriku towards Rikuzen Takada city. Along the way we stopped at a supermarket in Kesennuma city to buy rice and other items and then continued on. We arrived at about 1:30PM at the Takahashi family residence which is in a temporary housing site located in the “Mobiria” camp ground out on the Hirota peninsula.
　We handed over some various relief items including gasoline and also gave them a tract and a recent issue of the Christian Newspaper. We chatted for a while and then prayed for them before moving on.

　After that, we took the Sanriku highway to another temporary housing site near the Rikuzen Takada exit. The Takahasi's parents live at that housing site and we first gave them some relief items and then spent some time drinking tea and fellowshipping as well as having a brief time of worship. The Takahashi's always enjoy the praise songs and gladly join in the singing. They also pray along with us and respond to the Word, firmly receiving what is given.

　The meeting was especially blessed by the worship sung by the three lady staff members that came along with us. As soon as we arrived at the third home, the Aranuma family, we gave them some relief items and then they took us out into a field on their spacious property and allowed us to dig up some potatoes. All on all they gave us fresh potatoes, shiso, cabbages, snap peas and onions to take home as gifts. They seemed to be looking forward to the next time that we visit so that we can all work in the field again.

　After that, we visited the Watanabe family, who had at one time run a beautiful salon that was on prime real estate in front of what used to be Rikuzen Takada's largest hotel. Their home was one high ground and untouched but the salon was washed away down to the foundation. We first were able to help them last April, just one month after the earthquake and with the help of a hairdresser couple who are members of the Hachioji church the Watanabe’s were able to set up a small temporary structure on their home’s parking space and reopen their business. We handed over some relief goods and prayed for them their in front of the temporary salon. That wrapped up our final residential visit and so we went for the first time and visited the Bethel Mission church of Rikuzen Takada. This church was featured in the June 3^rd issue of the Revival Japan magazine which recounted the miracle of the tsunami stopping just 10 meters away from the church doors.

　One of the lady staff members is from the Fukuoka Munakata Bethel Christian Center which is part of the same organization as the Rikuzen Takada church and even though it was not planned, we took a moment to stop by.
　Even though our visit was sudden, pastor and Mrs. Morita warmly welcomed us. They shared many testimonies about the earthquake and tsunami as well as what the subsequent relief work has been like. We closed the visit with prayer, asking that the disaster victims of the Sanriku area would see the fire of the Spirit through this Pentecostal church and asking for God’s blessing upon the church’s relief work.

　Praising God and thanking Him for His abundant grace, we safely arrived back at the Izumi church after 8PM.
　
　　　I give all the glory to God.
　　　　Thank you all for your understanding,
　　　　　　　prayers and your precious offerings.

 

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A Diary Entry from Pastor Toyomi Sanga of Koriyama Grace Garden Chapel (6/26/2012)

《 Diary Treasure ① 》6.25.2012

Last week as I gazed up at the rainy season’s sky, I prayed.
As the television repeatedly flashed local flood warnings, I prayed.

I prayed , “There’s this job to do, that project to finish and the festival to prepare for...and they say there is the possibility of a rainy season downpour and a typhoon is coming, Lord I need a miracle!”

I just got back from a long trip...and the roller coaster lifestyle continues,
the Mission continues.
By the grace of God,
we are experiencing numerous miracles.

Regarding Mr. and Mrs. “I”whose home was completely destroyed by the earthquake, there has been progress since our last meeting at the May “Wakaba Party”.

A little over a decade ago they moved here from Tokyo and built a brand new home but because it was on the side of a steep hill it was severely damaged.
Before the house was to be destroyed we went in together and removed their “treasures”. It had taken them a long time but they finally made the choice to have the house demolished.

The biggest problem is that they live in the city of “S”, about 50 minutes from Koriyama, and so it was unclear where they could store their stuff until they find a new residences.

