I want to ask you all to pray for these precious kids who have been affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation treat in Japan. As a mother, my heart hurts so much to know what they are going through. Even though they are having such a difficult time, they always smile when I take pictures of them. Their beautiful smiles make me happy but at the same time, I know each of them has so many unspoken feelings/concerns. Please pray the day will come soon when they can all laugh, smile, and have tons of fun without being worried about the aftershocks, nightmare of the tsunami, radiation, destroyed homes, and all the other traumas that they may have.
All the pastors’ kids got together for the special meeting. Playing cards while the adults had a meeting.
Some of these kids are from Fukushima where the nuclear plant exploded. They hadn’t been able to play outside because of the radiation threat. They were so happy to come to Sendai where they could play outside. They were so thankful to receive rain jackets that your generous donation helped us buy. THANK YOU!!!
Guess what they are making? Their OWN movie theater! These kids live in a tsunami-hit town and almost everything was destroyed. They decided to “make” a movie theater so that they could watch movies (DVDs) together. What a brilliant idea!
Aren’t they precious? We were able to give them lots of cookies for their opening day. Hope they enjoyed them! As these kids painted the cardboard boxes, one of the moms told her daughter to be careful since she was wearing one of a few shirts she had left. It broke my heart. Since many of these kids lost everything, we are going to deliver clothes that have been donated by our FBCA family (our sending church). If you want to know how to donate, please e-mail us (michaelandyu@gmail.com). Thanks!
We hosted a special event for kids at our church. A volunteer team from Colorado joined us and we all had such a great time!
Singing praise songs! Our friend, Yuta, did a great job! Michael did a wonderful job sharing a children’s message.
They all got a gift that was bought with the Aid for Japan donation money. As you can imagine, they were SO excited!
Playing games!
Having lots of fun together.
Dinner time!
What an awesome fellowship we had! In this picture, there is a girl who lost her grandparents in the tsunami. They have yet to found her grandmother’s body. Please pray for her and her family. Also, some of these kids’ (they are siblings) dad works for the Japanese army and he has been super busy since March 11th. They don’t have much time to see their dad. Pray for them as they miss their daddy!
Thank you for keeping these children in your prayers. We know your prayers will make a difference!
Thanks to the generous gifts from many of you, we have been able to continue delivering supplies to the people in Oshika Peninsula.
Getting cookies, coffee, soaps, wipes, books, coloring books, and lots of meat!
More bug spray!
We delivered a special machine that heats water in a bathtub! They were SO happy to be able to take a hot bath!
Strong men!
One of the community leaders who will be delivering bug spray to each family in Kyubunhama.
This flag says “Kyubunhama will not give up!” This is a fisherman’s town.
If you were in Japan and met someone who lost everything- I mean everything (family, house, job, and all the belongings), what would you say to that person? This is a question that we ask ourselves whenever we visit those tsunami-hit areas. We have been visiting them a lot since we came back to Japan, but it never gets easy. These small towns are a lot cleaner compared to three months ago, and many of them are moving from the temporary shelters (elementary school, town hall, local community center, etc.) to the temporary housing that the government has built. They are trying to move on, but they are still hurting. When they move to the temporary housing, they are on their own. They don’t receive food or supplies from the government anymore. And with no jobs available one can only imagine what a difficult time this is. In fact, when there was a big earthquake in Kobe in 1995, many people died in those temporary houses. Many of them died alone, victims of ‘kodokushi’ (lonely death), who only got noticed well after their death.
This is why we can’t stop visiting them. We want them to know that they are loved and cared for. More than anything, we want them to feel the love of Christ. So please don’t stop praying. We know your prayers will make a difference in their lives.
I know I am posting this late, but I wanted to take time to write about my favorite dads. I am so thankful to have them in my life and I know Luke feels the same way!
I have been so blessed to be raised by a godly father. He is a great example of a father who loves God, family, and others around him. He is busy with his job on weekdays but takes time to come see us and help us in the evenings. On Saturdays, he drives for 3 hours (one way) to Oshika Peninsula to help those who lost homes due to the tsunami. I have been amazed to see how much he does for them. And on Sundays, he is pretty busy at church. I am not trying to brag, but I have a great dad. He takes care of Luke when we minister to young people and we can’t do it without his help! I thank God for giving me my dad.
