For the past three nights, Pastor Shelley and I have been suspicious of a small rodent having taken up residence in the mission house. It was not a welcome intrusion. The bagels I purchased at our mighty COSTCO trip have been assaulted each night by this small visitor and the evidence left on the kitchen counter each morning.
Amanda was not a happy intern.However, as I devised a cunning plan to hide my precious bagels from the small thief, it seems that Pastor Shelley and I have momentarily won this round of rodent versus missionaries. Rodent - 3, Missionaries - 1. We shall have the ultimate victory after Pastor Shelley obtains some rodent killer next week. Rest easy tonight, little vermin. Tomorrow, you perish.
On an completely opposite side of life, we have been feverishly preparing for a short-term missions team from Bishop, California to arrive next Tuesday. We will be in Tokyo for a few days before heading up to Sendai for 4 days to do some relief work. Today was the 3-month anniversary of the catastrophic event that killed thousands and has left thousands more homeless, jobless, and without a foreseeable future. The tv today recounted many stories of those whose lives were permanently affected by the earthquake/tsunami as well as the memorials being held in memory of the deceased. It was a sobering meal as Pastor Shelley and I watched the evening news while we ate dinner. Somehow, knowing that we go in a few days' time to that area of the country to help the people there recover from such a disaster seems like just a splash in the pool compared to the massive effort it will take to rebuild. But I have to remind myself that to those whose lives we will touch, it will mean the world. If we can reflect Christ's love into just one corner of that dark place, we have truly loved like Christ.
The team arrives next Tuesday. That following Monday, we leave for Sendai to return on Thursday night the 16th. Pray for those we will touch to accept Christ's love shining in our lives and for our team's physical, mental, and spiritual strength as we go into the darker part of Japan. Tokyo needs help. Sendai needs help as well. Pray for Japan.
