Dear Family and Friends,
This will be my final blog from Japan. Thank you for taking this journey with Molly, Josh and me. We have so appreciated everyone's help and prayers and encouragement as we have made this journey.
Yesterday we had a fantastic last work day at the Masu house! Our supervisor, Dean, was able to stay with our group the entire day for the final intensive push to complete this house. Dean pulled the whole Avocado Team from the other house to the Masu house and was able to recruit another team of 6 Californians to assist us, so we had 18 for the final effort. It was a bit crowded, but WE DID IT! We were able to finish all of the mudding and final clean-up. We power-washed the house and sprayed the entire site down with bleach. The "bleach sprayers" were followed by an army of workers with buckets of bleach and scrub brushes who scrubbed down every inch of wood-work with bleach. After sitting for and hour (the house not us...we moved all of the many tools and supplies back to storage) we again power-washed to remove the bleach and then wiped the good wood-work (window frames and door frames, etc) off so it wouldn't be stained. The only thing not completely finished was the small toilet closet. It still needs all of the paneling ripped out and a little clean-up.
We finished all of the work before 5:00 PM, but it took us another full hour to leave. Mr and Mrs Masu, and the neighbors who brought us snacks and drinks for the entire 2 weeks, had many good-byes to make. There was a lot of hand-shaking and hugging! Mr Masu and I exchanged business cards (which is a social norm in Japan) and they asked if my family would please come back to see them when their house was completely finished. It was hard to say good-bye!
When we returned (very late) to Camp Morigo, we were treated to a speech from a Japanese Senator who has worked with Samaritan's Purse. He profusely thanked Samaritan's Purse for blessing his country and asked us to stay for another 20 years. He said that he hoped many of his country-men would become "Japanese Samaritans"! Amen to that!
Our entire team ended a hard work week with a trip to the onsen (bath-house). Several had gone to the onsen for the previous two nights, but it was my first experience. Very relaxing! The water is hot, very hot, way too hot, "you have got to be kidding" hot, or ice-cold. You spend your time cycling between different areas which also include a sauna (way too hot) and a steam room ("you have got to be kidding" hot). Some places you spend mere moments (I could bear the ice-water for all of 90 seconds but Josh could sit in it for 20 minutes) and some places you almost fell asleep as they relaxed you. If you did need to fall asleep, they also had a sleeping hut where you could stretch out on a heated floor and rest. After over an hour in the onsen, we all had ice cream and headed back to Morigo, tired but very content.
And that is the end of our time in Ishinomaki.
Today we will do some touristy stuff and return to Tokyo. Tomorrow, the Cheese Team will board a train (ALONE) for Narito Airport and begin the long trip back to Wisconsin. We will never forget Samaritan's Purse, the Masus, the friends we have made, or the Japanese people. We feel so blessed to have been so richly provided for and allowed to serve the Kingdom. We will continue to pray for the Japanese people and ask that you continue to pray too.
God bless!
As always, we love you all.
Pastor Gary
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
T -1 Day
Dear Friends and Family,
Today is our last day at the Masu house. I am both glad to be heading home and sad to be saying good-bye to Japan. I will try to write one more time tomorrow morning to let everyone know how far (if we completed) we get on the Masu house before we head back to Tokyo.
Yesterday was another intense day. We were so blessed to have help for one more day from the Brazilian Team. They chased us all day...as we ripped up the floors and pulled the nails, they were right behind us brushing everything clean, picking up the mess, and mudding out the foundation. As Josh said, we have pretty well removed all of the flooring and still need to mud out what was the hallways and the bathroom area. We also need to remove the paneling from around the toilet area (we kept that for the very end because it is the only working bathroom for both of our teams). We accomplished a tremendous amount yesterday!
Today, Dean (our supervisor) is moving the remainder of the Avocado Team to the Masu house. They are kind of disappointed because their house was further along at the beginning and could have been finished if they had been given a couple of extra hands for a day or two and now they won't see their house complete. The reason for Dean's decision is the Masu house is next on the carpenters' schedule and needs to be completed before the other house. The carpenters began to move to the house immediately next door to the Masu's yesterday and it takes 1-2 weeks to complete a house and then they will restore the Masu house. We still may not finish the Masu house, but we should get it very close so Dean can complete it next week with another Team (and then they can quickly complete the Avocado Team house).
Samaritan's Purse (the organization that we are working with) is working one more month and then leaving Japan. They have been here since 3/11 and have literally restored hundreds of houses. Dean is with Lutheran Services and is a long-term missionary, so he won't leave and will continue to team up with other organizations to help more people. Converge (our group...aka BGC) also has long-term missionaries in Japan and will continue to look for volunteer short-term missionaries, but it will be more expensive because Samaritan's Purse was providing housing, food, and many of the supplies needed. Pray that those still needing help won't be forgotten but will see the overwhelming love and grace of God through His people.
God bless. Thank you for your continued prayers and for taking the time to read these blogs.
Love you all!
Pastor Gary
Today is our last day at the Masu house. I am both glad to be heading home and sad to be saying good-bye to Japan. I will try to write one more time tomorrow morning to let everyone know how far (if we completed) we get on the Masu house before we head back to Tokyo.
Yesterday was another intense day. We were so blessed to have help for one more day from the Brazilian Team. They chased us all day...as we ripped up the floors and pulled the nails, they were right behind us brushing everything clean, picking up the mess, and mudding out the foundation. As Josh said, we have pretty well removed all of the flooring and still need to mud out what was the hallways and the bathroom area. We also need to remove the paneling from around the toilet area (we kept that for the very end because it is the only working bathroom for both of our teams). We accomplished a tremendous amount yesterday!
Today, Dean (our supervisor) is moving the remainder of the Avocado Team to the Masu house. They are kind of disappointed because their house was further along at the beginning and could have been finished if they had been given a couple of extra hands for a day or two and now they won't see their house complete. The reason for Dean's decision is the Masu house is next on the carpenters' schedule and needs to be completed before the other house. The carpenters began to move to the house immediately next door to the Masu's yesterday and it takes 1-2 weeks to complete a house and then they will restore the Masu house. We still may not finish the Masu house, but we should get it very close so Dean can complete it next week with another Team (and then they can quickly complete the Avocado Team house).
