Hello, everyone! I know that it's been a while since I've posted, and I'm sorry. Like I said in my last post, my internet situation for the last two weeks of my trip made it so that I couldn't really do a long post or anything. And even though I've been back since Sunday evening, I've been fighting a losing battle with jetlag, so I've been forgetting to update this blog. I really am sorry!
My second trip to Ishinomaki passed quickly even though it was longer than my first one (ten days as opposed to seven). I worked in the same area, so I was able to see a lot of people I had met from the first time and develop some friendships more.
The operation in Shintate had grown considerably since I had been there before. The main task that Dean wanted people to work on was a field owned by a man named Mr. Abe (different from any Mr. Abe that I've mentioned before. It's a really common name in the area). He had grown vegetables in his field, but the tsunami had flooded it with salt water and oil. And to make things worse, there was a factory right next door that made cell phone parts, which were strewn all across and even buried underneath the field. It was such a mess that the Abes had given up hope of restoring it, which was especially sad because it had been passed down from Mrs. Abe's father. Such a job would require a lot of people.
So God provided a lot of people. With the group I was with, nearly fifty volunteers showed up the first day to work on that field. It was amazing how much that many people can get done and I think that the Abes were really impressed with the work. First, we had to clear off all the salt that had solidified on the surface, which was basically the top two inches of ground. Then we had to dig down about a foot and sift through the dirt to find any glass, plastic, metal, or oil deposits. It was long and tedious, but it got done. The worst part of it was fighting the Japanese summer back. Of course, I'm used to bone-dry Colorado, where any sweat quickly evaporates. In Japan, though, summers are horribly hot and horribly humid. Each day, I would completely sweat through my shirt, have it dry over lunch, and then sweat through it again. By Friday, it was hot enough to be dangerous and we had people taking breaks often. Thankfully, Dean had bought some stand-up tents that we could work under to keep out a lot of the heat.
That Sunday our group prayerwalked in Shintate, just like the first trip. This time, we went to the very edge of the neighborhood. I was really surprised to see that just a few blocks away from where I had been working, almost every house was abandoned. Out of almost one hundred houses, only one in that side of town had residents. Sadly, there were some houses that had been looted after their owners either abandoned them or died in the tsunami.
In Japan, having flavored shaved ice is a traditional summertime treat. That Monday, to give the community a bit of a break from the sameness of recovery life and to bring some cheer back to Shintate, we set up some tents and prepared for a big shaved ice party! We also had a singer, one of Mr. Abe's (the man who is like a pastor but isn't one) former students, who came to sing and share the gospel. It was absolutely fantastic and over one hundred people showed up. For a short time, I could see what the city was like before the disaster.
Having been to Shintate for two trips, I had developed a lot of attachment to the area and the people there. I will never forget my time working there and someday I will go back to see how things have changed. Please pray for the people there, that they would be healed from the suffering that they have experienced and that God would open their hearts to the Gospel.
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