Things have been a bit busy around here the past few weeks, so my apologies for taking such a long time to write a new post. Today was the first time that I had a chance to sit down and think about the past month. If you would rather listen to this latest post, you can do so clicking on the "featured video," to watch/listen. Thanks for reading/watching/listening, enjoy!
So much has happened in the time since I’ve been back. Its been hard to sit down, think about and comprehend what has happened the month that I’ve been here, along with the 2 months that I’ve been gone. I haven’t been able to comprehend the changes in people’s lives that needed to be made.
When I came back I really wanted to help out and be involved with the relief effort. At the same time, I was also planning on starting my classes back up and to continue my ministry in the church, because that is and was my main priority. The past month, that's exactly what I’ve been doing. Dedicating all of my time to English and the church. Sometimes I sit back and think, “Man, I wish I could go to the ocean and help.” But, I’m beginning to realize that as much as I’d like to help out hands on cleaning up and building, there is also the need to help in the church. Its important for me to continue doing what I was called here to do. I trust that God will provide the time for me to go to places that were affected by the Tsunami, but for the time being, he has been able to use me in good ways here at the church and the English program.
Unfortunately, we lost 5 students due to busy schedules, or obvious changes in their life. Either they needed to move or they are trying to help family out. It’s sad that I lost 5 students, but at the same time, it could have been much worse. I feel really lucky that I only lost 5. On a happier note, in the past 2 weeks, 3 new students have jointed. It’s been a huge blessing and encouragement to the church and myself. I am looking forward to getting to know them, teach them English and share Gods love with them.
The difficult part about being back is understanding and being sensative with the adult students in regards to what has happened in the past 3 months. I know that they have gone through a lot and I want to be sensitive to that. In my classes now, I’m really tuned into understanding how they are feeling emotionally or physically that day. It adds a new twist because you can’t assume that all the students are going to be in high spirits. There is still a lot of sadness, uncertainty, or people trying to understand why this happened. When they come to class, I am very happy and thankful and blessed that they are spending their last bits of energy (sometimes) with me, learning English.
It’s hard for me to have a real accurate description of what people’s emotional states are. Number one, there is a language barrier, and so they can’t always express exactly how they are feeling. Number two, the area that I live in was very fortunate to have not been affected by the tsunami, and was not damaged to heavily by the earthquake. So, talking with someone from my part of the town would be day and night if I were to talk with someone that lived closer to the ocean. And since I’ve only been here at the church, I haven’t talked with anyone face to face that has lost their home or family members. The way of life in Ayashi is pretty much back to normal. Everyone is back in their daily routines. They can go to the grocery store and get whatever food they want. But there is still that dark cloud lingering in everyone’s mind.
What I hear most from my students is that there are a lot of people that are struggling with anxiety, stress and are overwhelmed with how much that needs to be done. Along with the importance of rebuilding homes, there also needs to be some sort of presence and support to share love and encouragement with the people down there
One of the big differences since I’ve been back is the number of children that are hanging around the church. There were a handful of students that would come for both Saturday school and Sunday school. Once those activities were over, they would leave and go back home. But since I’ve been back, there ahs been a huge change of trend. I think it’s really great! Everyday after school there are always a handful of kids playing in the church grounds. On Saturday, kids sometimes come 2 or 3 hours before Saturday school starts. Saturday school is from 3-5pm, and they often stay until 6. On Sunday morning they will arrive 15 and 30 min. before Sunday school starts. They stay at church during the service, although they don’t listen to the sermon, they instead play outside. Then they go home for lunch and usually return somewhere between 1:30 and 2 and stay till 6. It’s really great to see them feel this sense of safety at the church. We are praying that the children will continue to come and that the words that they hear at Saturday and Sunday school will begin to sink in to their minds and that they can begin to understand the Love of God and hopefully some day get baptized.
The number of children is not overwhelming, but there is a noticeable change of numbers before and after the earthquake. I don’t know if it’s related to the earthquake, or if it’s just a coincidence or what it is. But there has just been consistently many children and new children coming every few weeks or so. Its really exciting to see that growth and we are all praying that it will continue, and that Gods word will stick.
The area where I live had truly been blessed by God, as far as keeping it safe and allowing me to come back to teach and continue my ministry of sharing His love at the church. He has given me a great role that allows me to play and keep in touch with children in this area. Although we cannot communicate through speaking with each other, we can communicate through actions. I will continue to pray, and you can continue to pray that I can keep be a Lantern, allowing Gods light to shine to those who are looking for the light.