Just before June when I was going to leave Japan for a long trip, I contacted Mr. “Y” who lives in the town of “T”, which is about 40 minutes away, and asked if they knew of any open homes or storages spaces.

Within a few hours, Mr. “Y’s” friend, Mr. “K”, who also lives in the town of “T”, had allowed us to rent a warehouse that he owns in the city of “S”. And wouldn’t you know it, it was directly next door to Mr. and Mrs. “I’s” condemned home!!

Then, just a few days after I returned home to Japan we had a volunteer team from Singapore come.
On the 19^th, due to the impending typhoon, the bullet trains departing Tokyo station were stopped and so we were blessed to have help from pastor Sakai and the members of Tokyo Urban Church who got the team safely to Koriyama on the following day.
That following day, after the typhoon had passed, the temperature steadily began to rise and so we made the decision to go with the staff to “S” city and take care of organizing and moving the “I’s” house.


The house had sat abandoned since March 11^th of last year.
There are huge cracks in the walls and things were so badly scattered by the quaking that you could not even see the floor.
As the volunteer team, our staff and myself changed into house slippers and stepped into the house we were astonished.
The foul smell and the dust. The severely cracked walls, the floor strewn with broken dishes and the toppled furniture.

I was reminded of the quaking of that day as I looked around at the room which clearly showed what happens when life is abruptly brought to a halt.

The clean up took two days.
We gathered everything up off the floor and put them in plastic bags.

I said, “Put the trash here” and pointed to a pile outside the front entrance.
And Mr. “I” said, “but what’s in those bags isn’t trash...”

For those of us cleaning up it all seemed like “garbage”,
but for the “I’s” it was their memories, their treasures.

Throughout the process, Mr. and Mrs. “I” often looked like they were not feeling well.

But still, they had taken some medicine and they were doing their very best to stand with us, guiding and directing our work.

“Maybe it would have been better not to have done this (clean up)...But they would never have been able to move forward if we didn’t,” I  told myself as I rubbed Mrs. “I’s” shoulder.

The “I’s” home was part of a new residential development in the city of “S” and it seems that none of the other homes in the area were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished.
If you looked around you could see many people living normal lives with beautifully manicured homes and gardens.

For two days the volunteer team and our staff members silently worked at gathering up Mr. and Mrs. “I’s” treasures.

Two days from now, with the help of CRASH Japan, we will once again go and move some of the heavy furniture and finish cleaning up.

The “I’s”, whose “treasures” we were stuffing into trash bags, encouraged and moving forward, finally smiled for us on the second day.

Their hearts are still swallowed up in a wave of despair.
A few days back Mrs. “I” allowed me to pray for her and she could not stop crying.
“In this hopeless time in our life you church folk are standing here with us...I just don’t know how to thank you,” she said.

The picture below of their smiling faces is my “treasure”.

The team gathered around the “I’s” for this picture and then they gave them a gift from Singapore. We put away all of the cleaning products and tools and then the team and our staff members packed into a station wagon...and it started to rain.

My God Reign.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/25/2012 Pt.2)

　

Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.
　On Sunday the 24^th, with the help of the support staff and volunteers from the Izumi church, we were able to hold the 2^nd Sunday worship and Sunday school at the Higashi Matsushima AG Support Center.
　　
　Starting this month we will be holding worship and Sunday school every other week at the Support Center and this time was our second event. We had a number of people from the first event as well as some new attendees making for about 20 locals and 17 volunteer ministers totaling 37 people. In the Sunday school we had 6 children come, many of whom had participated in the previous day’s “Kid’s Festival”, as well as 4 volunteer ministers totaling 10 people. Praise God!
　
　In the worship service we had praise, a prayer and then we had salvation testimonies from center staff member Ms. Noriko Makino and a Teen Challenge graduate, Simon Watanabe, who is working with Samaritan’s Purse. These real testimonies of encountering Christ seemed to have a big impact on everyone. This was followed by a special worship song performed by the “Miracle Savers”, a group of Izumi Chapel ladies that formed out of the disaster relief work. In closing pastor Ito shared a message from the Word and then everyone lifted their voices in a closing prayer.
　
　This time was held our first offering. We shared that all of the money would be used to support the efforts of the Support Center and as we passed the basket all of the local people in attendance gave gratefully. I am so thankful to the Lord for such a blessed offering time.
　Many of those who attended stayed around for a time of fellowship and as we drank tea many conversations were focused on faith and thoughts from the Sunday message.
　One person I spoke with was a young woman who we have earnestly been inviting to the center for this kind of event. She lost her parents, her house and her job in the tsunami and now lives alone and dejected in a temporary housing unit. I prayed for the salvation and healing of this precious soul.

