Back in Fukuoka

Carol and I enjoyed a quick trip to Fukuoka for the ordination service for the Shaos, who are planting a Chinese church in that city in western Japan. Francis Tam, representing the Canadian Chinese Alliance Church Association, conducted the service and I participated in the prayer for Ken and Winnie Shao and their ministry.

By removing some sliding doors between two large rooms, the Shaos were able to convert their apartment into a church sanctuary for their growing congregation. Check out the choir robes! They may be a small church, but they've got a well outfitted choir!

Rev. and Mrs. Hirai of the local Alliance church were able to visit at lunchtime, and we were glad to snap a picture of this international group. International cooperation and partnership is how things get done nowadays.

Sweating Out the Setsuden Summer

Japan's 20% short on electricity as a result of the Fukushima situation (how's that for a euphemism?), so everyone has to try to cut back in order to not trigger rolling blackouts.

As a result, this is a common sight at buildings and stations all over Japan. Shutting down escalators, fountains and some lighting is a quick and easy way to cut on electrical consumption in public areas.

When it comes to household electrical use, 25% of total demand comes from the air conditioner. With temperatures in the 30's and high humidity, using the a/c sparingly with a fan, or using a fan without the a/c is the way to survive and not overtax the system. Everyone's on board this summer, but the shortage will continue for years, since it takes time to replace such a massive amount of capacity in the system. So, will people forget all this next summer, or has "setsuden" become a new way of life for Japan? It will have to become a new way of life. There's no alternative.

Hedoro, Up Close and Personal

 

Four months later, it's no longer wet, but it still stinks and attracts flies and needs to be removed before sanitizing and reinhabiting buildings like this house. And once you've gotten if off the floor, you need to get the floor off to get the hedoro (sludge) out from underneath the building. Then let it dry, and disinfect, and replace the floor.

 

Carol and Laura went to Ishinomaki last week to help with the hedoro. Since it's so nasty, you have to remove it from yards and even pull down chunks of it from branches of trees to get rid of the stench and begin to have a normal neighbourhood again. The hedoro was bagged in the bags you see here, and is then trucked away by the city.

You might notice a little superficial earthquake damage to the church where Carol and Laura stayed. Last Sunday's aftershock was 7.1, which seems pretty minor after March 11.

Carol's Last Day at CRASH

 

Ami, to the left of Carol, will be heading up the Volunteer Coordination department of CRASH as Carol moves on. Carol was there from the first day, putting in 3 days a week at CRASH, but now it's time to hand the department over and move on. Today Carol heads to Okutama to be the camp nurse at Joy Bible Camp for a few days, enjoying the elementary school aged campers and the beautiful surroundings in the mountains. 

The Wrecking Crew

 It's hard to tell from all the protective layers that this is Heather. It's also hard from looking at this scene to tell that it's been three months since the earthquake and tsunami. While one would hope for rebuilding at this stage, what Heather and the other volunteers did this past week was to tear away all that had been ruined by the muck blasted in by the tsunami. Even the floor needs to be ripped up to empty out the 30 to 50 centimeters of black muck contained in the concrete footings.

This was Heather's second time as a volunteer in Tohoku. It still feels like scooping out the ocean with a teaspoon. Having worked for a year in Japan, Heather will return to Calgary and further studies leading to a degree in education.

"Can you give me a hand with this?"

Remember to keep your knees bent and your back straight when you lift this one! This couch is good for people who tend to overstay when they visit. It may be lacking in comfort, but it is very good with support, and it's quite durable and stain resistant.

This is in the outdoor courtyard of Triton Square, where workers from the office towers flood the place at lunchtime, either with box lunches or meals that they purchased at the food court. No brown bags here! That's our apartment in the background.

What...No Steeple?

It's been rewarding for us to attend the dedication services for churches who have recently purchased buildings. For many years, we wondered whether churches in the Tokyo area would ever be able to purchase property, because of the prohibitive cost. The bursting of the real estate bubble and the prolonged economic downturn have provided new opportunities for churches.

 In 2004 and 2005 we worked at the Sengendai church, pictured here, and rejoiced with the congregation at their dedication service. The children of the Sunday School sang a special song for the occasion. While the building doesn't look much like a church, it is on the main street, about five minutes' walk from the train station.






 

While Sengendai's in the northern suburbs, Asahigaoka is to the west of central Tokyo, where we live. Another four story building, another church dedication service. We've done ministries at this church over the years, in the four previous locations they've rented.

 

One cultural aspect of any special event in Japan, such as a dedication service, is the group picture. You might note I got the seat of honour next to the pastor. Pastor Kang  worked with us years ago in Sayama, and was ordained there as well. I had an opportunity to give an official message of congratulations in the service, another tradition in Japanese celebrations.

It was good to see Pastor and Mrs. Kang again, and to see their congregation enjoying the new location. To the left of the Kangs are the Landaws, C&MA colleagues from the US who will move this summer to Tohoku to start ministry up there.