Earthquakes and Tsunami's

I have been reading the various accounts of the terrible earthquake and tsunamis in Japan on news sites and on the LDS Living Daily newsletter. As my heart goes out to the people of Japan I remember so clearly my years on Okinawa. Grumpy was stationed at Kadena Air Force Base and we went over when I was expecting R.B. About halfway through our tour of duty there, we finally got assigned to a house on base. We were at Camp Kuwai, which was the Naval Base and hospital where Jade was eventually born. I was so grateful to have a house with central air. I had been anxiously awaiting our turn to live on base. I distinctly remember standing on the front porch of our little two-story duplex and looking to my right. There was the main highway that ran the length of the island and then nothing but ocean. All I could think about was what would happen if a tsunami hit the island. I knew there would be precious little time to do anything, and I knew I couldn't get all the kids to safety. It was a terrible feeling and one that was never really far from my thoughts day to day. I prayed constantly that we would be spared the devastation of tsunamis. We had our share of typhoons, tropical storms, the humidity of hot summer days and the normal things specific to tropical island life, but we never had to go through an earthquake or a tsunami. We were very blessed.

I pray now for the people suffering the loss of family members, friends, homes and businesses. I feel so sorry for the things they have to go through now. I am so grateful our church is there helping with our humanitarian efforts and all those who are able to help those in need. Grateful all our missionaries serving there are safe and accounted for. I hope the people of Japan can feel the love of our members they strive to serve them now. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.