Hello from Miyazaki,
We're writing a little earlier this month because some of you have asked about the typhoon (hurricane) that hit Kyushu. We wanted you to know that we are fine, and all of the Bible study members are safe.
Typhoon Nabi
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Kyushu is usually affected by several typhoons each year, but this was probably the largest one we have been in. The total cloud mass was 900 miles in diameter, and the central storm area itself was over 300 miles wide (twice the size of Kyushu). Due to its large size and slow speed, we received a lot of rain--over 50 inches, most of which came between noon on Sunday and noon on Tuesday. A record was actually set in Miyazaki for the amount of rain received in 24 hours.
According to the wind speed it started out as a Category Two storm (110 mph), but by the time it reached Miyazaki it was a only a Category One (85 mph). However, because of the heavy rain the rivers were full to the brim, and several tributaries flowing into the main river in the downtown area overflowed their banks. This caused flooding in low-lying areas, and 40,000 households were ordered to evacuate. A Christian doctor who is a friend of ours is the director of a large hospital that was flooded on the first floor with four or five feet of water. It was not as bad as they were first predicting though, and we
are thankful to God for His protection.
Interns
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Andy and Megan Roe are making final preparations to come to Japan for three months with Impact Ministries International. They are from Missouri, and Megan has lived in Japan before as an exchange student. They plan to leave for Japan on September 22, and will be staying with us in Miyazaki until the middle of October. After that they will spend a couple of months in Hokkaido helping with a campus outreach that is getting started there.
Fall Classes
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The campus Bible study will start meeting again next Wednesday. Two of the three Christian students who help lead it are gone this semester on study abroad programs (one to Arizona, and one to Korea). The Bible class at the Shalom Church resumed on September 3rd, but Tuesday's class at the prison had to be cancelled because of the typhoon. We are hoping it will be rescheduled later in the month. The Sunday night Bible study, Hannah Fellowship, and Bible study with individuals all continued through the summer. Laura is back at her studies as well--this is her senior year of high school so next year she plans to return to the U.S. for college.
In His love,
Al and Rhonda
Serving in Miyazaki, Japan with
Impact Ministries International
arjuve@aol.com