Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

Yesterday afternoon the movers came to pick up my boxes and suitcases for my move to Kumamoto.  I was so impressed by the efficiency and warm customer service that I see time and time again in Japan.  Cindy helped with translating and keeping us organized, so we quickly finished.

Then, Cindy, Allyson, Ally, and I decided to visit a local restaurant.  We made it about a block away from home when the earthquake started at 2:46 p.m.  The four of us stopped in place as residents nearby left their homes to stand away from possible falling structures.  The power lines above us shook, so we backed away from the electric pole next to us.  The shaking continued for about two minutes while we huddled together in groups.  People commented on how strong the earthquake felt and how they’d never felt anything quite like it.  Actually, Japan has never had an earthquake this strong in recorded history.  As the shaking slowed down, the aftershocks continued off and on, and it was like we had just left a ship but couldn’t quite get our landlegs back.  We parted from neighbors with comments of “take care” and continued to the restaurant.  While there, rather large aftershocks continued, so everyone sought shelter under tables.  The restaurants could only sell limited items since it wasn’t safe to use the gas so soon after a big earthquake, but most people there seemed relieved to have friends or family nearby and didn’t care.  At this point we had no idea about the tsunami or the magnitude of destruction that it left in its path.  Meanwhile, the trains all over Tokyo stopped running so that thorough inspections could be done to ensure everyone’s safety. The trains, subways, and bullet trains throughout the eastern side of Honshu remained stationary for the remainder of the day, leaving millions of people stranded at work or school overnight.   

It wasn’t until I returned home and turned on the news that I started to understand the damage that the earthquake and tsunami did.  Hundreds of people lost their lives, and that number continues to grow.  Many were injured, lost their homes, or were without power on a cold night.  It’s hard to turn away from the images on the news, even though about the only Japanese word that I can understand in the reports is じしん (jishin, meaning earthquake). 

Because the movers had taken away almost everything, I didn’t even have cooking supplies or eating utensils, let alone food in the refrigerator.  Cindy, Allyson, Ally, and I ventured out to a nearby grocery store only to find the lights off and the doors closed.  The clerk at the 7-11 next door told us that the merchandise fell off the shelves during the earthquake, so the store was forced to close.  The shelves at 7-11 were pretty bare, but we managed to stock up on some water and cups of noodle.

Ally, Allyson, and Cindy at the nearly empty convenience store.

Throughout the night the tremors continued off and on, but I feel guilty even mentioning my lack of sleep when I think about all the people who are struggling with much bigger problems right now.  Especially for those communities closest to the tsunami, the challenges are just beginning.  While other people may return to their normal lives, they face the loss of friends and family, homes, and all their possessions.  My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan right now who are in the midst of this turmoil and tragedy.  Please pray for them not only today, but in the weeks and months ahead as they try to rebuild their lives.

Picture of the tsunami taken from the Associated Press website

The Times They Are A-Changin'

It’s that time again…moving time! 

Last week I received my official job placement.  The Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church pastors and higher-ups meet once a year to make decisions about where to place seminary graduates and new missionaries.  For the next two years I will teach English at Kyushu Gakuin in Kumamoto (that’s on the southern island of Japan).  I will teach English to kindergarten, junior high, and high school students at a private Lutheran school.  Religious schools in Japan are a bit different from the States though.  In America, generally students go to religious schools because their family is Christian, and the parents want those values instilled in their children.  In Japan, many students and staff working at the schools are not Christian, but they choose the schools based on their reputations for strong education programs.  The churches and Christian schools view this as an opportunity to introduce students to Christianity, and this is usually done through daily chapel services, religion classes, and staff members who are Christians.  I am looking forward to giving chapel speeches and openly share my faith as opportunities arise. In a country where less than 1 % is Christian, I am thankful that I can share my faith through my daily interactions with others in words and actions.

This is my last week of intensive Japanese language training, but I will continue studying Japanese once I arrive in Kumamoto.  I still have times when I get frustrated over not having the vocabulary to say what I really want to say, but I can also see that I have made significant progress in my language skills.  I hope and pray that I can continue improving my Japanese in the years ahead and use those skills to assist me in forming meaningful relationships.

