➤➤➤A GREAT EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN➤➤➤ News reports from around the world have chronicled a rash of natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, and volcanic eruptions. While space does not permit a report on all recent disasters, the fortitude with which Jehovah’s Witnesses cope with such hardships is well-epitomized by that of our fellow worshippers in Japan. On Friday, March 11, 2011, at 2:46 p.m., a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan. The resulting tsunamis devastated many towns and villages along the Pacific coastline. Some 20,000 people either have been confirmed dead or have never been found. In the affected area, four Kingdom Halls were destroyed and four others became unusable. As many as 235 houses of our brothers and sisters were washed away or badly damaged, and more than a thousand houses needed repair. The quake and tsunamis damaged a nuclear power plant so seriously that radioactive particles were released. The government issued an evacuation order to residents in the vicinity, and overnight, many places became ghost towns. Brothers and sisters in the area were also forced to leave, and two congregations “disappeared.” Among the over 14,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the most affected areas, 12 lost their lives, and 5 were seriously injured; 2 are still missing. Many who survived this traumatic experience lost their homes, possessions and, in many cases, their loved ones. “I managed to get my mother, who is disabled, into the car and started driving to the designated shelter,” explains Kiyoko of Ofunato. “Then I smelled smoke. I got out of the car and saw a huge wall of water swallow up our house. The water was coming at us! I helped my mother clamber up a railway track embankment. Our car was washed away right before our eyes.” After the quake, a young brother named Koichi tried to reach his parents’ home, three miles [5 km] from the sea, in Ishinomaki. As he neared, however, he saw that the whole area was underwater. “Without a boat, I couldn’t go any farther.” Three weeks after the quake, he found his father at a morgue, and three weeks later, his mother. As soon as the earthquake stopped, Masaaki in Shichigahama decided to park his car at the Kingdom Hall, half a mile [1 km] away from the sea. Masaaki recalls: “I found a sister who had also evacuated there. I thought tsunamis would never come this far. Soon, however, black water covered the ground! Our cars started floating. I opened the window, climbed out of my car and stood on the roof, but the sister’s car was washed away and disappeared! I prayed to Jehovah to help her. “It was snowing, and I was soaked through and shivering. The snow stopped, but the air was frigid. Soon the sun set and darkness descended. The stars were bright and beautiful. I stood on the roof of my car, an island in the ice-cold water. There were others like me, stranded on piles of debris or on the roofs of buildings. I wondered if I would survive until morning. To cheer myself up, I decided to give from memory a public talk that I had given just two weeks earlier. It was an appropriate subject: ‘Where Can You Get Help in Times of Distress?’ After that, I sang the only song I knew by heart: ‘My Father, My God and Friend.’ I sang it again and again. As I sang, I looked back on my service to Jehovah, and my tears flowed. “Then someone from the house across the street shouted to me, ‘Are you all right? I’ll come to help you!’” The man who called out had made a raft out of floating timbers and was rescuing people in the vicinity. With his help, Masaaki was able to enter someone’s house through the second-floor window. Later, he was relieved to learn that the sister in the other car had also been rescued. There was joyful anticipation for the wedding of Kohei and Yuko, to be held at the Kingdom Hall in Rikuzentakata on Saturday, March 12. After they had legally registered their marriage at the city hall on Friday, the earthquake struck. Kohei heard a tsunami warning broadcast by the city and rushed to higher ground. “I saw the whole city in a haze,” he recalls. “There was nothing remaining except a few large buildings. Until then, I had been worrying about our arrangements for later that day, but soon I realized that something enormous had occurred.” Kohei and Yuko spent Saturday helping the brothers and sisters in the congregation. “We received relief supplies from neighboring congregations,” he said. “I was happy to hear my wife say how glad she was to spend our time and energy for our brothers. I thanked Jehovah for this wonderful mate. The tsunami washed away our new home, our car, and all our possessions. But I am so thankful for the brotherly love shown to us.” Physical, Spiritual, and Emotional Relief Efforts. The Japan branch quickly organized three Disaster Relief Committees and repeatedly sent branch representatives to the affected area. When zone overseers Geoffrey Jackson and Izak Marais from world headquarters came to Japan in May, they too met with the brothers and sisters in one of the most devastated areas. A special meeting for the affected congregations was arranged, so that by telephone hookup, some 2,800 brothers at 21 Kingdom Halls were reassured of the love and concern of the worldwide brotherhood. The Disaster Relief Committees and other volunteers have busily provided relief supplies. The immediate needs were food, water, and fuel. The relief committees also arranged to send clothing in a wide variety of sizes to the affected congregations. Clothes racks and mirrors were set up at meeting places to convert them into temporary “boutiques.” How thankful the beleaguered brothers and sisters were to see how Jehovah filled their physical and emotional needs! They were especially fortified at Christian meetings. “I gain peace of mind from the meetings,” wrote a sister in the disaster-stricken area. “To me, they are a spiritual lifeline.” A Message of Hope. The Japanese brothers were quick to share comfort from God’s Word with their distraught neighbors. A group of publishers in a city not affected by the disaster decided to do street work with a large signboard, “Why the Tragedy? The answer is in the Bible.” Many people showed interest, and the brothers placed 177 Bible Teach books in just one and a half days. In the disaster-stricken areas, the Witnesses first called on Bible students and return visits and then on neighbors to comfort them. “When I read Matthew 6:34 to a householder,” says Akiko, “she started to cry. It appeared that she had many anxieties. When I explained how the Bible helps us maintain peace of mind, she readily agreed and thanked me. This has renewed my appreciation for the power of the Scriptures to move people’s hearts.” “There are many religions,” said one man, “but you are the only people who come to us, even in this abnormal time.” Another man remarked with respect, “It is amazing that you continue your activity as usual during this crisis.” One elder commented: “Many welcomed our visits. They said, ‘You are the first ones to come to our home since the disaster. Please come again.’”
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 23:12:06 +0000