Earthquake updates from Kumamoto.

It's been a week since the Kumamoto Earthquake, and while things are settling down, I'm hearing that there are still many who cannot return home yet and have to continue sleeping in their cars or in public or school gymnasiums. Utilities are slowly being restored but there are still places in desperate need of supplies, especially food, water, and shelter. A couple of the Lutheran churches in Kumamoto are serving as evacuation centers still. Little by little things are stabilizing, and in their various social media and blog updates it seems that church folks are still finding bright spots in the middle of an otherwise rough situation. (In a Kengun Church blog post about the delicate toilet situation there, they called it [the Japanese equivalent of] their "number-two problem.") Still, it's going to be a long and arduous journey to the region's recovery. Please keep the people of Kumamoto in your prayers.

Since the quake I've also been closely following blog of Kuwamizu Church's Pastor Sumimoto. I was struck by an entry from the Sunday after the quakes. Originally Kuwamizu was going to cancel the service for that day, given the tenuous state of the older church building and the aftershocks, but several members still gathered together in the play yard of Kuwamizu Kindergarten next door to worship that morning. "Especially in a time like this," Pastor Sumimoto says, "were were able to deeply, deeply feel the joy of being able to sing hymns, the gratefulness at being able to pray, and the blessing of being able to hear God's word." May they continue to be strengthened.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Quakes in Kumamoto.

It's hard to know how to begin this entry.

I was going to make my last post on (or close to) April 1, the Returnniversary, with some reflections on the year since I got back to the States and what my time in Japan meant to me, etc. But that seems trite now, especially in light of the past few days.

If you haven't heard, there was a magnitude-6.5 earthquake centered in Kumamoto on Thursday, followed by a 7.0 earthquake on Friday. The damage is extensive, and the death toll as of this writing is already in the 40s, with more victims possibly buried in collapsed buildings. I've been furiously trying to get in touch with everyone I can. Kuwamizu Church sustained damage in the sanctuary but is thankfully still standing, though church services have been canceled for Sunday. Luther High School suffered some structural damage as well. Members of my church and other missionaries tell me there's no gas service, no water coming out of the faucets, often no electricity, and lines for gas stations going down the street and around the corner. They've had to sleep in cars, out in parks, in school gymnasiums, in covered parking structures. It's been unpleasantly surreal, seeing photos on the news or on people's Facebook timelines of places I know so well with broken glass, cracked walls, collapsed roofs. I'm more thankful than I ever have been in my life for social media so I can know people are safe, though I'm still anxiously waiting on updates from a few dear friends whom I haven't heard from since before the main quake.

Please keep Kumamoto in your prayers. Aftershocks are expected to continue for another week, and rain this weekend has only added to the misery. Please pray for the rescuers and evacuees, that they be kept safe and that the ground quiets beneath them; that they may know God's peace and presence with them; and that God's love for them be clearly shown, even in the midst of this disaster.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15 (NIV)