Jesus Loves Tohoku Art

"Jesus Will Heal"

2011-12-20T23:03:00.002+09:00

Jesus will rebuild you on your ruins. And you will blossom.
December 16th, 2011

"The Hope of Redemption"

2011-12-20T23:02:00.001+09:00

For the people of Tohoku.
December 16th, 2011

He will be your calm in the storm. He will be your peace in tribulation. He will be the redemption of every thing that has been destroyed in you and taken from you. You can't see how He will redeem these things, but He wants you to trust Him. Look to the cross! Look to what He has done for you for all eternity! It is finished! It is accomplished, He has risen from the grave! He will redeem all things!

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves... groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."
(Rom.8:22-24)

"For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Jesus, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross."
(Col.1:19-20)

"For Iwate"

2011-12-20T22:45:00.003+09:00

For the people of Iwate prefecture.
September 15th, 2011

"He Sees"

2011-08-25T23:15:00.003+09:00

For those working at the power plant in Fukushima.
August 25th, 2011

Fukushima Trip #2

2011-08-23T09:53:00.016+09:00

From July 15th to 28th, I returned to volunteer in Fukushima for the second time. As with my first trip in June, God sent me to paint pictures for people who came to the church needing supplies, needing to talk, and for evacuees at shelters. Most of the pictures were painted at the church's supply center "Cafe", where people wait while their supplies are being gathered together. They fill out forms of what they need, and we serve them drinks and talk to them. During this time we may pray for them, and this is usually when God gives me a picture to paint for someone.

(Left) This was my second time volunteering at Global Mission Chapel in Taira, Iwaki City in Fukushima prefecture (40km from the center of the nuclear crisis).

(Right) For someone who had lost their home, but I can't remember from which disaster. The verse is John 14:2.

(Left) A picture for a mother whose child happened to be crying while she was at the relief center. The verse is parts of Zephaniah 3:17.

(Right) A picture done for a mother. The verse is Psalm 91:15, and the message is that she can call out to Him and He will answer.

(Left) I was painting this as the relief center's cafe was coming to a close for lunch break, but I didn't know who it was for. As I was nearing finishing it, a Korean volunteer came over and asked me for it. It was for her! =) The verse is Psalm 40:5.

(Right) I painted this for an elderly couple... the verse is John 10:28.

This was for a family I ate with several times at an evacuation shelter. The father of the family put this on his blog here. (The Japanese says, "God is with you all!")

I ate with them three or four times on this trip. God gave me this picture to paint and give to them on the first time. The second time I ate with them again and wondered what I would paint and for whom. But I just ate with the family again and painted nothing. I was melted because God said that I was giving them *myself* that night.

On the last visit to that shelter on this trip, I sat down to eat with them again when someone asked why I was eating with them again. The father said about me, "He's family!" (>_<)

(Left) One of the frequent visitors of the cafe for supplies brought her mother who is getting older and has trouble hearing. Very sweet lady, and both mother and daughter were very grateful. They didn't always come for supplies, but often came just to see us and talk. I painted this for the elderly mother... the verse is Isaiah 46:4.

(Right) For a little girl at the cafe... "God likes you VERY much!"

(Left) This was for a mother and her child, just to let her know God loves her. =)

(Right) Outside the church in the parking lot there were two inflatable pools. Rachel Burney started a nice splashing war with the kids... she wrote about it here: http://becauselifewins.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-day.html

(Left) For a very cute 5 year-old.

(Right) This was painted for a middle-aged man who stayed in the area because he found work locally (part-time jobs)... but his family moved south down to Yokohama if I remember right. He obviously misses them. This is the picture God gave me for him, to let him know he's not alone. (The words are from Matthew 28, "I am with you always.") As I did this picture, I realized that he is one of many men in this situation, separated from their families.

(Left) About 50 or so bicycles for children and adults arrived by truck, stacked together like this. We unloaded them one by one.

(Right) On some of them there were notes from the children who gave them to the children who would receive them. This one says, "Have fun with my bicycle the same way I had fun with it. Oliver (6 years old)."

(Left) This little girl came up to me and boldly asked for a picture!

