"The light of the world"_After the Earthquake in Japan(English ver.) from Dear.Japan on Vimeo.
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2011년 4월 29일 금요일
Love in action Ⅲ
11명의 팀원들을 이끌고 지금까지 집 4채를 복구했다. 각자 은사대로 어찌나 잘 섬기는지 너무 귀하고 복되다. 참 신기하게도 복구 작업이라는 신성한 노동을 통해 기도를 하게 된다. 방문하는 집마다 하나님의 긍휼과 사랑이 흘러가고 있음을 느끼며 또한 감사하게 된다. 표정이 굳어있던 아이부터 노인에 이르기까지 우리들의 작은 섬김에 미소가 돌아오고 있다. 주님이 일하고 계신다.
도움을 필요로 하는 곳을 가가호호 방문해서 묻는 가운데 어떤 할머니를 통해 오늘 놀라운 사실을 한가지 알게 되었다.
"왜 왔어요? 젊은이"
"도움을 드리러 왔습니다."
"네? 그럴리가?"
"왜 놀라십니까?"
"여기는 바로 앞에 바다가 있고, 뒤에 일차선 도로에는 큰 굴다리가 있어서 이번에 또 큰 지진이 오면 무너지면서 쓰나미가 오면 도망갈 수가 없어요. 그래서 정부에서 이곳을 위험지역이라고 봉사자들이 들어오는 것을 금지하고 있는데..."
"(허걱? 침착하게..)그렇군요. 그런데 저희는 경찰이 검문하지 않고 잘 보내주던데요."
"어디서 오셨나요?"
"크리스찬 단체입니다. 국제적인 단체라서 저희 멤버들도 4개국에서 모인 사람들로 이루어져 있습니다. 저도 사실은 한국인입니다."
"(눈물을 글썽이며)그렇군요. 크리스찬들이라서 이렇게 목숨 걸고 오는군요. 고맙습니다. 그런데 뉴스보니까 한국 사람들 다 도망가는데 당신은 왜 안갔습니까?"
"글쎄요. 도망가고 싶다는 생각을 한번도 안해봤네요. 여기오는 준비하느라 좀 바빴거든요.(히죽히죽)"
".......정부에서도 우리를 버렸는데, 돈을 준데도 도와줄 사람이 없는데, 세상에 어떻게 이런 사람이 있을까..."
"어휴, 저같은 사람은 교회에 가면 널렸습니다. 그럼 내일 저 같은 사람 10명 데리고 일하러 오겠습니다. 괜찮죠? 할머니!"
"너무 고맙습니다. 너무너무 고맙습니다."
"네, 그럼 내일 건강한 모습으로 뵙지요. 그럼 이만"
돌아오는 길에 도로를 유심히 쳐다봤다.
정말 저 굴다리가 무너지면 갈곳이 없구나.
진작 알았으면 왔을까? 순간 고민이 되었다.
팀원들에게 말해야할지 말아야할지...
기도 끝에 저녁 시간에 팀원들을 불러놓고 솔직히 말했다.
그러자 팀원들은 의외의 대답을 했다.
"그래서 마을 분들의 눈빛이 남달랐구나"
"이야~ 우리 지금 복음을 위해 목숨을 건거네?"
"어쩐지 동네 분들끼리 대화하거나 전화 통화하는데 크리스찬, 크리스찬하는 소리가 자주 들렸구나"
"여기 있는 것만으로도 이분들한테 큰 힘이 된다니 참 감사하다. 더 열심히 섬겨야겠는데..."
나의 예상을 뒤엎은 놀라운 사건이었다.
우리 팀 모두 성령충만하든지, 아니면 어딘가에 미쳤든지...
어쨌든 오늘 밤부터 우리 팀의 분위기가 뜨겁게 확 바뀌었다.
전세계에서 날아오는 중보기도의 미사일이 우리의 가슴에 확 꽂히고 있다는게 느껴진다. 성령에 압도된 듯 온몸이 근질거린다. 내일을 또 기대한다. 이 특별한 자리에 보잘것 없는 나를 불러주시고, 세워주신 주님께 정말 감사드린다.
도움을 필요로 하는 곳을 가가호호 방문해서 묻는 가운데 어떤 할머니를 통해 오늘 놀라운 사실을 한가지 알게 되었다.
"왜 왔어요? 젊은이"
"도움을 드리러 왔습니다."
"네? 그럴리가?"
"왜 놀라십니까?"
"여기는 바로 앞에 바다가 있고, 뒤에 일차선 도로에는 큰 굴다리가 있어서 이번에 또 큰 지진이 오면 무너지면서 쓰나미가 오면 도망갈 수가 없어요. 그래서 정부에서 이곳을 위험지역이라고 봉사자들이 들어오는 것을 금지하고 있는데..."
