This morning service at Kessennuma Hope Centre.

We turned around before our way was blocked but supposedly we were close because we passed through Minami Soma, which is supposed to be the southernmost city above the zone.

It was afternoon, so we called Jeremy and Kumi to confirm they’d meet us at the shelter from the day before…the one in Yamamotocho and then met them there at 5pm.

Our contact, the leader we’d talked to the day before, was kind but suggested that we sign in next door at the city hall. I asked why and she said that at city hall, we would get “permission”. Knowing what we know about how the government institutions there pretty much will advise that there is no faith-based volunteering allowed (due to a supposed separation of church and state), we declined to “register” and instead descretely entered the shelter.

It was an even more successful day than the day before, meeting, talking and praying with even more people than the day before since Jeremy and Kumi are both Japanese speakers (Jeremy is fluent, having lived here for 12 years now).

Rudi volunteered to play a piano in the lobby for about an hour, serenading the people lining up there to pick up their dinner trays. They seemed to enjoy it and no one, including leaders, made any attempt to stop him.

We found the one lady who the day before asked us to pray for her husband in the hospital. Wow, she was walking on air…she’d been reading in Psalms from the Bible we gave her the day before and her spirit was so uplifted and her face was beaming!!!

A number of people now have relationship with God at this shelter…probably the most we’ve seen at one place during this whole trip.

We wrapped up after 7pm and followed Jeremy and Kumi back to Sendai. They both feel a strong bond to this shelter and we left there confident that these people will be cared for by them.

During the day, we’d found out that our space available options for flying out Friday the 24th were nil and we started making alternate plans. Rudi and Chris were able to find lots of space for the 23rd and I was able to find space on the 24th. (This all means that we’re heading back either 1 or 2 days earlier than planned.)

Back at their home in Sendai, we had a very good time of discussion and strategizing for the future…until nearly midnite. Chris is very keen to go back on multiple missions and Jeremy & Kumi are such good hosts. I’m also interested in additional missions there this year, so we’ll see what happens!

On Wednesday, we took a morning bullet train back to Tokyo and headed for some very special accommodations in Daiba, Tokyo arranged for by Steve Kaylor’s church as a gift to our team. It was a very memorable last night in Japan together with Rudi and Chris, being treated like royalty!

I awoke this morning to a 6.7 earthquake that shook our 17 floor quite noticeably. The building creaked and groaned and swayed and our room chandeliers swung steadily for nearly 10 minutes. I called Jeremy in Sendai which wasn’t that far south from the epicenter (just off the coast at Miyako) and they were all fine. We watched the news for an hour, praying as we awaited results of a forecasted tsunami on the north coast. Affected were every city we had visited last week and it was personal to us as we could picture the geography and the people we knew and had met there. Finally, the all clear was given and we breathed a sigh of relief!!!

It’s strange that on both trips, we experienced the biggest earthquakes (aftershocks) to hit Japan since the day after the 9 hit on 3/11. As I look at the Japan quake map website, I note 1345 quakes since that day, 14 of them being over 6.5. (By contrast, both of the 2/22 and 6/13 Christchurch NZ biggest quakes were 6.3) The other 6.6 we felt the day before leaving Tokyo on the first trip was also one of the biggest quakes. Its hard not to wonder what, if any, significance the timing of these big quakes mean. It’s almost as there is an attempt at intimidation. But we won’t be deterred!

Today, we parted ways at noon and I headed to Yokosuka (an hour south of Tokyo) as Rudi and Chris left for Narita for an afternoon flight home. I had a very good visit with my friend and missionary, Ray Mercer, at his church there in Yokosuka as he prepares for a pastors conference this weekend. We compared a lot of stories and it was good to see a picture of what other parts of the “team” are doing in this country…especially as it relates to the subject of tsunami relief.

Thanks again for all the thoughts, prayers and support. My apologies for getting behind on the updates. Lack of
internet in many places and having to drive, navigate and translate left little time to keep it up!

Many blessings on you all!

Timothy Reimer

We spent the weekend with Jeremy and Kumi Jenkins, attending church with them at their location in downtown Sendai and then helping them move all their equipment and belongings as they transition to a better location. They are the most amazing missionary couple and have the same mindset as us in their willingness to be used to be the hands and feet of Jesus, spreading love through words of knowledge about healing and people’s lives that cannot be replicated by anything apart from God.

Kumi told us that at times, some Japanese people have taken them to be fortune tellers, as they did with us on the island last week. But those same people also came back to Kumi later and said that what fortune tellers do and what they (Kumi and Jeremy) do are so totally different!

Of course its different!!! How many fortune tellers do you know that hit the mark so closely, but also want to love on people, pray that they also can receive the same gift AND…do it all for absolutely free…in fact in some cases where inspired to, even give away a monetary gift to the person receiving the word of knowledge? Yeah, these God given gifts are being used similarly to transform lives and bring hope and it’s so good to work with like-minded people.

So, on Monday morning, we hopped in our little van again, this time heading south with the goal being the radiation roadblock to the north of the stricken Fukushima #1 power plant that blocks all access to the radiation zone.

As we transited Sendai, heading towards the coast, we pooled our remaining money to count it. We’d been keeping track of our spending and knew roughly how much we had. As we counted it and produced our total, we started thinking one of us was tricking the other, because our funds seemed to have doubled!!!

We kept counting the money over and over, recalling our expenses and trying to determine if we had maybe miscalculated, but we could find nothing wrong and in the end resigned ourselves to being the recipients of a miracle!!!

We got to the coast and headed south on a main route. Our goal was to find shelters along the coast so we didn’t want to drive too far inland. Unfortunately, in this area where the plain of Sendai extends south, the tsunami had rolled across the flat farmland at least several kilometers and in some places more. This meant that our passage down the coast road kept getting interrupted by detours. (To the north, the coastal route usually extends through the mountains along the coast, dropping down closer to the water only near the coastal cities and towns.) We finally drove inland a half a kilometer or so to a different route south, and were then more easily able to transit south.