(Right) This was for a husband and wife, who came to the cafe several times. The wife was very pregnant! Rachel Burney mentioned the the "Dad-to-be" on her blog, because one time he sent his wife home so that he could stay and help us out preparing a barbecue at an evacuation shelter. The verse is Psalm 71:6.

(Left) This is John 14:27... He gave me this picture to let a lady know His peace.

(Right) I painted this picture at least twice for two different people. The verse is Psalm 40:1-2. This time I had begun painting the picture before I knew who it was for. A lady came into the cafe and God told me to give it to her. =)

(Left) This was for an elderly lady who came to the cafe regularly... she is a sweet old lady who has blood cancer. She kept worrying that her skin was discolored because of her condition. You can see the worry aching in her quietly, but she is very sweet and receptive to love. She needs it now. I don't know if that describes her well at all. It's just my impression, I guess. But she's just one of the people we are there for, and we love her. The verse on this picture is John 16:33. (Note: I believe that after I took the picture, I noticed I'd forgotten the heart-scars on His hands and put them in later... at least I hope I did!) =)

(Right) Visiting the same shelter I visited in June, I met one of the same evacuees and his wife. He's funny... loves laughing and taking pictures. And I daresay he was a little too "friendly" in this picture with two of the Korean volunteers! I discovered on the following visit that he and his wife had to evacuate to the shelter because of the *April* 11th earthquake ... it was a very strong quake exactly one month after the big one. His home had survived the big one, but the one a month later made walls crack or collapse. I got to meet his dog on the following visit, too. He keeps him in their car in the parking lot. The dog's tail is cut with a poof at the end like a lion's, haha. They'll be moving into a new home in August, I believe.

(Left) In June I painted a picture for a 4 year-old boy at this shelter, and when I returned in July I was told that his older brother had been looking at that picture longingly! So I painted this for the older brother! =) He was pretty shy, though, but we found out he likes swimming. =) I think we told him that He's always #1 to God.

(Right) Another boy was playing and wanted a picture, too. He was the older brother of a girl whose picture I painted there in June. He loves karate, judo, wrestling, fighting, etc. He's crazy! He and another evacuee (or two) were play-sumo wrestling with each other. One of the volunteers took him on, too. (And lost, hehe!)

(Left) That older brother and his sister collaborated on this artwork decorating the cardboard dividers between the home/sleeping spaces. The "sandwich" on the right says, "bread, cheese, hamburger, bread". Heheh, funny kids. =)

(Right) The younger sister told me that she drew this part, I think. The character on the left is "Anpan-man"... a popular and easy-to-draw superhero whose head is made of bread with sweet beans. Haha. Back at the church cafe, we started having the kids draw and we put up their pictures. Lots of Anpan-mans!

(Left) Philippians 4:7 for a lady who came to the cafe.

(Right) Some volunteers just before going out to clean up homes and debris.

(Left) An elderly lady asked me for a picture... she said, "I want a painting of Jesus!" This is what He gave me for her. The Japanese says that Jesus Christ put your name on His hands.

(Right) The Japanese here is Isaiah 53:4-5, and this was painted after much prayer for an elderly lady who is a regular at the cafe. She needs a lot of prayer.

(Left) This was painted for a young mother or her friend who said I had painted a picture for her child, but not for her herself! So I prayed and painted this (the verse is Hebrews 13:5). However she and her friend sitting next to her left before I could give it to her... they said they'd come back later, but I wasn't sure if they did or not. It's waiting in the desk at the cafe for their return. =)

(Right) At the cafe I was working on painting this for a member of the church staff (the Japanese is Zephaniah 3:17) when one of the elderly men visiting the cafe asked for the same picture. Since I was already going to give this one to someone, I painted a second version for him. =)

(Left) This was for the older sister of a regular visitor... the younger sister I had met last month with her young husband. They'd lost their home to the tsunami and I'd painted a picture with John 14:2 for them. I saw them several times during these two weeks, and then she brought in her older sister. I spent awhile talking to the two sisters, talking about kids, the sisters' personality differences (that was really funny) and the quirks of their husbands (that was even funnier!)... and then the younger sister asked me if I was going to paint a picture. So I did this picture for the older sister. When she was little she used to like dolls, but the younger sister was more active & sportsy. The picture God gave me was of Him adoring her, and the words from Song of Songs 4:9, "You have stolen My heart." I was a bit embarassed to give such a direct thing to her, haha! But I trusted God. And of course I explained it a little, and added "(God)" after the word "My" in the text. =)

(Right) One of the men affected by the disaster originally came for help from the life support center, but upon return visits would come to the cafe and *bring* stuff instead! He is a chef and made us some nice sashimi (raw fish) several times. Very, very nice. =)

(Left) There are many buildings with signs of damage from the earthquake(s) here and there. This older type was probably made before the war or around that time. The concrete cracked easier. This one had a yellow sign on its door saying, "Limited Entry". Generally it was hard to photograph pictures of the earthquake damage (especially with just a cellphone camera!)... there's a lot of little stuff. Foundations of buildings, differeing elevations in sidewalks, stairs crooked and broken, little rubble around the edges of building corners, some siding coming off, etc. It's hard to fathom how incredibly long it's going to take to clean up and fix all of this damage. And this was not even the worst-hit area. A building across from the church was of this same type and had some big cracks in its concrete walls. But there were still people living in it...

(Right) "You have stolen My heart." (Song of Songs 4:9) ...a mother wanted a picture for her 13-year-old daughter. =)

(Left) This was for an elderly lady at a shelter I visited on a Saturday afternoon/evening... she's a great-grandmother.

(Right) As I was finishing the painting for the elderly lady (above) and it was time to go, a grandfather brought over his four-year-old grandson to watch and asked for a painting for him. Since I had to go and knew I wouldn't be coming back to that shelter (at least not on this trip), I wrote down his name and told him I'd bring it next time. So I painted the picture at the church and sent it through a volunteer to deliver the next time they went there. (The Japanese says, "God likes you VERY much!")

(Left) A letter from an elementary school kid in Hawaii, sent to encourage Japanese children. =)

(Right) Sunday was a day off, and after church I reserved the time to paint a big picture for GMC's life support center cafe... it's the biggest thing I've worked on in a looooong time. And so it took a loooong time! I started around 2-ish and finished around 11-something. But I took a break for dinner around 9-something (luckily there was still dinner leftover!)...

I hadn't thought about how tiring it would be to work so long on a painting that was laying on the floor. (And I'll add that my back, neck, butt and muscles everywhere ached for the whole next day! Haha!) Here I am taking a break mid-way through. I had forgotten that the ceiling of the church had mirrors on it in this area (it used to be a pachinko parlor). So I was surprised to get a better look at the painting and thought, hey, cool! Just for the heck of it I took this picture (on the left) with my cellphone.

The large painting I made for the cafe... it's a version of a painting I made several years ago called "Jujika Kara", with words from the song "Chichi no Namida" by Makoto Iwabuchi. I put the chorus on this painting, which reads,

"There is a fountain flowing out from the cross,
it's the tears of the Father
There is a fountain flowing out from the cross,
it's the love of Jesus."

(Left) This was for a young mother with her children. =)

(Right) This was for a lady, I think... a mother. The Japanese is Isaiah 64:4.

(Left) In the cafe people started to notice the big picture that I'd painted, and one elderly couple came in and the wife asked me for a small painting of it! Maybe she thought I had it on postcards, I don't know. But I did this smaller version of it for her. The Japanese is the last half of the chorus: "There is a fountain flowing out of the cross, it's the love of Jesus."

(Right) For a young mother with twin one year-old girls. The Japanese is 1st John 4:19.

(Left) This was for a young mother, I think. The Japanese is from Matthew 11:28, Jesus saying, "I will give you rest."