"(허걱? 침착하게..)그렇군요. 그런데 저희는 경찰이 검문하지 않고 잘 보내주던데요."
"어디서 오셨나요?"
"크리스찬 단체입니다. 국제적인 단체라서 저희 멤버들도 4개국에서 모인 사람들로 이루어져 있습니다. 저도 사실은 한국인입니다."
"(눈물을 글썽이며)그렇군요. 크리스찬들이라서 이렇게 목숨 걸고 오는군요. 고맙습니다. 그런데 뉴스보니까 한국 사람들 다 도망가는데 당신은 왜 안갔습니까?"
"글쎄요. 도망가고 싶다는 생각을 한번도 안해봤네요. 여기오는 준비하느라 좀 바빴거든요.(히죽히죽)"
".......정부에서도 우리를 버렸는데, 돈을 준데도 도와줄 사람이 없는데, 세상에 어떻게 이런 사람이 있을까..."
"어휴, 저같은 사람은 교회에 가면 널렸습니다. 그럼 내일 저 같은 사람 10명 데리고 일하러 오겠습니다. 괜찮죠? 할머니!"
"너무 고맙습니다. 너무너무 고맙습니다."
"네, 그럼 내일 건강한 모습으로 뵙지요. 그럼 이만"
돌아오는 길에 도로를 유심히 쳐다봤다.
정말 저 굴다리가 무너지면 갈곳이 없구나.
진작 알았으면 왔을까? 순간 고민이 되었다.
팀원들에게 말해야할지 말아야할지...
기도 끝에 저녁 시간에 팀원들을 불러놓고 솔직히 말했다.
그러자 팀원들은 의외의 대답을 했다.
"그래서 마을 분들의 눈빛이 남달랐구나"
"이야~ 우리 지금 복음을 위해 목숨을 건거네?"
"어쩐지 동네 분들끼리 대화하거나 전화 통화하는데 크리스찬, 크리스찬하는 소리가 자주 들렸구나"
"여기 있는 것만으로도 이분들한테 큰 힘이 된다니 참 감사하다. 더 열심히 섬겨야겠는데..."
나의 예상을 뒤엎은 놀라운 사건이었다.
우리 팀 모두 성령충만하든지, 아니면 어딘가에 미쳤든지...
어쨌든 오늘 밤부터 우리 팀의 분위기가 뜨겁게 확 바뀌었다.
전세계에서 날아오는 중보기도의 미사일이 우리의 가슴에 확 꽂히고 있다는게 느껴진다. 성령에 압도된 듯 온몸이 근질거린다. 내일을 또 기대한다. 이 특별한 자리에 보잘것 없는 나를 불러주시고, 세워주신 주님께 정말 감사드린다.
team3 testimony 9
To the wonderful Team 3,
As I spent the weekend reflecting on what God has done for me, I was impressed on how many prayers were answered this past week. John already mentioned something about each family, so I'll focus more on what God showed me.
For myself, when I first heard about the devastation in the Tohoku region, my heart broke for them and I wanted to go immediately. But when I got my acceptance to go on Thursday night, my heart sank and I started feeling very discouraged. I kept thinking things like "You have no strength." "You don't speak Japanese, what can you do?" or the biggest one, "I'm going to be useless on this team." I knew in my heart that those were not true and could reply to those lies with the Word of God, and I had many people to pray for me before I went. So with such a discouraging start, I was wondering what God had in store for me in Sendai.
I got to see God working through our team to love the people. At first I felt saddened because we were only able to help one family out of the 300,000 people affected by the tsunami, but God reminded me of the immense value of each individual. God answered my prayers by allowing me to love the Yokoyamas, Yamajis, Chibas, and Nakamuras. I could see their faces light up with joy and thankfulness as I served. All I could do was smile at them and say "Arigatou", but it was enough to touch their hearts. Their smiles, tears, and laughter are proof of the beginning of the healing that God brought through us.
God gave me the opportunity to see the difference between my team and the team of volunteers from Sendai. He showed me how we were showing love as a team towards each other and especially how we were caring for the families that we served. The Sendai team didn't talk with each other, they didn't laugh or enjoy their company, and they didn't spend time with the people they served. Our team was constantly enjoying each others' company and spending quality time with our neighbors. At the end of the week, I was so encouraged to see all the fellowship and joy at our farewell lunch. We only stayed a week with the neighbors, but it felt like we were friends for a long time.
