Today was a late start and an early finish. No complaints from me.
There were only enough people for two teams and there were two
pre-arranged work sites starting at 10ish each. One team went to the
house of an elderly gentleman and helped move things, clean out the
back rooms and clean up mud. My group went to an older ladies place
and helped clean up her garden and parking area that was covered with
silt (that sounds like too nice of a word for the mud mixed with oil,
sand and sewage that covers everything after a tsunami). Her response
at the end of the day was, “Now I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I’ve
been so worried about how I was going to get that all cleaned up by
myself”.
She had an interesting story as well. She was on her way home from
work in Sendai on the train when the earthquake happened. The trains
stopped working so she started walking home. A friend came along in a
car and gave her a lift home. She had no idea there was a tsunami
coming. The rest of the neighborhood was evacuated by the time she
got home. She was stuck on the 2nd floor of her house for two days
before anyone could come get her. She said the tsunami started small
but she was too afraid to watch as it got higher and higher. After
the fact I started wondering what happened to the friend in the car
who had dropped her off a few minutes earlier.
We actually got done by about 3:15. That was the goal that we never
attained last week. Now that we were actually aiming for 4:00 we got
done early. At the church I got to briefly meet Nan Jordan, a ViBi
(video Bible translation into sigh language for the deaf) board member
and friend of Mark and Mary Esther’s. She and her husband are up in
the area looking to help deaf people in the disaster zone in whatever
way they can.
When I got home, after carrying another 30 liters of water up the
hill, I found out that they had finally turned the water on. We’re
not supposed to drink it for another couple of days yet, but thanks to
my labors the last couple of days I have drinking water to last for a
while. I also have neighbors for the next 3 days or so and was able
to get assistance starting up the water heater. Mark and I neglected
to go over that detail when he was up here because there was no water
to heat at the time. I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. This
makes life a whole lot easier. Thank you Lord!
Quick addition almost 24 hrs later. At 11:34ish I was awakened by an
earthquake and hung out with the neighbors for a few hrs until the
tsunami warning was cancelled. Didn’t sleep too well after that.
Since I have no water or electricity (its also off at the Shiogama
church) I will head over the mountains to Yamagata tonight instead of
tomorrow morning as originally planned.
I got to talk with my girls around 4:00pm my time, midnight their time. It was nice to be able to talk with them again.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wednesday the 6th
Today we worked with a church from Izumi and one that we worked with
last week from Yonezawa. We were able to finish the inside of the
Bikkuri Ichi store by 2 pm. I was part of the group assigned to help
clean-up the parking area while other teams went out to help folks in
the neighborhood. Since the parking lot filled up with cars our job
became quite easy. It was amazing how much sand we cleaned up for a
store that far inland. The owner said he hoped to have it up and
running in a month or two. There is still a lot of work to be done
before then as all his refridgerated displays, freezers, meat lockers,
butcher shop machines, etc need to be fixed or replaced. He does have
a small area on the end of the building where there are fresh
vegetables and a few other items for sale. I was able to get some
eggs for my breakfasts without having to go looking for them and give
him some business.
On my way home I swung through the harbor village just up the street
from Tak called Hanabuchi. The destruction is amazing. I will
enclose a few pictures. I found it interesting that some of the front
line houses/shops are still standing but there is an entire area
behind them that is just foundations.
I’ve been writing a little in between sterilizing water. It’s amazing
how much water we use. You don’t really notice until you have to
carry it up a hill. And this is with conserving ie. a bath is using
baby wipes. Of course I could go back to digging holes in the woods
like we had to last week with so many more people here. I think its
worth a little extra weight coming up the hill though. Fortunately
today was quite warm, (somewhere in the sixties I presume) and the
cabin was warm when I got home so I didn’t have to mess with a fire in
the wood stove. The layers of clothes are slowly being added however.
