One Surprise at a Time.

When I go abroad not knowing what kind of encounter is waiting for me, I am almost always met with a nice surprise that tells me that I do not go anywhere alone. Last october, my trip to South Africa gave me a special hour with a Zulu nurse leader who invieted me to have my personal tour of the city. When she discovered that we share the faith, she was amazed at best but more than that she could not wait to spend a personal time with me. She drove me in her car and we sang hymns while we were on the road...
I always find it exciting to look for the surprise that is sent from above.

I just returned from a week in Japan participating in a disaster relief team made up of various health care professionals. I was one of the 4 Japanese who joined the team on March 30th from the US. There were about 20 of us all together (click the photo above). Another one of the 4 was a nurse from Los Angels. By the way, if you click the photo, you would be directed to the picasa album that was also posted on the previous blog entry. The photo album is the same as what you have seen if you had already gone through it.

When Japan experienced what seemed to be an underserving trial caused by the natural disaster, my whole body ached. My mind was affected in a way that I could not explain. It seemed so empty to think that my own family was safe. I could almost see faces and faces who are lost in the deep sadness faced with the mortality of their loved ones. I felt lost for their loss, and I almost felt nauseated when I thought of their eternal loss. I had nagging headache thinking about the temporary sadness vs permanent sadness. Bare with me, this entry is probably going to lack organization...of thoughts, I mean.

My work mostly consisted of being a member at the clinic at various evacuation facilities where medical clinic is also set up. I spoke to many many nurses, physicians, or physical therapist who lost their hospital, homes, or friends in the tsunamin. I spent good bit of time just listening to them when they had a moment to just talk. I was at the elementary school where another clinic is set up and that nurses stayed 24 hours, we met many nurses who are also living in the elementary school. They lost homes so they do't go home. They love their community and they are living with the sense of commitment to their people. But the reality is grim when you see the devastation of the town. I pray that encouragement will be brought to them in a way they can feel the special presence of God.

I spoke to many patients who came through the clinic with various problems,,, things from unusual allergy symptoms, injury, stomach virus (there was an epidemic and I was extremely careful to stay well), flu symptoms and many other ailments. As much as I had the time, I personally visited with them. I always felt for the lost soul. I know the people can be physically well but not well at all inside. I knew people can regain everything they lost and still missing so much.

I feel an incredible confusion almost, when I think of those 25,000 who are presumed to have been perished. Where are they now? Some children would always wonder about their lost parents. One young man spoke about his feelings of facing the paper thin wall that divides death and life. This young man simply said he will always search for a reason what made him be on the side of the life. The people who survived are often very old and some may not have many years ahead. But many young people are among the survivors who would be carrying Japan to the next generation, so to speak. I can not help but feeling a special kind hand that is reaching out to these people who would be needing the guidance.

What I could do during my short stay was dismal,,, in comparison to the gigantic needs. Some small things I did included taking a box full of children's socks or underwear that I was told are in short supply. Japanese have a very interesting concept. IF there is not enough, then they don't like to distribute openly. So, I knew I did not have enough to reach everyone in terms of the number of the pairs of socks. I was able to locate where children were in evacuation centers and identified the section leaders who would be interested in helping me distribute the items. It was encouraging to run into the section leader in a few days to be told that the little I brought put a smile on many children. The leader was kind to keep my word to not tell the kids where they came from except to tell them that the underwear flew over the pond. Flying underwear was a joke among the small group of us after that. But providing something like this is so small and I felt completely powerless in that middle of the vast devastation where I watched people go through their destroyed home or walk through the pile of debris aimlessly. Nothing we humanly could do was going to be enough.

I explained in the previous blog that Israeli medical force brought a facility to Minamisanriku, where we were. Since the israeli staff needed translators, there was a group of Japanese people who were serving as translators at all times. One of the leader of the translator team greeted me cheerfully. He was a pastor of Yamato Chapel in Kanagawa prefecture. It is a very large church. When I told him what we had in common in terms of faith his face brightened even more and said, "That is just great". That encounter was a very nice surprise. Just to think that his entire congregation was behind him/his team with prayers for the people in the affected area was encouraging..I knew God was there.

When my time was over, we returned to sendai in two ambulances. From Sendai, we got in a larger bus with other crew who returned from Kisennuma or other towns. The ride back to Tokyo was almost 5-6 hours. I sat next to the nurse from California all the way. She was always very cheerful, encouraging and we had a good time together. Both being from the US and having experience some of the same nursing issues, we had more in common. She asked me all of the sudden when we were sitting together headed for Tokyo. "Are you a Christian? " The way she asked the question so bluntly was a surprise but her comment was more surprising. She said that she had followed my writing for a few years and felt that she and I shared something in common. She was so excited when I said "YES". She shared with me that she too was a TOTAL believer! What a nice surprise! I was working with someone with the same mission and a concern for deeper needs of the people beyond just the physical needs. We enjoyed the rest of the visit on the bus to the headquarter in Tokyo where we said Good Bye, till we meet again. She works in an Emergency Room of a hospital near LA airport in California. Cool that she is placed there for many Japanese visitors who become ill during their visits to the US!

I felt honored to be among those Japanese professionals who were on the forefront of the most devastated areas of Japan. But more than that, I was honored to to know that I did not go there alone but someone was ahead to prepare my week... I felt overwhelmingly grateful to be treated to such pleasant encounters as I described, ,,,,,,, they appeared like a great prize, one surprise at a time.