What I Saw in Northeast Japan (video)
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/32665016 w=480&h=270]
This is what I saw during my relief work trip to Tohoku (Northeastern Japan) this past week.
While I stayed in Sendai, the work we did was in the city of Ishinomaki, which, as you can see from the video, suffered a lot of damage during the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. And, over 9 months later, there is still a lot of work to be done in rebuilding the area and restoring people’s normal lives and livelihoods. I worked with an organization called JIFH (Japanese International Food for the Hungry). In addition to bringing supplies and encouragement to people living in the temporary housing units, JIFH is helping to clean up and re-build damaged homes and places of business. We worked in damaged houses tearing down walls and pulling out flooring and plumbing fixtures so that carpenters could go in and replace the damaged ones. I felt like my part was a very small one, but it was a privilege to be there to help in any way I could. There aren’t enough resources or people to get the work done quickly, but things are going more quickly where there are volunteers, churches and relief organizations lending a hand. Thank you for praying for Japan. Note: The song I used in this video is called “Blackwater” by Fatblueman, and can be purchased via iTunes, with proceeds going towards Japan earthquake relief work: http://itunes.apple.com/album/black-water-in-support-japan/id453606035