Building Community through a Scarf

On March 10 and 11, we had the privilege of collaborating with Shannon Johnston, an artist working in Australia, for the memorial events in Japan. She brought with her an 80-foot scarf as shown in pictures below. It was great to see people group around and get involved in the project. Here is the artist's statement about the origins and purpose of the work:

"In response to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan of March 11, 2011 I started knitting a scarf.  A hand made scarf is an intimate gesture of affection.  Intimate due to the personal time invested in the making. Affectionate through the way it is worn, wrapped around the neck as if a hug.  Scarves by their nature and function insinuate warmth as well.  All of these were things I was feeling and hoping for the people of Japan.

Other artists, men, women, and high school students of all different social, religious, and economic backgrounds have contributed portions to the scarf.  As they knit, all of the contributors have been asked to knit their hopes, prayers, good thoughts, and love for the people of Japan into the scarf.  Some people have chosen to knit actual items into the scarf that symbolize these prayers, others have made metaphors through knitted wool, and others still have simply used the time knitting to reflect and pray.

This is an ongoing project, just as healing is an ongoing process and new knitters can join at anytime.  Although this project was conceived for Japan in response to events that happened, it is not intended to stay there.  It is my hope that each person or group the receives the scarf will then add to it and pass it on to someone else who needs prayer, comfort, hope, and encouragement." (Shannon Johnston)

One lady quietly knitting her prayers into the scarf on March 11.

The scarf is currently about 80 ft in length. How long will it one day be?

My first experience knitting!

A group of ladies getting into the project on March 10.

Shannon Johnston interacting with a Japanese lady as she adds on to the scarf on March 11.

Church Planting in Japan

Network, Mission to the World's magazine about work around the world, wrote an article about Japan entitled "Hope for Japan" in the Summer 2011 issue. If you would like to learn more about the growth of the church in Japan, this article is also worth reading. It also has many quotes of me in it...

Christianity Growing in Japan?

A friend just forwarded me this article by Christianity Today about Christianity taking off in disaster areas of Japan. "Tsunami Aftermath: Second Chances in Japan." I know and am connected with everybody quoted, and I think it is worth reading if you want to learn about church growth in Japan as a result of the tsunami.

Abi Speaks in Luncheon

On February 23, Abi Lowther was the guest speaker for Second Presbyterian Church's women's luncheon during the world missions conference. She told what those first few days were like after the earthquake and how many joined in the relief movement in Tokyo soon after the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Here is a link to the talk:

http://www.2pc.org/resources/audio-library/world-missions-luncheon-with-abi-lowther/

Interview with Roger Lowther for Redeemereader.com

Emily Whitten interviewed me for "Redeemedreader.com" a website by and for Christians to look at and discuss children's literature worldwide from a Christian standpoint. In this 22 minute interview, we talk about the earthquake in Japan, Japanese and American culture, and various works of literature such as "Little One-Inch" and "Tale of Genji." You can hear the interview by clicking on the link here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

Emily wrote an intro to the interview which can also be found on Redeemedreader.com titled "Japan: A Literary Adventure."

Stories from Ishinomaki

This is a video my team in Ishinomaki just shared with me. This is the area we have been focusing on. We know these people. We know these stories. We know these places. There is still so much sadness in Ishinomaki, and yet, there is a "light in the darkness" that the man talked about. The government may not be offering it. The rest of Japan may not be offering it. But it comes through community...and it comes through the One who makes community.....

Then and Now from Paul Johannessen on Vimeo.

Performance Party

On November 20, we had our eighth performance party in our apartment. This time we had classical musicians, a writer (who read a five minute segment from one of her short stories), a manga artist (who showed us an amazing commercial he made for ANA Airlines), and a jazz ensemble of students from Senzoku Gakuen School of Music. Here is a short video clip of the jazz band. Everyone who came shared something.

(Why is there a pillow on Eastin's head?)