Japan's Greatest Natural Disaster

On March 11, at 2:46 pm, the country of Japan suffered a horrific tragedy. An 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit off the Northeast coast of Japan, causing a catastrophic tsunami and crippling the city of Tokyo and northward. It is estimated the initial tsunami wave was over 30 feet high, and came over six miles into shore. Over 120 strong aftershocks have occurred and it is expected that will continue for days and possibly months. A nuclear power plant North of Tokyo is in a state of emergency with at least two of the reactors being completely unstable. There has been almost 1,000 people declared dead, with the numbers climbing by the hour. In one city alone, there are over 9,500 people reported missing. Towns have been completely taken off the map. This has been declared the worst natural disaster in Japan history, and Japan's most difficult crisis since WWII.

There are no words to express how much all the email and Facebook messages, instant messages, and phone calls asking about our safety, have meant to my family.  I know many of you have asked where we are in relation to the disaster zone. My family and I live in Kobe, Japan, which is Southwest from the disaster area. We are 267 miles from Tokyo and 402 miles from Sendai. Sendai is the closest city to where the epicenter of the earthquake was located. I know those miles do not seem very far, especially to those in the United States. Our distance in miles would be similar to driving from Cleveland, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio. However,  Japan is very mountainous, making distance almost two and three times farther.

 We did feel the earthquake where we live. It could be described as feeling like you had just gotten off a boat. The initial quake lasted several minutes. Matt was at work and the kids were at school. The kids' school was very proactive and implemented their "duck and cover" earthquake plan.  I was at home and you couldn't feel it as much here as elsewhere because of our location tucked towards the mountain. We have several friends who live in a 32-floor high-rise apartment building, where you would physically see the building swaying back and forth.

Kobe has been able to feel several of the aftershocks. Our house is located 1/2 way up the mountain, cushioning the aftershocks.  Our friends who live in the high-rise buildings have had a few rough moments riding out some of the most recent quakes.  We have been told rolling blackouts may be implemented throughout the large cities to help conserve power and to reroute power to the North to help aid in the search and rescue efforts. We are making sure we have all our cell phones charged in case this happens, as most likely the Kobe area will be part of this plan. We are monitoring the nuclear power plant issue, however being located almost 300 miles from the plant, our biggest worry would be the wind direction. I am the outreach ministry leader at our church and one of our mission partners have suffered much damage, so we are working to get a team together to help in the recovery efforts when the time is right.

Caterpillar, my husband's company, has been in constant contact over the past day, giving us updates when appropriate. The U.S. Embassy has also been giving us information and keeping us updated on the latest news. We are being watched even if we are not in the disaster zone. So mom and dad, PLEASE do not worry. We are being watched.

I have an earthquake application on my iPhone. As soon as I saw the initial 7.9 magnitude report I turned on the television to see if there was any news. I sat in front of the television for hours watching everything unfold. It is so surreal sitting here knowing the horrible images we are all seeing is happening where I live. While Japan is not my home country, and we have only live here a little over two years, Japan has become my home. It is no secret how much I love living here. I have fallen in love with the people, the culture, the country, and my heart aches watching all of this unfold.

I feel guilty for going on with our day-to-day lives, while so many are suffering. I feel like I should be doing something. I try not to think of the "what ifs". I try not to think about living in one of the world's most earthquake prone countries. I tell myself it won't happen here. But it could. It did 16 years ago. I try not to think about my husband, my son, seven other adult chaperones, and almost 60 6th graders sitting in the Sendai airport exactly three weeks before this earthquake and tsunami. This is what the Sendai airport looked like shortly after the tsunami hit.

I cannot close my eyes without seeing all the devastation. I doubt many people in this country have slept much the past few days. The next few days will be full of more heartbreaking images and devastation. I just have to keep reminding myself of Philippians 4:6. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

So I ask you,  please pray for this country. Please pray for the people who are located in the North. Pray for those who are helping in the search and rescue efforts. Pray for those who are battling the scary issues at the nuclear power plant. Pray for those who have lost loved ones, their homes, their jobs, their towns. Pray for the leadership of this country. Please pray for the foreigners who don't know how to handle a disaster such as this one. Please pray for Japan.

Is the suspense killing you?

I could be really mean and let all my impatient readers wait a few more days. After all I do have suitcases to unpack and laundry to do from an impromptu trip to the beach for a long weekend. But I guess I have left you waiting long enough.

Sorry to all those who guessed I am pregnant. Considering that would have to be an act of God, you are incorrect. With the busy life I have with the three we already have I think another would push me over the edge to the funny farm.

So what is it then? Are you ready? You holding onto your chair in suspense? Are you jumping up and down from the wait? Well here we go...

Matt has been offered and accepted a promotion at work. And while that is exciting, it is not the BIG news. The BIG news is that the job is in...


... Kobe, Japan.

(I will pause while you pick yourself up off the floor)

Yes, you read that right. We are moving to Japan – as in the country Japan. We have always wanted to do an international assignment, and while we were thinking maybe next summer would be a good time, this fell into our laps. And after lots of talk and prayer we have decided to take on the adventure.

We will be starting to work with our relocation counselor this week to iron out the details and book a house hunting trip for Matt and I. Matt has to be in Japan for an already booked business trip the week of September 14, so I will fly out and meet him at the end of the trip and we will stay a week to pick a house, get the kids schools all organized, learn the area, meet fellow expats (people working in a foreign country) and much more. The job is a 3 year assignment and after that we will be back stateside.

