"...in whatsoever land they may be in..."

So, it has taken me a while to record the following on this blog because I'm only just able to comprehend it. As you will be aware, in the afternoon of Thursday 10th March (Japan Standard Time) a 9.0 magnitude earthquake 80 miles off the Tohoku coast line in Northeast Japan sent the whole country and pacific basin into pandemonium. It didn't do much for my heart either. I woke up that morning with a text from Mummy which said "Try not to worry, Bundle. We've just been checking out the geography of it and the reports said that buildings shook in Tokyo but that it was the northern coastal towns which were mostly affected." WHAT?? I had no idea what she was talking about so I leaped out of bed and went onto the internet. "Massive earthquake and Tsunami hit eastern Japan".



The entire Eastern coast of Tokyo as well as the pacific basin were under major tsunami warnings.




Whoa...although I have this day recorded in my journal, the details are hazy. I can't really remember in too much detail the events that followed. I remember texting Mummy back and then I called Jess T. Whilst the tears were streaming as I stumbled through the low down of the disaster with Jess, she turned the news on and I heard in the background "people stood and watched as a giant wall of water came towards them." She turned the news off. =) The rest of the day seemed like one continuous prayer and a haze of emotion and headaches. We eventually heard that all missionaries in the Tokyo mission were safe and accounted for and that was a relief. I wasn't feeling completely at ease, however. Missionaries in the Sendai mission were still out there. Not all were accounted for and I could relate to how their families were feeling. When I was able to tear myself away from the computer screen, I got ready to head into university. You know the headache and the nausea you get when you've been crying? I felt dreadful. I forced a slice of toast down me, then headed into university. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? As if I'd be able to focus! I spent my time watching the news and responding to the kind messages and texts I received from people. It may sound strange but, although I was so distressed and restless, I really did feel the prayers of those around me. I went to find my friend Tania (see "Ode to friends" post). If anyone could cheer me at this point, It was Tani. She had been revising all morning and hadn't heard about the earthquake yet so I filled her in. She said to me "Knowing Ieuan, he will probably think this is a great adventure and if he's anything like you, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else- he'll want to be there so he can help people." Now, Tani doesn't know Ieuan (only from what I've told her) but she made feel at ease because she was right. Ieuan was in Japan to help people! What better opportunity to serve than this?? After a Tania hug, I returned to my pitiful activity of watching the news. Jake soon came over to give me a hug. He persuaded me that I was doing nothing to help myself and today clearly wasn't the day to get work done. He dragged me out of the library and we went on a walk around the woodland areas on campus. We talked about the difference between Diesel and Petrol engines, the importance of high Break Horse Power and how lovely it is to hear the roar of a V8. =) Jake is great because he probably has no interest in that kind of thing but he knew it would distract me significantly. Upon my return to the desk, my friend Liz came to find me to give me chocolate. She said that Chocolate always helps her when she's upset. HOW SWEET! I have the best friends ever. I stayed with Jake the rest of the day, occasionally checking the news updates. When I went home that evening, I was exhausted and still stressed. I went to sleep with BBC news 24 in the background. Over the days that followed, I really felt like I was being looked after and sheltered by the love and the prayers of those around me. Every time I opened my scriptures, I read a verse that settled my fears and the seemed to speak right to my heart.
On Saturday, at Seth and Kirsty's, I was able to chill out a little more with family- I had a wonderful time with them. Seth gave me a blessing and I felt much better. (I feel so lucky that I have such an amazing family). Kirst and I then read that all missionaries in Japan were safe and accounted for. That meant the Sendai missionaries too. I cannot tell you how miraculous that is. God protects his missionaries- that cannot be doubted. The following wednesday, The nuclear disaster at Fukushima had reached a level of global concern to the extent that the missionaries in the Sendai and Tokyo missions were evacuated. As Assistant in the Tokyo mission, I believe Ieuan was kept very busy with that re-organisation. The Sendia mission was absorbed by the Sapporo mission in the North and the Tokyo mission was absorbed by the Fukuoka, Nagoya and Kobe missions in the West and South. Elder Guy was sent to Kobe. The President of the Kobe mission keeps a blog on which he documented the plans involving the arrival of the Tokyo mission. It was wonderful to see and be kept so up to date.




During these 5 or 6 days, my auntie Laura was fantastic. She kept me so up to date with everything. She was on the end of the phone whenever I needed her and she was constantly reassuring. What a blessing to have such wonderful family around during such a time. More than this, though, what a blessing to know, as Ammon says in Alma 26 in the Book of Mormon, that "we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth."