7/2: Tuesday - Minamisanriku, Kessenuma, Rikuzentakata

Today added another interesting dimension to our ministry trip as we 3 guys drove up the coast to see other towns and cities which had been devastated in the disaster.

Sylvia had been asked to lead a special Ladies Luncheon for local missionary and ministry women, so she stayed in Ishinomaki and connected with about a dozen gals whose lives and ministries are focused here among the relief and restoration efforts.  Lorna organizes these events once a quarter, and finds it crucial for the spiritual and emotional well-being of the ministry families here.  Sylvia counts it a privilege to pour grace and joy into these hearts that give and give each day and are so often totally drained and weary.

Discussion time at ladies meeting

Meanwhile, we were driving past Onagawa, across the Kitakami River, and up the coast past fishing villages and small towns, and on to Minamisanriku, Kessenuma, and Rikuzentakata.  Because of the way these cities were situated on low-lying river deltas that faced a direct hit from the tsunami, these cities were obliterated in the disaster.  Adding to the horror, fires broke out on the floating debris which burned large neighborhoods, causing a hell-on-earth scenario.  As you can see from the photos, nothing is left where there used to be a thriving cities, especially in Minamisanriku and Rikuzentakata.  And the startling "highlight" of Kessenuma is the massive fishing boat still inland a half mile from the harbor.

This used to be a thriving neighborhood...

A frequent sight: railroad tracks are devastated and will be years before restoration

What's left of downtown Kessenuma

The "famous" stranded fishing boat - a curiosity now, a horror then

The harbor is half a mile away; note the cleaned up surroundings

Under the starboard side is a crushed and burned car

One of the few remaining buildings in Rikuzentakata

A reminder of tsunami power

Crossing a temporary bridge; note the hillside being removed for filling the valleys

This valley used to be the city of Rikuzentakata - now just empty fields

BTW, here's a link to some before and after images of these cities.  Terrible reminders of what it was like in these, and other cities.  http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/03/japan-earthquake-2-years-later-before-and-after/100469/

As we drove home, we reflected on many subjects: disaster, rebuilding, and more.  Perhaps my strongest impression was that these places of destruction and slowly become places of construction.  The deep foundations of infrastructure are being put into place, so recovery is on the way, but is still many years away.  Even the train lines were wiped out - literally washed away - and have only begun to be rebuilt in one or two areas.

We looked for signs of hope, and frankly, very few are to be found.  But yet, if you look closely, you can see faint glimmers here and there.  So I'm optimistic, at least for 5 or 10 years from now.  Even so, what can ease the loss of life, property, and commerce?  

Tough day.  

7/1: Monday - Sendai

Monday is Gilbert's weekly day off, so we 4 changed pace too with a trip into Sendai city.  But first, we just had to make a quick stop for a team meeting at the newly opened Starbucks in the Aeon mall in Ishinomaki.  Amazing - and a nice touch from our Seattle home!

Wow!  Starbucks in Ishinomaki makes for a touch of home...

Then we drove into downtown Sendai and met our good friend and former staff member, Mika Takana.  She has been a bright spot of service and outreach to her neighbors during the disaster, and also joined our Dickens Christmas Carolers team in December, 2011.  We went for lunch with her, and were joined by Yuko Muhling, a colleague of Mika's and sister to Wakako Clark.  

Sylvia, Mika, Gordon, Mike, and Yuko enjoying a traditional Japanese lunch.

Gordon and Mike ready for lunch - and Mike is happy because the fish isn't raw.

In the afternoon, we joined Yuko and her family for a short walk along the Hirose River to the Ohashi Bridge.  It was at this site in 1623 that 8 Christians were martyred during the national persecution of Christians in the Tokugawa era.  I was aware of sites like this in southern Japan, especially Nagasaki, but didn't know about this one. Rather thought provoking.

The Ohashi Bridge across Sendai's Hirose River

We 4 with Mika and Yuko and her kids in front of the 3 statues representing the 8 martyrs

The sad memorial at the site

We 4 continued across the river and up the hill to the site of the Sendai castle.  It was home to a famous shogun, Masamune Date (Dah-tae), whose fascinating history is partly tragic and partly heroic, and includes a significant openness to Christianity.  A side note for modern cinema fans: his famous black warrior armor was a model for Star Wars' Darth Vader costume.