Currently I’m having mixed feelings about moving.  On the one hand, it will be hard to leave the people and places that I’ve come to love in the Tokyo area.  On the other hand, I am definitely looking forward to meeting my new students, co-workers, church members, and friends.  This is my fourth move since June, and the moving process and transition time is not something that I enjoy.  Please keep me in your prayers during this time of transitions as one chapter ends and a new one begins.

Ally, Allyson, and Me on Placement Day

Megumi

Recently I did a little calligraphy during one of my Japanese classes.  The Japanese style requires a paintbrush and black paint rather than a pen with a slanted tip, like the Western style.  I really wanted to do my best so that I could turn my calligraphy into a beautiful wall hanging, but I’ve only done this style one other time, and it is really difficult.  As I practiced, many times I wished that I had a delete or undo button; one small mistake could mess up the whole picture, and that really started stressing me out.  I would start out fine but inevitably make a mistake, get even more frustrated, and then make more mistakes.  Finally, I paused long enough to examine the word in front of me: megumi (grace).  Then the light bulb above my head suddenly lit up.  I was trying so hard to do my calligraphy perfectly, but that’s not how grace works.  Grace is God’s free gift of forgiveness that is not based on anything we do.  God looks at our mistakes and says, “Of course you can have another chance; Jesus died to take away those sins and mistakes of your past.” 

It's a small world after all

When I was younger, and not all that long ago too, I didn’t really care much for the news.  It was all a bunch of people arguing over politics and one depressing story after another about natural disasters, wars, and heinous crimes.  That description still suits the news today, but over time my perception has changed. 

I first moved to Japan just after graduating from college and was surprised by how much people in Japan knew about American politics.  More than once people assumed that because I was American, I must agree with all of President George W. Bush’s opinions.  I quickly realized that I needed to polish up on my political knowledge if for no other reason than to knowledgeably say that I agreed or disagreed with President Bush’s latest political views.  Fast forward a few years, and here I am in Japan again, trying to agree or disagree with a different president.  Thankfully there’s more to the news than just politics or else I’d quickly grow tired of trying to stay focused.

Unfortunately, many people only care about what is happening in their own city, state, and country; that is where their concern stops.  Living in another country and traveling to other countries helps me to see the people of the world as real, living and breathing individuals.  Now when I watch or read about the news, I find it harder to turn my back on the suffering of earthquake victims, human trafficking hostages, or martyrs.  Those are brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers, not just statistics.  So, what are we supposed to do with all the pain and suffering that is happening in the world?  For starters, you can try to do what I do—pray your way through the news.  Don’t just learn about a horrific situation and the next minute return to your favorite T.V. show or your previously scheduled life.  Turn that concern over to God but also ask him if there is some kind of action that He is calling you to take.  Why not start today with the current situation in Egypt?  Instead of viewing the country as a whole, you can start by praying for my friends Stephanie and Paul Schick who are living in Cairo right now because Paul is doing his pastoral internship there.  Or, you can pray for the family of Maria, a former student, who has family living in Egypt.

One of my favorite scenes in the book Christy, by Catherine Marshall, is when Alice Henderson explains the importance of letting God pry our hands away from our eyes.  We can choose to go through life by covering our eyes to the pain and hardships all around us, or we can allow God to open our eyes so that we can see the people and the world around us the way that He does.  Although Christy is fiction, Alice is exposed to extreme hardships and suffering which reveal universal truths.  Alice says, “You want to know why seeing stark evil hasn't made me rough or bitter? Remember, I said it was God who was prying the little girl's hands off her eyes. As if He were saying, 'I can't use ivory-tower followers. They're plaster of Paris, they crumble and fall apart in life's press. So you've got to see life the way it really is before you can do anything about evil. You cannot vanquish it. I can. But in My world the battle against evil has to be a joint endeavor. You and Me. I, God, in you, can have the victory every time’” (Marshall).