(Right) I wasn't sure who this was for when I made it. It's a version of a painting I made called "On Your Shoulders"... and the Japanese writing is the first sentence or two of Deuteronomy 33:12. I knew it was for a boy, but didn't see any left in the cafe (there had been LOTS of kids earlier!) ... but felt something with some family there. After praying and sharing it with a fellow volunteer, I was told that the family had an older brother (high school age maybe) who was waiting out in the car in the parking lot. So she took the picture and gave it to him. He was a bit surprised, she said. =)

(Left) This was at the first shelter I visited last month and which I returned to several times on this trip. The family put up the paintings I'd made for the two boys (one on this trip, one on the last trip).

(Right) This was for the little boys' grandmother. She was shy and sweet. The Japanese is Song of Songs 4:9, "You have stolen My (God) heart."

(Left) I started painting this in the cafe but I didn't know who it was for. The verse is Psalm 18:28, "You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." There was a group of older ladies there at the time and God told me to give it to a certain one of them. Since it was so different from the other paintings I'd made, I showed it to a fellow volunteer first. When I mentioned that I felt impressed to give it to a certain older lady (in the group that came in), I was told that the lady had family in the hospital, had her friend die in a shelter, and was talking about there being no reason for her to live. After I gave it to her, she spent a long time looking at it. I'm still praying for her.

(Right) This was for a mother and her daughter who came to the cafe. The Japanese is Psalm 145:9 & 20.

(Left) We had a barbecue at an evacuation shelter and afterwards we did some fireworks. This is a Japanese-style sparkler I was holding. There was just an incredible amount of smoke from these fireworks!

(Right) At the shelter I talked for the first time with the father of two children I had painted pictures for... he was a nice guy who seemed very tired. I was wondering if it was because he was working hard in the daytime, but I was wrong. He told me that he had lost his job. I knew he was fatigued with *worry*. So I've been praying for him, for all of them. As I left that night, the son asked me to come back and paint another picture for them. I wrote a note on the back of the painting saying I was sorry I had to go back to Osaka, but here was another picture for all of them. I told them I would be praying for them. The verse is Zephaniah 3:17. I gave it to a volunteer to deliver to them next week.

On my last day at the cafe, as usual of late there were a lot of kids that came in! I'm glad that we purchased that small table and that people gave us pads and paper for them to play with. The origami seemed to be the most popular, followed by using the badminton rackets to bat a ballon around. You could really get worn out quick playing with the kids!

(Left) This was for an elderly lady who came in for the first time. The verse is Isaiah 49:16.

(Right) This was for a younger lady who came in with members of her family. The verse is parts of Psalm 84:3-4. She spent a long time looking thoughtfully at this, and I think her mother or sister commented something about it matching her or her situation.

(Left) This was for a brother who was there with his mother and sister. (Right) This was for his sister. After finishing the picture for her brother, I thought I'd better ask her if she wanted one. She did. =) The Japanese on both pictures says, "God likes you VERY much!"

(Left) This was for a little girl who was shy at first but brightened up when we asked her if she wanted to come fold some origami paper. The Japanese says, "God likes you VERY much!"

(Right) This was for an elderly lady... I had just one piece of paper and plastic sleeve left, and wondered if I'd use them or not. A volunteer told me that this elderly lady needed a picture. So I painted this for her. But because it was raining, she had to go home and close her windows. So she'll get it the next time she comes back. The Japanese is 1st John 4:19.

(Left) My daughter at home playing with the bunny that a family at a shelter gave to me... the daughter in the family made it, I think, out of a towel. =) I had to do something back at the church so I couldn't visit that shelter on the night that I left. But the team returned just before I left and gave me this bunny that the family had made for me. I can't explain how this melts me.

(Right) My daughter enjoying a drawing pad that was given to me by one of the people getting help from the church. She had given me two pads and a set of colored pencils! My children have already used up most of the pages, I think... haha.

The "Dad-to-be" I mentioned earlier (which Rachel Burney mentioned on her blog) emailed this picture to me of the painting that I'd given him and his wife, which they'd put up in their home! He heard that I'll be coming back to Iwaki and is looking forward to seeing me again! (I wonder if their baby has been born?)

God, I just can't describe what this does to your heart. And to know they're looking forward to seeing me again...