I was truly blessed to be a part of our team. God allowed me to be an encouragement to the team, gave me enough strength for the physical labor, and allowed me to have a bigger heart for the people in Japan. I loved our daily prayers (praying 6-8 times a day), our long drives, and the family-like atmosphere in our team. There are more things I could say about Sendai, but I will leave it at this. Thank you all. I love you guys.
Ariel(Stint)
As I spent the weekend reflecting on what God has done for me, I was impressed on how many prayers were answered this past week. John already mentioned something about each family, so I'll focus more on what God showed me.
For myself, when I first heard about the devastation in the Tohoku region, my heart broke for them and I wanted to go immediately. But when I got my acceptance to go on Thursday night, my heart sank and I started feeling very discouraged. I kept thinking things like "You have no strength." "You don't speak Japanese, what can you do?" or the biggest one, "I'm going to be useless on this team." I knew in my heart that those were not true and could reply to those lies with the Word of God, and I had many people to pray for me before I went. So with such a discouraging start, I was wondering what God had in store for me in Sendai.
I got to see God working through our team to love the people. At first I felt saddened because we were only able to help one family out of the 300,000 people affected by the tsunami, but God reminded me of the immense value of each individual. God answered my prayers by allowing me to love the Yokoyamas, Yamajis, Chibas, and Nakamuras. I could see their faces light up with joy and thankfulness as I served. All I could do was smile at them and say "Arigatou", but it was enough to touch their hearts. Their smiles, tears, and laughter are proof of the beginning of the healing that God brought through us.
God gave me the opportunity to see the difference between my team and the team of volunteers from Sendai. He showed me how we were showing love as a team towards each other and especially how we were caring for the families that we served. The Sendai team didn't talk with each other, they didn't laugh or enjoy their company, and they didn't spend time with the people they served. Our team was constantly enjoying each others' company and spending quality time with our neighbors. At the end of the week, I was so encouraged to see all the fellowship and joy at our farewell lunch. We only stayed a week with the neighbors, but it felt like we were friends for a long time.
I was truly blessed to be a part of our team. God allowed me to be an encouragement to the team, gave me enough strength for the physical labor, and allowed me to have a bigger heart for the people in Japan. I loved our daily prayers (praying 6-8 times a day), our long drives, and the family-like atmosphere in our team. There are more things I could say about Sendai, but I will leave it at this. Thank you all. I love you guys.
Ariel(Stint)
team3 testimony 8
From the beginning it was apparent the Holy Spirit directed each one of us to
serve Him in Sendai. Many of us met for the first time but it felt as though we had
known each other for a long time. From the orientation, to the packing of our
vehicles, settling in at the Yoshitaka home, eating meals, sleeping, waking, and most
importantly as we worked hard for each family we were privileged to serve.
I was impressed how everyone remained focused on our mission to express
God’s love to each family through, hard labor, conversation, and laughter. Though 4
of the 5 families were not followers of Christ we were able to worship God alongside
them. It was awesome!
God is doing a great work in the midst of ruins in the Higashi-Fujita
neighborhood. It was a joy to serve with this team! Restoring Japan will take many
years but it begins by loving one family, one home, and one neighborhood with One
Voice.
May the God of the heavens bring success!
Brian Tekawa(Paster, Jessica`s Father)
serve Him in Sendai. Many of us met for the first time but it felt as though we had
known each other for a long time. From the orientation, to the packing of our
vehicles, settling in at the Yoshitaka home, eating meals, sleeping, waking, and most
importantly as we worked hard for each family we were privileged to serve.
I was impressed how everyone remained focused on our mission to express
God’s love to each family through, hard labor, conversation, and laughter. Though 4
of the 5 families were not followers of Christ we were able to worship God alongside
them. It was awesome!
God is doing a great work in the midst of ruins in the Higashi-Fujita
neighborhood. It was a joy to serve with this team! Restoring Japan will take many
years but it begins by loving one family, one home, and one neighborhood with One
Voice.
May the God of the heavens bring success!
Brian Tekawa(Paster, Jessica`s Father)
team3 testimony 7
Student Impact (Japan's Campus Crusade for Christ Campus ministry) has been sending out weekly teams to tsunami-affected areas. Our team of 11 was the third team to go. Through our partnership with Sendai Baptist Bible Church, Mrs. Yokoyama ( a member of that church), and her family made it possible to help out her family and her neighborhood.
Physical progress is quickly being made. We saw pictures and video that Mr. Yokoyama took of his house and neighborhood the day after the tsunami on March 12th and it was...incredible. Mud filled and overflowed their home and houses around them so that you couldn't even recognize the neighborhood or house. Since March 12th, the neighbors have been returning and working daily shoveling mud and "toxic" dirt out of their homes and also from under their homes. No one that we interacted with lost family members (unless you count pets, which IS terribly sad but at least the people were saved) though we heard some had died in the neighborhood and 2-300 died in the surrounding area.
