A Lot of Boys & a Lonely Toothbrush

At the end of April Joel, Gaku and I got a new roommate. Hiro moved into our house, just as the craziness of the relief work began with a 10 day trip at the beginning of May. So the guest room upstairs became Hiro's room, and I now share a house with 3 boys. By God's grace, they are all very nice boys, who are kind, considerate and understanding. And I am very thankful for our "family".

Hiro, Me, Joel and Gaku

As with any group, when you add a new member the dynamic changes a little or a lot. And our home has seen a few changes, a fair amount of stress and now we have welcomed a new member all in the past few months. I think that after the earthquake, I especially felt most safe, most comforted in the times that I could spend with Joel and Gaku. I feel that God has worked through our friendships to make us strong enough to face the work that he has called us to do. And in the midst of that, we have accepted Hiro into our home and in trying to make him feel that he is part of our family, I think we have all been drawn closer together. I am so thankful for the place of grace and love that God has created for all four of us.

I believe that God gifts us with the chance to be in community -- through that he gives us encouragement, protection and strength in numbers to stand up to the attacks of Satan and a place where we can grow together in our faith and our work for God. Please pray we me that God will continue to make our home a place of light, a place of love and a place that is a sanctuary dedicated to him -- I know that in our human brokenness we are all sometimes vulnerable to temptations of all kinds, so my prayer is that our house will continue to be full of purity, love and joy.

Just a few weeks after Hiro moved in with us, the Church of Christ East Japan Disaster Relief Committee decided to hire Gaku, Hiro and Emiko (a young woman, who is a member of Mito church) to work with Joel in leading and organizing the relief efforts in Ishinomaki. From the beginning of June, the boys have been going up to Ishinomaki every week from Sunday night until Wednesday. So for a few nights every week, my toothbrush is all alone next to the sink and I spend too much time wondering if the boys are working too hard and not sleeping enough.

But, as usual, God has provided for my weakness, for my loneliness and even for the times when I struggle to release my concern for the safety of Joel, Gaku and Hiro to him. He has blessed me with growing friendships with Emiko (who will actually start going up to Ishinomaki with the boys when her other part time job is finished in about a month) and her sister, Noriyo. They check in on me and we have girl time when the boys are out of town, and even when they are in town. It has been so fulfilling to build relationships of mutual growth and encouragement. I feel like God has given me a chance to be in the role of mentor at times, but I am also so encouraged and challenged to grow in my faith because of my friendships with Noriyo, Emiko and their parents, as well.

Emiko and Noriyo

Emiko, Me, Kristen and Noriyo