Morning Prayer

EVERY MORNING, I give thanks for all God has given me — for my bed, my breakfast, my cup of tea from my leaf-shaped teapot. But as I pray, I know that beyond my home, beyond my country where freedom and peace are taken for granted, beyond all the blessings of my life lie poverty, slavery, and corruption.

So every day, I close my eyes and pray, not only out of gratitude but also from a burden that’s too big for me. I pray that God’s righteousness will come like a flood, that the hopeless will know hope. … I pray, knowing that I have not begun to touch the world’s need, that I am privileged and sheltered from suffering. I also know that Christ was neither privileged nor immune from suffering but died bearing the world’s burden.

When I finish my prayers and enter the business of the day, I do so trusting that his arms are spread wide over us, that he still carries the burden, and that he hears our prayers.

My Prayer

LORD, I NEED a big dose of hope today.
None of the pie-in-the-sky kind.
Not even a pretty-sure guess.
I need the real kind of hope that brings lightness to a heavy day.
I am tired of gritting my teeth,
trying to swallow the pain that is my reality.
When I look back on my life,
I see how you proved faithful time after time.
There were moments I thought you had forgotten me
only to discover you were holding me so close I couldn’t see.
So if the stubborn pain refuses to subside for a while,
I will still whisper your name in praise.
Refocus my mind on you, Lord. Only on you.
It is there I find hope.

Magical Firefly show

What's more magical than a firefly light show on a warm summer night?

I happened to visit a firefly viewing area near Yonekawa base in Tome city this evening. And all I can say is that, it's the most fantastic show of light I ever seen.

Am always amazed by fireflies, I remember catching them and putting them in a jar when I was a kid. It's just amazing to see them flashing their lights. As a kid. I always look forward to catch one every night. Not until I realize fireflies comes with the seasons. That is why when the sisters informed me that the fireflies are already there, I did not hesitate to go.

And I tell you, I become a kid again. Seeing the firefly light show was being taken from a magical world. Being taken many years back, am still amazed by fireflies. And I could actually spend more time just watching them. It's the most amazing thing I saw when I was a kid and it still amazed me even now.

"Seeing fireflies for the first time is like being magically taken transported into your childhood days, into a world of fairies and dreams and of everything that's beautiful. I remember the night I say them, it was such a dark night.
All of the sunnier, there they were, guiding my path like a floating stars, stars within my reach, stars I could take home with my in the palm of my hands.

Seeing fireflies, real stars so close to heaven."
taken from

Seeing fireflies for the first time - by Joyce

Be yourself and everything will be ....

Just had a great time meeting new people at an international event in Morioka today. I never expect anything big from the event. I just went there enjoy and attend the said event.

What was unexpected is that I met new friends. People who have the same interests, values and hobbies. I never thought I would be see many Japanese who would be interested in my own country. It's was indeed a great joy to introduce ones country to the Japanese. With the hope that thry will understand us better and not see us as only entertainers, but real people who just wanted to share our culture to them.

I was just myself. I did not even introduce myself to the participants as a Catholic priest. No one needs to know. And I meet Shintaro and Yuuri san. They were both interesting young people there.

Now at least I can say that I have some additional events to look forward and meeting friends in Morioka

AOS Supported Groups and Areas

ＡＯＳ日本の皆様
ＡＯＳ津波基金の支援者の皆様


2012．6.13　から１４日の　岩手県漁師さんのこども達及び、陸前高田市の支援について報告させていただきます。





３月岩手漁民組合との支援についての話では船のモーター（3－４台）、漁民組合と子ども達への希望がありました。その後対象者になる人数が少なくなるのでそれよりは漁業に戻られなくて収入がなくて子供を抱えている家庭を優先的に支援した方がよいと漁師さんたちで決めました。中学生以下の漁師さんの子ども最初は200人くらいになるだろうと予想したが実際に漁師さんたちが集めて作って下さった名簿には320名になりました。それでは一人当たりの金額が少なさすぎると言うことで漁民組合への支援もやめて、子どもに回してもらいたいと漁師さんたちからの提案がありました。そのような提案を司教さんと相談し今回残りの基金と事務局からの支援でＡＯＳ津波基金３，２００，０００円をお伝えいたしました。

