Relief Work in Tohoku (Kesennuma, just north of Sendai)

After my first semester at language school ended for summer break, I (Peter) had the opportunity to serve on a Pioneers team to assist with the relief efforts in Northeastern Japan through CRASH Japan, a Christian relief organization in Japan. We mainly worked in the city of Kesennuma, which was one of the hardest hit cities by the earthquake and tsunami. You can see a lot of original footage on YouTube of when the tsunami hit Kesennuma. It's devastating.

Seeing the affected areas for the first time in-person was surreal. It just boggled my mind to see what was once a neighborhood full of houses and businesses completely destroyed with only their foundations remaining. There were lots of clean-up crews with heavy machinery sorting through the debris. After six months of clean up, they've definitely come a long way. However, there's still so much more that needs to be done, and there's some damage that can't be fixed. When we first arrived, we were shown our meeting place for our first project, but we quickly had to leave. Our guide informed us the tide is coming in so we couldn't stay there too long. Apparently, part of the city sank about one meter. So every day when the high tide comes in, that part of the city gets flooded.

Recovery and reconstruction will last for years, but progress is being made.

We weren't sure what to expect once we got there. We didn't know what exact needs there were, and how we would be able to help. We went with open minds and open hearts, and a flexible attitude willing to serve.

Through CRASH Japan, we were asked to join a project to spray EM (Effective Micro-organisms) in the affected areas. This EM is used to get rid of bad bacteria, bad smell and help rejuvenate the soil. The project was led by a Christian, Ashikaga-san, who had a smile on his face every day and was always joyful. Other Japanese volunteers joined in the project including folks from a Scientology group, students from Kita Kyushu University, and other volunteers sent from the volunteer base camp. We realized that spreading EM was the project assigned to us, but that God had additional plans for us. We were able to build good relationships with the other volunteers, and were able to share the love of God with them.

The project assigned to us was to spread EM, but God had additional ideas.

We were also introduced to a group of local High School students who were interested to spending time with us. We were able to spend two afternoons with them, and had a good time of playing and getting to know each other. Through spending time with them, we were able to hear some of their stories, their hopes and future plans. We were also able to share with them what gives us hope, and those among us who could speak Japanese shared from the Bible how Jesus gives us hope. We were told that two of the students contacted our CRASH Japan base logistics manager to find out more about how to become a Christian. Praise God!

Hanging out with the local High School students.

So with a grateful heart, I want to thank you who supported my going and serving in the Tohoku region, and also a big thank you to those who continue to support us in being here to serve. The following video provides a summary of our experiences that our Pioneers team would like to share with you. Blessings!