Read this story and testimony from an LDS woman who lived through the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Thank you LDSMissionaryMoms for permission to share.
“It has been almost one month already since the East Japan Great Earthquake. Our Beloved Heavenly Father, I am deeply grateful for your deep love and blessings.
“There were many sad and hard things that happened on the day of the Great Earthquake and after the Earthquake. Cold nights due to the power outages, insecure days not knowing whether my family and relatives were safe or not and days when we couldn’t buy things even though we had money. Every day, I just prayed to the Lord and felt many blessings.
“I would like to share my testimony about those blessings I received. I really have never thought about myself being a disaster victim.
“2:26pm, March 11, 2011 Magnitude 9.1. It was like somebody was shaking us.
The earthquake was so big and lasted so long. My apartment was shaken, the electric power went out and things in my house fell. When I think back I can laugh about it, but I seriously thought somebody blew a trumpet. I remember praying strongly with my confused head “Heavenly Father, please don’t let them blow a trumpet!” I was scared that much.
“Finally, it stopped shaking and immediately I tried to contact my husband but the phone and emails were not connected. My husband is a 10 ton large tank trucker carrying hazardous materials so I was really worried about him. I couldn’t contact my husband but eventually he came home late that night. He also experienced the earthquake and almost fell from a highway bridge, which was constructed high off the ground. It may sound exaggerated but he prepared for his death.
“When I heard that, I was chilled. I was thankful from bottom of my heart that our Heavenly Father saved his life. He said “I am in the middle of my work and somehow I need to go back to the office” and then he immediately left and didn’t come back until the end of the following day.
“The company my husband works for is located at the area the Tsunami hit and he was covered with mud when he came home. He walked 2 hours from his office to home. He reported to me something like this: “It is a really a disaster.” “The office is destroyed almost completely by the Tsunami and our car parked in the parking lot was washed away by the Tsunami.” “Power, gas and water are not available.” “Coworkers are all safe but the apartments they lived in are damaged and they are sleeping in the trailers that were used for work.”
“I felt really sad when I heard the situation. The power was out at our house but we could still use the water, sewer and propane. And it sounded like our house was the least damaged.
“My husband told me, “Tomorrow, I would like to take some water and rice balls to my coworkers” and I immediately told him, “Of course.” After the earthquake, I had been organizing things in the rooms and knew how much food we had left and knew that we had some rice. Probably, that’s why I was able to say yes to him.
“The next day, my husband and I got up early in the morning and cooked 8 cups of rice in the dark kitchen with a flashlight and made rice balls for his co-workers. Everyday, my husband and I made rice balls together and he took water and the rice balls to the office. The rice was gone in a short time. In a few days, we didn’t even have 2 cups of rice left.
“The situation was getting better and my husband no longer had to take rice balls with him for his co-workers, but we only had less than 2 cups of rice for the following day.
“At that time, I made rice porridge for my meals using the rice that had burned on the pan. But I don’t want to serve my husband such food. I almost cried to my Heaven Father telling him how miserable it was not having enough food. Then, I received an email from my parents. The email said, “Do you have enough food? Would you want some rice?”
“Honestly, I really wanted the rice. But I was stubborn and was not able to forgive my parents because my parents and I had a fight. After the fight, it had been one year and a half since I had left my parents’ house. I didn’t tell my parents my address and it was only recently that I had told them my cell phone number.
“I would rather not receive rice from my parents than have my parents find my address and having to see my parents. I replied, “I don’t want you to waste your gasoline and you don’t need to bring rice to me.” In fact, it was impossible to buy gas at that time, and it was a long way from my parents’ house to my house. Gasoline was really valuable.
“Also, a half of the area where my parents live was damaged by the Tsunami and it was still a long ways from recovery as well as not having water and power.
“I thought they gave up on me, but one hour later my parents suddenly visited me. They heard my address from my aunt who was the only one I had told my address to, and they brought me food including rice and snacks, etc. I invited them in to my house and it had been one year and a half since I had talked to them. Then, I was surprised to know that all of the anger and hate in my heart had disappeared.
“I was grateful for my parents for bringing me rice using their valuable gasoline despite their more difficult situation and felt pain for being such a foolish daughter.
“Since my baptism there was one of the Ten Commandments that I hadn’t been able to keep. “Honor thy Father and Mother” and I had been suffering for it. But I felt my Heavenly Father removed my pain. It was such a great blessing.
“A few days later, my husband and I decided to take a highway bus and visit my husband’s parents who live in the next prefecture. There, my brother-in-law let us use his car in place of our car, which was washed away by the Tsunami. We were grateful for him for letting us use his car, but he also gave us 60 kilograms of rice saying, “This is the only thing we can do but please take it with you.” Only a few days before, I cried at having less than 2 cups of rice and so this was an unbelievable blessing.
“On the way home, I asked my husband. “Would it be possible to take half of rice we received today to the church?” The Tsunami and earthquake this time caused incredible damage as the name “Great Earthquake” says. I felt that the reason why all of my family and relatives, all of my husband’s family and relative and brothers and sisters in the church were safe in this situation is because of our Heavenly Father’s protection. And I wanted to return at least something to our Heavenly Father.
“But my husband is not a member of the church. He let me to go to church but I know that he didn’t want me going to church and didn’t want me to have our life based on the church. And if he refused my suggestion even a little, I was thinking that I should give up taking the rice to the church. My husband thought a little and said “I will let you decide” and helped me to carry the rice to the church. I was full of gratitude.
“Why do I have so many people who are good examples around me? That is the best blessing I have. I am grateful for my husband, my husband’s family, and brothers and sisters in the church for their examples.
I am grateful from bottom of my heart for the love and blessings of my Heavenly Father, who has always helped me when I was in trouble. Thank you very very much.
“I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Kazue H.
Another story can be found here