This year was Michael’s first Father’s Day! Luke (and I) made a gift for him and he loved it! We are grateful for everything he does for us and for others. He has been a great dad ever since Luke was born and Luke LOVES playing with his daddy! I am always touched by his heart for Japanese people. He has been going to the tsunami-hit areas almost every week to help people there. Last Saturday, he went there with other church members and helped cleanup a destroyed home. As you can imagine, it is a dirty job. But he hasn’t complained about getting dirty. When he came home, he was happy to report that the owner of the house was so happy to find some of their important documents that were under all the mud. With his limited Japanese, he is trying so hard to get to know these people. Luke and I are so proud of him! We pray God will continue to give him strength and wisdom as he shares His love with those who are hopeless.
Konnichiwa (Hello) from Sendai! We came back in the end of May and have been super busy! Last week, we were able to visit the tsunami-hit areas twice. We were speechless as we drove through the destroyed cities. Yu had tears in her eyes since her grandparents lived in one of those cities (they moved to Sendai after the earthquake). All the places looked completely different. We can’t find any words to describe what we saw and how we felt.
We delivered food, water, and lots of bug spray to the temporary shelters and homes of the people that Yu’s father had visited before. We were encouraged to meet people who were so happy that we were there. They needed food and supplies, but more than anything, they needed someone who would listen to their stories. Many of them are still grieving the loss of loved ones (some of them lost their entire family members) and others don’t know how to start a new life without a house and a job. It has been three months since the earthquake and tsunami took so many lives, but the process for recovery/reconstruction is taking such a long time.
We want them to know that we love them and care for them. We want to encourage them and help them. But our prayer is that they will find hope and comfort in our Lord. Please pray that God will continue to use us in mighty ways.
We prayed before we left.
We delivered water and coffee to the junior high school that is being used as a temporary shelter.
We were able to give this lady (she is one of the leaders of this place) a poster with a scripture. She said she would put it on the wall. Our church has been serving lunch at this junior high school every Saturday for the last two months.
In Kyubunhama, they have made this community center a place where people can meet, cook, and get water.
More coffee! You can see the information wall on the right.
If you look at this picture closely, you can see a sticker that says “TEXAS TWO”. This van was bought with the money that was donated by BGCT (Baptist General Convention of Texas). “Texas One” has been delivered to Morioka in Iwate prefecture. The van was given to this community because many people lost their cars. One of the community leaders told us that they were going to drive it to the fisherman’s meeting to discuss how to restart their business. Thank you, Texas Baptists!
Finding out their needs and how we can help them.
Michael helping an old lady (he was so brave to offer her help in Japanese!)
We delivered drinking water to the farm that hasn’t had running water for 3 months. They have to drive for an hour 4 times a day to get enough water for their cattle.
The family was having a difficulty with this pump (they keep water in this tank for bath and toilet) but these smart guys were able to fix the problem!
They were so happy to meet us! The lady in the middle was so sweet to Luke! Of course, Luke loved getting attention!
Tsunami was as high as the second floor of this apartment.
Another temporary shelter. At one point, there were more than 400 people staying here.
Messages written by kids from west Japan.
Places that Yu used to visit. Police officers are still looking for dead bodies in this area.
LOTS of disabled vehicles.
Temporary housing for those who lost homes. We are planning to visit them.
Many fishermen lost their boats. Please pray they can start fishing again soon.
Michael delivering bug spray on his second trip. Thankfully, her house was safe so she is letting 20 people stay in her home.
Giving bug spray to the lady at the farm. We love spending time with them!
This is our friend, Yuta. He is serving as a volunteer this summer until he goes back to DBU to work on his master’s degree this fall. He has been such a blessing! The guys were asked to help mow the grass at the farm. They worked hard!
Please continue to pray for people in Japan. Please pray God will open doors as we get to know these precious people who desperately need Him. Thank you for your love and prayers!
Hi, this is Luke! Thank you for praying for me as we stayed in South Korea. God protected me and I am doing great! I made so many new friends there and everyone smiled at me!!! When we left South Korea, my parents took me to Hokkaido (northern island in Japan) on our way home. As you may remember, I only had my emergency passport so I had to go to the US Consulate to apply for the real passport. I also needed to get my birth certificate. My mommy told me there is a lot to do to become an American citizen! Hokkaido is a beautiful place and we had such a relaxing week. My parents were happy to be away from their busy lives. We enjoyed God’s creation and our family time!
By now, you may already know that I love to smile. I had my own bassinet on the plane. I entertained my parents during the flight!
First time to be in the pool. I look confused in this picture but I loved playing in the water!
First trip to the zoo! I think daddy had more fun than I did. I didn’t know what to think about some of the animals I saw, so I fell asleep.