　This week, on Thursday the 28^th, we will hold the 4^th “Word and Tea” event. Please pray that those who attend the Sunday service will come and learn more from the Word; that they will continue to come to Sunday worship seeking the Lord; that they will accept the salvation; and that the abundant work of the Holy Spirit would be in their life.
　
　The Lord is always doing exceedingly more than we could ever imagine. We desire to continue serving alongside the disaster victims, praying and believing that we will see even greater miracles among them.
　
　　　I give all the glory to God.
　　　　Thank you all for your understanding,
　　　　　　　prayers and your precious offerings.

 

Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view more pictures of this event.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/25/2012 Pt.1)

Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.

　On Friday the 22nd at the Higashi Matsushima AG Support Center we had a team from a US Assemblies of God church in Hawaii came and put on a "Hawaii Festival". Then on the following day, Saturday the 23rd, members from Hachioji Zion Chapel came and put on a "Kid's Festival".

　Since the team from Hawaii was staying at the center the Hachioji teamed lodged at the Izumi church. They woke up early in the morning and pastor Murakami led the "Smile Club’s” teachers and staff to the center and we had a wonderful event.
　The place was full of kids and their parents and from 10AM~12noon there were games , dances, worship and a message. The ladies from the Hawaii team performed hula dances and the young men did some very powerful dances and before we knew it the 2 hours had flown by. The children were a little anxious to start with but eventually relaxed and smiles and laughter overflowed with the games, worship and dancing. They even listened attentively to the pastor’s message.

　In closing the Hachioji team passed out the treats that they had prepared to the children and the festival came to a blessed and enjoyable end.
　One young elementary aged boy who lives in a temporary housing unit had not been able to play normally after the disaster. I was told by his overjoyed grandmother who brought him that he was under a lot of stress but by coming to the festival and participating in the games and dances he was able to release a lot of the pressure.

　I am so thankful to the Lord that He has not forgotten or forsaken the children in the disaster area and instead loves them and has provided this type if special event for them.
　Please pray that the children and those adults that came with them will begin attending the Sunday worship and Sunday school that we recently started at the center and please pray that they will be saved.

　I am so thankful for the big sacrifice that pastor Murakami and the 15 members of the Hachioji church gave. And I am also extremely thankful for the staff and Izumi church members who continuously ministered through from the previous day’s “Hawaii Festival”.
　　　I give all the glory to God.
　　　　Thank you all for your understanding,
　　　　　　　prayers and your precious offerings.

Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view more pictures of this event.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/22/2012)

 

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.

