This is a different posting in that we are posting a letter by contact down in the Tohoku area where the tsunami killed so many just two years ago this month. Sometimes we forget there are still people suffering and there are still precious ones that help meet others' needs as they can. Will you continue to pray for the Japanese people in this area? Thank you for reading clear to the end. It also brought to mind that probably there are still people in the USA and other parts of the world that are suffering, hurting, trying to rebuild after: a hurricane, 9/11, an unexpected death. They all need Christ--may those of us who know Him, remember to pray for them as well as show them there is true hope!
Hi !
We just got back for a trip to O---- cho, Hirota
prefecture. It was a very cold and windy day, but I think we brought a
little sunshine with us.(Our 4 kids ) Our family of 6 loaded into the
car and it was packed to the roof, as well as each one of us, except my
husband, had things piled on our laps also. The back of it was so low,
because of the heavy rice, we had to take all bumps very slowly. All 4
kids sat in one row and the rest of the car with the back seat down was
filled with things to take to the people there.
We had an
assortment of things to deliver this time.They were sent to us from all
over Japan and from overseas too, and from many different people. Warm
clothing and jackets, warm blankets, warm socks, children's clothing,
sheets, towels, miso, sembei and snacks, handbags, hats and gloves, and
many other things, and this time we had 150 kg of rice to deliver too.
There was some concern from some people sending things that it was too
late for warm clothing, but it turned out perfectly for today was very
cold and windy, and just the perfect type of weather to give people warm
items. Handing people warm clothes, coats and big thick blankets on a
day as today was just the right timing!!!
So many people and
groups have shared these last few months, and though we have delivered
some to the temporary housing people, most we saved to take to the
coast. The people in the temporary housing are now getting a little
selfish and demanding about things, and it seems a little hard to please
many of them. Often they make demands of me that I just have no way of
getting the things that they are wanting. (more wants than needs) They
have gotten aid the whole time they have been in the housing, including
rice, miso, new coats, new sheets, new blankets etc from the city and
the government. Now some of them have come to expect that extra help and
are a little demanding in the things that they want. They lost
everything, so I think that getting that extra help is important for
them, it is a good thing. I feel so badly for them when I see them
fighting and feeling so unsettled and just wanting to be in their own
homes again. Many do not have the means of buying and building a new
home, and the government has yet to build the apartments they promised
for everyone, and so they are stuck.
I also feel that those that
decided to remain in their homes and fix them after being ruined by the
tsunami waters are not getting the same concern and the need there is so
great. They too lost everything in their homes, just the skeleton of
their homes remained, but nothing inside. We are only able to help this
one village, though all up and down the coast there are little villages
just like this one. Some people are getting a lot of help and others are
getting none at all.
The people on the coast are not that way at
all,and have never been. Even right after the disaster, some people in
the temporary housing were grabbing anything they could and feeling very
desperate, and were just concerned for their own survival, whereas on
the coast, they will just take what they need and often ask to make sure
that the other homes we visit will have enough.
It is a challenge
sometimes to give grace to those that are less than thankful and are
demanding, but then again, they did lose everything they had along with
loved ones. I try not to take their behavior personally and I do know
that many of them are really hurting, and that is where a lot of the
behavior comes from. We still help as many as we can in the temporary
housing and all the homes in the village that were damaged by the
tsunami. It is not based on whether they are being nice or not! We try
and use the story of the Good Samaritan as a guide...and it says at the
end, "Go and do likewise"
This trip too, they were thrilled with
every single thing, and since we haven't been for about 3 months, they
were sure pleased to see us again. They were all very talkative and
shared lots of things that are going on with them. It was a small
village before, but the tsunami washed many homes away completely, and
so the homes that remained standing, even after being filled with
tsunami waters, are standing alone,and they do not have any neighbors
close by anymore. They are lonely and most are elderly, and just having
people to talk to seems to brighten their day.
One obachan
(grandmother) we saw recently while taking our children to the hospital a
few months ago. She had surgery on her knee . Today she was telling us
about it, and was so funny. She took a nice sweater that we had shared
with her on another trip, and I guess all the nurses came and told her
how beautiful the sweater was. She was just beaming telling us about it.