Glad for a warm sleeping bag and a stocking cap. I’m going to sign
out and go back to sterilizing water so I can get to bed at a decent
hour tonight.
last week from Yonezawa. We were able to finish the inside of the
Bikkuri Ichi store by 2 pm. I was part of the group assigned to help
clean-up the parking area while other teams went out to help folks in
the neighborhood. Since the parking lot filled up with cars our job
became quite easy. It was amazing how much sand we cleaned up for a
store that far inland. The owner said he hoped to have it up and
running in a month or two. There is still a lot of work to be done
before then as all his refridgerated displays, freezers, meat lockers,
butcher shop machines, etc need to be fixed or replaced. He does have
a small area on the end of the building where there are fresh
vegetables and a few other items for sale. I was able to get some
eggs for my breakfasts without having to go looking for them and give
him some business.
On my way home I swung through the harbor village just up the street
from Tak called Hanabuchi. The destruction is amazing. I will
enclose a few pictures. I found it interesting that some of the front
line houses/shops are still standing but there is an entire area
behind them that is just foundations.
I’ve been writing a little in between sterilizing water. It’s amazing
how much water we use. You don’t really notice until you have to
carry it up a hill. And this is with conserving ie. a bath is using
baby wipes. Of course I could go back to digging holes in the woods
like we had to last week with so many more people here. I think its
worth a little extra weight coming up the hill though. Fortunately
today was quite warm, (somewhere in the sixties I presume) and the
cabin was warm when I got home so I didn’t have to mess with a fire in
the wood stove. The layers of clothes are slowly being added however.
Glad for a warm sleeping bag and a stocking cap. I’m going to sign
out and go back to sterilizing water so I can get to bed at a decent
hour tonight.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tuesday the 5th
It’s been a few days since I’ve had a chance to update. I got in last
night (Monday) after a 6 hr drive from Tokyo with 400 liters of water
and a generator. The water was from CRASH for the Shichigahama folks
in refugee housing. I was also able to take a couple boxes of cup
noodles. The generator was procured from a store near Mark’s place,
the fourth place we had tried. No one had them and they were not sure
when they would get any as they thought the generators would be sent
to the Tohoku.
Sunday was a good day as well. I went to church with Mark and Mary
Esther. I ended up staying until 4 pm talking with the folks there.
Good sign language practice for this Sat and Sun. Back at M&ME’s I
was alone so I spent some time prepping for next Sunday. I’m glad I
brought both the Japanese-English and the English-Japanese
dictionaries. I should have brought a magnifying glass to read the
furigana on the side of the kanji in the Japanese Bible. In the
evening after M&ME came home I was able to help Mark put up a ceiling
fan in their new place.
That brings me back to today. Today we started cleaning out a store
that we have been parking at to go out into the surrounding
neighborhoods. For those who know the area its Bikkuri Ichi, a store
that M&ME have shopped at while spending time at Takayama. My
favorite part was cleaning out the walk-in freezer for storing meat.
After more than three weeks it had a definite odor. I decided to toss
my gloves after that particular chore was finished. There is still
more mud to muck out, as well as a kitchen I assume is for employees
to remove furniture, debris, etc. so we will be going back again
tomorrow. Today’s group was largely made up of college students from
the Kanto area KGK group. (KGK is the Japanese version of
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as opposed the KGB as one of the
other workers kept calling them).
We got back to the church at 5 pm. Then I took the water and food to
the Shichigahama shelter/hdqr. with Pastor Otomo. They were
appreciative. That is probably the last water they will need as water
is being restored to the shelter. (Still hasn’t come to Tak yet). It
strikes me as somewhat ironic that I deposited 400 liters of water and
then spent the evening with the Steri-Pen my brother Tom gave me
making sure the tap water I got from the hose outside the church is
sterilized and drinkable. Thats all for now. - Bruce
night (Monday) after a 6 hr drive from Tokyo with 400 liters of water
and a generator. The water was from CRASH for the Shichigahama folks
in refugee housing. I was also able to take a couple boxes of cup
noodles. The generator was procured from a store near Mark’s place,
the fourth place we had tried. No one had them and they were not sure
when they would get any as they thought the generators would be sent
to the Tohoku.