I got to meet my parents’ friend, Masa. He became a Christian in the US and he is helping a Christian band in Japan now. My parents enjoyed hearing about his ministries in Hokkaido.
Mommy loved all the pretty flowers. She asked daddy to plant more flowers in our garden. We will see if that happens!
We took a cable car to go up the mountain. It means I have already taken a cable car twice in my life. I think my parents really love mountains…
Do you see snow on the top of the mountains? My grandpa loves skiing (did you know my grandma was a ski racer?) and he wants to take me skiing next winter. I think it would be fun but my daddy doesn’t think so…
I had fun looking at my daddy’s sun glasses!
We visited one of the oldest houses with a beautiful garden.
I fell asleep again! I can sleep anywhere and it makes my parents happy!
Daddy and I! As you can see, I LOVE my hands!
Mommy and I! I smiled really big because my daddy was trying to make me laugh. I love his funny faces!
Last picture- I was so bored on the plane to Akita so I decided to learn how to read. I love it when my parents read books to me. I hope I will be a good reader!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip. We had a wonderful time there. But we kept thinking about people who lost everything because of the tsunami. It is really hard for them to go somewhere to have fun right now. Please continue to pray for them. Please pray that all the babies will be as happy as I am. My mommy says I make everyone around me happy. Thank you for praying for everyone in Japan!
Sorry for not updating for a while. We have been super busy lately. As our sending church told us that we could go back to Japan, we started to visit our Korean friends to say thank you and good bye. It was so hard since they had become like our family. God truly blessed our time in Korea and we can’t thank Him enough… We know that it was Him who led us to Korea and we are so thankful that He provided everything we needed.
Here are some examples of how He blessed us while we were in Korea (they are in chronological order).
1. Eunpyeong Jeil (First) Church in Seoul and Pastor Sim.
We stayed in their guest room for two weeks.
Pastor Sim made sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. We were so thankful for his hospitality!
2. DBU friends who welcomed us warmly.
They traveled from other cities to welcome us. They took us to the cell phone store so that we could buy a phone and also taught us some Korean phrases so that we could survive! We were so happy to see them several times during our stay in Korea.
3. Friends from Arlington who came to South Korea to encourage us.
They spoiled us by loving and taking care of Luke ALL the time! Going on a date (just two of us!) is one of our favorite memories! We never had to buy any diapers for Luke thanks to their gifts! Luke misses Aunt Cathie and Aunt Cindy!
4. Far East Broadcasting Company and Dr. Billy Kim.
One of the reasons that our sending church selected South Korea (under God’s guidance) was because our former pastor, Dr. Wade, knew Dr. Billy Kim, who is a founder of Far East Broadcasting Company. Dr. Wade asked Dr. Kim to help us find a place to stay in South Korea, and that’s how we found Eunpyeong Jeil Church. While we were in South Korea, we were able to visit their company three times. We were welcomed by their wonderful staff, and we truly enjoyed getting to know them. We also had a chance to speak about the needs of Japan and they raised funds for the disaster relief efforts in Sendai. Words cannot express how thankful we are to receive such special gifts! We will be able to help so many people thanks to their generosity.
We had an opportunity to meet Dr. Kim and he encouraged us so much. We are looking forward to seeing him and his staff again!
5. Grandma Wen and her family.
She is a member of Eunpyeong Jeil Church. When we attended their worship service for the first time, she came to talk to us in Japanese. She used all the Japanese words that she remembered to help us and to make us feel loved. The reason why she knows Japanese is because Japan made all the Koreans learn Japanese when they occupied Korea. As you can imagine, that is such a painful memory for many people. However, Grandma Wen never said anything negative. She just told us how much she cares and prays for Japanese people. We learned about God’s forgiveness through her. She also invited us to her house to feed us and to her great-grandson’s 1st birthday party. As we said good-bye to her, she said “Remember that I am Luke’s Korean grandmother. I will never forget about you all.” We can’t wait to tell Luke about her and to take him back to see her again.
6. April and her wonderful home!
April is Yu’s friend from DBU. She took good care of many international students at DBU and when she found out about the situation in Japan, she wrote us and invited us to South Korea! Her friendship meant so much to us and we made so many great memories together.
Can’t you tell Luke loves her? She let us stay with her for a month and her apartment became our second home in South Korea! She taught us how to get to places and we enjoyed exploring around her neighborhood. We are waiting for her to come visit us in Japan!