Fukushima Trip #1

2011-07-04T23:32:00.008+09:00

From June 27th to 30th, I volunteered at Global Mission Chapel in Taira, Iwaki City in Fukushima prefecture (40km from the center of the nuclear crisis). God sent me to paint pictures for people who came to the church needing supplies, needing to talk, and for evacuees at shelters. Here are some of the paintings He gave me for them. (Other pictures of the trip are viewable here on my homepage.)

(Left) A picture painted for a man who used to work for an insurance company but lost his job because of the disasters. The Japanese is Matthew 7:7.

(Right) I painted this for a mother with children. The Japanese at the top says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

(Left) For a young couple who lost their home in the tsunami just a month shy of their first anniversary, but who were safe (along with their baby daughter). The Japanese is John 14:2, meaning that He will bring them to a new home, and that even greater, He is preparing an eternal home for them.

(Right) I gave this to a mother and daughter.

(Left) God gave me this picture for a 19-year-old girl who had lost her job because her hospital was gone. She just seemed very down and like she was carrying some heavy worry or something. I was told that she brightened up considerably after we gave her the painting.

(Right) This painting was for a lady who's been coming regularly and just needs people to talk to. She's really sweet. God gave me this picture for her, and after I gave it to her she said that recently she's felt like she's had no exit, no way out from things. *And* since she's been studying John 1, she's been reading about *light* in the darkness!

(Left) I started painting this picture without knowing who it was for. An elderly lady sitting on the sofa nearby saw it and asked if she could have it, and God said, "Yes, it's for her!" The Japanese is Isaiah 54:10.

(Right) For an elderly lady who asked for a picture... I prayed and God gave me this one for her. After giving her the picture, she said that when the tsunami had come in, she was trapped inside her home and nearly died. The water came up to her neck but not higher! So He was showing her that He was holding her and protecting her---thank You, God!

(Left) This was for a lady who was sad because she had to leave her home in a beautiful small town inside the radiation evacuation zone. God gave me this picture for her with John 14:2 to let her know that He will bring her to a new home, and that He is preparing an eternal home for her, too. After I gave it to her she said that it was like the view she had from her front door.

(Right) The Japanese says, "God is near to you." I believe He was telling someone that He is near to them and will help them. It may have been for a mother... we had a lot of mothers come.

(Left) The Japanese is Psalm 46:1, and this is a picture He gave me for a lady to let her know that He was protecting her... she saw the tsunami coming and shut an elderly couple in her car because she didn't have time to get in herself. She held onto a deck when the tsunami came and miraculously survived. So did the elderly couple. Rachel Burney wrote about on her blog here.

(Right) This was for a lady whose elderly parents were saved because the tsunami stopped just short of their home. The Japanese reads, "God loves you!"

(Left) This was for a lady who was evacuated from the radiation zone with her family. She told us about her children seemed to complain or have difficulty re-adjusting. She talked about them, we could see that she herself was carrying a really heavy burden and wasn't able to unload. After she left, another worker and I were halted by God to pray and intercede for her, carrying her burdens to Him and leaving them, and asking Him to help her look up to Him and ask Him for help. The Japanese on the painting is Hebrews 13:5.

(Right) This was done for an elderly lady who had to evacuate to a home where she had a lot of stress. God told me to put Jeremiah 29:11 for her, to let her know that He preserved her like a seed because He has a plan and future for her, and He will re-plant her, and she will be a beautiful tree again.

(Left) At an evacuation shelter a fellow volunteer came by with a little girl and asked me to paint a picture for her. Apparently the girl was kind of morose or something, but she really liked the picture!

(Right) As I was painting the previous picture, a little boy came or was brought and sat with us so that he could have a picture, too. I asked him what he liked and he said he liked trains. Then God gave me this picture. Later on I would make another one of these for my own train-loving son! I didn't think until later... what if my own son was in a shelter like this?

(Left) This was for a young mother who I saw for the second time. I didn't hear her story completely, but I noticed that she was pregnant and things might be hard in her life. God gave me this picture to let her know that He is there and she can seek Him and ask Him for whatever she needs.

(Right) Immediately after the last picture, God gave me this and told me to give this to the young pregnant mother that I had just given the last picture to. The verse He had me put on it was the first part of Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." When she read the verse, she exclaimed, "The Bible really says that??"