Sunday was a good day as well. I went to church with Mark and Mary
Esther. I ended up staying until 4 pm talking with the folks there.
Good sign language practice for this Sat and Sun. Back at M&ME’s I
was alone so I spent some time prepping for next Sunday. I’m glad I
brought both the Japanese-English and the English-Japanese
dictionaries. I should have brought a magnifying glass to read the
furigana on the side of the kanji in the Japanese Bible. In the
evening after M&ME came home I was able to help Mark put up a ceiling
fan in their new place.
That brings me back to today. Today we started cleaning out a store
that we have been parking at to go out into the surrounding
neighborhoods. For those who know the area its Bikkuri Ichi, a store
that M&ME have shopped at while spending time at Takayama. My
favorite part was cleaning out the walk-in freezer for storing meat.
After more than three weeks it had a definite odor. I decided to toss
my gloves after that particular chore was finished. There is still
more mud to muck out, as well as a kitchen I assume is for employees
to remove furniture, debris, etc. so we will be going back again
tomorrow. Today’s group was largely made up of college students from
the Kanto area KGK group. (KGK is the Japanese version of
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as opposed the KGB as one of the
other workers kept calling them).
We got back to the church at 5 pm. Then I took the water and food to
the Shichigahama shelter/hdqr. with Pastor Otomo. They were
appreciative. That is probably the last water they will need as water
is being restored to the shelter. (Still hasn’t come to Tak yet). It
strikes me as somewhat ironic that I deposited 400 liters of water and
then spent the evening with the Steri-Pen my brother Tom gave me
making sure the tap water I got from the hose outside the church is
sterilized and drinkable. Thats all for now. - Bruce
Monday the 4th
God provided amazingly yesterday for the generator. The 4th place we
stopped at had them when everyone else was sold out and didn't know
when any more would come in. Was on the road by 3:30 and arrived by
9:30 as after Fukushima Prefectural line I had to go 50MPH We also got 400 liters of water from CRASH in Tokyo.
stopped at had them when everyone else was sold out and didn't know
when any more would come in. Was on the road by 3:30 and arrived by
9:30 as after Fukushima Prefectural line I had to go 50MPH We also got 400 liters of water from CRASH in Tokyo.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday the 3rd
On the way over here on the plane I read about emotional care for people in disaster situations. The section on self-care for relief workers talked about allowing oneself to get away and de-stress. Staying out here at Takayama has been very good for that. I can look out the front windows and see the ocean which, while being extremely destructive three weeks ago, has been a calming sight. The destruction on the way in to Tak is disturbing in its completeness. There are few houses left and those that are recognizable as houses are damaged beyond repair. It’s a strange juxtaposition of destruction and peacefulness.
Today was an exercise in patience that finally paid off. After a quick trip to lead the work group to where we left off yesterday Mark, Matsumoto sensei, Mr. Takahashi and myself went to the Shiogama City Hall. We were referred to the welfare office in response to our questions about how we could be of help to the deaf population in Shiogama. There we waited about 45min while the lady helping us got in touch with the head of the deaf peoples assoc. in Shiogama. We were able to get see her at 1 pm and again had to wait about an hour or so while she got in contact with the one deaf person in town who’s home was in the tsunami zone.
We were able to visit with her and her family, four generations of whom were living in one room at the community center. They had just been moved there the day before from the elementary school. It was much more comfortable and warmer because they now had tatami mats instead of a cold, hard floor. What they wanted the most was a bath. Mostly they were glad to be alive.
Right after the earthquake, before any tsunami warnings Mrs. Harada’s daughter grabbed a few things and packed her family, mom, daughter and granddaughter into the car and fled for higher ground at the elementary school. After the warnings sounded people had difficulty driving out with the roads getting clogged up with fleeing people. She told of a couple she knew who had survived overnight in their car with water up to their necks. They were rescued the next morning. She told of another friend who had been in Sendai when the tsunami struck and had walked back to Shiogama past scores of dead bodies. It had taken her three days before she could be reunited with her daughter who had been safe at school during and after the tsunami.