Our purpose was to build relationships with the families while we worked (we worked together) so instead of working just a little bit on a number of houses, we concentrated on 5 (and helped one more). There's 40 in the neighborhood so there's a lot more to be done!
Each family had a story of survival to tell. Most saw the tsunami coming and had to quickly escape via car, and one family (the Chibas) actually got trapped on the second floor of their home. We heard that one member of Sendai Baptist Bible Church was actually got in the tsunami and swam to safety!
The area we were in was still considered dangerous (within the Japan Defense Area) so no volunteers had been sent yet. Though the families were allowed to go in. Somehow we went every day without being questioned and word quickly spread that "Christians came!! To help!!" We were received sooo warmly first by the Yokoyamas, and then by the neighbors who were watching us (many started giving us drinks and food...even those we hadn't helped yet! Then we figured out they probably wanted help themselves as they were finding out about us.)
Though I was amazed at how quickly physical progress is being made (by the end of the week government volunteers were there), there's still MUCH to be done in this area physically, spiritually and emotionally.
I'm sooo grateful Team 4 went out today to the same area...many gospel seeds were planted as we got to share Jesus' love, pray and listen as we worked alongside these families and I know God will use Team 4, and Mrs. Yokoyama and her church friends that are helping to water those seeds. Of course we know only God causes growth though! Mrs. Yokoyama (who herself came to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior only 11 years ago, I think after she had already had her first grandchild!) asked us to pray for her family and neighbors to know Jesus too... Most families have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years so they know each other and through this disaster have formed a tighter community and with what happens when a person dies heavy on the minds of many, having her friends and family know Jesus is her greatest desire (as is ours).
SOOOO many of you prayed and sent love and support in so many ways. I feel overwhelmed with wanting to express gratitude to everyone...I think after this week I'll be able to "catch" up with life and hopefully get around to thank you notes!! Thank you everyone!!
Jessica Tekawa(Staff)
Physical progress is quickly being made. We saw pictures and video that Mr. Yokoyama took of his house and neighborhood the day after the tsunami on March 12th and it was...incredible. Mud filled and overflowed their home and houses around them so that you couldn't even recognize the neighborhood or house. Since March 12th, the neighbors have been returning and working daily shoveling mud and "toxic" dirt out of their homes and also from under their homes. No one that we interacted with lost family members (unless you count pets, which IS terribly sad but at least the people were saved) though we heard some had died in the neighborhood and 2-300 died in the surrounding area.
Our purpose was to build relationships with the families while we worked (we worked together) so instead of working just a little bit on a number of houses, we concentrated on 5 (and helped one more). There's 40 in the neighborhood so there's a lot more to be done!
Each family had a story of survival to tell. Most saw the tsunami coming and had to quickly escape via car, and one family (the Chibas) actually got trapped on the second floor of their home. We heard that one member of Sendai Baptist Bible Church was actually got in the tsunami and swam to safety!
The area we were in was still considered dangerous (within the Japan Defense Area) so no volunteers had been sent yet. Though the families were allowed to go in. Somehow we went every day without being questioned and word quickly spread that "Christians came!! To help!!" We were received sooo warmly first by the Yokoyamas, and then by the neighbors who were watching us (many started giving us drinks and food...even those we hadn't helped yet! Then we figured out they probably wanted help themselves as they were finding out about us.)
Though I was amazed at how quickly physical progress is being made (by the end of the week government volunteers were there), there's still MUCH to be done in this area physically, spiritually and emotionally.
I'm sooo grateful Team 4 went out today to the same area...many gospel seeds were planted as we got to share Jesus' love, pray and listen as we worked alongside these families and I know God will use Team 4, and Mrs. Yokoyama and her church friends that are helping to water those seeds. Of course we know only God causes growth though! Mrs. Yokoyama (who herself came to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior only 11 years ago, I think after she had already had her first grandchild!) asked us to pray for her family and neighbors to know Jesus too... Most families have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years so they know each other and through this disaster have formed a tighter community and with what happens when a person dies heavy on the minds of many, having her friends and family know Jesus is her greatest desire (as is ours).
SOOOO many of you prayed and sent love and support in so many ways. I feel overwhelmed with wanting to express gratitude to everyone...I think after this week I'll be able to "catch" up with life and hopefully get around to thank you notes!! Thank you everyone!!
Jessica Tekawa(Staff)
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