We are BACK and enjoying time with friends and family. We thoroughly enjoyed splashing around in the pool with our friends the Laing family, and the twinsies got to show off their fancy matching swim suits!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Goodbye for now...
Our final days in Japan were jam-packed with sweet goodbyes and some of our favorite things. We made a final trip up to Shigaraki and the Yamada Dairy Farm, this time bringing all the fixings to make homemade tortellinis! This was all Ray's idea, and he studied hard to make the day a blast!! We invited our friends the Yasudas, and Ken's family along too!
We even got to ride a cow (sort of)!
And feed them...
Ray started all the kiddos out with their own volcano of flour. They then mixed in the egg... with their hands!!
Then we flattened out the beautiful dough and went to work stuffing it with Yamada cheese, basil and garlic- YUM!
Top it off with a fresh green salad from Ken's garden, garlic bread, and homemade sauce... gourmet! And so delicious and extra special to have all worked for our food!
Karin, flying in the air!
A LOT of bread was made in our final days in Japan. Ray kind of got on a kick, and spoiled us all with delicious whole wheat bread, tortillas and naan. And the little ones sure loved to help!
We'll miss you, Japan. But we expect to see you soon.... :)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2.1-8
Sunday, May 15, 2011
More to Read...
These are two articles written on Sunday by a columnist in Eugene Oregon:
http://www.registerguard.com/web/sportscolumnists/ 26248391-41 /ray-sarah-japan-basketball-says.html.csp
And also an accompanying blog:
http://www2.registerguard.com/
This article was written by a sports writer for the Japan Times out of Tokyo:
The Global Mission Center, Iwaki City
The hope of both Ray and I in sharing our story of our time in Fukushima is that it may inspire others to give in whatever fashion they can, and to remind people just how much need there is. The Global Mission Center is set up in such a way that individuals and groups alike can come, have a place to stay and meals to eat, and serve in whatever area they feel called.
In the mornings we wake and have breakfast together, meet for a morning meeting to break into our service groups for the day, and do a little tai chi to get our muscles stretched out....
The building was converted from an old pachinko and slot parlour, or our equivalent of an American casino, so the building is able to house many people very comfortably. This was our room for the week...
Downstairs they converted the church sanctuary into a warehouse for donated items. Volunteers are very helpful in sorting and organizing goods...
In Iwaki there are many different kinds of shelters, ranging from 25 or so people, to some 100 residents. People sleep on the floors of gymnasiums, sometimes only separated from other families by cardboard "walls"...
Volunteers set up foot washing and massage stations. This is an incredible opportunity to show love and spend time helping the people relax and feel cared for...
Please pass the word: if you feel lead to go to Japan, or feel drawn to send supplies or a financial gift, anything helps (small things add up to great things!!). Please let me know if you or anyone else would like more information!! Let's make a difference and show radical love!!!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Global Mission Center, Iwaki City, Part 2
"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts 20.35
Days 2 and 3 were spent removing debris at a seaweed factory...
Huge blocks in the seaweed press were so heavy that Ray had difficulty even budging them. It was a full team effort to remove them...
The beach is littered with skeletons of cars and homes...
The work seemed so overwhelming, but in two days we were able to make such great strides. This room was once chest high in debris...
For this particular location Ray's strength was very much needed. Everything was heavy and big. Thank the Lord Ray was there, aided by two other men from Alabama and several other guys that made a great and strong team...
The huge boxes and blocks of seaweed were ruined, and thus loaded in trucks to be taken to the incinerator and destroyed...
We had the honor of working alongside the owner of the seaweed factory and his wife. They were such incredibly gracious and grateful people, radiating joy despite their tremendous loss. In Japan the government does not offer any financial assistance to individuals, only to public aid (roads, schools, etc...). The people who lost their homes or businesses are left to try to financially and physically rebuild their lives on their own. So humbling...
After doing debris cleanup, Ray would leave every afternoon to meet with schools and teach basketball clinics. Our team from Otsu Baptist cooked a hot meal two night for a local shelter, so I stayed and helped serve food...
The residents of the shelters were a mixture of young and old; those displaced by the nuclear crisis and those who had lost everything...
This was the extent of the medical supplies at this shelter. There is a huge need for supplies...
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