Japan

“In April 2016, in Kumamoto, Japan, a middle-aged man opened the passenger-side door to his car for his wife to get in. He closed the door and proceeded to walk around to the driver’s side. Just before getting inside the car, he looked around—at his home and property—and took a deep breath; then he sat down inside the car and closed the door. It was a quiet moment with only a loud sigh in the middle of the unknown. On his wife’s lap was a blanket, and next to her head was the pillow she rested on, but there was no plan to travel anywhere. They were sleeping in their car because they felt ultimately this was the safest place for them to sleep that night.

Just two days before Kumamoto had experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 on the intensity scale; and though their house was still standing, they had a feeling something wasn’t right. In the wee hours of the next morning, at about 1:25 a.m., the main earthquake at a magnitude of 7.3 shook Kumamoto, which meant the previous earthquake had been a foreshock of what was to come. Parents were in pain seeing the fear in their children’s eyes. Children were upset seeing their parents so stressed. Buildings collapsed completely, roads split, thousands were injured, and dozens of lives were lost. The couple sleeping in their car woke up in the middle of the earthquake only to watch their home implode right in front of them. Everything was destroyed. Well almost; they still had each other.

A year later, my husband had the privilege of meeting this man, hearing his story, and seeing the damage that still existed from the earthquake.” Excerpt from Read the Book.

Before the missions team left for their trip, this video was sent to Trevin for a glimpse of what to expect.

Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center images moving Left to Right: First, we see Trevin at the disaster relief center. The second image is the temporary housing for families to live in until their homes are rebuilt. The third image is the couples new home that our team helped move the couple into.

The last two images are Trevin visiting the Zen Gardens in Kumamoto, and the Osaka castle.

Download a preview of the book that includes the rest of Chapter one!