She said that even before the tsunami, she had never had such a
beautiful sweater. She has been so thrilled each and every time we go
getting new-to-her clothing and other household items. Having lost every
single article of clothing in the tsunami, and not being allowed to get
any clothing from the distribution centers when they were having them
for the first few months, she is just thrilled! The people who did not
go into the evacuation centers, and then did not go into temporary
housing have not been allowed to get any of the aid provided at all.
They were told that it was only for the people in the evacuation centers
and then the temporary housing.
Another who lost her daughter to
suicide a few months after the earthquake, was inside while her dh was
outside. He said that she wasn't feeling well. As soon as she heard our
voices she came right out to talk to us and brightened up and was
smiling. They lost their home in the tsunami and are now living in a
storage building. It is tiny, made of cement and cold and dreary. They
seem to be a bit more desperate, and so we try to give a little extra to
them. Today we were able to give them some dishes ,cups and silverware,
towels as well as warm blankets, clothing, jackets as well as rice and
miso among other things.
Another family grandmother, mother,
daughter (about 26) and the father live together. The father is quite a
character and has a gruff manner, but seems to have a soft spot for me.
We have visited his home since April of 2011. He said on our second
visit that the clothing we had given him was enough, and he could just
wear the same shirt every day and that would be sufficient. I know it is
pride talking and that he doesn't want to be seen as needing help. I
started teasing him and said that though he may think it is o.k. to wear
the same clothes every day, that his family might not agree, and that I
would find him just a few more things to wear. In the spring , we gave
him seeds and he was so proud of the American veggies that he was able
to grow! His wife and daughter and mother on the other hand, often would
like some of the things, but if he is there they seem to hold back. I
now know their sizes and choose for them and just hand them a big bag
and tell them that I need them to take it since it doesn't fit me or
else my husband will get upset about having to bring it back home
again!!! He now has softened and knows that we only want to help and we
don't look down on him in anyway for accepting what we are offering!
A
church in Osaka sent us some money and we talked with them about how
the money should be used. After some discussion, it was decided that
rice would be perfect. We were blessed to be able to deliver some rice
in the past also, and that is why we knew that every single house would
appreciate it. They loved it before and we were certain they would this
time too.
When I talked to my husband about it and asked him where
we should buy the rice, he insisted that we needed to get Esashi brand
rice, which you can only buy in Esashi (near Mizusawa). I was a little
skeptical and thought that getting a little more and just buying it at
the supermarket would be best. Getting to the supermarket still takes
about 40 + minutes. I thought that getting a bigger quantity,rather than
spending more for less rice,plus having to make a special trip there
just to buy it, just didn't seem like the best plan. My husband was very
sure that it was necessary that we get that particular rice for it is
said to be very delicious and that the people in O....- Cho and also out
on the coast would like it the best! It was one of those times that I
decided that I would let my husband decide since he knows more about
rice than I ever will.
We had to drive 1 1/2 hr to get to Esashi
last weekend and we were able to buy about 150 kg of rice with the money
that the church sent. We were looking at the bags of rice and we each
had a calculator and were figuring how many bags we could buy, as well
as trying to figure out if there was a way to get it so that I would not
have to fill other bags and make them in smaller portions. The man in
charge, a little ojichan (grandfather type) ,came out and started
helping us decide and he steered us towards the same rice but it was in
huge bags and was brown rice, and he would polish it for us to make it
white rice and put it in bags for us. The children helped him by
measuring it first before it was put in the machine to polish it, and it
was quite fun to do it together. This ojichan was quite thrilled to
have 3 little girls helping him. He said that he had never had such a
large order before and he asked what we were buying the rice for.
We
explained that a Christian church in Osaka was buying it so that we
could share it with the people affected by the tsunami.They wanted to
help the people here. He called over his manager, a young woman in her
30s and she also was touched by why were buying so much, and we were
given a 10% discount on all of it. That made it approx. what it would
have cost had we gotten it at the grocery store! God walked in front of
us and I know he orchestrated it all. I am so glad that I didn't insist
on doing it my way, and listened to my husband!!! He and our son loaded
it all into our car!
Today, though the weather was overcast and
cold, all the people we visited seemed to be in good spirits and very
talkative. They wanted to share what had been going on with them these
last few months and there were lots of smiles and laughter all around.
It took us quite a bit longer this time, just because everyone was so
thrilled to see us with the children and wanted to talk. We got back
after 3pm after leaving the house at 7:30am, and the children had not
had lunch!!! All for a good cause.