As of right now, Matt will be going around the 3rd week of October and the kids and I will follow at the end of February. While the kids and I could go by the end of the year, Matt and I have decided that allowing the kids to finish up some commitments here for school, football and gymnastics will help them transition easier. Our hopes is to rent our house out here, allowing us to keep a US residence and hopefully some back here when our assignment is over.

I am excited, scared, nervous... so many different emotions. This is huge for our family. But I know that during the next 3 years our family will have an experience of a lifetime. And don't worry all my bloggy friends... I will be here to blog it all. I know. Finally something to blog about besides David Cook.

So I will leave you with these few facts about Kobe, Japan. And be prepared for lots of posts leading up to our departure. The next few months will be filled with visits, packing, passports, redtape, jumping hoops, tears, smiles, airport travel, recommendations for the best acne treatment due to stress levels and much more.

• Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities.
  
• Kobe's has a population of approximately 1.5 million.
  
• Located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, Kobe is considered one of Japan's most attractive cities.
• Kobe was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West following the end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port city. It is Japan's fourth busiest container port.
• In January 1995, Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed over 5000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. A decade later, the city is completely rebuilt, and few signs of the terrible event are left. (Don't worry the city was rebuilt to withstand such an earthquake)
• The city is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe Beef, as well as the site of one of Japan's most famous hot springs resorts, Arima Onsen.
• Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS, Kawasaki, and Kobe Steel , as well as over 100 international corporations with Asia or Japan headquarters in the city such as Procter & Gamble and Nestle. (While we will live in Kobe, Matt will actually be working in Akashi, Japan, where Caterpillar is located)
  

I Will Survive!

Okay I did survive. The shots that is. Yippie!!

I wound up getting three shots. One more in 4 weeks and one more in 6 months. They also were able to prescribe one shot orally so for every other day over the next 8 days I get to take a live vaccine for Typhoid Fever that is located in my butter compartment of the fridge (anyone want some toast?). I also have to take another pill for 36 days starting the day before I leave. They highly recommend a flu shot but they were unable to do those on Friday (boy am I sad about that).

I don't remember much of what the nurse said (luckily I had someone come with me) but I do remember being very adamant telling her that I am not a swinger.

So when it was time for the shots she cleared off the bed, made me lay down, I put on my Bose headphones and turned my ipod on full blast and closed my eyes. Shannon said my legs were shaking so hard she thought I was jiggling them. The nurse then made me stay laying down for about 5 minutes afterwards so I didn't pass out.

I do have to say that my arms hurt for a few days afterwards, but hey only two more shots, the pills and I am done. So now I can concentrate on the big prize and start planning our trip. After all, we leave in 30 days!!!

Shots Take 2 (okay maybe take 5)

So I posted back in mid-January that I had an appointment to get my shots for our Thailand trip. Well I canceled it. I had a cold and well that is never a good time to get a ton of shots. Well I probably failed to mention I have had several appointments made since September and I have canceled every one.

So I am 36 days away from leaving and I am quickly coming up the 4 week window of making sure the vaccinations have time to take effect. So tomorrow at 10:50 am I am going to the NC travel clinic and getting all my shots. I want to throw up just thinking about it. I'd much rather be staying at a Sea Pines rentals somewhere.

Please tell me that I will be okay. **sniff sniff**

Okay Don't Pray For Rain

Tonight Matt and I dropped Emily off at practice and went to look at projection televisions. We had to goto the Sam's Club in North Raleigh to get the television Matt wanted. We were cutting close on time to pick Emily up so after we bought the tv I dropped Matt off at the house and went to pick Emily up.

Hallelujah! While we were at Sam's Club it started to rain. It wasn't raining when I left the house and drove to pick Emily up 15 minutes away. Since I was late in picking her up I didn't notice that I left my cell phone in the truck. Practice ran 15 minutes over so when we went out to the truck I heard my phone ringing. I answered to hear Matt screaming at me that there were tornadoes all around and he was scared to death because I didn't answer. At that point the weather was still fine where we were.

Emily and I started out for home. The sky was dark and the rain was just starting to fall. Everything then happened so quickly. We heard this horrible sound and the sky looked like I have never seen it. The rain was blinding and the power had gone out all around us. Practically the next street over was a funnel cloud in the sky. It looked something like this. (These are actual shots from where I live)


Emily was screaming, I was crying and trying to call Matt. We pulled into someone's drive and didn't know whether to stay put or goto the door. (Both could be dangerous, who knows who lives in the middle of nowhere) Matt said to stay put and if the sound got louder to get into the ditch. He then talked to Emily to try to calm her down. As luck would have it the phone cut out just about then so Emily was screaming "Daddy! Daddy!" I got Matt back on the phone and I think he may have been trying to make me not think about what was going on all around us because he then launched into telling me that our brand new flat screen tv was broken and we needed to return it. (At least I am hoping he was trying to do just that and not really worried about the dumb tv).

It took us almost an hour, but we made it back. Emily is tucked into bed (I guess all that screaming tired her out) and I am drinking a beer and getting ready to tag garage sale items for tomorrow. There are still storms headed our direction so I doubt I will be able to sleep. Who would have known that a hurricane that hit Texas would have such an impact all the way in North Carolina. But I guess on the bright side, I heard we got two inches of rain.

So the moral of the story is this –– Someone told me once to never pray for patience because God would give you something to be patient about. Never pray for rain either because who knows what form God will give it to you in. It may just be in a funnel cloud on the side of the road where two Jacobs' gals are scared to death.