６月１３日山田町にある福祉施設に山田町、大槌、船越湾、広田、越喜来、釜石等の代表漁師さんが集まって下さり、お金を分配し、みなさんの地域に戻りＡＯＳの代わりにお金を子ども達に配って下さることになりました。難民移住移動者事務局の封筒とＡＯＳ津波基金の紹介を書いた手紙も一緒に配られることになりました。漁師さんの中には対象者にならないし、奥さんの病気で病院の送り迎えが会ったにも関わらず、少しでも他の方に役立ちたいと言う気持ちで面倒なことを受け入れて下さった方がいらっしゃいました。

皆さんは生活が困っている漁師さんたちがいでも漁業組合もやってくれないことをしてくれたと何回も感謝の挨拶をしてくださいました。
漁師さんの家族の子供たちをお会いして話ができました。一家族は仮設に住んでいるお爺さんとおばあさんとその孫、
もうひと家族は子供4人を持っている家族で船を失ったそうです。





先月に支援した陸前高田のミサンガチームのプレハブを訪問しました。

プレハブの壁は白い紙や床はビニルシートを費用節約のため女性たち力で張ったそうです。看板や物置等も手作りでした。まだ水道と電気が通ってなくて、工事を依頼し6月末には通る予定で、太陽パンネールで蛍光灯１個とパソコンを使える電力はある。

魚の加工食品は別のミサンガチームがまだ準備中なのであり、他の品物は手作りのハンガータオルや、ヘアーピン、食器、カバンなどが置いてありました。今後は手作りのカンバン等を予定しています。場所は海に近い、周りには殆ど何もない所で、売上はまたよくないですが、女性たちの仕事を増やすため、商品開発や家でできるパソコン入力作業も計画してました。それはボランティアで来た印刷会社の方にお願いして開拓したそうです。ただ、まずは女性たちのパソコンの勉強が先でプレハブの中で教育する計画している、それとノートパソコンがまだなくて、それも課題であると言ってました。プレハブはボランティアや漁師さんが集まる場所であり、地域住民が来て生活の相談もしているそうです。

また多くの女性を雇える状態ではないが徐々に仕事を増やしたり、補助金など使える制度の情報をあつめ、利用しながらより多くの女性たちに仕事場を提供したいとリーダーの方が言ってました。特にリーダーの方の収入が少ない状況で夏からは港でのアワビ処理の仕事をしなくてはならないが、今の仕事が楽しいといいながら希望と意欲が満ちていました。



私の個人的な考えですが、みなさんがせっかく作った物が売れればと思います。今思っているのは　もし教会のバザーで売るのはどうかということです。　陸前高田の女性が作ったタオル（300円）の写真をお送りいたします。皆さんのご協力お願いいたします。


金スンホ

Small Step

How can we choose love when we have experienced so little of it?  We choose love by taking small steps of love every time there is an opportunity.  A smile, a handshake, a word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an embrace, a kind greeting, a gesture of support, a moment of attention, a helping hand, a present, a financial contribution, a visit ...  all these are little steps toward love.

Each step is like a candle burning in the night.  It does not take the darkness away, but it guides us through the darkness.  When we look back after many small steps of love, we will discover that we have made a long and beautiful journey.

Creating jobs for Rikuzen Takata Hirota Hanto

Inspirations just come in places and time you don`t expect. I had the opportunity to meet a person whose dedication to create jobs for the people in Rukuzen Takata Hirota Hanto. Her dedication can really be seen in her job and in her service to the people around her.

She opened a shop called Smile Banya, a shops the sells handmade products by the locals and also a shop where they can have a place to do their project. As we were listening to her stories about the situation in the area, she mention that there is an increasing rate of suicide and divorce in the area. This is not the first time i heard about this, when i went to Yamada cho in Otsuchi Shi yesterday, the same thing was mentioned about the suicide rate. It really sad because these things are never mentioned in the daily news. its sad because we could in our small ways prevent this to increase.

As i see her dedication to her work, i can see that she radiate that light to others, Maybe its difficult for her to start all these things. Starting a volunteer network, create jobs and work as volunteer, even give up most of her own time and money for her work. She is a source of hope for people who cannot see what is the future. She is the source of inspiration for people like me who sometimes wanted to give up when things are not doing well