We were then able to go over to their house and remove two very heavy barber chairs from the barber shop at the front of her house. Mr. Harada had been a barber until he died a few years ago. They asked us to also remove the few items they had at the back of the house. That took longer than expected because a bunch of debris was deposited in the back yard from the tsunami. We were grateful to be able to help after a long day of waiting.
On Saturday Mark and I will head back down to Tokyo since he needs to get back and I need to find a small generator for the church to use to help clean up houses in the affected areas. Mark and Mary Esther have loaned me their van through the 15th.
More than 24hrs later and I still haven’t had a chance to send this. Back in Tokyo again after an uneventful trip. Funny how nice a bath can feel when you’ve been living without running water. Was able to talk to a lady who lives at Takayama year round and get some idea of what is needed around the Shichigahama area. Hopefully I will be able to pick up some of these items to bring back up as well. Tomorrow is church with Mark and ME then home to do laundry. Still no internet connection at Mark and ME’s place much to their dismay.
Today was an exercise in patience that finally paid off. After a quick trip to lead the work group to where we left off yesterday Mark, Matsumoto sensei, Mr. Takahashi and myself went to the Shiogama City Hall. We were referred to the welfare office in response to our questions about how we could be of help to the deaf population in Shiogama. There we waited about 45min while the lady helping us got in touch with the head of the deaf peoples assoc. in Shiogama. We were able to get see her at 1 pm and again had to wait about an hour or so while she got in contact with the one deaf person in town who’s home was in the tsunami zone.
We were able to visit with her and her family, four generations of whom were living in one room at the community center. They had just been moved there the day before from the elementary school. It was much more comfortable and warmer because they now had tatami mats instead of a cold, hard floor. What they wanted the most was a bath. Mostly they were glad to be alive.
Right after the earthquake, before any tsunami warnings Mrs. Harada’s daughter grabbed a few things and packed her family, mom, daughter and granddaughter into the car and fled for higher ground at the elementary school. After the warnings sounded people had difficulty driving out with the roads getting clogged up with fleeing people. She told of a couple she knew who had survived overnight in their car with water up to their necks. They were rescued the next morning. She told of another friend who had been in Sendai when the tsunami struck and had walked back to Shiogama past scores of dead bodies. It had taken her three days before she could be reunited with her daughter who had been safe at school during and after the tsunami.
We were then able to go over to their house and remove two very heavy barber chairs from the barber shop at the front of her house. Mr. Harada had been a barber until he died a few years ago. They asked us to also remove the few items they had at the back of the house. That took longer than expected because a bunch of debris was deposited in the back yard from the tsunami. We were grateful to be able to help after a long day of waiting.
On Saturday Mark and I will head back down to Tokyo since he needs to get back and I need to find a small generator for the church to use to help clean up houses in the affected areas. Mark and Mary Esther have loaned me their van through the 15th.
More than 24hrs later and I still haven’t had a chance to send this. Back in Tokyo again after an uneventful trip. Funny how nice a bath can feel when you’ve been living without running water. Was able to talk to a lady who lives at Takayama year round and get some idea of what is needed around the Shichigahama area. Hopefully I will be able to pick up some of these items to bring back up as well. Tomorrow is church with Mark and ME then home to do laundry. Still no internet connection at Mark and ME’s place much to their dismay.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
From Mary Esther Penner
Mark and Bruce are on their way home. They left at 2:47 Saturday.
Yesterday they were joined by Matsumoto and Hiroya from the Yamagata Deaf church and together they made contact with the Deaf community organization's person (kai cho) in Shiogama. They were really glad to do that. Matsumoto and Hiroya stayed at the cabin overnight with the rest of the group.
