Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Having spent the night in Morioka Bible Baptist Church with the OMF team from Sapporo (Mike and Rowena McGinty, Dieter Schmidt, Sam , Pascal, Chai), we set Wednesday morning for KAMAISHI. There had been snow in the night, and the scenery was wonderful - until we reached downtown Kamaishi!
View and Download PDF File of Full Report
or simply
Before working on the church, we took the team to see some of the devastation. We visited the Ohgaguchi shelter, and left some of the things the team brought down from Sapporo. We visited the Ando school shelter, and met up with two of the people we talked to two days before; the ones trapped at the back of their valley. Pastor Ohtsuka had visited them the day before. They were feeling better about things, but it was obvious there were still problems getting enough stuff to people. Then we went back to Kamaishi.
The town center was trashed completely. The Kyodan Church we went to help (Kamaishi Shinsei Church) was flooded to just below the second floor. The parking lot had two cars floated on to it, and there was a large truck and three cares blocking the front. As the city was clearing cars that day, the ones on the curb were removed, but we still had no place to park or do our soup kitchen. By using long pieces of wood that were liberally strewn around the place, we were able (using all available hands) to roll the upside down van onto it‟s wheels, placing it close enough to the curb that the forklift operator took pity on us and removed it, as well as the mini-car. It was on it‟s wheels, so we put it into neutral and rolled it down to the curb behind the van. Once they were gone, work went faster. We were also able to clear the sanctuary, help neighbors clear their homes and stores. We set up camp on the undamaged second floor. There was water, and we had a generator for lights. A truck of supplies from Mrs. Sasaki in Itayanagi came late that night. We stacked the things in the sanctuary- we had gotten it clean just in time!
Mud, mud, everywhere. We couldn‟t get away from it.
Mud mixed with everything conceivable. Move that mud!
Kamaishi Church sanctuary before the cleanup started
DELIVERY DAY
Thursday, March 24, 2011
With the parking lot cleared, the team was able to set up a soup kitchen. Pastor Mitsuhashi from Sapporo was there with a team that day. We loaded apple juice from Itayanagi on the truck, and I drove up and down the local streets, while two of the team (Pastor Ohtsuka and a young man named Yudai) passed it out to those working on their homes and stores, and invited them to the soup kitchen. About 40 showed up, and were very appreciative.
During the morning, I took Pastor Yanagiya, from the Shinsei Church, to visit contacts in OHTSUCHI, as his car had floated off somewhere in the tsunami. They both lived in OHGAGUCHI, near the shelter we had visited previously.
One was a church member, an elderly lady who lived two houses above the highest reach of the tsunami. Electricity had been restored the day before, but they still had no water. As the central hospital had been destroyed, she had to hike up a steep hill to a smaller hospital for medicine and food.
We visited a seeker as well. He was upset because it was impossible to get gasoline, and he wanted to look for family in Kamaishi. As the phones were out and he had no cell phone (unusually), he was getting desperate.
We then unloaded food and other goods from Sapporo and the Itayanagi load at the Ohgaguchi shelter. They were glad to see us back.
As we were leaving Kamaishi the next day, we had to get all of our donated goods out of the church. Dieter and I took a load to KOTSUCHI, one valley south of Ohgaguchi (in Ohtsuchi), and looked for a place to drop it off. A woman pointed to a nearby building and told us a distribution was to be made there for those not in the shelters. The JSDF was just starting to hand out bags of goods as we arrived. I realized they would not want a random addition at this place, so went to ask the man in charge where to take the things. In contrast to all the other JSDF personnel I had seen, this guy didn't look like he had just stepped off a recruiting poster. His uniform was grubby, and he looked tired and harried. I don‟t know what his rank was, but I suspect it placed it him between desk jockeys and ground pounders; the place where you can‟t pass decisions on to someone else. He told me to go up the valley to their camp, and drop it there, which we did. I knew they were onto the situation facing the people not in shelters, and would divide and distribute the goods fairly. When I told the harried officer how I admired the good job they were doing, he looked like he would burst into tears. Stress is everywhere; a word of encouragement can really help.
