Sendai sorrow.

Sometimes silence is the best thing to do.  My unspoken/written goal this month was to post on this blog Monday through Friday for the entire month of March.  That goal was shattered when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan.  We have a history with Japan and Rick, the guy I live with, served his mission in Sendai, the hardest hit area of Japan. 

I couldn't sleep in the wee hours of Friday morning so I got out of bed and went into the family room where I turned on the television and saw the devastation.  Across the screen read, "Breaking News:  Japan hit with an 8.9 earthquake followed by a massive tsunami."  It took me a couple of minutes to digest all of the information. 

Cole, my missionary, is expected to go to Japan on April 11th after spending 12 weeks in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, where he's preparing to teach the Gospel and learning to speak Japanese.  I am grateful that Cole is safe.  On Saturday, I got a text that all of the Japan missionaries are safe and accounted for.  What wonderful news!

The area Cole is supposed to serve in is on the southern island in Japan and not affected by the natural disasters at this time.  I'll hear from him tomorrow by e-mail which hopefully will give me more information on how the Church is going to go forward.  His mission could turn into an humanitarian mission or could stay the same.  It's all speculation on my part. 

I've been stuck to the television getting any type of information I can on the status of the country.  This is a monumental disaster.  It's not a coincidence that my son's group and the group to follow, are the largest groups of missionaries ever to be sent to the Japan Fukuoka mission.  Hopefully they can put these missionaries to good use.