Travel Image Series - Symbols

Japan - Symbols

Outside the Grace Hope house, which I had learned was temporarily loaned to the Grace Mission Tohuku missions as a housing, lay a cross propped on its side.  As a Christ follower, of course it would be an image I had to take. Many of the yards have been cleaned up but by no means completely groomed yet. So there are still materials for reconstruction on the grounds. I noticed it as a curious site while the kids played in the gravel yard as you can see the ball is stuck under the cross. 

Cross Propped in Yard

While inside the home, I had heard it was had been loaned to the Grace Mission Tohuku. A member of the community had allowed the mission to use it for housing their staff and run a free cafe during the day to encourage the community to come fellowship. I don't know if the cross in this image was constructed solely for support purposes, but the moment I saw my friend, one of the volunteers, stand framed perfectly under it I had to take it. Until I was writing this blog, each image to me just spoke out as a composition of symbol that had great personal significance to me - Jesus Christ. But when I put both of them together, there was sometime more meaningful that I guess even at the time of taking these images represent that I didn't realize. The first image taken on the outside, weathered and beaten, propped on the ground and disregarded outside of the Hope house - didn't seem very hopeful even it's surroundings. While the second image to me, a cross built into the structure, giving it support - inside a building meant to bring hope alive - with a another key component - the volunteer - is what symbolizes hope. The cross in action even if it doesn't look like a typical action shot. Ordinary yet together these images illustrates how symbols in an image alone or together can tell a different story. 

Satoshi under the entrance