Greetings to you all! It's been a few weeks since my last update. Much has happened in our little Sendai base, so as to not waste time, here are the haps:
It's October! One of my favorite months during my favorite season of Fall! The weather has cooled down to a nice 60 degrees, which is well welcomed after the blazing summer humidity. The trees haven't quite turned color yet, but when they do, you'll be sure to receive some pics in due time! Unfortunately, Japan isn't as quite into the Halloween spirit like back home, so there aren't gonna be trick-or-treaters, which was one of my favorite staples of the holiday. Nothing says Halloween like frightening all the little princesses and pirates dressed as a masked madman holding a bowel of candy. Sigh...
I'm in a new Japanese language class! It's basically the same program I did back in the Spring, except that it cost about $120, while the spring classes were free as long as you bought the textbook accompanying the program. It's a bit of a chunk of money, especially on a missionary budget, but thankfully they use the same exact textbook, which a wonderful donor had provided for already, so that's taken care of! There's also only two other students besides me, which considering the 25+ students in the free class, is wonderful! More time for the teacher to correct our pronunciation and practice speaking to each other. It's a true blessing to be back in school! It did cost me a bit this month, but with the Lord's provision, I know I can make it!
On the first week of October, the team and I took a day trip up to the adorable coast town of Matushima, famous for it's many little and not so little islands dotted across the coastline! Filled with the fresh ocean air, it was a welcome change of scenery from the countryside of Ayashi. My personal favorite part was hiking along one of the little islands and finding old shrines and statues hidden in caves. Kind of brings up a child-like sense of wonder and magic, seeing all these old discoveries. What wasn't quite as magical was trying to get lunch, which on a sunny Saturday noon, meant trying to find somewhere cheap not overflowing with other beach goers. But that didn't hinder or hamper our spirits. I really would love to come here again, on my own time on a weekday, and do more research. Apparently, it was a famous vacation spot for the famous lord of Sendai, Date Masamune, and his family. He even rebuilt nearby shrines as old as 800 AD. Wow. Here are some pics of our wondrous trip:
Unfortunately, this month hasn't been all wonderful and magical, considering a huge Typhoon based through much of the Japan mainland, and we did indeed experience it. I've never been in a true storm like a hurricane or a tornado, so this was something entirely new and foreign to me. In the days before the storm hit, all the bread, milk, and eggs from all the stores were cleaned out within hours of opening, grim faced people hurrying this way and that to grab any last minute food, and a haunting silence in the streets.
Our team had a little party complete with pancakes, hash-browns, and sausages a few hours before the typhoon was to arrive. The others who live in the big apartment building made of stone and with double layered windows weren't too worried, but those of us with apartments made of wood, single pane windows, (aka me) were slightly more concerned. Man, that night is one I'll never forget. As the storm landed, the fierce wind raged on continuously. The downpour of rain was like a massive waterfall on the roof. It got so bad, it even started leaking in several places. At times, the entire apartment would shake. I don't know how I got sleep, but I did though it wasn't entirely restful. In the morning, all was quite. The skies were clear and empty of all clouds, as if the typhoon had swept everything away, like a cosmic broom against an endless blue floor. The streets were covered in leaves, and all was so quite. Barely a soul was to be seen. Almost peaceful in a way. Unfortunately, the trains going into town were closed for a few days, since trees fell on the tracks and there were flooding in various spots. Thankfully, all was well with me, my team, and Sendai.
Unfortunately, things are not well in parts of Japan. Over 70 people have died from the flooding and mudslides caused by the storm, as well as millions of dollars in damage. Please pray for the families of the victims and for the rebuilding efforts, especially in the Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, where the storm struck the hardest. Here's an article with more information and photos of the typhoon's aftereffects: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/10/scenes-aftermath-of-typhoon-hagibis/600040/
Thank you all so much for your support and prayers, and pray for Japan!
Comments