NIGHT IS COMING WHEN NO MAN CAN WORK
Aug
3
Written by:
8/3/2011 12:00 AM
NIGHT IS COMING WHEN NO MAN CAN WORK
July 31, 2011
(John 9:4 NIV) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
A time will come when each of us can no longer work because night is coming. We need to work while there is still time. The night that is coming may be when we go to be with the Lord. It may also refer to a time that is coming upon the world when no one will be able to work. That may be when Jesus returns of sooner. God has work for us to do every day. We need to be guided by the Holy Spirit to do the work God has for us each day. Several weeks ago I heard that a third team was going from our home church in Inagawa-cho on July 20th to help people affected by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. Suddenly the thought came to me that I should go. Up until that time I had not considered going to do volunteer work in the areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. After taking some time to pray about going I asked Aoki sensei and Kaneko sensei if I could join the team. They assured me I was welcome to join the team. I said I still needed approval from my wife. When I asked her she said, “It is between you and God!” I strongly believed God wanted me to go. My wife`s reply was confirmation that I should go.
On July 20th I left Sumoto shortly after 6 a.m. so I could leave with the team at 8 a.m. from our home church. We left for Sendai with a bus, van and a third vehicle that was a gift for someone in the Tohoku region. I shared the driving of that vehicle with another person. Because of the tropical storm that passed through our area during the night a section of the toll road we were to take was closed. Our trip ended up taking 16 hours instead of the planned 13 hours.. It was raining when we arrived at the camp where we were to stay six nights. The camp is located in a beautiful area in the mountains about one hour by car from Sendai. It is between two rivers and close to a national park further up the mountains from the camp. We shared the camp with members from a Tokyo church as well as a volunteer team that came from Korea.
The first day we went to a part of Sendai that was heavily damaged from the tsunami following the earthquake. There were no buildings left in the area. A cross was placed on the site where the Seaside Bible Chapel stood. Further inland a school building and some other buildings are still standing. The remainder of the day was spent helping unload a 40 foot container of 500 ml bottles of spring water that was donated from the USA.
The first evening after dinner I learned one of the reasons God wanted me there. I was asked many questions about Christianity by one of the four non-Christians that joined our team. The man said he has been interested in Christianity since he was a child. I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with him. He asked me what church was good since there were so many different Christian churches. I told him The Good Samaritan Church was a good church!
On Friday, Saturday and Monday morning we left at 8 a.m. on a two hour plus drive to the place where we were to work. It was a farmer’s field that had been flooded by the tsunami. Tons of gravel and waste from an electronics factory that bordered the farmer`s field were deposited by the tsunami onto the field. We had to remove the waste material as well as residue from the salt water and oil that the tsunami dumped onto the field. Each day cold drinks were brought to us early in the afternoon by a man from the neighborhood. We do not know who brought the drinks as he left quickly, but I think it may have been the farmer that owns the field. Shortly before we left at 3:30 p.m. each day we were also given rice cakes and bread. On the last day we were given ice cream also. The ice cream caused an immediate work stoppage as it was almost 30 degrees Celsius!
The work we were doing was coordinated by Samaritan Purse, a Christian organization that has a church in Sendai. I was able to ask one of the leaders a few questions before we left. He said almost everyone that was in a one story house when the tsunami came died. The same was true for people that lived in first floor condominiums or apartments. The water from the tsunami was over two meters deep inside the buildings in the area where we were. Most of the people that tried to leave the area by car after the tsunami warning were overtaken by the tsunami. One man climbed a power pole and spent the night there. A family living in one story house climbed up a ladder onto the roof and spent the night there. They watched a house float by. Often decisions made in an instant of time determined if a person lived or died.
While we were returning some of the Samaritan Purse`s tools I saw some of the volunteers talking to a farmer that owned a farm across the road. The workers were giving the farmer and his wife a New Testament. I chatted briefly with the farmer`s wife. She and her husband seemed to be very happy someone had come to help them.
Sunday we drove through downtown Sendai. It looked like any modern city in Japan. There was almost no sign that a very strong earthquake had hit the city. However, one man that I met from Sendai said he could not stand up during the quake. When I walked the streets of Kobe after the Great Hanshin earthquake the scene was very different. It took years to repair the damage. The tsunami that came after the earthquake was what brought a great catastrophe to the Tohoku Region. As we continued driving through Sendai we eventually came to the new church site of the Seaside Bible Chapel. We attended the Sunday service and ate lunch at the church. The pastor and his wife started the church shortly after they were married 28 years ago. The pastor and many others that I met at camp are waiting for a great move of God to come to Japan. A door has been opened through the Great Eastern Japan earthquake to sow seeds for the Kingdom of God. Maybe the work that is now being done to help those in the Tohoku Region will be the spark that starts a great move of God in Japan.
The people in the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami need all the help they can get. Much of the rubble has been cleared away. Unfortunately, most of the trees and shrubs in the area have been killed by the salt water. Many of the rice paddies in the area could not be seeded because of damage from the salt waster deposited by the tsunami. Also, thousands of damaged buildings remain. Some are being repaired and people are moving back into their homes even though they live in an area that is in danger from another tsunami. Other areas will never be rebuilt. Many that survived the tsunami have lost their jobs and family members.
Since returning from the Sendai area I have had time to reflect on my trip as a volunteer to the Tohoku Region. Was it worthwhile? Certainly! To God every soul is very precious. Reading and learning about the disaster through the news media is very different from visiting the disaster area. In the same way, hearing about the aftershocks from Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and feeling them is quite different. We were woken up in the middle of the night from a very strong aftershock! Another strong one hit when we were working on the farmer`s field. Physically helping the people in the area of the disaster is a very worthwhile experience. (John 9:4 NIV) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.