They absolutely love seeing our 4 children and that brings a smile to their faces!
I
so appreciate all the extra care sent for our family too. The gas money
to help with the cost of the trips to the coast and all the little
special things sent for the children, my husband and me, is just so very
kind and thoughtful. I feel very loved at the ourpouring of love for
these people, as well as for our family! Thank-you from the bottom of my
heart.
Truth be told, usually my husband is not very happy about
going out to the coast. We have to go on his only day off, and that is
just 2x a month, and I think that the cost of going and having to take
almost of full day to go there and back, as well as the fact that we
could not really afford to make these trips with his salary being so
very low.
Anyway, the routine has been, that I get all the bags
and boxes packed and ready, which usually takes me about 2 days solid,
then on the morning we go, I load them all in the car, then he unloads
it all and redoes it to his liking. I have suggested that perhaps it
might be good if he just packed it instead of doing it twice, but that
hasn't happened. Once we get to the coast and start delivering things,
he changes and he sees how much the people all appreciate the help and
how they light up when we come. He is all smiles during the visits to
each home, and on the way home. He can see how much it means to these
people , not just in the physical aspect of giving them things, but
taking the time to visit with them, and listen to them! Having people
who care is just amazing to them.
I am telling you this because
this time, for the first time in the 2 years we have been delivering
things, he was happy about us going, and was pleasant and taking that
extra trip to Esashi last weekend to get the rice, and then unpacking
it, just to be repacked this morning, and also this time, I had the bags
and boxes all packed and ready and I had them outside in order of how
they needed to be packed while he and the two older children went to
reload the rice which was at my husband's parents home. He came back and
asked me the system that the bags and boxes needed to be packed, I
explained and he did it. Much better than I ever could have, and he was
in such a good mood the whole time we were delivering things. I am just
amazed for usually he is a little grumpy for the trip to the coast, on
the way back he is happy and excited about helping those people, but the
trip there is usually a little tense.
I am just so grateful that
he has been willing to drive us there so many times, even though I don't
think he thought it was important or that we needed to do it all!!!!
What a great guy!!! Doing it pretty much because I felt so strongly
about it and knew that it was what God had for us to do.
We are
the only ones who have provided aid for this little village, and they
never know when we will come and what we will bring. The generosity of
all those that have sent things to share is just amazing and it has
touched these people in a real way!!! It is so easy for people to
say..".Ganbatte Iwate", or "Ganbatte Tohoku" . Translated I guess it
would be something like...Don't give up Iwate, Keep up the good
work, which we all heard a lot of after the earthquake and tsunami.
Encouraging words, but not much help if you have so many physical and
emotional needs! These people have both, even now 2 years after the
earthquake.
Many people in our village also have
thought since about 4 months after the earthquake that the people
affected had been helped enough and that they had gotten money from the
government and didn't need anymore help. Outside people are not allowed
into the temporary housing areas at all unless they are visiting someone
they know. ( I am an exception to this rule.) An unknown stanger also
would not be welcome in O....-cho. The only reason we are allowed to go,
is that right after the tsunami we made lots of trips with water and
food, and gave them to a friend of mine (a teacher I taught with) who
lives there, and had her deliver it to people in need. From there, she
and her dh introduced us around to the homes in need, and that made us
safe.
I know it is hard for some people to not be able to
personally help those in need, but please know that every single thing
sent has reached the hands of someone that can use it. I have had lots
of requests for photos, and that also is a little sensitive for most of
the people here. Most would prefer not to be photographed and so I try
to honor that. As time moves on, that may change, but it is still
something that many do not want.
I spent the last two days, all
day packing boxes and sorting things into groups for each household. I
was exhausted and pretty tired last night and my hurt shoulder and neck
were just throbbing. We couldn't get in our hallway to the entryway for
the past months because of all the boxes, without walking sideways, and
then last night after I sorted everything, we couldn't even do that!!!
I
sat on the couch for the first time all day at about 10 pm and I looked
at my husband who had just gotten home and I said that perhaps it was
time for us to stop. He looked at me wide-eyed and said definately NOT!
He said that we are able to share with these people and bring them
things they need and spend time talking to them and just loving them. He
said he saw no reason for us to stop! I said that perhaps people were
tired of sending things, and he did not agree with me at all. He said
that all these boxes of things being delivered was proof that many
people understood. This is a huge change for him.
