We are back home from the disaster area of Rikuzen Takata City Iwate Prefecture. We are safe but have lots of sore muscles. We worked at shoveling 6 inches to over a foot of dirt, sand, mixed with oil and other debris from the sidewalk that the elementary kids will walk on starting today. The school has been closed since the 3/11 disasters and is opening on Friday 5/6. The side walk is along a very busy street so the kids really need to have the sidewalk clear. We used a pick ax to loosen the dirt so it could be shoveled out of the way. The high school girl who was on the team said her prayer was that God would work in the hearts of the kids that walked along the side walk to heal the trauma they had been through and to bring them to faith in Christ. Knowing that we helped keep these kids safe in one small way is worth all of the travel and the sore muscles.
One of the heart wrenching things we found as we dug along was pictures. We were told to search for personal items as we worked. One in particular touched my (Elaine’s) heart. It was the pictures (taken at a professional photo studio) of a baby boy. Being a new grandmother I know how precious that picture is. I kept hoping that the little boy and his parents survived and that they would find a way to return the picture to them. John found a wedding memento from someone married about as long as us. He also found some graduation pictures of children and one photo of a mother at her child’s wedding.
John developed some contact cards and only had one when we arrived home. He met many different people and shared a bit of encouragement, some of the gospel with them, and prayed with Mr. Yoshida a gas station worker. Many he talked to were still shocked by the effects of these triple disasters. One camera man walked about a quarter mile to talk to us as he did not know what he should do.
Life in the disaster areas is very hard but the few people we talked to are coping. All of the workers (those organizing the city wide volunteer center, Japanese Red Cross workers, those we met at the evacuation center) were amazingly positive and encouraging. Everyone was so appreciative for all of the volunteers who came to help. They constantly thanked us. It will take years just to clear out the destruction but every little bit counts. I kept remembering that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Every step brings things closer to normal. The city we worked in does not have electricity or water but people are getting the help they need and are coping. Many of the homes that were on high ground had port-a-potties outside. The Japan Self Defense Force (army) had tankers of water where people could go to get drinkable water.
On our way back to Tokyo we stopped at another hard hit city Kessenuma in Miyagi Prefecture and met with Pastor Hiroshi Minegishi of the Kessenuma First Bible Baptist Church that was completely destroyed. All that is left is the foundation and the floor. It was very moving to hear him talk with a positive attitude and hope for the future. He and his wife are living in an evacuation center. They said it is very hard to find a place to rent because so much of the city was destroyed and so many people are looking for housing. PRAY that this pastor couple may find housing. We were also encouraged as Pastor Inafuku from the Shinjuku Shalom church has been partnering with him to bring hope to Kessenuma. They have had many teams through the area. Kessenuma had a population of over 73,000 people but only three churches with about 120 attendees before the earthquake and tsunami.
We stayed the first night in a community center (formerly an elementary school) that is being used for volunteer center housing. There were probably over 50 of us sleeping on the gym floor. It gave a feel for what it must be like to stay in an evacuation center. There is no privacy. If one group is noisy, there is no place to escape to. I was so exhausted from traveling all night and then shoveling that I slept through everything. But we only stayed there one night. Those in the evacuation centers have been there almost two months with months if not years ahead of them. There are nearly 200,000 people in these centers. The government is working at putting up temporary apartment like housing which will really help but there are so many who need it.
Today we also received a great encouragement from one of the hundreds that is praying for us. “The work sounds overwhelming except we have an awesome God. May He continue to strengthen you and the teams. We will continue to pray for all of you.” Thanks for your prayers. John heads up north again on 5/15 with a Rengo team along with our first short-term missionary to arrive since the earthquake, Phil Tsai.