We noted that in many areas, the road is built up along a berm that extends across the farmland and there were many spots that were damaged by the earthquake (or aftershocks) and the road melted away to varying degrees down the berm. This has resulted in extensive traffic and delays as only one lane gets through at a time.

We also noted a strange but positive development in this area. Many many fields were completely clear and almost looked as if they were plowed. In fact we actually thought the tsunami had missed those areas until on closer inspection, we could see the damage to first floors of buildings and fences along the road there. So the tsunami had hit these areas after all, but over the last 3 months, the efforts of tens of thousands of workers and hundreds an hundreds of heavy equipment has done a remarkable job of removing most of the traces of the tsunami.

The biggest remaining sign of the tsunami (aside from damage caused that will probably soon be prepared) is the gigantic piles of rubble. In this area, the flatland right next to the coast and farthest away from the road is being used. We noted that where the piles are closer to the main route, temporary walls of “curtains” have been erected to try to hide the piles. It seems that as in the north, the first mission, after making sure people were safe and had food and lodging, was/is to “beautify” both urban and rural landscapes.

We soon spotted a shelter in the town of Yamamotocho. We pulled in and immediately went to work, talking with residents in the lobby who were awaiting free haircuts and shiatsu massages that were being donated by volunteers. We prayed for those willing to receive prayer for ailments and worries.

At the opposite entrance Chris felt that possibly a lady or one of her three co-volunteers at a sign up table had a bad lower back. All denied they had any problems at the time. (There is a general hesitancy among many in Japan to receive prayer in a public place…if there are other members of the group, or “collective” as I call it, who aren’t receiving the same thing and in those cases, it just takes patience to wait for another opportunity, rather than pressuring the individual at that moment.) We went into the administrative office, where a man was willing to receive prayer, in spite of the workers around him.

From there we moved upstairs, where in each classroom of this former school, “cubicles” had been erected for each family or individual. We went from cubicle to cubicle visiting with the residents, doing our best to maintain their privacy, in spite of the fact that the cardboard cubicle walls were only about 3 feet high and when standing up and moving about, one can easily see into many of the cubicles.

In these settings people are a little more receptive and this is where we had success in praying for needs and with people experiencing both healing and relief from their anxieties. One lady was filled with anxiety about her husband who is in the hospital. She will soon move into temporary housing (2 yrs only), but has no idea what will happen after 2 years since they gave no financial means to buy or build (everything was wrapped up in their destroyed home). Her house was not completed swept away but is so damaged it’s unusable and seeing it only creates more depression, so she has stopped going back to her old neighborhood. We prayed for this woman for peace, for her husband in the hospital and for her future. Her face lightened afterwards. She’s an amazing woman…as are many that we’ve met. We left her with a Bible that she seemed

There’s been so much pain and suffering among these people and my heart went out to all of them in their environment. Various residents have varying degrees of belongings. Some have next to nothing, others apparently have been able to salvage a number of items from the remains of their home.

In a cubicle in a different room, an older woman was with her granddaughter…the cutest little 3 yr old you can imagine! We prayed for peace of heart here too and the woman then pulled out her pride and joy: a series of photo printouts and a magazine which showed both her and her granddaughter with the crown prince of Japan (emperors son) and his wife. She beamed as we expressed surprise and wonder at her opportunity to spend some time with Japan’s royalty, in spite of her not having much of anything.

Another man expressed great interest in prayer but due to the fact that there were two others with him, he suggested that we not pray specifically for his need but instead for ALL the people’s needs in the shelter (again, that feeling of the “collective”need being more important than the individual need). We willingly obliged with those three there at that moment and prayed a heart-to-heart prayer for all the residents. This man was special…he somehow, in spite of his circumstances, had the biggest smile out of everyone we’d run across and when we acknowledged this to him, he beamed all the more!

One of the three in that particular group we prayed with was the woman downstairs at the volunteer table when we arrived. We could now see she had bandages on her ankles and so we offered to pray for her feet. She allowed us and then complained about her lower back (the very thing Chris had sensed when we were downstairs!). We of course offered to pray for her back and she agreed, immediately exclaiming surprise that her back pain had just dissipated! I found it interesting that the very thing Chris had felt was the very thing that was healed…while assuming the other healing (for ankles) will come later.

While there, we were able to pass out a number of toys to the young kids of the shelter, who were just trickling in from school before we left…and other gifts to the adults. There is so much appreciation for the smallest things and far-traveling foreigners just simply encouraging these people goes such a long way.

Later, I spoke to a leader there and she was very open to us returning the next day. I thanked her, got her number and name and we left, calling it a day.

We had been at the shelter for over 2 hours with no opposition. It’s not rare for this to happen, but there are a number of groups circulating and little by little, the government is clamping down and requiring people to get permission from city hall before entering a shelter. We heard part of this is to prevent cults who are not “registered”, from bringing something strange, but there are others who are not cults who appear to be trying to use this disaster to get victims to believe what they teach: a gospel of fear…that God brought this earthquake and tsunami on these people because they are so evil. I cringe at the thought of what some of these people have come to believe – they they are now saved by a mean, hating God!???!

We’ve been able to tell so many about the God of love, who did not cause the catastrophe to happen. That our God can use terrible events like this…where the enemy has brought them intending to kill, harm or destroy…to bring about a positive outcome or result. Where out of pain and suffering, hope can arise and lives can be changed as people realize their true God-given identity.

Until next update…

Our island day!

Before leaving the Ofunato ryokan hotel for the last time, we asked if it would be ok to pray for Hiroko’s mother. She directed us to the back of her house where her mother’s bed is.

It seems that her mother only has alzheimers, but is still bed-ridden for some reason. Hiroko had told us before that she has no understanding of what is said to her. The mother moves around freely in bed and also generally tries to look in the eyes of the person near her, but her stares have no emotion.

We began praying for her, just simply asking Jesus to touch her body. I translated for the guys, telling her what we were praying and also telling her she is so beautiful. She smiled and kept smiling back with a big broad smile as I continued to grin at her and speak to her. I could tell our words were touching her heart because soon a few tears began to roll down her face. I pointed this out to Hiroko, and she was truly amazed to see her mother responding to what we were saying with such emotion.

Chris and I began to speak with Hiroko while Rudi took over talking to her mother, telling both of them separately about Jesus and asking if they wanted to meet this Jesus that was even now at work in the mother’s body. Both confirmed they did, the mother squeezing Rudi’s hand in response to his questions. We quickly prayed with both and then gave Hiroko both of the electronic tools: the Jesus movie and the Bible, along with a normal Japanese Bible. Hiroko too was obviously touched, unable to hold back a flood of tears.

We then paid Hiroko for the hotel and also for the hospitality during both visits and left her with a broad smile and a look on her face that said “I don’t know what just happened here, but I’m happy about it!” She then indicated that she should be the one paying us for the prayers and encouragement, but we would have none of that and instead insisted that she let us just bless her. We left, telling her that we would love to come back if we return to Japan, but in our absence, to please get in touch with Jeremy and Kumi Jenkins in Sendai, whose card we’d given her.

Our encounter with the mother had put us behind, so we drove quickly south to Kessennuma to meet our friend Watanabe at the same parking lot spot he’d operated the distribution center from on our first visit.

It was a happy reunion of hugs with him and one of his 18 year old cousins who is also a member of the group. Watanabe is a very likable 40-something year old guy with a strong sense of humor and great leadership qualities. He constantly joked with us, as if we’d been friends for the longest time.

He quickly took charge and we drove off to a discount store to buy supplies for the island. Although he’d never been to the island, he was our perfect guide as his experience living in the area and operating that roadside distribution point told him they needed lots of bug spray, noodles and other dry staples. We then filled the back of his SUV to the top and rushed off to the ferry docks where we met a 3rd member of the Get Backs.

They’d insisted on driving with us in their SUV. There were 6 of us total, so he’d arranged for a driver on the island so we’d have 2 vehicles to hold us all there. We talked the whole way over and found out that all of the Get Backs were still unemployed but that their houses were still intact, unlike I’d somehow been led to believe on the first trip (my misunderstanding).

They continue to help their community with no resources of their own. http://kesennuma.getback.jp/
Their story has gotten out both in Japan and abroad…and even NPR picked it up and had some kind of interview with them for a segment they broadcast in the US.

Apparently, they operate on donations and on donated items that come in from various places. In fact, the SUV we drove around in was a Range Rover donated by someone all the way southwest in Kyushu!

As we spent the day with Watanabe and his “Get Backs”, it become apparent that he is already doing God’s work, but just doesn’t realize the extent of it yet and we can’t wait to see him come into relationship with God so his full potential can be realized!

The ferry service is somewhat back to its normal operating times, but the ferry itself is being leased from somewhere else in Japan because the island’s 2 ferries had been washed onto shore by the tsunami, along with the dock they were moored to (still attached). On arrival at the island, we could see the ferries stranded there in the port’s parking lot. There was no apparent damage to them and from Watanabe we heard that they’ll be bringing in cranes to lift them back into the water.

We set off to the island’s “city hall” where we were introduced to the leaders, one having no problem with the idea of driving around and dropping off supplies to shelters, another hesitating until Watanabe told him we know someone in the shelters (not sure if that was actually true) and then we were given their blessing…although a driver was arranged to “escort” us around.

While waiting for the escort, we noted the island fire station shared the small parking lot with the city hall and seeing the firemen nearby, Chris told me he wanted to see if they’d give him a fireman’s cap (he used to be a fireman) for a friend back at home. I told Watanabe and we both agreed it’d be next to impossible, but Chris insisted, so I told him to put on one of my extra hats…one that said NASA on it…and we went over to talk to them. The firemen were very friendly. One put on an impromptu demonstration of his rope handling skills (for cliff rescue). They shared stories about how the US military had assisted greatly on the island, after the tsunami hit. Chris then popped the question and amazingly, one of the guys went to the back and retrieved an old cap. Chris was then able to exchange hats with him. We took some pictures and encouraged and thanked them and left. Watanabe was quite surprised, but this wasn’t the only time that day Watanabe was to see God’s favor surrounding our group.

Throughout the day, Watanabe strategically used our presence to gain access everywhere we went. He had a nice way of explaining our mission and the fact we’d come all the way from America…which somewhat obligated people to let us do our work. He did this on his own, with no input from us…he was truly amazing the whole day!!!

We made a couple stops at schools to drop off books and at the 2nd one, Watanabe told the escort it wasn’t working out and that he could go back to city hall with his cousin (asking his poor cousin to wait there).

This location was a kindergarten and the kids had just been put down to a nap, but upon hearing there were Americans visiting, got the kids up again and met us on their patio in their pajamas. We distributed some candy to all and soon Chris got a word of knowledge for someone who was having trouble in their neck…with breathing. They pointed out one of the little boys so we got permission and laid hands on him to be healed. The kids were very excited to talk and shake hands with us. There were 2 more follow up words of knowledge for a couple of the teachers who received prayer gratefully and then we were on our way. I have a feeling that at least some of those kids didn’t want to take a nap after all that excitement.

For those of you unfamiliar with praying for the sick, it should be noted that sometimes we are seeing immediate results with very surprised recipients, but that other times when we don’t see that, we just trust that the healing is just beginning and that God will continue the healing as we go on our way. In some cases, we are unable to find the person with the infirmity, but we end up praying for something else and many times there is healing for that other issue on the spot. However, it’s not up to us to judge the process, it’s our job to just hear God’s voice, confirm who it is that needs the healing, then pray for them, believing that he’s taking care of it!

We went on to a retirement home that had been moved from the island lowlands, where it’d become a victim of the tsunami, up to a house on a hill. Here, we passed out more supplies and then Rudi and Chris started getting specific words for various staff members and residents. It soon became apparent that the words spoken were so close to the mark in these peoples lives that many there thought we were fortune tellers.

I quickly spoke up to correct this and tell them there was nothing special about us, that God loves these people so much that he wants to enrich their lives and so he tells us things about them that only God knows. I added that we came primarily for this reason, so that people who have no hope could now have a way to hope…to have peace after such a dreadful event…and to even have joy in spite of it all…and that what we have is not special power but instead, a gift from God that anyone of them can have. This seemed to clear up the misconception about who we were, but we still had a few ask later about what else was in their future and we spoke and prayed with them individually. One request was from a staffer who lost her little sister and father to the tsunami, and wanted to know if their bodies would ever be found. We told her we didn’t have that answer but that we could pray for her to have peace about it and she accepted our prayers. All along, the Get Backs watched and witnessed us going about our work.

The residents were all assembled in one room and soon, we were asked for a speech, so Chris complied…by giving his testimony. They then wanted a picture with us and to sign one of those autograph placards that many Japanese businesses keep handy in case someone of import or fame comes along.

We left for the opposite side of the island, stopping briefly at the island’s peak to take in the amazing view of the region, including the coast of Kessennuma. There was debris-filled coastline as far as one could see and a fire ravaged ship lay partially sunk in the waters between the island and the coast.

We also saw where a fire that had started during the tsunami on floating debris in Kessennuma had been brought to the island as the waters dragged everything seaward. From the shores of the island it raced all the way to the island peak before putting itself out.

On the opposite side of the island, we stopped briefly at a cluster of homes to drop off the remaining supplies, before heading to the port for our ferry home. At the port, we were shown the small boats that had survived the tsunami by heading out to sea immediately after the earthquake. These boats became the islands only lifeline to the mainland in the days after the tsunami, until military helicopters and ships arrived to help. Some of the staffers who worked in that retirement home actually lived in Kessennuma and were on the island when the tsunami hit. They were therefore stranded and finally taken off the island by helicopter 3 days later.

Boarding the ferry back, we were pleasantly surprised to see 3 of the retirement home staffers we’d just seen. We talked the whole way back, mostly answering questions about how this whole thing worked about knowing people’s hurts, disease, pains and specific issues about their lives. They were so extremely curious that we all decided to continue the conversation at a restaurant in town.

Back in the port, the stench of rotting fish was overwhelming. I asked about this, curious why there was still a smell since normal decay sets in quickly and the smell should be nearly gone 3 months later. It seems though that it’s coming from the large masses of seafood that were stored in coolers and freezers in the many seafood-related businesses there in the port. It took time for some masses of frozen fish to be melted and then possibly as the clean up proceeded, coolers and rooms were opened up and the rotting process kicked into high gear!!!

We drove back through the district next to the port…a district now greatly affected by the tides, as twice a day they fill the blocks of buildings between the grid of roads. Vehicles now transit this area on newly raised roadbeds of gravel. The seawater mixes with whatever was brought in and left or was spilled in the area, making the water a dark oily sludge in some places.

The 3 female staffers soon joined us at the restaurant along with 2 of the Get Backs and the conversation again continued where we’d left off on the ferry and we answered many more questions and talked another hour or so. Watanabe had to run off to a meeting directly from the port, so we didn’t get to see him again, but as we prepared to leave, we felt we needed to invest in the Get Backs and gave them a monetary gift as well as paying the restaurant tab and giving gas money for the island guiding.

We exchanged contact info with everyone and left, encouraging them to get in touch with Jeremy and Kumi. We then parted ways, heading directly back to Sendai, arriving after 9pm back at our host’s (Jenkins) home.

The trip to the north and the island was a great success! Much needed supplies were distributed and well received. We found and were able to encourage and uplift people that are (or have great potential to become) points of light in their surroundings:
the young volunteer who’d wanted the Ichiro baseball,
Hiroko – the innkeeper,
the group from Tokyo that are distributing musical instruments,
the 7th Day Adventist school staffer who felt alone in her belief,
the high school baseball player we met at the huge shelter north of
Miyako,
Watanabe and the Get backs and
the many staff members of the island retirement home on Oshima.
In addition, there were so many other adults and kids that we we were able to spend time and interact with, playing with them, praying with them and listening to their stories. It was an amazing trip to the north that not only touched and uplifted many Japanese hearts but also our hearts as we saw God use us to bring the light of hope.

Until next update…

It’s been a whirlwind…with lack of Internet in many places we were at, so my apologies for a lack of updates.

We arrived in Sendai on Tuesday afternoon and were picked up by Jeremy and Kumi Jenkins as planned, then taken to get our rental car.

Jeremy had found us a great deal that filled both our requests for a reasonable, but able to hold cargo, vehicle. I’d only been able to find a decent vehicle online (from the US) that was priced at about ¥8000/day, but Jeremy found this one for about ¥3000/day. It turned out to be one of Japan’s many K cars, meaning it’s engine is under 1000 CC in size (most cars in the US would be at least 1800 CC). It’s a little “micro”-sized for 3 large Americans, but it’s getting the job done very well!

We discussed various needs and options with the Jenkins for where we should go. We became aware that the greatest needs seem to be where others – NGO’s (non-government organizations) and faith-based relief groups – are not going:

A. The more northern coastal towns.
(the following cities can easily be located by typing them into the search box of google maps.)
From Sendai, it takes about 2 hours just to reach Kessennuma. From there to:
Rikuzentakata – 30 min (main bridge across a river and into the city is still out, meaning a longer drive up river to the next crossing),
Ofunato – 50 min
Kamaishi – 1 hr 45 min
Miyako – 3 hrs
Lodging can be expensive for Sendai-based teams, so for most, it means pay the price to stay the night, get back to Sendai very late at night, or don’t go at all!
There are towns with tsunami damage even farther north…in fact all the way to the top of Honshu. However, the severity diminishes north of Miyako.
(If you’re interested, you can find a number of videos of the extensive damage the tsunami did in Miyako, by typing “tsunami Miyako” into the search box of YouTube.)

B. The coastal areas to the south of Sendai.
There is a mistaken impression among many that all areas to the south of Sendai are in the “radiation zone”. This means that most relief is going north. There are fact towns outside the zone, but still a little drive to the south of Sendai.

C. The islands off the coast as you go north from Sendai.
Most are very small, but one in particular called Oshima (big island), has a number of people living there. Since not many have taken the time to go there, it’s unclear what the situation is like there. I should say that it appears that the Japanese military has done a great job of getting people on this island (and all up and down the coast) their basic necessities, so at this point, everyone is getting by ok.

After these discussions, we decided to attempt to go to all 3 areas listed here, if possible, during this trip because: a. we’d been divinely guided to a closed and unadvertised super low-priced traditional hotel (ryokan) in Ofunato, b. We aren’t so afraid that we feel compelled to stay far away from any communities somewhat near (but outside) the “zone”, and c. we’d love to go where most others aren’t going.

We spent the night with the Jenkins Tuesday and thankfully the delivery company brought my baggage at around 11am Wednesday (they’d told us originally it might get to Sendai as late as Wednesday night), and we set off for Kessennuma.

Our route took us through Minami Sanriku, which is one of 2 larger coastal towns that were pretty effectively removed from the face of the earth (the other is Rikuzentakata). Its roughly 45 min south of Kessennuma. This was our first glimpse of the coast on this trip.

We were amazed at the progress of the cleanup effort. In most places, the mounds of debris (imagine a snowplow piling up snow beside the road – thats what the mounds looked like) that had been piled along the roads is gone. It’s all been moved to various locations where the metal and certain other materials are separated out and the debris is piled into huge mountains. I have no idea what is to be done about the mountains…some were located next to piers at the sea (to be taken somewhere else by boat?) and some have taken up huge swaths of sections of ruined towns, while others appear to being used as landfill in uninhabited flat areas along the coast.

We also noted that at a minimum all the sidewalks have been completely cleared of debris and even pressure washed clean. In addition, many many home sites that used to have debris randomly piled about and between them are now “clean”, meaning that only a foundation remains, but no sign of any debris…even small pieces.

In some areas, we observed teams of workers removing small “light” debris (plastic bags, clothing, etc) that got left on the hillsides, in trees, and tangled in fences. It really appears that one of the primary goals at this time is to “clean” or “beautify” all areas that were ravaged.

We noted many sites where rows and rows of temporary pre-hab houses have been erected. Many are now being lived in, but many others are empty…awaiting decisions on which shelter victims get to move into them???

In Kessennuma, our first goal, we went directly to the location where we’d made a connection on the first trip.

(We’d found a tiny roadside distribution center run by a resident of northeast Kessennuma. This amazing young man had decided that since his home was damaged and his job was gone, he would start to help his community by setting up a distribution center beside the road leading out of northeast Kessennuma, right in the parking lot of a popular convenience store there. Watanabe’s amazing heart convinced some 10 or so friends and relatives to do what they could to bring in supplies from various places and give it away to those who needed it. They called themselves the “Get Backs” of Kessennuma because they wanted to do their part to get their community back on it’s feet! On our way back from 2 separate trips to the north, we “dumped” ALL of our remaining supplies on him and even gave him a brand new bike from Samaritans Purse. The effect on him with the first drop was significant, probably because his supplies were meager and he appeared to be quite discouraged when we first approached him. He openly wept and gripped us when we hugged him. On our second drop, we intentionally saved a large portion of our supplies for him, to bless him on our way back through Kessennuma to Sendai.)

But now, on Wednesday afternoon, when we got to the convenience store lot, Watanabe was nowhere to be found. I went inside the store and asked one of the clerks, who told me he had no idea where he and his band of friends had gone to. I realized that I probably would never see Watanabe again. Suddenly, the clerk remembered that he’d seen their “poster” on the from window and he pointed it out to me. Sure enough, there posted for all to see, was a flyer from the “Kessennuma Get Backs”, with a bunch of information about getting free supplies and…his telephone number at the bottom!!!

I immediately started calling the number. It rang forever but there was no answer…and no message. I had no idea if the number was still good or what. All I could do was keep trying for the rest of our time up north.

We drove into Kessennuma to show Rudi the northeast fire ravaged district and then through downtown Kessennuma so he could see the tsunami’s effect on the wall to wall compact buildings lining the skinny winding streets. By now the streets were free of debris and even most of the buildings’ first floors were also empty and pressured washed clean. Everywhere, watermarks on outside of buildings and dirty sidewalks had been totally cleaned and it was actually hard to see how far the tsunami had reached. We stopped at a gas station and immediately noted to stench of rotting fish that the attendant explained had recently started to smell because it’s getting quite warm here now.

The next step of cleaning appears to be the gutters…which are being cleared out everywhere we went. Probably much of the stench is coming from there since everything else appears to be clean. Upon asking him, the gas station attendant related how he and the rest of the staff had retreated to the 2nd floor of the gas station when the tsunami hit, not being able to come down until the next day, then wading through the muck and water back to his home to find the rest of his family and relatives safe. There are thousands and thousands of these stories up and down the coast…many of them not as positive as this young man’s.

We drove north, stopping briefly at one of the shelters we’d stopped at the first trip. In this shelter there’d been nine plus families, but six had been moved to temporary homes, 3 remained and were awaiting news to be moved out to their new homes. The shelter’s leader, Takashi, who we’d made a strong connection to on our first trip, was back at his undamaged home somewhere in the valley below the shelter, but the shelter residents were unwilling to give us Takashi’s contact info. (This is also the shelter where the young man who wanted the Ichiro baseball had been but in a few days, you’ll be able to read about that story on my blog: http://timaotheos.wordpress.com )

The residents still didn’t know when they’d be able to move to temporary housing but they wanted out of this makeshift shelter badly. I encouraged them to hang in there and then left our number to give to Takashi and we moved on.

We then passed through Rikuzentaka, which like most other places has been cleaned up, leaving only foundations dotting the landscape. Here you can easily see the effects the earthquake had of the lowering the coastal regions by many feet. The Rikuzentaka baseball stadium now sits in the water at the edge of the sea, totally helpless against the high tide that now covers it’s base.

We drove on to Ofunato where, we stopped at the inn we’d found on the first trip to see if they’d have us for business. Amazingly, they’d opened for business and were nearly full, so we took the one remaining room, went out to get a bite to eat and settled in for the night.

At this point, we’re starting to feel that one of the keys to this trip will be to find key people that we can impart hope and direction to (think Paul’s journeys through southern Europe). We won’t be able to stay for more than 2 weeks, but what if we found key people that could carry on our work?And if they found more people like that? Yeah, the possibilities are limitless!!! We’ll be trying to find those people as we reach out to and connect with many along the way.

More coming…

Wow, what a day yesterday…it was unbelievable!

After a time of prayer in the hotel before checking out, we headed south into Takata, to find the shelter that was in need of our supplies.

We found it with the help of the local postal worker and started distributing the goods, engaging the residents while we did so. Daniel had brought those new Starbucks instant packs and so we asked if we could serve them cups of hot coffee. We set up at their drink station and made many cups and brought them to each table and person and served them and spoke to each person while doing so. The serving seemed to touch them greatly and this led to an opening for conversation.

Anya asked if I would ask them for their “stories” so we could feel their pain. They were reluctant but a few spoke up, telling us of husbands and relatives who were swept away. An old woman sitting next to me told me her husband had been swept away. I grabbed her hand and told her I cared and that I was sorry she had lost him. More people told us about their loved ones lost. It was very personal, I cried for them and many of them also started to cry. I told them we cared about their pain, that we came all the way from America because we cared.

While I went to get more coffee, the old woman came over to us at the drink station to offer us some food. There, Chris felt that God was telling him that she had a pain in her hip. I asked her if this was true and she confirmed it and we then asked if we could pray for her hip. When we were finished we asked if she felt better in her hip and she hesitantly replied that it did seem to feel better. Later she would return with a smile and ask us to again pray for her, this time for her snoring…that it would stop. Evidently in this communal environment, she was causing many to get frustrated with her because her snoring was keeping others awake. We of course agreed with her in prayer and she was quite happy.

Again later, as we talked again some more she confided that she had only one desire…that her husband’s body would be found so she could have closure. We prayed again for her emphasizing God’s love for her and how he cared whether her husband would be found and asking him to answer her prayer. We then asked if she wanted to know the God we knew and his son Jesus and whether she would like to invite him into her heart. I led her through the sinners prayer and we talked some more, blessed her and gave her a Bible.

By this time, the room had emptied and while Ania and I had been talking to the woman, Chris and Daniel were playing with some kids. A disruption outside caused the woman to leave and Ania and I moved over with the guys and joined the fun there. One of the girl’s mother came and started asking questions about us and where we came from. She was friendly and so we started asking how much time had transpired there, between the earthquake and the tsunami. In this area it was some 30-40 minutes. There was one warning to flee immediately following the earthquake and most were able to escape to higher ground. I asked why some had been washed away. She looked around and said very quietly to me that it was not because the people ignored the warning but instead because they had been too old and frail to move quickly or move at all and were unable to escape. She asked me to not say another word about this to anyone because it was an extremely sensitive thing.

We continued on from there just 3 minutes up the road where there was another shelter. There we passed out more items and connected again with the residents. Their leader was a very friendly middle aged man who understood English. Here again, God spoke to Chris…this time it was about the man’s knee and his lower back. He said he did have trouble and pain in those exact areas. We prayed for him after he gave us permission. Chris then was sensing someone had a neck problem and so we asked this guy if he knew someone there with an issue and he replied that he did…it was him! He then told us he had a Christian sister and we told him that his sister must be praying for him and that God sent us to pray for him there and then and to confirm the work of his sister. He seemed very touched and had tears in his eyes. He was very open and we gave him a Japanese Bible, encouraged him and left.

From there we headed south again and finally reached the outskirts of Kessennuma and looked for a small distribution center where we could drop off all of the remaining items. We were directed to a small booth beside the road. It was a makeshift building with tarps all around and seemed very forlorn in the snow that was just starting. We found the leader, who was sitting at a fire by himself. He directed us to drive our van behind the shelter so we wouldn’t get mobbed. When he started to realize how much and what items we had, he started to become excited.

We talked while we unloaded everything we had left and as he became increasingly friendly, he introduced us to his volunteer sidekick, a junior high boy and another friend. He said they’d nicknamed this group of volunteers “Get Back Kessennuma” and even had stickers with this phrase on it. This was their way of saying “let’s pull together and help Kessennuma recover!”

As we wrapped up there we had some time to get personal with the leader and pray for him that God would give him strength for the incredible task at hand, especially because he is so involved in peoples lives and is giving of himself. He was weeping by this point and we told him how God is going to help him and how we felt he is a hero to those people. We gave him a Bible and his sidekick an English-Japanese one because he is learning English. As we recalled the events later, we regretted we hadn’t asked the leader if he wanted to meet Jesus. However, all is not lost in that we’re pretty sure we’ll be heading back up there.

The 3rd friend politely refused a Bible and then came back and apologized for doing so. He explained that he is Buddhist and couldn’t take a Bible because of this. I told him I’d be praying that he would come to see the truth but I didn’t know the word for truth and explained the concept and he gave me the word. I found it amusing that he was helping me tell him how to say what I’d be praying for…for him!

We left there and drove through the devastated parts of Kessennuma, even a district that was ravaged by fire just after the tsunami. The fire line that stopped the fire was a raised railroad track berm…otherwise it appeared as if would have ravaged far more of the city.

We drove out of the city and back towards Sendai, looking for a place to eat. We finally found an open ramen shop and went in. While ordering Chris again felt directed that the man had a bad lower back and was suffering, so I asked him. Sure enough he was…but when we asked if we could pray for him he politely refused, saying that he was getting treatment at a hospital. I told him that our God was so great that he would heal him right now, on the spot, but he again politely refused with the same excuse.

While we ate, prayed for him and when we left asked him how he felt and he said his back was much better. I told him we’d prayed for him and he was appreciative.

This is what happened yesterday…in a nutshell. Most of the conversations were initiated and moved along by Ania or Chris, who have been at this love evangelism a while – all over the world. Although, God is giving me the boldness to start some on my own and not wait for them. I’m so touched by the love of God for me in answering my prayers to connect with people and to actually be there to assist in leading someone to meet Him for the first time. I actually broke down as I led the woman to Christ and started weeping as I realized God was answering a long-time prayer at that very moment. It still brings tears to my eyes to think about it and realize his love for me.

I wish I could tell you all and more, but there is not enough time now.

The other Iris Relief team up here is also witnessing equal outpourings of God’s love wherever they go too and today, we’ll team up and go visit some local shelters here near Sendai and minister to people there.

Just pray…for continued conversions, continued guiding by the Holy Spirit and continued signs and miracles.

It seems like I’ve been here a very long time already and I wish I could stay here indefinitely.

Until next update…

I can’t sleep past 5am daily…because of jet lag I guess. So, you get the benefit of an update and more requests for prayer from me. I write while Daniel my brother snores to my right and Christopher my team mate talks in his sleep to my left. Last night, we holed up in a cheap hotel because it’s just too cold out there for tents with temps around freezing. (Sleep is important when you’re trying to give your all.)

We’re on the 2nd day of a trip deep into the devastated north to see how we can help and where the most help is needed. I offered to be the driver because I love driving and also feel comfortable driving here but it’s turning into a challenge with lots of damage to all roads (bumps have been paved but will need a lot of work to flatten) from the earthquake and finding our way through unmarked roads in debris fields and around washed out roads.

We took the Tohoku expressway north from Sendai and at the exit west of Kessennuma, asked if they would let us through free as volunteers with supplies. We were told we must have an official paper from a city hall or a prefecture HQ (which our hosts in Sendai said are no longer being given out). But the 2nd attendant in the toll booth said something to the first guy and he then asked us to fill out a paper and proceeded to let us go through free.

Along the route to Kessennuma, Ania our group leader, felt we needed to stop and get as many boots as we could. We bought out the cheapest (¥1000) pairs of boots 2 stores in a small mall along the route. We were even given a small discount after they realized what we were doing this for. (We found this willingness to discount fees and prices prevalent wherever we go, along with the appreciation expressed by all for the fact we came all the way from America to help.)

In Kessennuma we visited the local volunteer center and found that the official city policy is to refuse supplies at the shelters and instead have people take the supplies to a distribution warehouse, which they refer to as a “love hall”.

We spoke to a volunteer from near Tochigi (just north of Tokyo) who told us that the volunteer center is struggling. They need many many volunteers for both sending out to fill numerous requests asking for assistance AND for manning the volunteer center. The needs are great but people are too few.

We felt led to head north to Ofunato and seek needs along the way with the hope that we can interact with people and give the supplies, rather than just give our supplies to the distribution warehouse.

We were led to stop at a small cluster of old homes along the route just south of Rikuzentakata and found an older woman who was hesitant at first but then admitted need and lit up when she saw the laundry soap. She took a few supplies from us but told us she was otherwise OK and advised that the shelter in Takekoma could probably use help. She let us pray for her and we moved on.

Takekoma is inland from Rikuzentakata and we found the route 45 bridge heading east across the river there washed out but found alternate routes through the river bed and through unmarked smalls roads leading through endless piles of rubble.

We found the community center in Takekoma with about 75 people, mostly elders, with a few grade schoolers and middle aged with them. They gladly received underwear and boots and shampoo, but were otherwise OK. It turned out that the boots were the biggest hit and they took over half of them off our hands (thank God Ania responded to the Holy Spirit prompting). We had arrived just prior to an evening meal (one of 2 meals daily) and after they retreated inside to eat we convinced them to let us inside to distribute candy and origami to the kids. Some of them had probably never seen a foreigner before and some were probably orphans, but they were delighted to receive the candy and so were the elders (candy is probably somewhat of a luxury for people in these shelters).

A leader there told us that Rikuzentakata back at the river mouth had 1000 people in a shelter on a hill and were probably in dire need.

We drove into Rikuzentakata and were once again shocked by the war-zone apocalyptical appearance with more piles of rubble and unmarked cleared streets leading through the endless piles. The only standing buildings were the very tall cement ones but the water had gone through the 3rd floors there. We saw a steel frame building, still all bolted together, that had been tossed about like a toy. Interesting too were the road signs leading in and out of towns that announced “begin of tsunami inundation area” and “end of tsunami inundation area”. These signs, predicting how far a tsunami would come where accurate and not exceeded and this planning probably saved lives (as opposed to countries and communities where this is not done). In fact one sign was exactly where the debris field ended, making that prediction 100% accurate.

We saw the shelter but realized our supplies were too few for so many and decided we would instead report this great need back to Sendai. We headed to Ofunato and because of the hilly nature of the road through the town, found a strange combination of devastation and complete normalcy along the route.

One thing I knew and felt before even arriving in Japan was that there would be stark differences between the “haves” and the “have nots”. This is a problem because of the gods of materialism so prevalent in this country. Indeed, as we drive through devastated areas, you see so many with perfectly normal houses, right across the street from debris piles and rubble, the separation resulting from a difference in height. Everyone goes about their business as normal and you can see no signs among the “haves”, of compassion for the “have nots”. In this country of materialism, this stark difference will leave the “have nots” very inferior to the “haves” and so in addition to having lost everything and being likely depressed from that, will have to endure the pain of having nothing in a have-everything materialistic culture.

We found the church recommended to us (by Samaritan’s Purse in Sendai) to stop at, with Pastor Muraya there. He informed us they had decided against a place that could take in 20 people and instead had turned their open meeting room into a distribution center. Because of that statement we decided not to ask if we could stay there for the night and instead decided to find shelter elsewhere.

We talked a while and he informed us he’d only arrived a week ago and knew nothing about Ofunato, or even the Tohoku region. He is with Christ Church in Japan (Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan) and is getting some supplies for his center from their regional headquarters in Morioka. He speaks almost zero English but was gracious to receive my interpretations.

He lamented that Ofunato is being overlooked because people are hearing about more devastation in Rikuzentakata to the south and Kamaishi to the north. He estimates 1/3 of the homes in Ofunato are gone but wasn’t sure how many lives were lost because there is still no news to be had. we found parts of the city in darkness and parts with electricity.

Chris, our team member, felt led to tell him that this pastor’s being placed here was no an accident and that God was going to do mighty things through him and that revival was coming to Ofunato. From the Holy Spirit, he identified a member of the congregation with a specific need of healing in their leg and instructed the pastor to be sure to lay hands on this member’s leg and believe God for healing the next time he sees this member.

Pastor Muraya accepted our request to pray for him and I gave it my best shot in Japanese (have prayed in Japanese maybe only once before). He seemed more relaxed after that and even asked if he could pray for us too. We headed out just as a few members arrived.

We’re off for another amazing day. Pray for continued guidance to the right people and places, good rest and providing for needs.

Until next update…

The Sato family home in Kessennuma, where volunteers from America helped local organizations with recovery efforts

U.S.-Japan Council Staff Member Saki Takasu and several Council Members and Board Members traveled to Sendai to assist in relief efforts and learn about the next steps to recovery. Her posts include observations on the breathtaking islands of Matsushima, the recent Shinkansen service to Tōhoku, as well as the Genki Notes program (a joint project between the USJC, Emerson College, and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership).

We would like to share some of Saki’s thoughts on working with the “Flight of Friendship,” From Oregon With Love, which this blog has discussed here:

I joined the Flight of Friendship group after sitting in on meetings in Tokyo… [and] I was ready to become an observer of what is truly happening in the affected regions and to see how the plans and desires from Tokyo and the U.S. could connect with these areas.

And I was surprised.

I was first surprised at the extent of normalcy in the areas. Sendai City was full of people on a Thursday evening – salaried men going out for drinks, young teenagers meeting friends in stores, neon lights on the city streets. Even in Kessennuma City, a coastal city that was hard hit, the train station was intact and buildings looked as if it hand not experienced any tremors. But one cannot be fooled by this façade of normalcy. The economic impact is felt as you step into the semi-empty restaurants, talk to business owners and see the shops that are closed as you walk away from the main street.

…

Our team was in Kessennuma, and we were assigned to assist the Sato family. We stepped through a path made of old tatami mattresses and entered the back of the house, which now only had 2 walls and a support beam in lieu of a pillar that used to stabilize the house. The area was full of muck, household items and wooden boards. We quickly got down to the grueling task of throwing debris out of the house.

It was important to wear a mask, because the air is full of insects, dust and a noxious smell. Since Kessennuma is a fishing community, there are many canneries and seafood packaging factories nearby. Now, imagine all that unleashed into the city with the tsunami. We didn’t know whether to chuckle or gag when we found fish in the most peculiar places, like rooftops, or hidden in between household items. We also found a 15 lb. tuna (no longer alive) that made its way inside the house. We literally had to fish it out. This is all exacerbated with the stale water that had been trapped for nearly three months. We found many maggots feasting on the mud and fish.

Yoko Sato and her dog Ryu, who survived the tsunami from the second floor of their home

As we worked closely with the Sato’s, we became closer and they shared their horrific experience with us. Yoko has an elderly mother, and on March 11^th, she decided to remain at home with her beloved dog, Ryu. They told their neighbors not to look for them, and waited to see what would happen. Right outside their window, they could see a traffic jam of cars trying to get to higher ground. 30 minutes after the tsunami alert, they could hear the water come up, and it reached the second floor. They live right by the river and the seaport, so it was uncertain where the water came from. Yoko’s husband, son and daughter were all away from home, and she wondered if they would be all right. Two days went by, and the Self Defense Force finally forced open their front window and cleared the debris to let them out. All family members survived, and the Sato’s are now living in a rented apartment.

You can learn more about the efforts in Kessennuma, as well as read accounts from the Sato family, on Saki Takasu’s blog.