Connections

If there's anything I've learned about Northerners, it's that they're connected. And being brand-new in Ofunato, connection is what we want. 

We checked with City Hall about volunteer work, and found that it's defined as physical assistance, like cleanup, food, clothing, and shelter. The government does seem to think their task is ending soon. And they're partially right. What has been done thus far has been an incredible amount of hard work. 

There's an organization called All Hands that put a lot of work into this city, and they pulled out this week. True to their name, they put their hands to any task that was needed. There are thank-you posters all over town to recognize the contribution of these volunteers. They were here for about seven months. Yes, thank you, All Hands. 

The manual cleanup is winding down. But this disaster is far from over. Rebuilding will take time. And rebuilding hearts is a long-term task. 

For that, we need connections. 

Shortcut. Paula, our team leader, knows a city councilman who is a Christian. He is concerned about his community, and has considerable influence. He understands that his city needs heart care, and he showed us around for the afternoon. 

We went to the central office that coordinates all of the local temporary housing locations, without an appointment, and got connected to the office manager. He in turn connected us to several temporary housing locations, and we delivered rice to nine families. Then we rushed off to an appointment to be interviewed at the newspaper office for an article, because the city councilman wanted to make sure that evacuees living with relatives found out about us and could contact us with whatever needs they might have. 

But the best connection of the day is with one of the families we met. The lady of the house wants us to come visit and have some tea. 

Thank you, Councilman Miura. We'll go have tea and make a new friend as soon as we can.