Isaac Knopp

Tomorrow I leave again for the Tohoku area. This will be my fourth trip now starting the third week that I have been here!

Last week I delivered a truckload of vegtables to the North Part of Japan. When I arrived I learned that many of the problems have to do with supplies reaching people. A lot of organizations have been pulling out after basic needs were met. However, the result is that some of those basic needs are falling through the cracks now. Even if they do have basic needs met they certainly do not have fresh vegtables.

There is also a push to build Temporary houses however this seems to be troublesomes sometimes. One location we are at in ishinomaki the temporary houses are right beside a trash dump! A huge trash dump. Grace City relief is hoping to be working with these people too to reach them with the pracitcal to display the spiritual.

I arrived safely in Tokyo having left on saturday the 28th I arrived in time for afternoon worship at Grace City Tokyo! It was a amazing to be back in japan. A team from Juliard School of Music NY on of the top schools in the world for music had sent a team, that filled the worship room with wonderous sounds. I cannot say that I have heard a piano quite like i did sunday.

The experience was repeated except with more power the next day as we had moved to the north to start work. It was a bright monday morning when monsoon hit! the rains came down and the lights went out as it advanced toward evening in the refugee facitlity but one by the use of flash lights they were able to play. The sonata swelled through the refugee facility and i a pray that people will know that God is not one who only allows survival. But one who gives life. I noticed many of the peoples countinace changed through the course of the evening.

more later I have to run now!

GraceCityRelief from Shane Burgett on Vimeo.

I will be helping to lead trips like this one to serve those in need. As you can see there are a lot of logistical needs. I will be helping organize and lead in practically and spiritually. There will also be several short-term teams that I will be facilitating as they are on the ground.

I arrived in Japan earlier than expected. The Chicago airport was unusually full of Japanese travelors exiting there home country. But I was determined no matter what the nuclear situation was that it was worth it to go absorb a little radiation and give my friends and Japanese Chruch Family a hug.

The first couple of days we spent in preparation. There had been a lot of travel between North Japan and the Tokyo/Chiba area where the chruch is. It took one look in my friend Matt’s face to know that they were all feeling the effects of midnight supply runs.

The Pastor Dedachisan seen here loading has been hard at work since March 11th. I was eager to help out once I got there. The rest of my team arrived on monday. We began our strategic planning sessions and packing.

Powerlines, crushed houses, and personal belongings were everywhere

We also traveled further north to deliver supplies to kesenuma city and found even more disaster.

With Such devistation it was hard to even begin to process. All that I could do was look on in sadness for the horror of the indescribable sights we saw. The juxtaposition of seeing personal items blended in with everything else was overwhelming.

We tried to focus on helping areas where people were still living in their houses and had had the first floor destroyed. We fixed roofs and worked mucking out the mud from inside.

Japanese tend to be concerned about not accepting help from outsiders. We were told by the local pastor that if we went to a neighborhood and tired to help no one would let us come into thier houses. It was just too private. The first day this laday and her hubands the Kimuras let us fix their roof. The second time we came they let us take out their heavy furnature and piano to the curb. The last time we came Mrs. Kimura was so surprised that we kept coming back that she exclaimed that that morning she had been thinking. She had decided that Jesus had Sent us to them.

We also worked with Sameritans Purse. They had massive amounts of supplies flown into Sendai a week and half after then destruciton. However, because of fuel shortages, lack of information, and a desire to work with the local chruch they really needed people to take trucks of supplies to refugee locations.

 I would have taken some pictures of inside a refugee location but I just could not bring myself to. Here is a view from the valley floor a refugee location can be seen on top of the hill behind the boat.

This specific location was home to over 700 refugees. There are over 9600 refugees who are still being housed in these areas. According to the Asahi Newspaper Prime Minister NaotoKan is talking about leveling several mountains to create room for rebuilding. Japan is shifting their focus to rebuilding. However, in reality, all that has been accomplished so far in the worst affected areas is the plowing of roads. They are still months if not half a year away from rebuilding.

There was a sobering moment when we were driving through Sendai City on our way to get supplies. We made a wrong turn unto the Sendai Sports Arena and were quickly confronted by a sign that read, “Body Collection and Identification Facility”.

As we grieve and morn over the situation this horrible disaster I think there are some questions that are bubbling up in myself. As you are aware Japan is one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. The area that the Tusnami hit is the least churched area of Japan. I think it is the Church’s responsibility to be present as a part of not only disaster relief but a part of the rebuilding effort. How will we respond? What if we were to pray that God would raise up Christians to live in the heart of each one of these rebuilding areas? That is something for us to think about for the future.

For now Japan is very much still in relief and recovery mode. I think i will end this blog post just with a short video that I recorded. This shows the massive effect of the Tsunami. There was an incredible line between the area that was hit and the unaffected land.

kesennuma

Ginza really is at the heart of Tokyo and in many ways the heart of Japan.  Lying right next to what used to be the main center of business, commerce and exchange; it was the entertainment district with the world famous kabuki theatre where Japanese traditional plays are still preformed.  It is largely the same as it was back then.  Recently, the area around Tokyo Station is under reconstruction. The reconstruction of Tokyo station is iconic of the cities desire to forge an area defined by historical and modern life. If you were to follow a businessman around you would find that he still nightly crosses the train line to find high fine dining, entertainment and shopping in the Ginza area.

the line was around the block for the Ipad release

          Last week I took a look around Ginza before going to Tokyo Grace City Church and was amazed at how lively it was. These pictures do not capture the bustle of the streets. The main streets are closed to traffic on Sundays.

 I admit after having lived in Japan for this long I am rarely am deeply and genuinely surprised in daily life. But after having this experience I could not help but think that I wanted to tell everyone about this significant area. Clearly if we have a longing to see God`s Kingdom go forward in Japan this area needs to be in the forefront of our minds.

The last English Bible class was surprisingly normal. But I guess this is really the strength of it. Teaching this class for the last almost two years has been a great blessing. I have learned so much about Japanese culture and predominate ways of thinking. It has also been fun and taught me a lot about doing evangelistic Bible Studies.

              My students are very gracious and eager to learn. One of the so clearly broke the stereotype that is sometime associated with non-believers by coming to only the bible time. He would skip the class and just join for the bible time.

              After the Class we all went out to lunch together at a wonderful Italian restaurant. It was very suave. Most of my students fit into the have money category. They paid for my meal and treated me to a great lunch. As is always the case the teacher learns more than the students. Since I really poured my heart into it too, finishing the class was really significant for me. Looking back over it God really blessed me a lot and helped me out through many things and in many ways.

Japan really is beautiful! This years sakura(cherry blossoms) really proved that fact. The smell of sakura which is a soft sweet smell was drifting on the current of the air throughout my entire area. I took a walk and did an ethnographic survey with my camera. I took pictures of everyone who was out. People of every age were out. Family brought their grandparents in wheelchairs out to view the fresh blossoms.

Young kids were a common feature. But the most distinctive thing was definitely the atmosphere of levity. Instead, of the heavy hustle and bustle of daily life; I ran into a man who had taken the day off to spend time with his family. Everyone seemed to be enjoying these few moments of freedom to themselves.

God is building his church

We were all surprised and delighted that we are running out of room in our chapel. This is a wonderful problem to have! Our church is a multisite church. The location that I am at has grown incredibly rapidly. Last sunday after I finished teaching sunday school I walked into the worship room to find no chairs at all. There was only standing room. There was around 100 people at the worship service. There are also a lot of healthy signs; good fellowship growing relationships; open repentance of sin; and around a 20% non-Christian worship attendance each sunday! Praise God!