Wednesday the 13th #2

Today I didn’t get a chance to get on the internet and send the blog update until late as the team was already loading up and getting ready to go to Ishinomaki to help out there.  We were working with a Samaritan’s Purse team who had helped out with Katrina.  They had a Japanese  interpreter, a Japanese driver/worker/interpreter and 3 American disaster relief team members.  We were working under their tutelage today as they are experts at this sort of thing.  It was interesting to learn a few more tips about flood damage control.  We did pretty much the same thing we’ve been doing in terms of cleaning out water ruined stuff, sorting and cleaning.
I got another surprise when the Hori family from the Yamagata Deaf Peoples Church showed up to help.  I got to be a three language person today.  They went out to find obentos and then came out to Tak to keep me company over dinner.  They knew I didn’t have a whole lot to offer foodwise.  It was nice to spend time with them.  Mr. Hori is part of the ViBi translator team (Japanese Sign Language Bible).  I’ve known both he and his wife since dad got started in the deaf ministry way back in the mid-70s.  I also got to meet their youngest son who came along to help as well.
It was fun to meet Kishinami Sensei again after 30 years or so.  He is a former kick-boxing champion turned pastor.  He is just as genki (full of energy) as ever.
Tomorrow will be my last day working out of the Shiogama church.  It is a little hard to leave as there is still so much to do.   There are still some areas that have not been opened up for people to return to their homes as the police and self-defense force soldiers are still searching for bodies.  A number of the streets around town that had garbage piled up all along the sides of the roads have been cleared and some areas look close to normal.  There is still some places where the cars are piled 2 and 3 high.  Those piles still catch my attention, but the single car with its front bumper on the ground and rear bumper 5 feet up a telephone pole on the back side of an apartment building almost doesn’t register as being out of place anymore.