The statue to Masamune Date is a tricky photo in the afternoon

Mika pointing to the building where she lives near Sendai station

Having a little fun... 

Mike and Gordon goofing off too

Great day to connect with current friends and historical figures.

6/30: Sunday - Ishinomaki and Onagawa

Today is Sunday, so our team had the chance to visit two different churches.  Mike and Gordon went to J-Cafe, a new Calvary Chapel church plant in the Watanoha neighborhood of Ishinomaki, an area that was completely devastated.  Meanwhile, Sylvia and I went with Gilberts to the well-established Ishinomaki Baptist Church in the Hebita section of Ishinomaki, an area that was untouched by the tsunami.  They said their service was informal with about a dozen people there, while ours was more traditional and had around 15 people there.  However, Pastor Kaneya of IBC is a wonderful guy with a terrific message, and exhibited lots of grace and joy.  Wish more pastors were like him.  

We grabbed some obento lunches, and headed out to a temporary housing site at an elementary school in Onagawa.  Again we set up the coffee van, and this time Kathrine came along to do kids face painting.  For a while, nobody showed up, then little by little, people came to enjoy the free coffee.  Andy asked us to sing, so we pulled out the hats and did some more sing-along songs.  Again, happy faces and lots of joy.  We included the Japanese version of song that curiously is quite well-known here, What A Friend We Have In Jesus. After we finished singing, I noticed a lady singing that song to herself - wow.  

Andy connecting with temporary housing neighbors

Kathrine entrancing kids with face/hand painting... and temporary tattoos!

Everyone is loving it!

Proud of the result

Chatting with Suzuki-san, a key leader in Onagawa

More sing-along songs

Kathrine joined us on Amazing Grace

The lady next to Sylvia told her about losing 3 neighbors in the disaster

 By this time, quite a crowd had gathered, and Andy had promised to do bingo with them, so we launched into that.  What fun for everyone, and again you could see the effectiveness of the strategy to boost morale and build relationships.  It's quite amazing.

We came home for a Japanese BBQ supper at Gilberts house.  It's similar to American BBQ, but instead of hamburgers, etc., it's small slices of beef, chunks of chicken, and loads of sliced vegetables.  All of us (Gilberts crew plus our 4) were there, and we finished the day sitting in a big circle talking about the week past and the the week to come.  Nice.

6/29: Saturday - Ishinomaki and Onagawa

This is Saturday, and that means the highlight of the week: Takidashi!  

Slept long, and it really helped to recuperate from jet lag.  After breakfast, we connected with the rest of the team, and headed over to the place where the community has been gathering every Saturday for over 2 years, and where our relief teams have helped the Gilberts do "takidashi" on each of our visits.  

Takidashi is the Japanese term for distribution of relief supplies.  In the first weeks after the disaster, food, water, and supplies were given out every day.  But as the supply of basics improved, the need evolved for clothing, heaters, gloves, bicycles, etc.  So the ministry teams did their best to gather those items and give them out once a week on Saturday.  Andy saw the desperation of the survivors on two levels: needing more supplies than were available and needing a boost to morale.  His solution was bingo games.  The game gave everyone an equal chance for supplies (winners take their choice of an item), plus it lifted spirits and allowed neighbors to forget their near-insurmountable problems for a while.  They added free coffee and lunch, plus live music from visiting musicians.  Our Dickens Christmas Carolers group sang at a takidashi time, and our other teams have participated in serving when we visit.  

Site of previous takidashi events

Site of current takidashi events - wow.

Andy leading the bingo game

Under the B... #8

Almost ready to win...

Happy crowd

The relationship building at these times is amazing, and it's a privilege to participate.  Gordon is an excellent guitarist, so he and Sylvia and I prepared some fun folk songs to sing for - and with - the people.  We came up with a crazy name - The Uncle Sam Spontaneous Sing Along Singers! - brought some sparkle hats to draw attention, and created the opportunity for enjoyment.  The songs intentionally are not super spiritual, and the performances are far from perfect.  But that's not the point; the strategy is designed as an opportunity to invite the people to release their fears, tension, and problems, and let their souls be free for a while.  And you should see their faces and sense their joy.  It's amazing.  

Lorna joined us for Twist & Shout

This Train was a big hit too

Mike getting video of the event for Gilberts

He's a pro, and doing a great job!

 As you can see, Mike has been doing a terrific job on a series of videos for the Gilberts and their team.  It'll be fun to see how it all turns out.

