After Japan’s 7.6 earthquake on January 1st, veteran educator Anne Hanson urgently sought to learn the fate of her former host family who live in Uozu, a coastline city not far from the quake’s epicenter.
After decades-old email addresses proved useless, Anne searched the internet for Uozu information and made a hope-against-hope effort to reach them by completing a form found on the website for Uozu City Hall.
That’s when a miracle happened. Less than 24 hours later, she received an email from Akihiko Kiyokawa, her Japanese host of 22 years ago.
Akihiko told Anne about the serendipity: “It just so happens that a close friend of mine who can speak some English saw Anne’s message and forwarded it to me. If that friend had overlooked it, this connection would not have happened.”
“When I entered my information into each online window provided, I knew the odds of reaching Akihiko were huge,” Anne told GNN. “But I also knew I believed in miracles and prayed that someone in the office of the beautiful Uozu community might take the time to locate the Uozu teacher Akihiko Kiyokawa.”
She painstakingly crafted a subject line that identified herself as a Fulbright Memorial Fund alumni because she knew the respect the community felt for all the American teachers who had visited Japan to foster mutual understanding through the program.
Subject: “Prayers for you and Japan from Fulbright Memorial Fund 2001 alumna Anne Hanson”
In the message she identified and greeted her host: “Dear Uozu and Family of Akihiko Kiyokawa, my dear FMF host from 2001.” And, from those details, she was reunited with her beloved host family.
“I am so grateful that Akihiko’s friend ‘happened’ to see my message. But for me and Akihiko, our reunion is no mere coincidence—it is a miracle,” says Anne.
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The Japanese woman and her relatives had lost their homes, but nevertheless reported good news from the disaster.
“Fortunately, there were no injuries and my life was saved,” she wrote. “Under these circumstances, I never expected to receive a message of sympathy from America. I believe this is a truly miraculous event that should make it onto the news. I would like to cherish it.”
As a 30-year educator, writer, and believer in miracles, Anne could not agree more with Akihiko’s interpretation of our electronic reunion.
“That my dear host had a friend in the office at just the right time, saw my message, and forwarded it to Akihiko—Yes! A true miracle and, yes again, worthy of making it onto the news.”
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