Christ First Forum

A Christian In Sendai
Friends forwarded an email to me they received from a young Christian man who is presently living in Sendai, Japan (ground zero of the recent devastating earthquake). He is there serving as part of the JET Program, teaching English in hopes of developing relationships and eventually staying there full-time as a missionary. He's currently about 68 miles from the nuclear plant.

Please take the time to read this young man's email/testimony. It ministered to me, and I hope it ministers to you. Listen to the words of a Christian in Sendai.

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Hello friends and family!

I hope that you are all doing well. I write this email with a heavy heart.

First, I'd like to thank you for the overwhelming amount of encouragement and prayers you guys have given me over these past several days. All the emails and all the comments left on Facebook have made this difficult situation easier to bear. Thank you all for carrying this burden with me.

When I first started getting my apartment's gas bill here in Sendai, I was wondering why in the world it was so expensive. Every one's bill was so much cheaper than mine. I pretty much paid close to 110 USD every month. I learned that my gas bill was just going to be that expensive and will have to deal with it because my gas was propane based and not from Sendai City's direct gas service, which the vast majority of people use.

Well it turns out that I'm one of the VERY few people here in Sendai that has running hot water at this moment because my apartment uses propane. Meaning, I smell good and can cook on a range. Some estimate that it could take as long as 2 months for the gas to return in some areas because the damage has been so devastating.

Truly, our God is amazingly accurate in where He places His children. I have now opened up my home to my co-workers and nearby church members to come and take showers as act of ministry to them. For every person that comes, I will have to sacrifice taking a shower myself so that I won't use up all the propane. But that is a very small sacrifice.

Since the last email I wrote, I now know more accurately what the earthquake has done to this city and Japan as a whole. I am now also aware of the situation in Fukushima and the potential threat it gives to everyone living in Sendai. The US Embassy has given an evacuation notice to all US citizens living within 50 miles of Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant and have offered assistance to anyone who would like to leave Japan because of the unpredictable future. I live about 68 miles from the power plant.

I would like to first say that this "unpredictable future" has already been predestined by our sovereign God. Things have not gone spiraling out of control. God is and always has been in control. As God calmed the storm, He can also calm the nuclear reactors if He wants to. But may His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I received a phone call today asking if I would like to evacuate with the rest of the ALTs in Sendai.

I graciously declined and said that if I was going to evacuate, I will evacuate with the people in my community and not on my own.

As a Christian, I cannot get myself to evacuate for several reasons. First, I cannot imagine how damaging it would be to my Christian testimony. How can I proclaim that Christ has power over death when at the first hint of it, I run away from it? I would lose all credibility to represent the Gospel to these people, many of whom know that I'm Christian and serve at a local Christian church every Sunday. Christ conquered death and I need to live in a manner that reflects that truth. Truly, O death, where is your sting? Or, should I say radiation?

Next, God has called me to love and serve these people that he has placed in my life. I cannot just love and serve these people when it's convenient for me and then just leave them behind when times look grim. I need to be a source of light to them especially when times are dark. And believe me, times are extremely dark right now.

Lastly, and most importantly, I believe that me staying will glorify God more than if I left right now. Of all the places He could have placed me, He sovereignly placed me in Sendai. That is not by chance. There is a ton of work that needs to be done here and I have resolved myself to stay until they get finished . . .

I miss you all and I thank you for your prayers. God is amazingly gracious. I have no doubt that God will continue to watch over me during this time. God is always faithful.

As I've been typing this email, there have been several aftershocks (they just won't stop) and the weather has dipped into the mid 20's again. We've been advised to conserve energy, so I can't turn on the heater for too long. Praise God that I have these amazingly warm blankets! Through it all, I rejoice because in Christ, I have learned to be content in plenty and in need. I do have enough food to last me a week which should last me until basic services return again. But if not, I will be forced to rely on my school's shelter for food. Praise God that I have a shelter! I can't go to church because all the trains have stopped running. And nobody can come pick me up because the entire city has run out of gasoline. We hope that all the necessities can return soon but only the Lord knows. Until then, all the supermarkets are completely empty and all stores and services are pretty much closed (I work and live in East Sendai).

Through it all, I can honestly say, God is truly good.

Please pray for these lost souls. If I die, I go to heaven but if these people die, they will go to hell. Please continue to pray for God's grace. I urge you.

And please, use this opportunity to share the Gospel to your coworkers.

I hope that I can see you all soon.

Thank you all for your love and support!