By Wong Mei-Hwen (Adam Road Presbyterian Church: 6-15 July 2012 EP JTRT comprising of 8 ladies and 2 men with ages ranging from 17-50)

Being stuck in the gutter was the last thing any of us expected to happen during our trip to the Tohoku region of Japan in July 2012, but here we were on a remote country road in the coastal city of Kesennuma, waiting for help to get the van out of the drain. Before leaving Singapore, we were warned several times that our programme could change at the last minute, or there could even be another earthquake or tsunami, but rolling into the gutter?

God’s ways are not our ways, but everything is part of His sovereign plan, and ultimately, all things work together for His glory – we were reminded of these lessons during our stay in Japan. So while waiting for the tow truck on the country road, a few of us had the opportunity to listen to the sounds of the brook and the wind blowing through the trees – things we don’t often stop to enjoy in our busy city lifestyles. And when the vehicle keys went missing on a Sunday morning, leading to a mad rush for the train to Morioka Conservative Baptist Church, the outcome was also positive. “It was a blessing in disguise because we got to talk to a survivor at Senmaya station, and three other passengers on the train. It was such an enjoyable time talking with them,” says Charissa Wong.

Team with CRASH Japan volunteers at Senmaya train station

She recalls another incident at a kasetsu (temporary housing) at Senmaya Umeda, where the team arrived to find the common room locked, because the kaicho (head of the kasetsu residents’ association) forgot about the craft café. “For a moment, we really thought we were going to miss this chance of having the craft café. But thankfully, we were still able to get inside because there was an open window and we managed to get the keys from the kaicho’s neighbour. We really thank God for providing us a way even though there seemed at that point of time to be no way. God allowed us to exercise our trust and faith in Him.”

Leaving our comfort zones

More than once, each of us had to leave our comfort zones, whether it was waking up at 6am to help the neighbours clean the road outside the base camp, distributing flyers under the sun, or even in mundane matters like queuing for the shower - something the eight ladies in our group had to do on a nightly basis.

Lynn Ng relates the initial challenge she faced in learning crochet. “I've never done crocheting before and my last attempt was quite hopeless, so I was pretty apprehensive,” she says. “However, once I started learning, I realised that it wasn't too difficult and I could manage! Praise the Lord! It helped that Jo (another team member) was a good and encouraging teacher too.”

She adds that there was some good which came out of the experience. “Crocheting helped a lot with my work at school because in the lab, I need to have nimble fingers since I'm working with small, delicate stuff. Crocheting honed that aspect of me a lot and thanks to all the practice I've had in Japan, I'm having a much easier time in the lab too!”

Using our gifts to bless others...

Although many hours were spent preparing the material for tissue box covers – our main activity for the kasetsu-s – the efforts paid off. Relating her encounter with a lady in her 70s, Charissa says: “Though we were separated by the language barrier, she was very glad that I could help her with cutting the tissue box holder template and pasting the decorations for the tissue box cover. I was also glad that I could help her in such small ways. God showed me that even through the small things that we do, these are ways we can show love to others.”

Team and survivors with their completed tissue box covers

Tan Ken Wei admits that he initially found the idea of a tissue box cover “quite a childish and boring craft that nobody would want to do”. However, “after doing it in so many cafes it actually turned out to be quite a hit with the survivors, so it’s amazing how God can take something as insignificant as a tissue box cover, and turn it into something so filled with hope and joy for them.”

The youthful team (more than half were aged 22 and below, the rest were young at heart) found opportunities to minister to the elderly at the kasetsu-s, as well as to children in other places. Our visit to Morioka Conservative Baptist Church and Asahigaoka, a foster home that the Kesennuma Bible Baptist church periodically ministers to, gave us opportunities to use our musical abilities to lead children in a few action songs. At the latter, we also took Polaroid shots of the elementary school children and fixed these onto frames we had prepared beforehand, before giving these to them.

Although this was not specifically a survivor care endeavour, ministry to the children was still in the same spirit, says team leader Nariyuki Maruyama. “The children staying there came from difficult backgrounds, and they were visibly hungry for love. Even with the short one and a half hours or so that we were able to share with them, my prayer is that the Spirit will be able to touch their hearts in a way that they are able to sense a much greater presence beyond what they saw in our physical presence and caring.”

...and being blessed in return

Despite our initial apprehensiveness about the programme and other fears, the trip ministered to us in more ways than one. “When I signed up for the mission trip, I was determined to provide as much help as I could, but I felt slightly guilty because I hadn't been as in touch with my faith as I should have been,” says Takano Maruyama. “For example, I wasn't praying, reading the bible, or going to church as much as I should have been. I wasn't exactly comfortable with praying out loud either, but over the course of the mission trip, I realized how important it was to share our thoughts and pray as a team. Praying to God during the trip, and showing his love through the craft activities really helped me feel much stronger about my faith. So by the end of the trip, I felt much more secure and confident about my faith in God, and just trusting Him to take care of the people in Japan, and any issues I have in life.”

“This trip has been a blessing to me and has caused me to want to participate in more mission trips in the future,” says Joey Ng. “I realized that through mission trips, we get to see God working through us, using the ‘not-so-good’ situations and turning them into something wonderful. Mission trips are the best way to encourage others and also be encouraged.”

Other thoughts from the team:

“I was greatly touched when the craft that our group taught brought smiles and joy to the lives of the Japanese people. It warmed my heart when one of the survivors chose to take a picture with me because I helped her with her craft.” – Joey Ng

“God reminded me that He is the Healer. Compared to the previous trip in June, there were a few more who participated in the craft activity. Many of them were really participative and enthusiastic during the craft sessions. God is indeed working in the lives of these survivors! Also, when we visited Minamisanriku, we could see the oyster rafts in the sea, which shows signs of survivors returning to their livelihoods.” – Charissa Wong