An Assault on Beauty: Praying for the Restoration of JapanKatie Cornick - 23 Sep 2011
Two weeks into my stay in Japan I had the opportunity to travel north with a group of friends doing recovery work in response to the devastating tsunami that tore apart much of the northern Japanese coast line. Before visiting ground zero I had the opportunity of seeing Japan at her best.
My mouth was open our entire drive through Iwate prefecture. The combination of rolling hills and rice patties had me in a fantastic tizzy. I was surrounded by beauty. The scenery brought back images of the Rhine River valley. The pines triggered flashbacks of my Colorado home, and the valleys brought back nostalgic feelings I associate with southern China. This, though, isn’t Europe. It’s not America and it’s certainly unlike anywhere else in Asia. This is Japan and her beauty, while it speaks of the universal majesty of God’s Kingdom is utterly unique.
I was warned that soon I’d be seeing places that were swept away by the 30 meter wave that ripped through the island this spring and had one last chance to internalize the glorious view behind me. Tucked into the bay, lay the city of Kesennuma. The Afternoon of March 11th this quiet fishing village was devastated when water swept away storefronts, homes, and families. The ground sank 80 centimeters here. Rotting wood and heaps of rubble still line the streets. Rows of cement foundations are all that remain of coastal suburbs. What a contrast from the pristine landscape down the road.
Minutes prior to entering the effected region I was welling up with praise, but now I was sobered. The thought of thousands losing their lives quieted my joy. The land as well as the people felt extreme loss. As we continued to round the corners and observe the strange, eerie sites of devastation my eyes searched for beauty. I needed a sign that this was still Japan and that hope remained. I found it stopped at a traffic light. Three school-aged girls were walking home in their matching uniforms with bright, cheery faces. Their smiles gave me confidence that Kesennuma will recover.
Six months ago the beauty of Japan was assaulted. Hope was deferred. Sadness and grief welled up in the hearts of citizens. There is still immense work to be done, people to be cared for, livelihoods to regain. Today, though, young girls are walking home from school and laughing. Still they pass boats in the streets and flooded fields instead of crops, but this is Japan. Her beauty will prevail, a beauty that endures in the hearts of people longer than the land they come from.
Father, I cry out to you for the restoration of Japan. I know, Lord, that the coastal communities will soon be cleaned up and people will work hard to return to life as they know it. I pray for healing, God. Refresh your children. Renew the land. Revive the beauty of your creation that the Japanese would see your majesty once again and know you as Creator God.