Shiogama church wants a portable generator and so Bruce is going to shop for that here in Tokyo and take it back. Also, Andrew and Emily's (Mark and Mary Esther’s son and daughter-in-law) Bible study group sent some boxes, so we'll be able to send those things up with him too. The mission gave him permission to use our van, so he'll have it in Tohoku the next two weeks. Pray for Mark as he resumes a busy schedule of his normal mission work and for Bruce as he travels back to Shiogama to continue in the relief efforts. Thank you!
Yesterday they were joined by Matsumoto and Hiroya from the Yamagata Deaf church and together they made contact with the Deaf community organization's person (kai cho) in Shiogama. They were really glad to do that. Matsumoto and Hiroya stayed at the cabin overnight with the rest of the group.
Shiogama church wants a portable generator and so Bruce is going to shop for that here in Tokyo and take it back. Also, Andrew and Emily's (Mark and Mary Esther’s son and daughter-in-law) Bible study group sent some boxes, so we'll be able to send those things up with him too. The mission gave him permission to use our van, so he'll have it in Tohoku the next two weeks. Pray for Mark as he resumes a busy schedule of his normal mission work and for Bruce as he travels back to Shiogama to continue in the relief efforts. Thank you!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday the 31st
Just finished the daily debriefing we’ve been doing in the evenings. This has been a great group of guys to work with this week. Today we were joined by Pastor Matsumoto and Mr. Takahashi from the Yamagata Deaf Peoples Church. It was good to get reacquainted.
Today it was good to work with a bigger group of volunteers than yesterday. With a team of eleven, five of whom were from CRASH Japan, we were able to clean up an apartment the Aizawa’s from yesterday hooked us up with. No one was there and the directions from the day before were to clean everything out. It was much easier than having to ask about seemingly every little thing.
Later in the day after helping several people out with small things we came upon an elderly man who ws beginning to clean out his house all by himself. In about an hour and a half with the full team we were able to get the rooms cleaned out and the mud scraped up. There is at least 1/2 “-3/4” of mud covering the floors. Mr. Sato was very appreciative. He asked for directions to the church so he could go thank them in person. He also gave us a lead on an elderly lady down the street who we could help tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow I will be on the insurance for Mark’s van. He and Mary Esther have graciously let me have the use of their van for the next two weeks. Depending on the churches needs, I may be returning to Tokyo with Mark to pick up supplies and then return. They have a few pressure washers and are wanting a few generators to allow teams to help clean up the outside of people’s homes where the water line is very visible. That would give them the opportunity to continue to serve the community after the inside cleanup is done. A large majority of houses have the ruined, wet furniture and tatami removed from their houses.
Friday going out with Mark and the deaf guys to see if we can find deaf people who were affected by the tsunami and need help.
Today it was good to work with a bigger group of volunteers than yesterday. With a team of eleven, five of whom were from CRASH Japan, we were able to clean up an apartment the Aizawa’s from yesterday hooked us up with. No one was there and the directions from the day before were to clean everything out. It was much easier than having to ask about seemingly every little thing.
Later in the day after helping several people out with small things we came upon an elderly man who ws beginning to clean out his house all by himself. In about an hour and a half with the full team we were able to get the rooms cleaned out and the mud scraped up. There is at least 1/2 “-3/4” of mud covering the floors. Mr. Sato was very appreciative. He asked for directions to the church so he could go thank them in person. He also gave us a lead on an elderly lady down the street who we could help tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow I will be on the insurance for Mark’s van. He and Mary Esther have graciously let me have the use of their van for the next two weeks. Depending on the churches needs, I may be returning to Tokyo with Mark to pick up supplies and then return. They have a few pressure washers and are wanting a few generators to allow teams to help clean up the outside of people’s homes where the water line is very visible. That would give them the opportunity to continue to serve the community after the inside cleanup is done. A large majority of houses have the ruined, wet furniture and tatami removed from their houses.
Friday going out with Mark and the deaf guys to see if we can find deaf people who were affected by the tsunami and need help.
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