After the
tsunami he was a typical Japanese and did not want to get involved. He
didn't know quite what to do with me when I insisted on going to see if I
could help the Search and Rescue Team from the U.S. that was stationed
in Sumita, and then I heard that Samaritan's Purse set up in Sumita and
we ended up helping there for 3 months. Add to that trips to the coast
to take supplies, he has grown so much and now understands more than
ever how important it is to help people.
I recently read on
Facebook a quote about giving. It was something like the true meaning of
giving is when the person you are helping has absolutely no way of
returning the gift.
Good thing we balance each other out!!!
I was just talking out of exhaustion, which is probably what is causing
him to be grumpy on most of our trips to the coast! He works so hard,
that he is exhausted and then I have him taking these trips to the coast
on his very rare days off. Even today, as soon as we got back, he went
off to work. At the beginning they were on very dangerous roads, now not
so much, but even then he was willing to go. I drive, but he would not
allow me to drive on those dangerous roads. Nice that he is my
protector!!!
We were an accident Jan 3, 2013, a 4-ton truck
slipped on ice as it was trying to stop, we were all in the car, but I
was the only one that was hurt. Whiplash and something with my shoulder.
Our car has been in the shop for 2 months and we only got it back
recently. We were not able to fit our whole family in the loaner car
that they provided, and so this was the first change we have had to make
a trip since December.
I talked to the children before we left
and told them that I really needed their help. Usually I carry all the
boxes and bags myself to each home. We have to drive between each home,
for the tsunami made a path and many are now we need to go back and
forth across the path that the tsunami made to get to each home. There
is very uneven ground to walk on getting to each home and is a little
dangerous walking, which is why on all previous trips, I carried all the
boxes and bags myself rather than letting the children.
I fell
and hurt my shoulder at the end of December and then Jan 3rd we were hit
by a 4 ton truck that slipped on the ice, and I got whiplash. I have
been in a lot of pain since then, and am not able to carry heavy things
or use my right arm very much. The children really stepped up and
carried a lot. I still ended up doing more than I should have, but it
was huge that my husband allowed them to carry things this time. He
thinks that it is dangerous for them to do it, and it is...but mommy
needed help today!
One extended family has 3 kids, and the
grandmother was in tears today when we delivered a huge bag of clothing
for them, as well as toys. I think that life is pretty bare at the
moment and though they are able to get the basic, extra things just
aren't able to be purchased.
Another older couple, lives in their
home, but as you open the front door, you can still see the waterline
inside near the ceiling where the tsunami waters were, and their closet
doors made of paper are peeling and have not been replaced. No curtains
and just the basics for the couple. It was very cold in their home, and I
am so glad we were able to bring them some warm jackets and clothing,
as well as blankets and towels. Most times we have visited, she came
over to her neighbor's home, and got things from us, I had never seen in
her home before December of 2012! I now know why!
I wondered as I
was packing the things up, if they really needed some of the things
that we took this time, but once again I was wrong. They were thrilled
and just so touched that people still thought of them and cared enough
to still send things. I know that many must wonder if this or that would
be useful...but it seems as if all of you, and I often wonder the same
thing. Often something comes and then it is just what someone has been
wanting.
I never ask about family members for so many lost loved
ones, and I have had to guess at times about how many people are living
in the home. Many times by looking at the shoes in the entryway. I have
done this for 2 years now, and I thought I knew about every single home.
Today
I was surprised for one home, today there was a husband, who I have
never seen before, who answered the door. I have given things for this
woman and her daughter but since I had no idea her husband lived there
too, I have never taken anything specifically for him!!!! I told him how
sorry I was, and I quickly pulled out some miso and a towel for him and
told him that it could be his personal miso!!! He laughed and said that
he was shy and had never showed his face before!!!
There was sure
a lot of laughter and smiles today. Every single one of the homes we
visited were thrilled with the things we brought and asked us to thank
the people who were so kind as to share with them!!! They think it is
pretty amazing that people still remember since it has been 2 years
since the tsunami!!! Thank-you all for sharing things and taking the
time and energy to send things to us so we can share it with them. It
was just amazing how it blessed them!
I am so glad that we were
able to be a part of this today. Your generous help has allowed us to
bless these people. I know that it is not seem like a huge thing to do,
but to many of these people it is really big!!! It means a lot to them.
Blessings to you
Joni Owada and family