We did a third load, this time with Mike driving a van behind the truck. I wanted to drop it in a different valley, but the next nearest one is on highway 35 to Tono. There is a long line of houses up this valley, better able to absorb refugees and allow them access to the outside. The local collection agency was run by volunteer firemen, and they seemed to have what they needed already, so we did a second trip to the Kotsuchi JSDF camp.
Meanwhile, Pascal had helped finish the initial cleaning of the shop across from the church, while the others had gone to clean a church member‟s apartment. They were impressed that there were no walls left between her apartment (3 from the end), and the great outdoors.
Then it was off to bed. It was interesting to sleep in „the zone‟. I was very conscious of being 10 inches above the high water mark, and didn‟t find aftershocks very comforting. I can see why many go to shelters at night, even if they could stay in their homes lower down.
Tomorrow: off to OFUNATO and cleaning another church.
Ofunato Church – still standing
but with windows blown out and filled with mud and garbage
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Sunday, March 27, 2011
We had a short service after breakfast, and the OMF team went to Pastor Chiba‟s church in Kessnenuma for the morning service. Dan and Karen went to the Kyoudan church here in TONO, and I straightened things up a bit, as I was to attend the afternoon service in Ofunato (Pastor Chiba, again). I left early to take the food the team had left to the City Hall in Ofunato for distribution. I chatted with the town employees there, asking how supplies were holding up, and what was needed. They directed me to the Social Welfare Department, which has set up an emergency center in a tent at the front entrance.
Needs change as time goes on. I asked them what it was they needed now.
“Rubber boots! Shoes!” one blurted.
“Underwear for small children.”
“Bath towels. Detergent; liquid detergent for cold water.” They were getting into it.
“Shampoo/rinse. Body soap.”
“Pens, pencils, notebooks, post-it notes.” She fingered a half-used pad.
“This is all I have left”.
“Moist towlettes.”
As we talked, I determined they were worried about consumables. Things were okay at the moment, but, as one pointed out, they did a massive distribution at one time, and it was likely everyone would run out at the same time, prompting another shortage. Paper goods and food will be an ongoing need.
Fresh food is needed; people have been on instant noodles and rice balls long enough.
I quipped: “I know what you really want- gasoline, kerosene, electricity, and running water.”
“You got that right," they replied.
“How about some houses?” asked one.
We discussed that for a few minutes. People remained in temporary situations long after the Niigata earthquake. Offers of prefabricated units from overseas get stonewalled, as they are not up to earthquake code, or something. Amateurs aren't supposed to be doing building. What can be done about it?
Well, I can't handle housing at this point, but tomorrow I have helpers coming to the church We will need materials to finish the church.
I set out for the town to check on building supplies. The main building material supplier was swept away. One home center has mostly household goods, the other is out of drywall already. I managed to get all 58 sheets in the Tono home center reserved for us; I now have to transport them to Ofunato. I will need to check for a building materials supplier here in Tono for more drywall, and insulation. It will disappear quickly now that the initial cleanup is winding down.
It was nearing 4:00 p.m., so I set out for the Ofunato afternoon service (at Ms. Kumagai's house for the interim), only to discover the service is at 3:00! I was very disappointed, but everyone was there looking at Pastor Chiba's photos of the devastation in Kessenuma where he lives. We then went to the church building, where we prayed, and I explained what the team was doing.
The pastor's wife told me a little about the church. They had put up a prefabricated building years before, without registering it first. They never did get permission, and it had to be taken down. Their pastor left, and the church was very distressed. Pastor Chiba was closest, so the other Iwate Baptist churches asked him to help. He did, and managed to get them into the current building. It sits on the cement foundation of the old prefab. The only other thing that remains of the old building is a stained glass window. The new building is only 10 years old. At first, the members were afraid this was the end of the line, but our help and yours can get them through this, by God's grace. Please pray on.
Tonight we got a wireless internet hookup; I am catching up on reports from 5 days ago. I need to get to bed. The house is still rocking occasionally from an extended aftershock that started 15 minutes ago. Another day in the Iwate coast country. It is so beautiful. If only it would sit still.