　Everyday the staff members of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center are busy with relief work. As one link in the larger plan of providing emotional care for the disaster victims, on Friday the 22^nd we were blessed to have some members of an Assemblies of God church in Hawaii come and put on a “Hawaiian Festival”.
　Regardless of the fact that there was very little preparation time, the staff worked hard announcing the event by phone and word of mouth. So many people came that the original number of tables and chairs that we had set out were quickly taken up.　
　
　Not only was there a big crowd but from start to finish the festival was a wondrously blessed time; filled with laughter and the love, grace and joy of the Lord.
　With staff member Ms. Nozomi leading as the emcee, pastor Ito opened with a greeting and prayer and then the stage was turned over to the team from Hawaii. They shared many hula dances and worship songs, and in the intervals between songs their church’s pastor, Andrew, shared from the Word.
　
　During the program many of the disaster victims tried hula dancing along with the team and after the stage event the guests and staff spent time talking with the disaster victims, taking pictures together, hugging, shaking hands and praying together. The place was truly filled with the presence of Jesus and overflowed with a heavenly atmosphere.
　One lady who often comes to our events mentioned, “I am so glad I came, it was really a lot of fun. I invited by niece to come and she came with 10 of her friends!” Another lady who recently had her home condemned and is now living in a rented apartment said, “When I am all alone at home I just cry, but here I feel healed and rejuvenated.” She stayed around to the end when we took a commemorative photo with the team.
　
　For this event we had a group of about 25 people ministering made up of 12 Hawaii team members, pastor Dan and 4 members from the Yokota church, pastor Glenn from the Shinohara church, members from the Izumi church, the center staff and local volunteers. I am so thankful for their servant hearts.

　Tomorrow, Saturday the 23^rd, from 10AM until noon,  members of the Hachioji Zion Chapel will come to the center and put on the first ever “Kids Festival”. During that time the Hawaii team will share dance and worship for 20 minutes.

　On the 24^th (Sun) we will hold the 2nd Sunday worship service and Sunday school, on the 26^th (Tue) we will do relief work in Rikuzen Takada city, and on the 28^th (Thur) there will be the 4th "Word and Tea" event. I would greatly appreciate if you would pray for the relief work and ministry staff.　
　
　Thank you all for you understanding and prayers for the relief work as well as for you precious offerings.

 

Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view more pictures of this event.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/18/2012)

Praise the Lord.

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area. Thanks to your prayers and the grace of God even though it was forecast to rain on Saturday the 16th the weather stayed nice and we were able to hold the 29th meal distribution.

　At this meal distribution we had pastors and church members from the Shinohara, Shin-Nakano, Hachioji, Komagane, Jujo, Yonezawa, and Izumi churches ministering. And in addition we had help from volunteer staff of the Samaritan's Purse as well as Pastor Kisaki, the head of Teen Challenge Japan.
　Also, on the preparation day before the event we had the local welfare officer Ms. Shiroma, Ms. Kikuchi, who is a new believer, Ms. Nasuno and Ms. Sasaki join in to help minister.

　This time as well, the event was made up of three parts: the meal distribution, the distribution of relief goods and a stage presentation. On the stage inside the center we had "Wings", the husband and wife worship team from Sendai city, a wonderful male soloist who is a professional opera singer and a member of the Hachioji church as well as worship by some of the volunteer staff ladies.

　After pastor Ito's opening remarks and special worship song Hachioji's pastor Wada prayed for the meal and then just a little before noon the meal distribution began.
　At this event we had the itinerating missionary family, the Yabukis, also kindly join in the ministry. On the stage Mrs. Yabuki gave a greeting then their eldest daughter Ai, a fourth grader, sang a solo which was followed by a Bible message boldly preached by Mr. Yabuki. The disaster victims also really enjoyed the worship song and encouraging word that pastor Okubo of the Yonezawa church shared.

　We had a great turn out to the point that all 450 adult meal tickets that we had prepared were used. I believe that everyone in attendance was able to experience a meal distribution led by the one true God, we're moved by His real love and returned home touched by His presence and filled with His joy.
　This time especially we had many attend who after the earthquake lost their jobs or whose works place were swept away by the tsunami and have yet to be rebuilt or who are struggling to manage a business amidst so many problems. So because of this many if the pastors, missionaries and center staff members were busy counseling people about these issues.

　One couple who came in search of relief items have a son who is physically handicapped and he had became depressed and pessimistic about the future after the disaster. Please pray for pastor Ito as he ministers to this family and pray for their salvation and healing. Even now at a year and three months after the disaster there are still many people in need of support, with no hope for the future living in pain and uncertainty.