The Outsiders

Recently I read two very interesting articles in The Japan Times about what it’s like living as a foreigner in Japan.  A person doesn’t have to live in Japan for long before learning to identify him or herself as a がいじん (gaijin or literally translated as “outsider”).  That’s when the questions really start rising.  How do you identify yourself?  How do you feel about being viewed as an “outsider”?  Have you experienced what it is like being in the minority before?  What makes you unique, and in what ways do you reinforce stereotypes about people from your country?  What do you want to hold on to in your existing identity, and what parts of a new culture do you want to embrace?  Every person answers these questions differently. 

The first article sought to show how three famous foreign men dealt with the challenges of living in Japan as outsiders.  While they shared some interesting insights, I think the real problem arose in expecting three people to represent all foreigners living in Japan.  Foreigners face unique adjustments, when moving to Japan, based on what similarities and differences exist between the Japanese culture and their own culture.  For example, at different points in history, Japan and China or Japan and Korea have strongly resented one another.  These politically based tensions may contribute to stereotypes or discrimination that other foreigners would not experience.  Likewise, men and women would naturally respond in different ways to a new culture, yet this article focused only on interviewing men.  I certainly do not agree with everything in this first article, but if you have the time, it is well worth it to see what insights and conclusions one could draw about foreigners living in Japan.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20101228zg.html

The second article was a series of comments people made as they agreed or disagreed with the first article.  Many people feel passionate about what it means to be a がいじん because, as I pointed out, every person responds differently to those difficult identity questions.  One idea that really stood out to me is the way people are so quick to judge other cultures, without examining their own culture through the same magnifying glass.  For example, in America we see people who are labeled as terrorists based on where they were born or people getting paid next to nothing for doing demanding physical work that many people would try their noses up at.  As we recently celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, can we honestly say that America is free of discrimination and that we are innocent of giving labels to identify others as outsiders?  Another point that made me smile was the comment, “Too many foreign residents make themselves miserable with constant complaints.  If I wanted everything to be as it was back home, I would have stayed there.”  I admit that I have been guilty of complaining about cultural differences at times, but when all is said and done, I am thankful for my many opportunities to learn about the Japanese culture.  As I meet and befriend people in Japan, I am also happy to point out that just like all foreigners have differences, Japanese people are unique in their own ways too.  So, for anyone who seeks to experience a new culture, the best plan is to stay open-minded about the individuals you meet as well as about yourself  as you grow and change (to varying degrees) in a new culture.  To read the many responses and comments related to the first article, you can check out the second article at this link.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110118hs.html

Pictures from Ikebukuro Lutheran Church

Ikebukuro Lutheran Church

Working at the church bazaar in October with Rume

Church Bazaar

Christmas at church--a beautiful nativity scene from the Holy Land

The sanctuary

Kojima Sensei, not the pastor of this church but a retired pastor I knew from Kumamoto.

Cabbage soup (recipe from Finland) served at the Christmas Party

Church Christmas Party

Reflections on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Last weekend I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  It was an intense and moving experience that is difficult to describe to people who haven’t been there.  It certainly feels uncomfortable on so many levels to view the horrors of atomic weapons as an American living in Japan.  One thing that I especially appreciate about this museum, though, is its emphasis on moving toward the disarmament of all atomic weapons rather than focusing on placing blame for the atomic bomb that America dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.  After visiting the museum, I went to the Peace Park to be alone and process all that I had seen.  In an attempt to share my experience with you and others, I felt compelled to do something extremely rare—write a poem.  I do not claim to be an expert writer, so please be kind as you read my poetry, where I reflect on this horrific event.

ONE MOMENT CHANGES ALL

By Christine Eige

A flash of light and a booming noise—

Heat and radiation devouring all in its way.

Flesh and clothes melting into one,

parched throats gasping for air,

seeking relief, but instead, finding black rain.

Radiation running rampant through bodies,

vital organs failing one after another,

and so many beyond recovery or care.

A whole world turned upside down,

yet the suffering only just beginning.

“Papa, please help me!

Make the pain go away.

Where are you?

I need you.

Don’t leave me this way.

Where are my little sister, my mama, and friends?

What happened to my home?

When will the nightmares finally end?”

God looks down from heaven,

his heart broken in two.

Jesus opens his arms wide saying,

“Forgive them, Father,

for they know not what they do.”