One of the team members and I stayed back at the base to help with the chores. We were helping to prepare dinner in the kitchen and we were able to fellowship with the chef. Earlier in the week on Sunday, I had seen the chef leading worship at the Rifu Oasis Church. He looked so normal and cheerful all the time and so I was shocked when he shared with me that he experienced the earthquake and tsunami too. Although I didn’t know how to converse in Japanese, he kept trying to strike up a conversation and perhaps he wanted to share his experience with someone. He was thankful to us for coming to Japan to help even though we were Singaporeans and not locals and shared about how many foreigners fled from Japan when the tsunami happened, and many people are afraid to come to Japan because they deem Japan as a dangerous place. He shared about how his restaurant was destroyed because of the earthquake and he lost his job subsequently. Shortly after the earthquake, he and his wife had a newborn baby and he was dismal about how he was going to support his family as he was now jobless. Fortunately, God provided for him as CRASH Japan provided a job for him as a chef in the Sendai base. Yet again, I was reminded to pray for the countless numbers of people who have lost their homes and jobs and for God’s protection and provision for them.

The chef also shared about how less than 1% of the Japanese population are Christians. It really reminded me that Japan needs our prayers and the people of Japan need to be reached out to, especially in this difficult period of time.