7. Onnuri Church and Young Adult Community Group.
Onnuri Church is one of the biggest churches in South Korea. They have branches all over the world! Since April goes there, we attended the young adult worship service with her. We could see their hearts for God and for the world.
After we shared our stories and prayer requests with the young adult community group, they took time to pray for us and for Japan. We were encouraged by their powerful prayers. Their church sends several groups to Japan to help with disaster relief efforts, and we are looking forward to working with them in the future.
8. Luke’s 100th day!
We are so grateful that Luke was healthy during our time in South Korea. He was such a happy boy and smiled at everyone he met. Whenever we were tired, we just looked at his cute smile and that gave us strength. We thank God for Luke’s life and we pray God will help us to be godly parents.
Even though we missed our family in Japan, our friends from DBU made Luke’s 100th day VERY special! We had a party for him and they came to celebrate with us! They all took turns to hold and entertain him so that his mommy and daddy could relax and enjoy yummy food! We ended our party with a prayer time and God answered all our prayers in amazing ways. We can’t wait to have another reunion!
9. Suwon Disciple Baptist Church, Pastor and Mrs. Lee, and Young Adult Group.
This is a church where our friend’s father serves as a pastor. It was just like our church in Sendai (everyone knows everyone and it’s like a family!) and we just loved being there. They gave us several opportunities to share our hearts for Japan and many people told us they would be praying for Japan.
On our last Sunday in South Korea, Pastor Lee led a special prayer time for us. Mrs. Lee was so sweet to Luke. We knew he was safe in her arms!
We just fell in love with these young people! We became good friends so it was difficult to say good bye. But they promised to take a group to Sendai this year so we know we will get to see them again! What a blessing it is to be able to pray for each other even though we are far away!
10. Choi Family and Easter in Daejeon.
Mr. and Mrs. Choi lived in Sendai and attended Taitomi Church when Yu was in high school. When they found out that we were in South Korea, they invited us to their house to celebrate Easter with them. We had a nice visit and Luke had fun playing with their kids!
Seven people were baptized on Easter Sunday. Needless to say, it was an amazing Easter! Luke even got a Korean traditional egg and he was so happy that he shared it with his parents!
11. Esther and her mom.
Esther was one of Yu’s student assistants at DBU. She invited us to her home to have dinner. Can you see all the delicious food that her mom cooked for us? Everything was SO yummy!
We enjoyed hearing about her memories of DBU and her life in Seoul. She is preparing to go to the Law School and we know she will do great!
12. Time with Yu’s dad.
Yu’s dad visited us for a week. Since he had been super busy with disaster relief efforts in Japan, we had hoped that he would be able to relax, but we had something to do every single day! We were happy that we didn’t have to carry Luke everywhere since her dad volunteered to hold him all the time. We also enjoyed sleeping in while he took care of Luke in the mornings! Thank God for grandparents!
It was nice to spend time with him and to find out what was going on in Japan. We are so thankful for our friends who helped us by buying food and delivering them to people in the temporary shelters on our behalf. We look forward to going there to meet and help them in person!
13. Central Christian Academy in Suwon.
This is where April teaches and the headmaster of this school is Dr. Billy Kim’s son. We had an opportunity to go to a few classes to talk about Japan. They listened so well and told us that they had been praying for Japanese people.
Praise God for children who love and care about those in need. We hope to tell Japanese children that someone they don’t even know is praying for them and we pray that they will feel God’s love.
14. LOTS of family time!
We were supposed to start our new ministries in April, and everything changed after March 11th. At times, we were discouraged since we were looking forward to our new journey. However, God gave us another journey to take. Instead of being busy trying to figure out what to do, God gave us time to reflect on our lives and enjoy our time as a family of three. He also gave us time to reunite with our old friends and to make new ones. We know everything was in God’s plan and we give thanks to Him. Our experiences in South Korea will be something that we will always treasure. We can’t wait to tell Luke Kai where he has been and whom he has met. We want to say a huge “THANK YOU” to everyone who made our time in Korea so wonderful! We pray God will give us a chance to see you again.
We also want to say thank you to those who prayed for us from all over the world! Your prayers meant so much to us. Thanks to your prayers, we were able to come back to Japan safely. We are happy to be back, but there is still so much on our mind. There are so many needs here and it is overwhelming. We are also doing everything we can to keep our son safe. We are trying to process everything and prepare for what God has for us next. We don’t know where this new journey leads us, but we trust that He will guide us wherever we go. Thank you for taking this journey with us! We love you all!