Samaritan's Purse (the organization that we are working with) is working one more month and then leaving Japan. They have been here since 3/11 and have literally restored hundreds of houses. Dean is with Lutheran Services and is a long-term missionary, so he won't leave and will continue to team up with other organizations to help more people. Converge (our group...aka BGC) also has long-term missionaries in Japan and will continue to look for volunteer short-term missionaries, but it will be more expensive because Samaritan's Purse was providing housing, food, and many of the supplies needed. Pray that those still needing help won't be forgotten but will see the overwhelming love and grace of God through His people.
God bless. Thank you for your continued prayers and for taking the time to read these blogs.
Love you all!
Pastor Gary
Last Day of Work/Onsen
It is amazing how our little group has taken apart the Masu's house. I hope that someone has taken pictures of it when we walked in, because the difference even today, with one day left, is astounding. Ripping out or cleaning everything that was exposed to the 8 foot or so tsunami floods is a daunting task for one house... let alone the countless number hit by the tsunami. However, with only 4-5 people working for 9 days, as well as a few days of help from additional groups, the house is almost completely 'mudded out'. It hasn't all been easy work, that's for sure. We have all been grateful that the weather has been below mid-80's for our stay, although we haven't been able to escape the humidity. Except for the toilet room, all of the walls have been knocked out and almost all of the floors are pulled up. The majority of the house has been mudded out, meaning that contaminated mud pushed under the house by the tsunami has been dug out. Once all of that has been completed, we will pressure wash and bleach to clean the frame of the house (I believe... we haven't gotten that far yet!). At that point, our job will be done and the carpenters will be able to take over! The closer we get to that goal, the better.
As mentioned in the previous post, Molly and I went with a group to an onsen, or public bath house, especially around a hot spring. It was a rather interesting experience that probably will never become popular in America because of the differences in cultures. The onsen we went to had about 10 different pools/rooms, about 8 pools and two rooms. The pools were either hot or cold, and several had massage jets in them. There was also a steam room and a sauna, each which were so hot that it was difficult to be in for more that a few minutes. To an American, the pretense of the onsen may seem strange: a bunch of naked guys (there were separate facilities by gender) sitting around in hot tubs. It was a little uncomfortable first, but once you get used to it a little bit, it was incredibly relaxing. The one that we went to had about half of the pools outdoors, which was nice to be able to get out of the stuffy air inside. 7 of our group went last night, and for the majority of us, it was our first time. Unfortunately, we stayed up rather late because we left after dinner, getting back at around 11. A group also went to an onsen tonight, but several people who went last night stayed behind to get some sleep. The current plan is to go again tomorrow night, as it will be our last night at the camp and we won't have to work the next morning. I have really enjoyed that on this trip we have had opportunities to do some crazy things, like onsens and sushi.
Please keep us in prayer today, as it is our last work day tomorrow (tomorrow for us). We hope to completely finish the Masu's house... but we still have a fair amount of work left. Pray for safety and energy for us. Also, keep praying that the Masu's would continue opening up to the Word (Mrs. Masu brought home a copy of the New Testament from the concert!). Thank you to everyone who has supported us and made this possible.
As mentioned in the previous post, Molly and I went with a group to an onsen, or public bath house, especially around a hot spring. It was a rather interesting experience that probably will never become popular in America because of the differences in cultures. The onsen we went to had about 10 different pools/rooms, about 8 pools and two rooms. The pools were either hot or cold, and several had massage jets in them. There was also a steam room and a sauna, each which were so hot that it was difficult to be in for more that a few minutes. To an American, the pretense of the onsen may seem strange: a bunch of naked guys (there were separate facilities by gender) sitting around in hot tubs. It was a little uncomfortable first, but once you get used to it a little bit, it was incredibly relaxing. The one that we went to had about half of the pools outdoors, which was nice to be able to get out of the stuffy air inside. 7 of our group went last night, and for the majority of us, it was our first time. Unfortunately, we stayed up rather late because we left after dinner, getting back at around 11. A group also went to an onsen tonight, but several people who went last night stayed behind to get some sleep. The current plan is to go again tomorrow night, as it will be our last night at the camp and we won't have to work the next morning. I have really enjoyed that on this trip we have had opportunities to do some crazy things, like onsens and sushi.
Please keep us in prayer today, as it is our last work day tomorrow (tomorrow for us). We hope to completely finish the Masu's house... but we still have a fair amount of work left. Pray for safety and energy for us. Also, keep praying that the Masu's would continue opening up to the Word (Mrs. Masu brought home a copy of the New Testament from the concert!). Thank you to everyone who has supported us and made this possible.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
T -2 Days
Dear Family and Friends,
We are reaching the end of our time in Ishinomaki. We have today (Wednesday) and tomorrow and then Friday we return to Tokyo. The Cheese Team flies home Saturday afternoon and the Avocado Team leaves Sunday night.
We got a huge boost from the team from Brazil yesterday! They worked on the mudding out while we continued to do the final "above ground" details. We still have a little floor to cut out and odd jobs like ripping out the bathroom (saving till last because it is the only working bathroom on the job site) and some closets. Molly has been a trouper! She has spent uncounted hours pulling nails out of everything we give her. She has had a little help here and there to get on top of the pile, but she has been relentless. Josh has pried up floorboards and pulled nails in the joists while keeping the Brazilian Team a place to work at mudding. The Brazilians got ~ 1/2 of the mudding finished yesterday. We still hope to finish the house tomorrow and with one more day of help from the Brazilians, we should be close.
I think everyone is getting weary. I know I am! Last night most of the team went to a Japanese Bath House for a good soak in hot and cold waters. I decided at the last minute not to go because they were going to be back late and if I don't get enough rest, my back hurts too much to work. I regretted my decision as soon as they were gone because the soak sounded so good. No one has gotten out of bed yet today, so I don't know how they enjoyed the experience. Maybe I can get Josh to write about that later.
I asked Mrs Masu if she enjoyed the Asiah Concert Saturday and she smiled and said she picked up the CD of Asiah! Praise God! Mrs Masu seems to enjoy that we pray with her at the beginning and end of every work day. Keep praying that her heart opens to receiving Christ.