Afterwards, we cleaned up, stored all the bingo and coffee stuff, and headed out to a small neighborhood in Onagawa for an outreach to kids and an opportunity to connect with adults via a free coffee and conversation time. This turned out to be a little disappointing: only a few kids showed up, and only a few adults came for coffee.  Afterwards we were trying to figure out what the causes were and realized that particular neighborhood is more reluctant to welcome outsiders, plus they had lots of other activities going on that day too.  But we also realized it was good to be there to build trust and let the community know we here to help and serve.

Coffee time tent; kids event in the building just behind here

Sylvia is a wonderful connection point

During this same time, Gordon had gone with Jonathan to do an English class at a small coffee shop.  They had several kids show up, and Gordon said he had a great time connecting with the kids.

On the way home, we picked up obento suppers and went to a weekly joint Praise and Prayer event with lots of the community workers.  Among the many songs we sang, an amazing song called "Still" (by Reuben Morgan) makes a powerful connection here with it's lyrics, "..when the oceans rise, and thunders roar.."  Here's a link to a YouTube video with his song.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXywFuTf65I

Long day, but a good one. Oyasumi nasai.

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…..

6/26-27: Seattle > Tokyo > Ishinomaki

Great to be back in Ishinomaki, but what a loooooong trip to get here! 

Overall, travel went well.  We 4 got to SeaTac at 10:30am (thank you, Corey, for being a great shuttle driver), got checked in without hassle at ANA, through security, and out to the gate by 11:30.  Plenty of time to hang around for our 1:30 flight, but would rather do that then be running late or stuck in traffic - yuck! 

The flight across the Pacific to Japan was typically long - approx 9 hrs - but uneventful, and we arrived around 3:30 pm Japan time.  Immigration, luggage, and customs at Narita airport went smoothly too. During our 3 hour lay-over, we visited Starbucks (yea!), got some obento supper (yum), and tried to figure out the international SIM card on Gordon's phone (got stumped).  We caught a 6:55pm flight from Narita up to Sendai, arriving there an hour later.  Lorna Gilbert met us, and we drove over to Ishinomaki in about an hour.  That's huge improvement in the timing of that route, because it used to take 2 hours or more!

Another huge improvement is that Gilberts are living in Ishinomaki now instead of at Takayama (which is a marvelous location for scenery, but a 60 - 90 minute drive to Ishinomaki).  The story of their house is incredible, but has to wait for another time. Gordon and Mike are staying at the Long's house (they are team partners with Gilberts) about 5 min from here.

So repeating myself, it's great to be back in Ishinomaki, and we're really looking forward to these days here.

6/25/13 Tuesday: Woodinville

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

Yes, we're heading back to Japan again.  Tomorrow morning we're leaving on another relief team trip to Ishinomaki and Onagawa.  This time the team will be 4 of us: Gordon Jensen, Mike Harvey, the ever-wonderful Sylvia, and Yours Truly.

Gordon is a multi-talented Microsoft guy who has been to Japan before as a short-term missionary (up in Hokkaido with Tim Clark - small world!), and will be our lead musician.  Mike is a pro video/TV guy who was on our previous trip a year ago, and he's going to be doing a bunch of video work this time too.  This will be Sylvia's 3rd trip to the disaster area, and it will be my 5th trip leading relief teams into Tohoku.

It's been two and a half years since the earthquake/tsunami/and nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011.  And yet, even though all the clean up is done, very little restoration is done, and many survivors are still living in temporary shelters.  

So our primary work on this trip will be to connect with survivors and community folks in the general Ishinomaki area, and especially in the town of Onagawa.  This is the place where cars were left on top of 4 story buildings, train cars tossed up on top of hillsides, the seaport dock level dropped under the water line, and 1000s of homes and businesses were totally obliterated.

I go back to Onagawa on each of my trips, and my heart always hurts when I'm there.  Part of the pain is that so little focus had been given to Onagawa by the relief workers and ministry groups who were rapidly developing outreach in Ishinomaki.  

But the good news is that our local ministry partners, Andy and Lorna Gilbert, who now have moved to the eastern side of Ishinomaki, are doing a lot of work in Onagawa.  I'm really excited to be part of it on this trip, and to see what is happening and what the future plans are for their work there.

So stay tuned, and I'll try to keep this blog up to date as we go.  Thanks for joining the trip with us!