Misawa City Parade

The day after we returned from the mission trip, I went out and took pictures of my friends who dressed up in kimonos and danced in the Misawa City Parade. This was a huge cultural opportunity for them and so I agreed to snap a few photos. The parade itself was definitly entertaining so I had plenty to look at while I waited for them to pass by. Below are some fun snapshots.

I caught a glimpse of some of them as they made their way to the parade start point.

Japanese marching band

miniature drummers! SO cute!

Little baton twirlers

Japanese women dancing

Here come our ladies, all dancing in sync

Several of their daughters joined in as well

Mission Trip Day 3

We all agree the third day of the mission trip was the most powerful. The morning started out well. One of our adult volunteers, Jen Reeder, enjoyed creating some custom, artistic pancakes for all of us. Then we packed up all of our stuff, cleaned the room for the next team of volunteers, and then met up with our translator Michio who took us to a neighborhood where we would walk around delivering large bags of rice we had donated to families in need.

It was extremely hot and humid out but our team hiked through three hilly neighborhoods for a couple of hours with the heavy bags of rice, knocking on doors and offering it to Japanese families. At first they were hesitant, asking us how much we were selling the bags for. When we explained it was free, as a gift, they were blown away by our generosity and often bowed very low, multiple times, expressing their thanks. It was extremely rewarding, and something I'm pretty sure our students will never forget.

The Japanese often feel honor bound, upon reciving a gift, to give you something in return. That was absolutely not expected. But we couldn't say no when one woman we visited tracked us down and gave us some delicious blue popcicles to help us cool off in the noonday heat. I really do love the Japanese people and their warmth and consideration. This was a wonderful trip, and it was an honor to serve them.

Mission Trip Day 2

On our second day, we drove out to one of the many temporary housing areas to put on a BBQ and spend time with the families living there. I'll admit, I was surprised there are still people living in these temporary housing units. It was my understanding after our trip last year that they really were supposed to be just temporary. When I asked our translator Michio about that, he explained the terrible position many of these people are in. Most of them had earthquake insurance but not tsunami insurance and so the government won't reimburse them for the loss of their homes. Also, many of these people are still paying the mortgage on the homes they lost. So they cannot afford to rebuild on their land.

While small, you can see these trailers have some electricity and satellite service

While we sat outside, preparing food and trying to make simple conversation with a couple of people, Michio made house visits to some people he knows are really struggling. He shared with us later that one old woman had confessed to contemplating suicide. But when she realized that we were there and that she hadn't been forgotten, she sat up and ate some food. We were really encouraged to see that our presence was significant, even if all we technically "did" was grill a few dozen burgers and dogs and speak a few words of broken Japanese to the residents.

I've got to give major credit to our male leaders Joel and George. It was probably 95 degrees out there that day, with high humidity. But they slaved over that hot grill for a couple of hours to help feed dozens of Japanese people plus our team.

We formed an assembly line to serve the residents

We loved this guy's hat.

Making new friends. They taught us the name of several flowers in Japanese. Finding common ground in any way we can.

After the BBQ was over, we went to a local mall to soak in some A/C, play some arcade games and indulge in some Baskin Robbins.

Then, that night we had another devotion and spent some time encouraging one another. We wove a web of friendship, tossing a ball of twine from person to person and telling that person why we like them. I was almost moved to tears at the end when they insisted on going around the circle and talking about why they like me. (I swear, I didn't put them up to it...) It will be difficult to leave this group when the time comes...

Miyako Mission Trip 2012 - Day 1

This August, we took another mission trip down the coast to serve the people who are still dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. It's been well over a year but there are still thouands of people stuck in temporary housing, struggling with loss and hopelessness. It was great talking to our Japanese contacts again, and driving along the same streets - seeing how much rebuilding they've done. The people in Louisiana could take some notes from the Japanese...

Sorting debris for recycling or burning.

Lots of empty foundations

We spent three days in the area - sleeping in the same flat. This time, we had an opportunity to expand our ministry to different groups of people. The first day was very similar to our mission trip last year. After a four hour road trip, we visited a couple of elementary schools to minister to children.

At the first school we put on a short program inspired by this summer's Vacation Bible School. The teens taught the Japanese students the meaning and motions of a song called "You Can Trust God". I enjoyed watching all of them dancing around together. Then the Japanese class swapped out and performed a traditional dance for us. After that, we did some craft projects and rough housed a bit. They were so cute!

Our full team with the school. We gave them all VBS tee shirts.

After that, we moved on to another school that we visited last year and put on a BBQ and played with the children. It was great recognizing students and teachers from last year and seeing how they've grown. They had the big mural we created last year hanging on the wall with photos of us. One of the older teachers was so great. She had a sharp sense of humor but also a strong love for God. She asked all of the students pray before the meal and thank God for sending us to them. Once again, they seemed humbled that we would praise and thank God for an opportunity to serve them. He is doing great things in this community.

Me in front of the mural we painted last year

Some of our girls showing off the cute thank you card the kids made for us

After a long day of traveling and playing in the extreme heat it was a relief to return to our room sit down and rest - even if it was stifling and cramped with 16 bodies crammed into an unairconditioned space. We cooked for ourselves, had a nice group devotion, and then played many, many card games till it was time to sleep.

The girl's sleeping area. They were packed in there like sardines but didn't seem to mind.

We had fewer boys so they got the separate, smaller room with bunks.

Playing card games. They didn't like it when Ms. Kim beat them... ;^P