View from one of the helpers in Tohoku

Ishinomaki – a relief effort in a devastated city. It’s been three weeks since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, but there are still reminders of it in the city of Sendai. Cars are lined up for blocks to get gas, several stores are closed, bread and milk can’t be found at grocery stores, and aftershocks continue around the clock. But as you move toward the city of Ishinomaki, the reminders are simply unbelievable. Cars are wrapped around telephone poles, houses are smashed inside gas stations, trucks sit atop gravestones, and huge ships litter the streets. There is no electricity, no water, no gas. No grocery stores are open. No gas stations are open. No restaurants, no shops, no businesses. The floors of people’s houses are covered in six inches of mud – mud that contains feces, dead fish, and the remnants of their belongings. People have lost everything, including their family members and friends. I spoke to one junior high school student who had lost four of his friends and his English teacher, Taylor Anderson. His house was a wreck. When the tsunami waves came, he was holding his dog in his arms. He knew that he had to let go of his dog if he was to survive. He did survive, but he never saw his dog again. I heard similar stories of destruction and loss. Things that you would not even want to imagine. But amidst all of this devastation and despair, there were glimpses of hope. I worked alongside an amazing man named Chad, who gave selflessly to help these broken people. Along with his team, I cleaned out a church, a kimono shop, a china shop, and an empty store. The empty store, once cleaned, was used by the Japanese Red Cross as a soup kitchen. Apart from cleaning, we gave out tons of supplies: food, water, blankets, batteries, boots, and much more. I saw the most smiles when I gave out the candy. And through the cleaning and the giving, we made connections with these broken people. We talked to them, we listened to them, we prayed for them, and we encouraged them. We gave what we could to them, and they gave what they could to us. And after everything they’ve lost, they gained something new. They gained our love. And that is not something that any earthquake or tsunami can take away. By: Aaron P.