　Everyday at the center the staff is doing all they can to deal with the requests for relief and to minister to the disaster victims who visit.
　For that purpose we daily pray for wisdom and strength as me move forward in doing relief work.
　I would really appreciate it if you would pray that we can continue ministering and we also appreciate your continued support.

　Here in the disaster area we still have many needs for clothing and cooking utensils. We always have different volunteer ministers around the center so please consider coming and joining in the hands on ministry. Just drop us a line.

　The following is the upcoming schedule at the center:
20(Thur) Relief work in Rikuzen Takada city
22(Fri) "Hawaiian Festival"
23(Sat) "Kid's Festival" sponsored by the Hachioji church
24(Sun) The 2nd Sunday worship service and Sunday school
28(Thur) The 4th "Word and Tea" event
　We appreciate all of your prayers.

　Thank you all for you understanding and prayers for the relief work as well as for you precious offerings.

Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view more pictures of this event.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/11/2012 Pt.2)

Praise the Lord.

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.

　Sunday June 10th. Through your prayers and the grace of God we held the first Sunday worship and the first Sunday school at the center.

　Now, one year and three months after the disaster, we have finally been able to start Sunday worship and Sunday school.
　At 12:40 we ended worship a little earlier than normal and immediately split up 25 Izumi church members and volunteer staff between five vehicles and headed out for the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center. We all arrived safely just before 2PM and quickly began setting up the PA system and preparing tea. Since the chairs were already set up from the previous day's movie viewing, the setup went rather smoothly and the worship team was able to start practicing around 2:30. There were already a few people starting to arrive at that time.

　Sunday school was held on the second floor where the lodging rooms are and the SS staff went directly up stairs to prepare the room and set up the projector.
　We had planned to start the worship service and Sunday school at the center at 3PM and so after the morning service finished in Izumi, we finished preparations and worship practice with 10 minutes early and with everyone in a state of prayer opened the first worship service at the center.

　For the first worship service we had 15 adult disaster victims and 20 staff members making a total of 35 people and for Sunday school there were 10 children and 5 staff members making for a total of 15 people.
　Worship consisted of praise, prayer, a salvation testimony, a special song and a clip from the film "Jesus". After that pastor Ito preached the word then had an altar call for salvation, healing and blessing. All together it was about an hour and twenty minutes and was filled with the grace and presence of God. Many were touched by the Lord to the point of tears.
　After the service, during the tea time, most of the discussions were regarding things like the Bible, faith, salvation and baptism. Most of the ministers were busy answering questions and doing follow-up.
　This time as well we had the local welfare officer Mr. Shiroma and Ms. Nida attend the entire service and then stay around to help clean up. Also, on Monday the 11th a local nursing home is using our facilities for the first time and so in preparation we had to clean the center, the tables and the churches.  We closed the long day of worship with prayer, thankfully and joyfully giving the glory to God, and then headed back to Izumi arriving just before 7PM.

　I was able to see through this day's events that the living, almighty God is doing a new work of salvation among the disaster victims. We are expecting that soon there will be an abundant harvest of souls and I pray all the more to move forward working within the leading of God.
　I would really appreciate if you would keep this in your prayers.

　Hallelujah! Bless the Lord. All glory belongs to Him.
　I thank you all for your prayers and support.

Please follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to view more pictures of this event.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/11/2012 Pt.1)

Praise the Lord.

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.

　Thanks to your prayers we were able to hold the 3rd movie viewing of the "The Bible: In the Beginning" on Saturday the 9th and even though it was raining slightly by God's grace we had around forty people attend.