It has been a joy to be here and we have worked very hard. But I admit I am anxious to return home and see all of our loved ones. Keep praying that we work hard and stay safe and reflect Christ in all we do.
I love you all.
Pastor Gary
We are reaching the end of our time in Ishinomaki. We have today (Wednesday) and tomorrow and then Friday we return to Tokyo. The Cheese Team flies home Saturday afternoon and the Avocado Team leaves Sunday night.
We got a huge boost from the team from Brazil yesterday! They worked on the mudding out while we continued to do the final "above ground" details. We still have a little floor to cut out and odd jobs like ripping out the bathroom (saving till last because it is the only working bathroom on the job site) and some closets. Molly has been a trouper! She has spent uncounted hours pulling nails out of everything we give her. She has had a little help here and there to get on top of the pile, but she has been relentless. Josh has pried up floorboards and pulled nails in the joists while keeping the Brazilian Team a place to work at mudding. The Brazilians got ~ 1/2 of the mudding finished yesterday. We still hope to finish the house tomorrow and with one more day of help from the Brazilians, we should be close.
I think everyone is getting weary. I know I am! Last night most of the team went to a Japanese Bath House for a good soak in hot and cold waters. I decided at the last minute not to go because they were going to be back late and if I don't get enough rest, my back hurts too much to work. I regretted my decision as soon as they were gone because the soak sounded so good. No one has gotten out of bed yet today, so I don't know how they enjoyed the experience. Maybe I can get Josh to write about that later.
I asked Mrs Masu if she enjoyed the Asiah Concert Saturday and she smiled and said she picked up the CD of Asiah! Praise God! Mrs Masu seems to enjoy that we pray with her at the beginning and end of every work day. Keep praying that her heart opens to receiving Christ.
It has been a joy to be here and we have worked very hard. But I admit I am anxious to return home and see all of our loved ones. Keep praying that we work hard and stay safe and reflect Christ in all we do.
I love you all.
Pastor Gary
Monday, July 23, 2012
Week 2 Begins
Dear Family and Friends,
It is Tuesday morning and we are getting ready to head to Ishinomaki for another day of work. Yesterday everyone seemed a little weak and tired. One of our Avocado Team was not feeling well and we ended our day a bit early. Our house is ready to start mudding out (a job I'm personally dreading!). But we do have hope today! A team from Brazil will be joining us today and we are hoping they get us back on track. We should be close to finishing both houses before we are done (Thursday is our last day of work so we can travel back to Tokyo Friday).
Please pray for energy and encouragement for the team. We worked very hard the first week and then really didn't get to rest at all over the weekend and we are feeling somewhat exhausted now. Being done early yesterday did help. Pray also that God continues to protect my back (it has been very good so far) and keeps everyone safe.
We love you all.
Pastor Gary
It is Tuesday morning and we are getting ready to head to Ishinomaki for another day of work. Yesterday everyone seemed a little weak and tired. One of our Avocado Team was not feeling well and we ended our day a bit early. Our house is ready to start mudding out (a job I'm personally dreading!). But we do have hope today! A team from Brazil will be joining us today and we are hoping they get us back on track. We should be close to finishing both houses before we are done (Thursday is our last day of work so we can travel back to Tokyo Friday).
Please pray for energy and encouragement for the team. We worked very hard the first week and then really didn't get to rest at all over the weekend and we are feeling somewhat exhausted now. Being done early yesterday did help. Pray also that God continues to protect my back (it has been very good so far) and keeps everyone safe.
We love you all.
Pastor Gary
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Weekend in Japan
Dear Friends and Family,
It is early Monday morning and we are getting ready for week 2. We will work 4 more days on the Masu house and the drive back to Tokyo on Friday. We are hoping to finish the Masu house so the carpenters can begin restoring it soon. Today we will probably start digging out the muck and sludge underneath the house from the tsunami.
We had a busy weekend! Saturday we left Camp Morigo at 8:30 AM and drove back to Ishinomaki to set up for the Asiah concert. It took us most of the morning to set up the tents and chairs and picnic tables, etc. We went to McDonald's for lunch (you know...it was nice to eat familiar tasting food even if it was Mickey D's!). After lunch, we listened to the concert and then socialized (as well as we could) and served shaved ice (they put condensed milk on the ice with the flavoring...it is really good!!). We had a good turnout and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. After everyone was gone, we packed everything up. By then, it was dinner time, so we stopped for sushi. We have committed ourselves to try everything put in front of us, so we have eaten some interesting things like squid, octopus, sea urchin (not good), sea weed, and whale. We were tired by the time we got home.
There was no rest for us on Sunday either. We were on the road by 8:30 AM to head to a house church in Ishinomaki. With our group, there may have been 25 people there for church. The guest preacher was Portuguese and he had a Scottish/Japanese man translating for us. Throw in Americans and you have quite an International Church. The Church was very friendly and threw us a wonderful lunch after service. It was 1:30 or 2:00 PM before we moved on. From Ishinomaki we traveled north to Mimamisaruki to see some of the most devastated of cities. Mimamisaruki sits in a valley which pushed the tsunami wave into a smaller channel and consequently caused it to be much higher and more devastating (it swept over 3 story buildings sweeping away everyone that thought they were safe on the roofs). The destruction defies description! We have a picture of a train engine (the whole train car) that was swept down the street. Cars are piled up in massive piles. Buildings no longer exist. There was a radio station where a woman stayed at the microphone pleading with people to evacuate...she was killed and has become a local hero. There are memorials to her at the ruins of the building and bus loads of tourists come to pay respects and take pictures. They have also set up a pre-fab mini-mall where we stopped for awhile (I ate whale and chocolate cake). From there, we drove south along the coast passing through destroyed town after destroyed town. It became numbing after awhile. We ended the day at the Aeon Mall in Ishinomaki where we ate at the food court (much classier than our typical mall food court). Josh and I had ramen noodles and pot-stickers (much better than our ramen noodle packets). Watching the cooks make the meal was fascinating. We got home at 10:00 PM and I crashed.
Please continue to pray for us as we roll up our sleeves and get back to work on the Masu house!
