By Chaplain Douglas Vrieland

Once again the headlines are all about natural disasters. This time we are reading about tornados in the heartland of the United States. According to Stars and Stripes, a quarter or more of the city of Joplin, Mo., has been damaged - 2,000 buildings in all. This was the deadliest single tornado in 60 years. For those of us here in Japan, this news reminds us of our own experiences being in the headlines just three months ago following the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown that began March 11. Our lives continue to be affected by these events, as we face the call for conservation of electricity this summer and the threat of rolling blackouts.

Disasters like these affect us emotionally, even when we are not directly involved. Such comments as “our hearts are with you” and “we are praying for you,” are automatic responses to the victims. There is a natural desire to reach out in some kind of tangible way, either through financial contributions, the collection of needed supplies such as food and blankets, or more directly by volunteering to help with the clean up.

The Yokosuka community is to be commended for the way they have reached out to the members of our host nation over the last few months. We collected somewhere in the neighborhood of 13,000 pounds of food, paper products, blankets and other items to distribute directly to the victims. Those who attend the services at the Chapel of Hope contributed more than $25,000 to the American Red Cross through the Religious Offering Fund - at a time when our attendance numbers were significantly down because of the voluntary evacuation of so many of our family members! Others in the Yokosuka military community gave to their favorite relief organizations directly.

We need to remember, however, that clean-up and relief efforts continue long after the media has moved on to the next big story. Volunteers continue to spend their vacations in Mississippi and Louisiana to help with the rebuilding effort following Hurricane Katrina, nearly six years after that record-setting storm. It is important that we do not forget the needs of those who have been affected by disaster, and that we continue to offer our support. 

Here at the Chapel of Hope, with the support of Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka Commanding Officer Capt. David Owen, we have designated all of the offering money collected on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month through October for the American Red Cross Japan relief efforts. Those who do not attend the services here on base are still encouraged to continue to provide support through your favorite charity to those who have been affected by natural disasters.

W hen we reach out to those who suffer, we are modeling God himself. The Hebrew and Christian scriptures constantly portray God as a God of compassion. For example, consider Psalm 103:8, a text that is echoed in Exodus 34:6 and Jonah 4:2 - “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Jesus is pictured as a man of compassion in several places in the gospels. One of my favorites is Mark 6:34, “When Jesus… saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” When we reach out to those who are hurting, we become God’s instruments of care and compassion. I can think of no more honorable way to invest our lives and our energy.