　The film was a three hour epic but still everyone was moved by the story and stayed around after it was over, drinking tea and eating snacks. Many shared various impressions such as, "I was so moved by the film. The part where Abraham offered Isaac was especially moving," and "Now I understand about Noah's ark," and "I want to start reading the Bible." This led many to want to see the movie "The Ten Commandments. "

　I'm really moved when I think out how the disaster victims are little by little turning to the Lord through these types of methods.
　Thank you for all of your prayers.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/8/2012)

Praise the Lord.

　Even now at nearly a year and three months after the great earthquake many disaster victims face a difficult existence and are doing all they can just to survive. Thank you for all of your gifts and prayers for them.

　 I am thankful too that the relief work done at the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center has been protected and is continuing to this day.

　This week we will be welcoming a new long term lady volunteer from Fukuoka making for a four person support staff at the center.
　I would really appreciate your prayers of protection over this staff who daily run themselves ragged with ministry.

　 So, at the center this Saturday the 9th we will show "The Bible: In the Beginning" for our 3rd movie showing event. Up till now, after each movie event, we survey the attendees and their number one choice of movie to watch is "The Bible: In the Beginning" which is founded on THE BIBLE!
　I truly hope that through this movie the disaster victims will learn how great the Bible is and that they will come to know the grace and greatness of our God.
　Please pray that the Lord will work through this movie.

　Also, on Sunday the 10th we will finally begin Sunday worship and Sunday school at the center. I honor the Lord for leading us to this point and I give thanks for the support and prayers of each and every pastor and believer alike.  
　For the meantime worship and Sunday school at the center are scheduled for the second and fourth Sundays of the month from 3PM to 4PM. We will be running a very tight schedule finishing worship at the Izumi church at 1PM, immediately driving the one hour trip to the center and completing all preparations in order to start by 3PM. Between the normal volunteer staff and members from Izumi there will be a ministry team of about 25 people. Please pray for the anointing to be on each person ministering and pray that we will be able to boldly proclaim the gospel to all who come.

　We will hold the 29th meal distribution on Saturday the 16th. We are thinking that this will be the last time that we include the distribution of relief items in the program, but still we are expecting our biggest turn out yet with close to 500 people. I would really appreciate if you could pray that the generous love of Christ would be expressed to many.

　 For anyone who is interested in volunteering please contact either brother Furuahashi, the Higashi Matsushima AG Center's manager, at 080-4369-3712 or staff leader sister Nozomi Odawara at 080-2815-3507.

We will start the preparations for the meal distribution on the morning of Friday the 15th. At the Support Center we have both baths and bedding so you can stay for free (as a rule men stay at the center and women stay at the Izumi church). By all means make use of these facilities.
　 May it all be used for the glory of the Lord.

A Report from Pastor Toyomitsu Shibuya of Aomori Joyful Chapel (6/4/2012)

Recently we were able to distribute a special variety of Aomori Goshogawara rice which was provided by an rice farmer who is an acquaintance of one of our church members.
We provided it as relief to the Wano neighborhood in the town of Otsuchi.
We passed the rice out to 10 different households and everyone was overjoyed to receive the rice. Hallelujah!
Three people from the Aomori church and one man from the Shinohara church served together.
Many of the disaster victims were amazed and moved by the testimony of Aomori’s brother Hirayama’s healing from cancer. Thank God for His guidance.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/3/2012)

Praise the Lord.

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area, and thank you for your prayers, understanding and cooperation in helping us to make it this far.

　On Thursday, May the 31, we went from the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center to the city of Rikuzentakada and provided relief for six households totaling 17 people.
　Since April 11 of last year, one month after the earthquake, we have gone to provide relief to these families over 50 times.

　This time around a team of 5 people went to minister. They were the center's manager brother Furuhashi, pastor and Mrs. Ito as well as two nurses, Ms. Tamura and Ms. Omura, who came all the way from Kagoshima Shinai church and have been volunteering with us since last Saturday the 26th.

　Rikuzentakada city was a city with a population of about 20,000 people but after the massive 18m (60ft) tsunami roughly 10% of the people lost their lives. It left the low lying part of the town completely destroyed and even the 70,000 trees of the famous tourist spot "Takada Pine Forest" were swept away, leaving only one tree, the "Tree of Hope."
　Many disaster victims are living in temporary housing units on raised ground or scattered around on the hills and only recently has there been a temporary city office, doctors office, bank, grocery store, etc. erected, helping everyone to feel a little more comfortable.

　Yet even still there are no set plans for moving people into permanent housing or rebuilding the town’s business sector. With an unseen future of living in temporary housing units many people are dealing with issues of stress, fear of the future, as well as loneliness.

　This time we visited two different housing sites and four homes on high ground that had been spared, totaling 6 households. We visited the Takahashi family who live in one of the hillside temporary housing units and who always allow us to hold worship in their home, and while there they shared with us about an acquaintance living in the same housing site who suddenly passed away.
　That acquaintance lost both his wife and the furniture store that he owned in the tsunami. He had been living on his own in the temporary housing and just died unexpectedly. The same issue of people dying in seclusion and loneliness was a major problem in the temporary housing sites following the Kobe earthquake. It leaves me speechless and downhearted to think that this kind of thing happened in a place that we had been regularly visiting. People who are hurting and suffering in this same way are not only in this one housing site but are living in temporary housing sites all throughout the disaster area. We are realizing that from here on, providing relief to those in temporary housing sites is an important issue.
　At that temporary housing site we had a small worship service with praise, a testimony and a message from John 6:35 about Jesus the bread of life. I shared that by turning our hearts to Jesus we can be filled with a peace and hope that brings eternal life and does not leave us hungry or thirsty. We closed in prayer for the Takahashi’s and for all those living in temporary housing sites that they would be protected by the Lord.

I would appreciate if you would pray for those living in temporary housing sites throughout the disaster area, praying that the work of the gospel would move forward bringing emotional healing and eternal hope.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

A Report from Pastor Ito of Izumi Fukuin Chapel (6/1/2012)

Praise the Lord.

　Thank you all for your prayers and support for the relief work of the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Center and for the healing and salvation of souls in the disaster area.

　Thanks to your prayers and the grace of God we were able to hold the 5th "Tea and Talk" event on Tuesday the 29th. The "Tea and Talk" events are one of our standard relief activities which we started in January of this year and have held once a month since. The aim of this event is to provide disaster victims with a relaxed atmosphere where they can drink tea, eat snacks and talk together; laying down their burdens and gaining some manner peace and comfort.

　We also provided fun and enjoyable experiences such as games, skits and sing-alongs, as well as worship and a brief message allowing for the attendees to experience the gospel. We continually pray asking that many attendees would begin to seek after the Lord.

　This time the event was opened in prayer by the Higashi Matsushima Amazing Grace Support Center's manager brother Furuhashi then staff members sister Nozomi and sister Miho emceed some games and a singing of the song "Tea Picking" which incorporated the traditional hand gestures. This was followed by some worship songs and a brief message by pastor Ito. We ended the service with prayer and then enjoyed some delicious brownies and cake handmade by the church's pastors and board members. While eating we all enjoyed some time of chatting and then closed the entire event in prayer.

　Each time that we hold one of these fellowship gatherings the number of attendees increases and this time we had the largest turnout yet of 70 people. Yet I do not believe the most important things is how many people attend, instead it is whether there is an abundance of God's presence, grace and love. I felt that from start to finish, the Lord was present and that His overflowing love and grace was poured out to all. Even after the meeting was over everyone spent time chatting not wanting to say goodbye which meant that there were a number of people who kindly stayed to help with the clean up.

　Thanks to your prayers, I feel that the God of grace and love is doing a real and new thing among the disaster victims, and I am sure that we will soon see a rich harvest of souls.

　Hallelujah! Praise God. All the glory belongs to Him.
　Thank you all so much for your support and prayers.

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