(Left) This was given to a young mother who came with her son after picking him up from kindergarten. He had so much fun playing with two American boys (their parents were volunteers) that they just stayed there a long time playing, much longer than they needed. It was great. The verse is Mark 10:14. The mother liked it so much that she asked for someone to take a picture with me, herself and the picture. (She asked her son to come, but he was shy and wanted to play so I said it was okay, let him play!)

(Right) This was for a lady who wanted an art postcard of mine but her friend had just gotten the last one. I had printed out about 85 postcards of various pictures and they were all gone after three days. So I painted this picture He gave me for her instead! I can't remember her story, but she needed shelter and provision, and He was telling her that He will give her that, and she can feed on His love.

We went to an evacuation shelter to give a barbecue and I heard they had a lot of kids, so I painted a picture for each one. (I had to paint by faith! I usually didn't get to see the kids before I started painting!) The Japanese on eacy picture says, "God likes you VERY much!" in kid-style Japanese.

The last picture (on the bottom right) deserves special mention: There was one boy at the shelter who was just a little bit older than some of the others. He was running in and out of the barbecue area and seemed pretty mischevious. Bit by bit God showed me the picture... His arm around the boy, then His hand on top... resting on top? No. Finally He told me He was giving the boy bunny ears! Haha! Well, God invented fun and humor! (Of course, I worried about giving it to the boy!) When he'd gotten it he was upset saying, "What the heck is this?" or the equivalent of it, and complaining. And he kicked me in my shin as I was working on the next picture! He put this picture on the ground and stepped on it! As bad as this sounds, it wasn't! Because it was speaking His love language! In retrospect, I wish I had jumped up and chased him around after he kicked me in my shin... he would've loved that. But, as my wife told me when I got home, if I'd done that he never would've left me alone after that, haha. Eventually the volunteers gave the picture to his mom. =)

As I was finishing pictures for the kids at the shelter (saying "God likes you VERY much!"), a Grandma came up and asked for two pictures for her grandkids who weren't there that evening! I was tired and working at a very fast pace, and I had to make a bus to get back to Osaka soon, but then a Grandma asks for two more! Since the kids were brother and sister, I had her ask if I could do them together on one page, but she requested separate. Oh well! So I did them. It was a damp evening as it had just rained and being ink and water, it took time for them to dry. Read the rest of the story on Rachel Burney's blog here. (Grandma said it looked like her daughter!)

This was the last picture I did at the shelter on Thursday 6/30, saying
"God likes you VERY much!" A mother had brought up her son who was probably in early high school, I guess. I saw his face briefly before he left for other things. At the time I was working on other pictures, so his was last (after the pictures for "Grandma" that Rachel described). I think it was before I did this picture that Grandma saw me praying. =) Since this boy was a bit older, Jesus told me to draw him a little taller, and with His arm on his shoulder more side-by-side.

"Restored Whole"

2011-06-21T20:30:00.004+09:00

His broken heart will heal yours!
June 20th, 2011

"Surely He took our suffering on Him,
and felt our pain... to make us whole again,
and we are healed through His wounds."

- Isaiah 53:4-5

"Never Left"

2011-05-30T23:58:00.002+09:00

For those forced to leave home.
May 30th, 2011

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

- Joshua 1:9

"Reservation for Eternity"

2011-05-06T21:17:00.003+09:00

For those longing for a permanent home.
May 6th, 2011

"In My Father's house are many rooms.
I am going there to prepare a place for you."

- John 14:2

"Binding Up Wounds"

2011-04-22T16:05:00.003+09:00

For those in need of healing.
April 22nd, 2011

"The Lord builds up,
He gathers the exiles.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:2-3)
His broken body heals our broken hearts & lives.
He will help you rebuild and put your lives back together.