We love you all.
Pastor Gary
It is early Monday morning and we are getting ready for week 2. We will work 4 more days on the Masu house and the drive back to Tokyo on Friday. We are hoping to finish the Masu house so the carpenters can begin restoring it soon. Today we will probably start digging out the muck and sludge underneath the house from the tsunami.
We had a busy weekend! Saturday we left Camp Morigo at 8:30 AM and drove back to Ishinomaki to set up for the Asiah concert. It took us most of the morning to set up the tents and chairs and picnic tables, etc. We went to McDonald's for lunch (you know...it was nice to eat familiar tasting food even if it was Mickey D's!). After lunch, we listened to the concert and then socialized (as well as we could) and served shaved ice (they put condensed milk on the ice with the flavoring...it is really good!!). We had a good turnout and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. After everyone was gone, we packed everything up. By then, it was dinner time, so we stopped for sushi. We have committed ourselves to try everything put in front of us, so we have eaten some interesting things like squid, octopus, sea urchin (not good), sea weed, and whale. We were tired by the time we got home.
There was no rest for us on Sunday either. We were on the road by 8:30 AM to head to a house church in Ishinomaki. With our group, there may have been 25 people there for church. The guest preacher was Portuguese and he had a Scottish/Japanese man translating for us. Throw in Americans and you have quite an International Church. The Church was very friendly and threw us a wonderful lunch after service. It was 1:30 or 2:00 PM before we moved on. From Ishinomaki we traveled north to Mimamisaruki to see some of the most devastated of cities. Mimamisaruki sits in a valley which pushed the tsunami wave into a smaller channel and consequently caused it to be much higher and more devastating (it swept over 3 story buildings sweeping away everyone that thought they were safe on the roofs). The destruction defies description! We have a picture of a train engine (the whole train car) that was swept down the street. Cars are piled up in massive piles. Buildings no longer exist. There was a radio station where a woman stayed at the microphone pleading with people to evacuate...she was killed and has become a local hero. There are memorials to her at the ruins of the building and bus loads of tourists come to pay respects and take pictures. They have also set up a pre-fab mini-mall where we stopped for awhile (I ate whale and chocolate cake). From there, we drove south along the coast passing through destroyed town after destroyed town. It became numbing after awhile. We ended the day at the Aeon Mall in Ishinomaki where we ate at the food court (much classier than our typical mall food court). Josh and I had ramen noodles and pot-stickers (much better than our ramen noodle packets). Watching the cooks make the meal was fascinating. We got home at 10:00 PM and I crashed.
Please continue to pray for us as we roll up our sleeves and get back to work on the Masu house!
We love you all.
Pastor Gary
Saturday, July 21, 2012
(Almost) 1 week
We have been in Japan for (almost) one week! I can hardly believe it... the time has gone by really fast. Today was a nice change of pace for us; instead of ripping out walls and flooring, we set up for a free concert in Ishinomaki. It was held in a empty lot that the landlord graciously let us use (it was originally a parking lot). It only took a few hours to clear out some weeds, then set up a ton of tents and chairs. We had been worried about rain, but it held off; although it was cloudy, the weather was perfect for the concert. The singer was Asiah (pronounced more like Ajya... hard to write), and sang several beautiful songs and also shared some of her testimony. It was all in Japanese, but between Gil translating and talking with her after the show, we got to hear some of it as well. At the end of the concert we served shaved ice, and had a lot of fun after everyone had gotten a bowl by mixing flavors and stacking the ice rather high. We got some great pictures of all of it! Gil, our translator and experienced missionary, had to leave after the concert and we were all very sad to see him leave. Anyway, we then went out to eat at 'Kappo Sushi'- a sushi-serving restaurant chain with mythical turtle-like mascots. It was very similar to the first restaurant we went to, on Monday. Today I tried seaweed rolls with nato (fermented soybeans), sea urchin, and fish eggs. All of it was alright (not my favorite), except for the sea urchin which I found waaaaaaaay too salty. We got back to the base about 7:30. I always find it funny to think how my day is opposite of everyone in the States- I'm eating breakfast late in the evening, and having dinner before anyone wakes up stateside. All in all, the people have been super friendly, the food has been both familiar and incredibly strange (I had a Big Mac from McDonald's and fermented soybean sushi in the same day!), and I have just had a lot of fun. Pray for those who went to the concert today that they would be open to more information about Christianity (some appeared to be), for safe travels for Gil and for our next week of work.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Molly's Post
Japan has been GREAT so far!! Something that I've noticed, especially in the area we're staying in, is that it is very green. Seeing all of this reminds me of home, which is probably why it still hasn't hit me that I am halfway across the world. I have to look at a map, and even then I can't quite comprehend it. In the house that I've been working in, I've mostly been taking out dry wall or pulling out nails from boards. By the time we're done here, I should be an expert nail-puller! Yesterday (Friday) another group from California came to help for for a day, and one the girls in the group helped me pull out nails. It was nice to have help because pulling out nails can be a lot of work sometimes!
On Thurday, a few people from our team, including me, went to a house dedication. At the house dedication, we sang a few songs, in Japanese, heard a short message from someone, then listened to people share some stories they had from working in that house. Before it was finished, a few people who have been working there presented the home owners with a large board with a cross on it that some people signed with a verse, and a Bible. It was really cool to see the house after it had been torn up, cleaned out, and rebuilt, and also to see how the home owners were just so happy and how the work by the volunteers has really moved them and that they can someday live in their own house again.
On another note, Robby, one of the Avoacados on our team, continually insists that I have an accent, and keeps telling me to say something so he can tease me for it! So I'm having fun, even when I'm not pulling out nails.
On Thurday, a few people from our team, including me, went to a house dedication. At the house dedication, we sang a few songs, in Japanese, heard a short message from someone, then listened to people share some stories they had from working in that house. Before it was finished, a few people who have been working there presented the home owners with a large board with a cross on it that some people signed with a verse, and a Bible. It was really cool to see the house after it had been torn up, cleaned out, and rebuilt, and also to see how the home owners were just so happy and how the work by the volunteers has really moved them and that they can someday live in their own house again.
On another note, Robby, one of the Avoacados on our team, continually insists that I have an accent, and keeps telling me to say something so he can tease me for it! So I'm having fun, even when I'm not pulling out nails.
End of Week 1
Dear Friends and Family,
We have completed our first week in Ishinomaki. Friday we were blessed by the addition of a team of ten from California (not our Avocado Team, but Avocados none the less). We got so much done! The walls are nearly complete and most of the flooring is ripped out. Next week we will be mudding out the gunk that was under the house. I'm not looking forward to that job because it will mean a lot of stooping over and that will be hard on the back.
Today (Saturday) we will be heading back to Ishinomaki to set up for a Christian Concert for the neighborhood this morning. The concert starts at 1:30 PM and will be followed by social time with flavored shaved ice. After all is done, our team will also do the clean up. We are really trying to build good relationships and share Christ with hurting people.
Tomorrow (Sunday), we will go to church and then have a tour of the disaster area in several other towns along the coast. I think everyone is ready for a bit of rest.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Love you all.
Pastor Gary
We have completed our first week in Ishinomaki. Friday we were blessed by the addition of a team of ten from California (not our Avocado Team, but Avocados none the less). We got so much done! The walls are nearly complete and most of the flooring is ripped out. Next week we will be mudding out the gunk that was under the house. I'm not looking forward to that job because it will mean a lot of stooping over and that will be hard on the back.
Today (Saturday) we will be heading back to Ishinomaki to set up for a Christian Concert for the neighborhood this morning. The concert starts at 1:30 PM and will be followed by social time with flavored shaved ice. After all is done, our team will also do the clean up. We are really trying to build good relationships and share Christ with hurting people.
Tomorrow (Sunday), we will go to church and then have a tour of the disaster area in several other towns along the coast. I think everyone is ready for a bit of rest.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Love you all.
Pastor Gary
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Work Day 4
It is early Friday morning and we are preparing for the final work day of our first week. I do most of my work on-line in the early morning hours (I have been waking up at 4:30 AM) because the internet gets crowded in the evenings and becomes very unreliable. Before I write about yesterday, I want to invite everyone that reads this blog to pray for our concert tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:00 PM. We will put on a Christian Concert in a parking lot in the neighborhood. We expect 3-400 people. Pray that the weather cooperates and that we build loving relationships and that people are open to the gospel of Christ. Many people in Ishinomaki are so appreciative that they greet us with hugs which never would have happened before the tsunami, so you can see a lot of love growing through our work.
Yesterday I FINALLY finished in the room I have been working on for nearly three days. I removed a beautiful built in closet/shelving and drawers unit that was ruined by the tsunami. The Masus have decided to make the room a "western" room, so they are putting a big window where the closet has been. But that meant I had to rip everything out to the ceiling and then spend many hours pulling nails and screws out of all of the scraps. My shoulders and back are pretty sore from working above my head most of the day yesterday.
We should finish the few small areas that still need drywall ripped out today. Yesterday, Tobin, a 21 year old construction worker from California (he is part of the avocado half of the "Avocado and Cheese" Group) began cutting floors. We should get the floors pulled up today. Dean (the project coordinator) says we will have 10 extra workers to help us today, so we should make some good progress. The weather has really cooled off, so that is helping us work more enthusiastically too. Dean hopes that our group will complete both houses (clean up, not rebuilds) before we are done next week.
Two really cool things happened yesterday. The first thing was a Japanese clean-up team arrived to remove the debris from the neighbor's front yard. It has been there for 4 months. The clean-up team lifted all of the bags into flat-bed dump trucks and emptied the bags and sorted the waste (they are very concerned with recycling and organization). They worked all day, but when they were finished, it made such a difference for the neighbor. Everyone that walked by cheered and she was smiling from ear to ear (I don't know her name, but she is one of the ladies that insists on giving our teams treats every day because Samaritan's Purse did her house back in March). I took pictures before the debris was removed, and I will be sure to get one of her cleared yard. You would not believe how nice the yard was cleaned! It was an encouragement for everyone.
The second event I did not witness, but Molly did and maybe I can get her to post about it this weekend. An hour away from where we are working, a home-owner had a house dedication because their home is complete and they can return to living in it, so they throw a big party and have speeches and celebrate. Josh and I decided to stay and work, but we should get to attend a dedication in our neighborhood next week. Those who attended were very moved by the experience.
I love you all. Keep praying for us to have strength and joy as we serve these traumatizes families. Please pray for tomorrow's concert.
God bless.
Pastor Gary
Yesterday I FINALLY finished in the room I have been working on for nearly three days. I removed a beautiful built in closet/shelving and drawers unit that was ruined by the tsunami. The Masus have decided to make the room a "western" room, so they are putting a big window where the closet has been. But that meant I had to rip everything out to the ceiling and then spend many hours pulling nails and screws out of all of the scraps. My shoulders and back are pretty sore from working above my head most of the day yesterday.
We should finish the few small areas that still need drywall ripped out today. Yesterday, Tobin, a 21 year old construction worker from California (he is part of the avocado half of the "Avocado and Cheese" Group) began cutting floors. We should get the floors pulled up today. Dean (the project coordinator) says we will have 10 extra workers to help us today, so we should make some good progress. The weather has really cooled off, so that is helping us work more enthusiastically too. Dean hopes that our group will complete both houses (clean up, not rebuilds) before we are done next week.
Two really cool things happened yesterday. The first thing was a Japanese clean-up team arrived to remove the debris from the neighbor's front yard. It has been there for 4 months. The clean-up team lifted all of the bags into flat-bed dump trucks and emptied the bags and sorted the waste (they are very concerned with recycling and organization). They worked all day, but when they were finished, it made such a difference for the neighbor. Everyone that walked by cheered and she was smiling from ear to ear (I don't know her name, but she is one of the ladies that insists on giving our teams treats every day because Samaritan's Purse did her house back in March). I took pictures before the debris was removed, and I will be sure to get one of her cleared yard. You would not believe how nice the yard was cleaned! It was an encouragement for everyone.
The second event I did not witness, but Molly did and maybe I can get her to post about it this weekend. An hour away from where we are working, a home-owner had a house dedication because their home is complete and they can return to living in it, so they throw a big party and have speeches and celebrate. Josh and I decided to stay and work, but we should get to attend a dedication in our neighborhood next week. Those who attended were very moved by the experience.
I love you all. Keep praying for us to have strength and joy as we serve these traumatizes families. Please pray for tomorrow's concert.
God bless.
Pastor Gary
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Work Day 3
We had a good day Wednesday. The weather has been a little cooler and even the humidity seemed better today. We still worked up a good sweat!
My main job today was disassembling a floor to ceiling closet/shelf and drawer built-in unit. It used most of my day. I had to unscrew and pry and pound and beat and pry some more...but finally had the entire thing apart. The carpenter clearly intended the unit to be earthquake proof because that is a genuine concern in Ishinomaki. Once I had everything apart, it took me another hour to pull all of the nails and screw out before the scrap could be hauled out to the curb. The back of the unit was wood paneling that also needed to be removed so I could get to the drywall behind it. The paneling was nailed and glued so that was another tedious job. I only need to get things removed until we are above the water-line, but at the end of the day, our supervisor told me the Masus want to put in a window so they want me to tear out all the way to the ceiling. Yeah! :) That will be my first project Thursday.
Our one disaster Wednesday was a broken water line as we were gutting the kitchen. Water sprayed the crew working in the kitchen and there was a lot of yelling...but then you realize that water really can't hurt anything. The water mains were shut off and we cut and capped the pipe and went back to work. It did add a little excitement to the day.
I hope today and tomorrow we can finish tearing out all of the drywall in the house and start on the floors. That will be unpleasant work for me with my back, but we will get it done. Under the floors is all of the muck and mud from the wave. We need to shovel that all out and get it down to clean dirt before we can start putting in new floors and restoring the house.
Dean, the project manager, tells us the Masu family is very happy with our work. After 16 months in temporary housing, they are beginning to feel hope. Every day they work in their yard (they have a beautiful yard) and ply us with treats and cold drinks. Sometimes it seems an encumberance to stop and socialize several times a day, but this work is as much about building relationships and sharing Christ as it is about restoring a house. Mr and Mrs Masu are sweet people and I truly pray for God's blessing on them.
One final note. Did you know that few people in Ishinomaki paint their walls? Paint chips and cracks in earthquakes. Instead everything is wall-papered with a thick (and somewhat elastic) paper that holds together well and covers cracks.
God bless you and keep you.
In Christ,
Pastor Gary
My main job today was disassembling a floor to ceiling closet/shelf and drawer built-in unit. It used most of my day. I had to unscrew and pry and pound and beat and pry some more...but finally had the entire thing apart. The carpenter clearly intended the unit to be earthquake proof because that is a genuine concern in Ishinomaki. Once I had everything apart, it took me another hour to pull all of the nails and screw out before the scrap could be hauled out to the curb. The back of the unit was wood paneling that also needed to be removed so I could get to the drywall behind it. The paneling was nailed and glued so that was another tedious job. I only need to get things removed until we are above the water-line, but at the end of the day, our supervisor told me the Masus want to put in a window so they want me to tear out all the way to the ceiling. Yeah! :) That will be my first project Thursday.
Our one disaster Wednesday was a broken water line as we were gutting the kitchen. Water sprayed the crew working in the kitchen and there was a lot of yelling...but then you realize that water really can't hurt anything. The water mains were shut off and we cut and capped the pipe and went back to work. It did add a little excitement to the day.
I hope today and tomorrow we can finish tearing out all of the drywall in the house and start on the floors. That will be unpleasant work for me with my back, but we will get it done. Under the floors is all of the muck and mud from the wave. We need to shovel that all out and get it down to clean dirt before we can start putting in new floors and restoring the house.
Dean, the project manager, tells us the Masu family is very happy with our work. After 16 months in temporary housing, they are beginning to feel hope. Every day they work in their yard (they have a beautiful yard) and ply us with treats and cold drinks. Sometimes it seems an encumberance to stop and socialize several times a day, but this work is as much about building relationships and sharing Christ as it is about restoring a house. Mr and Mrs Masu are sweet people and I truly pray for God's blessing on them.
One final note. Did you know that few people in Ishinomaki paint their walls? Paint chips and cracks in earthquakes. Instead everything is wall-papered with a thick (and somewhat elastic) paper that holds together well and covers cracks.
God bless you and keep you.
In Christ,
Pastor Gary
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Work Day 2
We put in a full day on Tuesday. It was a little cooler, but still very muggy and everyone sweats heavily. Wearing a hat, face mask, and goggles all day while sweating profusely is a bit of a challenge. But we did make great progress on Mr and Mrs Masu's house today. We gutted their kitchen after finishing our work in the big room (family room?) and started on the bathroom and hallway areas.
The most remarkable part of the day was when Mrs Masu shared her tsunami experience! Mrs Masu was at home and her husband was at the dentist when the earthquake hit. Mr Masu immediately went home and picked up Mrs Masu and they went to their son's house a couple of blocks away because they were worried about their grandchildren. Their high school aged grandson was sent home, but his younger brother was held at school because they needed to know an adult was with him so the Masus sent the older grandson to pick up the younger. The school released the brother, but they were unable to get home because by then, people were beginning to flee the tsunami. The Masus and their other grandchildren were able to get on the roof just as the wave hit and fortunately, their house didn't collapse (many did). The two brothers managed to get to the top of a pedestrian bridge as the wave reached them and managed to stay high enough to be safe but they were stranded for many hours on this bridge as they watched and listened as many other people were swept away and killed. To add to the horror of the day, the tsunami was immediately followed by a winter blizzard, so the people wet and trapped outside also had to deal with snow and cold, many getting frostbite. A car mechanic near the pedestrian bridge was able to get a ladder from his second story to the bridge and get the trapped people into his building. It was several days before the two boys and the Masu family were reunited.
Another shocking experience of today was when one of the neighborhood women that brings treats every day (Samaritan Purse workers did her home earlier) shared a photo album that her husband made journaling the whole experience first hand. There were pictures of buses on top of two story buildings and cars piled onto three story buildings. It is all hard to imagine! It is also amazing how much has been accomplished in the 16 months since the tsunami.
I'm ready for bed so that will be all tonight.
God bless and keep us in your prayers.
Pastor Gary
The most remarkable part of the day was when Mrs Masu shared her tsunami experience! Mrs Masu was at home and her husband was at the dentist when the earthquake hit. Mr Masu immediately went home and picked up Mrs Masu and they went to their son's house a couple of blocks away because they were worried about their grandchildren. Their high school aged grandson was sent home, but his younger brother was held at school because they needed to know an adult was with him so the Masus sent the older grandson to pick up the younger. The school released the brother, but they were unable to get home because by then, people were beginning to flee the tsunami. The Masus and their other grandchildren were able to get on the roof just as the wave hit and fortunately, their house didn't collapse (many did). The two brothers managed to get to the top of a pedestrian bridge as the wave reached them and managed to stay high enough to be safe but they were stranded for many hours on this bridge as they watched and listened as many other people were swept away and killed. To add to the horror of the day, the tsunami was immediately followed by a winter blizzard, so the people wet and trapped outside also had to deal with snow and cold, many getting frostbite. A car mechanic near the pedestrian bridge was able to get a ladder from his second story to the bridge and get the trapped people into his building. It was several days before the two boys and the Masu family were reunited.
Another shocking experience of today was when one of the neighborhood women that brings treats every day (Samaritan Purse workers did her home earlier) shared a photo album that her husband made journaling the whole experience first hand. There were pictures of buses on top of two story buildings and cars piled onto three story buildings. It is all hard to imagine! It is also amazing how much has been accomplished in the 16 months since the tsunami.
I'm ready for bed so that will be all tonight.
God bless and keep us in your prayers.
Pastor Gary
Monday, July 16, 2012
We are safe and sound in Japan! The trip was exhausting. We flew out of Minneapolis at 9:30 PM Friday night and arrived at Nakito airport in Tokyo at 5:00 AM Sunday morning (after a brief layover in LA). Sleeping on the plane was near impossible for me, so I was feeling limp coming off the plane. We made it through customs (they threw away all of our beef jerkey because you are not allowed to bring beef from the US into Japan) and exchanged our money. We were picked up by one of the crew after we left customs and drove 90 minutes to "the Tokyo house" owned by the BGC. It felt great to shower and put on fresh clothes. We walked to a local bakery for breakfast and then walked to the train into Tokyo and walked to a church (all in Japanese...Josh and Molly had translators, but I understood nothing). After church we walked back to the train and headed back to the Tokyo house. One of our team , Gil, who grew up in Japan went to another church he was familiar with and had lunch with the pastor, so we were delayed in leaving for our next stop...instead, we walked to the bakery again and had sandwiches. Once Gil returned, we drove 5 hours north to a seminary that housed us for the night (we stopped at a Japanese restaurant for dinner and mastered the use of chopsticks eating noodles, sticky rice, and tempura). Finally arrived at the seminary at 9:30 PM and I was the walking dead! Hit the mat and was out in an instant.
Believe it or not, I woke up at 6:30 AM Monday feeling great. We had breakfast with the team leader from Samaritan's Purse and reloaded all of our belongings in the van and headed to Ishinomaki where we are working on two houses. I helped in New Orleans after Katrina, but this is much worse because everything looks like the neighborhood in New Orleans where the dike failed...many houses are simply gone...many houses are clearly unsalvageable...and the houses that can be saved need to be stripped to their framing. The house I am working on has a water line from the tsunami about 6 1/2 feet up the wall, so all walls need to be torn out but the ceilings are ok. One difference from New Orleans is that the floors also have to be torn out so the sludge from the flooding can be shoveled out. We don't get to swing wild with the crowbars and hammers like we did in New Orleans...the home owners are with us all day and we treat their property with gentle respect. We carefully tear out the drywall and pull all the nails and screws and remove any insulation. Everything goes into bags and is placed on the curb for pickup (much more orderly than New Orleans). After everything is stripped and cleaned, we will bleach all the wood and have everything looking (and smelling) very clean so the electricians and carpenters can come and restore the house. The first day we got there late, were given orientation, and had lunch before we began to work. We finished early so we could go to our permanent lodging - Morigo, a Christian Camp that Samaritan's Purse is running to house relief workers. It is very picturesque. Sitting in hill country, Morigo has a beautiful lake and great scenery. We ended our Monday (which was a national holiday in Japan - Ocean Day) by going out for sushi. I tried everything! But the neatest part was the restaurant itself. Conveyor builts snake around the restaurant carrying a great variety of sushi dishes. When you see one you want, you simply snatch it off the conveyor and eat it. We were allowed up to 10 choices each. I tried tuna, salmon, herring, shrimp, squid, egg and several other things. It was good...but I'm not claiming sushi is my favorite food.
It is now Tuesday morning and I am getting ready to return to Ishinomaki. Pray that we will bless our home owners. They are very gracious and give us snacks all day. I don't know how they keep from weeping as we gut their homes. But I pray that they see hope as they get closer to having a house again. They continue to garden and the outside of many homes have flowers and vegetable gardens even though no one lives there yet.
God bless you all.
Pastor Gary
Believe it or not, I woke up at 6:30 AM Monday feeling great. We had breakfast with the team leader from Samaritan's Purse and reloaded all of our belongings in the van and headed to Ishinomaki where we are working on two houses. I helped in New Orleans after Katrina, but this is much worse because everything looks like the neighborhood in New Orleans where the dike failed...many houses are simply gone...many houses are clearly unsalvageable...and the houses that can be saved need to be stripped to their framing. The house I am working on has a water line from the tsunami about 6 1/2 feet up the wall, so all walls need to be torn out but the ceilings are ok. One difference from New Orleans is that the floors also have to be torn out so the sludge from the flooding can be shoveled out. We don't get to swing wild with the crowbars and hammers like we did in New Orleans...the home owners are with us all day and we treat their property with gentle respect. We carefully tear out the drywall and pull all the nails and screws and remove any insulation. Everything goes into bags and is placed on the curb for pickup (much more orderly than New Orleans). After everything is stripped and cleaned, we will bleach all the wood and have everything looking (and smelling) very clean so the electricians and carpenters can come and restore the house. The first day we got there late, were given orientation, and had lunch before we began to work. We finished early so we could go to our permanent lodging - Morigo, a Christian Camp that Samaritan's Purse is running to house relief workers. It is very picturesque. Sitting in hill country, Morigo has a beautiful lake and great scenery. We ended our Monday (which was a national holiday in Japan - Ocean Day) by going out for sushi. I tried everything! But the neatest part was the restaurant itself. Conveyor builts snake around the restaurant carrying a great variety of sushi dishes. When you see one you want, you simply snatch it off the conveyor and eat it. We were allowed up to 10 choices each. I tried tuna, salmon, herring, shrimp, squid, egg and several other things. It was good...but I'm not claiming sushi is my favorite food.
It is now Tuesday morning and I am getting ready to return to Ishinomaki. Pray that we will bless our home owners. They are very gracious and give us snacks all day. I don't know how they keep from weeping as we gut their homes. But I pray that they see hope as they get closer to having a house again. They continue to garden and the outside of many homes have flowers and vegetable gardens even though no one lives there yet.
God bless you all.
Pastor Gary
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Trip Overview
A question that we get quite often is: What are you going to be doing in Japan? Until a couple of days ago we didn't have a very good answer, but we recently got an e-mail with the following information:
Combined Wisconsin - California Team (Cheese and Avocado)
PARTICIPANTS
Cumberland Baptist Church, Cumberland WIS
1. Pastor Gary Dorn
2. Josh Dorn
3. Molly Nickell
Grace Baptist Church, Santa Maria, California
4. Rob Wright
5. Rob's son
6. single 26 year old woman
7. Tobin a 21 year old man
Evangel Baptist Church, Wheaton IL
8. Gil Zinke (until 7/23)
Converge Worldwide
9. Nate Jahnke
ARRANGEMENTS
7 Men (6 from the 23rd)
2 Women 2
SCHEDULE
JUL 14 (SAT)
Gil arrives NRT from PNG (on Air Niugini PX 54), Comes to Tokorozawa house
JUL 15 (SUN)
Wis team arrives HND DL635 at 4:55am
Cal team arrives HND DL635 at 4:55am
Freshen up at Tokyo Staging Base (Tokorozawa), Orientation, Outfitting, Attend Kokubunji
Baptist Church, travel to Tohoku, stay at LB Seminary Sendai (until Tue)
JUL 16 (MON) to 20th Friday Work in Ishinomaki with Dean Bengtson
JUL 17 (TUE) Move to housing at SP Morigo base Rifu City
JUL 21 (SAT) Asiah concert in Shintate
JUL 22 (SUN) Worship at Ishinomaki House of Prayer, Gil Zinke Preaches
JUL 23 (MON) Work with Dean Bengtson until 26th Thu
Gil leaves for Tokyo 7/23, stays in Tokorozawa, departs NRT on UA 882 on 7/24, Tuesday.
JUL 27 (FRI) Combined team to Tokyo
JUL 28 (SAT)
Sightseeing Day in Tokyo
Wis Team leaves NRT DL284 3:40PM
JUL 29 (SUN)
Attendance at Kokubunji Church
Calif team departs DL636 12:45 AM HND (Actually Monday Morning)
So now you know as much as we do! It is quite crazy to think that the trip is coming up so quickly and we still don't know every detail, but we have faith that we are doing what God wants us to, and we are putting our faith in Him.
Combined Wisconsin - California Team (Cheese and Avocado)
PARTICIPANTS
Cumberland Baptist Church, Cumberland WIS
1. Pastor Gary Dorn
2. Josh Dorn
3. Molly Nickell
Grace Baptist Church, Santa Maria, California
4. Rob Wright
5. Rob's son
6. single 26 year old woman
7. Tobin a 21 year old man
Evangel Baptist Church, Wheaton IL
8. Gil Zinke (until 7/23)
Converge Worldwide
9. Nate Jahnke
ARRANGEMENTS
7 Men (6 from the 23rd)
2 Women 2
SCHEDULE
JUL 14 (SAT)
Gil arrives NRT from PNG (on Air Niugini PX 54), Comes to Tokorozawa house
JUL 15 (SUN)
Wis team arrives HND DL635 at 4:55am
Cal team arrives HND DL635 at 4:55am
Freshen up at Tokyo Staging Base (Tokorozawa), Orientation, Outfitting, Attend Kokubunji
Baptist Church, travel to Tohoku, stay at LB Seminary Sendai (until Tue)
JUL 16 (MON) to 20th Friday Work in Ishinomaki with Dean Bengtson
JUL 17 (TUE) Move to housing at SP Morigo base Rifu City
JUL 21 (SAT) Asiah concert in Shintate
JUL 22 (SUN) Worship at Ishinomaki House of Prayer, Gil Zinke Preaches
JUL 23 (MON) Work with Dean Bengtson until 26th Thu
Gil leaves for Tokyo 7/23, stays in Tokorozawa, departs NRT on UA 882 on 7/24, Tuesday.
JUL 27 (FRI) Combined team to Tokyo
JUL 28 (SAT)
Sightseeing Day in Tokyo
Wis Team leaves NRT DL284 3:40PM
JUL 29 (SUN)
Attendance at Kokubunji Church
Calif team departs DL636 12:45 AM HND (Actually Monday Morning)
So now you know as much as we do! It is quite crazy to think that the trip is coming up so quickly and we still don't know every detail, but we have faith that we are doing what God wants us to, and we are putting our faith in Him.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
T-minus: 6 days
It's really crazy to think of it, but in six days our group will be headed to Japan! My mind is completely boggled by the thought that this endeavor was started about five months ago, and is almost to culmination. The realization of what we are about to do is finally hitting me: traveling halfway around the world to aid a completely foreign people by rebuilding what was destroyed by an incredible natural disaster over a year ago. Granted, there are still questions and details that I would love to be informed of, but all that matters is that God has got us this far. To be honest, if it wasn't for Him there's no way that two small-town Wisconsin kids and their crazy Pastor would have this opportunity, and furthermore see it to the end! Sure we aren't quite in Japan yet, but I am confident He will see us through. Please keep us all in your prayers, because, well, we need them!
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