Note: I had an impressively long blog post set up as the next update, but my computer decided not to save it so this is version #2. I'm going to do my best to be thorough, although slightly more brief, but I will try to keep all the main content included. This post is going to be long, as it's an update from a busy two weeks, so if you're not going to read the full thing please at least read the wrap up at the end. :)
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| Building a storage tent for a local fisherman. |
Much of the past two weeks has been devoted to building storage and army tents for Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization. When the tsunami came more than two years ago, fishermen were hit especially hard and in a fishing community that impact is bad news for everyone. The storage sheds will give the local fishermen a place to store their fishing equipment and the army tents will give volunteers a place to stay while they work in the area. The plan for the project is to build dozens of these two types of tents all over the Oshika Peninsula near Ishinomaki, and is home to many small fishing villages that often get overlooked.
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| The finished army tent we built for Mr. Hiratsuka. |
This army tent took a full three days to construct compared to the three or four hours it takes to set up a storage shed. But the benefit of the longer period of time was that we were able to get to know the Hiratsuka family a little bit better. Mr. Hiratsuka showed us a family photo as he told us about his children and I was a little confused because it didn't look like a typical family portrait. He explained that a photographer from the newspaper came to take pictures of people because many families lost most of their belongings, including many photographs, in the tsunami.
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| One of three amazing lunches we had at the Hiratsuka's home. |
The food was incredible as was the company.
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| A Chinese outreach event. Homemade Chinese food in the foreground. |
I never thought I'd be practicing Chinese worship songs in Japan, but I soon found myself learning to play some really catchy Chinese songs on guitar. There's apparently a decently sized Chinese population in the area, with people coming to Ishinomaki to work in the fish processing factories or attending international schools. A few of our volunteers made some really tasty homemade dumplings along with Chicken and a tofu dessert.
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| Local children performing at a neighborhood festival. |
Last year one of the Christian groups in the area held a children's festival at a small park nearby and it was such a success that some community members wanted another similar festival this year. There were game and food stands outside, and in a community room a number of local musicians performed and a group of GMT interns and myself were able to do a couple of songs as well. I ended up running the sound system for the day, which was pretty hectic and tiring but it was a lot of fun and it's always cool when random skills get put to good use.
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| A yakisoba food truck owner sharing his story of the tsunami with us. |
After church last Sunday, the volunteers took a tour around Ishinomaki to get a better perspective of the impact of the tsunami. It was pretty hard to look at a huge expanse of weed-infested land and imagine 2,000 houses being destroyed in a short time, but that's the reality of the damage that the tsunami caused. One homeowner told us how he had to flee from the water by going up a nearby mountain which soon turned into an island with all the seawater that rushed in.
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| Performing at a small violin recital for the violin student of one of the GMT interns. |
Later that Sunday, we hosted a violin recital for a violin student of one of our interns. The student started violin lessons before the tsunami and was set to have her debut performance, but because the tsunami came, her performance was cancelled. It's been long awaited but after almost two and a half years, the student is getting her first concert. It was a really great time. Seeing the joy on her face after the concert was so incredibly rewarding.
All of the work I've been able to be a part of while in Ishinomaki has been about spreading love in some sense, seeing what life is like for another person and loving them in that. Whether we were helping fishermen recover from a financially and physically threatening situation, serving food that reminds people of home far away, hanging out with the community at a festival, talking to locals about their experiences in the tsunami, or giving a violinist her debut performance, it has been such a joy to be among these people. That's what the theme of this month has been for me, and I'm not convinced that
that's not how the rest of life should be as well.
-Spencer
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Needs no explanation, but I'll give it anyway:
The best ramen I've had in quite some time. |