"In His House"

2011-04-20T11:36:00.008+09:00

For those needing rest.
April 17th, 2011

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

- Psalm 23

"Hope Will Come"

2011-04-12T20:55:00.011+09:00

For those who cannot see tomorrow.
April 12th, 2011

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

- Matthew 5:4

"Be Still"

2011-04-11T23:34:00.007+09:00

For everyone trembling with the earth, I pray...
April 11th, 2011

I don't know what or how to pray, Papa. I just want the quakes to stop. Please still the land, please stop the shaking of the earth. In Jesus' name. Please have mercy on eastern Japan, onegaishimasu, in Jesus' name.

"Consoling"

2011-04-03T19:45:00.004+09:00

For all who mourn.
April 3, 2011

"He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces."

- Isaiah 25:8

"You turned my wailing into dancing;
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."

- Psalm 30:11

"Arriving Home"

2011-04-03T19:34:00.008+09:00

For those longing for home.
April 3, 2011

"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love.

"'Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.'"

- Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 11:28

"Faithful Hope"

2011-04-02T22:40:00.005+09:00

For those who don't know how they'll make it through.
April 2, 2011

He is with you! He is faithful. He is and will be your hope in the darkness. He will bring you through.

"A Living Dwelling"

2011-04-02T19:34:00.008+09:00

"As you help people in the natural, you will be building My house of people."
April 2, 2011

"I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."
- Matthew 16:18

This is for my friends and other Christians helping in the relief effort in Tohoku, who are working to help people there by cleaning, grieving with them, giving them friendship, food, hope, and more. Many things were destroyed and lost in Tohoku, but many treasures remain: People are God's treasures, and He is sending His church to rebuild lives there, to bring together His precious stones (the people of Tohoku) and let them know how loved and valuable they are in His sight.

"Family of the Beloved"

2011-03-30T16:16:00.007+09:00

We can't wait for that day.
November 29, 2010

"Welcomed in Affection"

2011-03-29T22:25:00.011+09:00

For those who grieve for their children. They're in good hands.
March 29th, 2011

"The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
- Matthew 19:14

"Your children I will save."
- Isaiah 49:25

"Hope and a Future"

2011-03-27T23:44:00.008+09:00

He loves you, and He has a new life for you.
March 4, 2009

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."

- Jeremiah 29:11

"The Valley of Weeping"

2011-03-27T15:21:00.011+09:00

He feels all of your tears, and His tears will take yours away.
September 3, 2009

Surely He took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows...
He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we are healed.

- Isaiah 53:4-5

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You...
Passing through the Valley of Weeping they make it a spring.

- Psalm 84:5-6

"When Will Losses Be Restored?"

2011-03-25T00:51:00.007+09:00

For the grieving. You are not alone.
March 24, 2011

"I am making everything new," God said.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

- Book of Revelation 21:5,4

"I'm Not Alone"

2011-03-25T00:49:00.007+09:00

For those worrying about the Fukushima Daiichi power plant growing worse.
March 18, 2011

After learning a bit about radiation and the possibility of it rising higher (although as yet it hasn't), I needed to process how I was feeling. Of course there was nothing "I" could do about what happens at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, for better or for worse.

Yeah, I could choose whether to stay in Japan or leave (should the situation go much, much further to the absolute worst-case scenario). But I'm not leaving Japan. I'm called here. And I wouldn't leave Japan when she's most in need even if it was worse.

I couldn't figure how to picture what I felt about all this inside, just facing the mere possibility of things growing worse. They're not there yet at all, but even the mere possibility of them in the future makes you search your soul.

As I sat down, He helped me picture it... me standing in front of an oncoming storm, not able to do anything about it or take shelter, just facing it. And that's what my heart would want to do if such a storm were indeed coming -- I would want to stand and face it. But I was still not at rest even though I realized that would be what I wanted to do and what He called me to do.

But then *He* came into the picture! I thought this would just be me processing my feelings, having to decide if I would stay (*if* it ever got to that point in the future). But He didn't leave me with that: No matter what happens in the future, I'm not alone.

"Mighty to Save"

2011-03-25T00:46:00.005+09:00

For the victims of the earthquake & tsunami.
March 15, 2011

"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging."

"Know that I am God. Be still.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

"Mighty to Save" (ver.1)

2011-03-25T00:45:00.005+09:00

For the victims of the earthquake & tsunami.
March 11, 2011

"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah."