6/28: Ishinomaki and Onagawa

And they're off!  A good day of orientation to what's happening these days with the Gilberts and their team ministry. 

Slept pretty well but up at 4 am - not bad considering jet lag.  After some breakfast, we headed over to the Long's house to meet up with Gordon and Mike there, along with Jonathan and Katherine Long, and Tobi, and Mattias & Gabriella, the other members of the current team.  After all getting acquainted, Andy gave us an overview of their outreach history and development, along with some plans for future progress. 

 
It was cool to be in the Long's house, because we had been there before during it's reclamation and rebuilding by Samaritan's Purse.  It's great to see it all done and functioning well.

Long's house now

Long's house in March, 2012

After lunch, we headed into Onagawa. WOW, what an amazing sense of change.  This once-beautiful little town of 10,000 had been virtually obliterated by the tsunami with 5000 losing their lives in the disaster.  Many survivors have moved away, so the remaining residents have been clinging to what? hope? desperation? determination?  Something is motivating this town to resurrect itself.  The town was going to keep some of the iconic buildings as a memorial park, so nearly everything else is cleared away and new development is underway for a new town.  The plan is vast: the nearby hills will be leveled off and the valleys will be filled raising the ground level 20 - 50 feet in different areas. 

Onagawa harbor now

Onagawa harbor March, 2012

Across the valley - fill starting to happen

Across the valley, April, 2011

Starting to fill in the valleys

At the hospital parking lot - the now famous viewpoint

The high-water mark at the hospital, some 100 feet above sea level

Temporary housing near the main elementary school - 3 story housing is unusual

Andy's neighbor, Kimura-san (tan coat), used to live here in downtown Onagawa

Katherine, Andy, Kimura-san, Lorna, Gordon, and Endo-san (Onagawa friend)

My sense is that this place of destruction is now a place of construction.  Some businesses are either resuming or starting up in small temporary buildings on the edges of the valleys.  The Gilbert's plan is to do a cooperation approach for a community center and their location is up on the edge too.  It'll be in a temporary building, but wonderfully set up to serve the townspeople.  

Site of Gilbert's future community center

From the site down the valley to the harbor - amazing clean up and prep for future construction

From the site up the valley

That afternoon, we returned to Longs, and chatted through the plans for Mike to video the stories of growth and people's expression of how their lives have been impacted.  Just reviewing what the team wanted was amazing.  Some stories are full of joy, others are deeply sorrowful.  It'll be a challenge to capture all that in a video.

Video planning with Mattias, Lorna, Gordon, Jonathan, Mike, and Katherine

That evening, we went to a "yakitori" spot for supper.  It was also in a temporary building, and one that constructed by the builder of the Gilbert's eventual building.  Nice to see how well these things work.  No photos - sorry - because I was literally sleeping on my feet, and in a fog of jet-lag.  Home and collapsed into bed at 9pm.  Zzzzzz…..