by Erik Boehme

Fellow A2 missionary Kent Muhling and I traveled to Rikuzentakata with a team from JIBC church from Oregon. Thankfully gasoline and food is available now in the outlying areas. Some roads and bridges are still destroyed but access is apparently becoming easier.

When we arrived we set up a roadside bazzar to give away supplies. The word quickly spread and many people flocked to see what we had. The first things to go were the kerosene containers we brought. I wish we had brought more. But diapers, socks, t shirts, vegetables were all needed. It was a blessing to see how thankful everryone was to receive these things. I could tell that God had prepared the way for us. Kent and one of the JIBC team were able to pray for a lady that had attended a Christian kindergarten. She said that the Bible was the first book she saw coming out of her bookshelf after the earthquake. She was so thankful to meet us and receive prayer.

After this we went to a evacuation shelter where we gave out more supplies. There were many children there and they were happy to receive snacks and the small simple toys that were brought.

We met with many people but one family in a hard to reach area was glad to receive vegetables from us. They had been in contact with a friend of Kent and thanked us for the lights and batteries he had brought. Later we returned with a generator that the JIBC team had brought. When we gave it to them they were just overjoyed. Now the kids don't have to do homework with flashlights.

Minami Sanriku Evacuation Center

We also went to an evac center in Minami Sanriku, one of the harder hit towns along the northeastern coast, in order to deliver supplies and to minister to heart level needs. The Evac center is in a high school gym hat was up a hill just above the destruction. Incidentally, pictures indeed do not communicate the scale of this.  If you've seen the grand can yon you know what I mean.

People here are living in an open gym with their small personal space separated by cardboard. I was able to share meals with people and listen to their stories. Since everyone is going through the same things it is encouraging for someone to really care about their individual experience.  We also played with some kids and met their families. It must be so difficult to raise small kids in this situation. Please pray for the Sato family I met today. The husband's job is construction and he goes to work every day but they have to live in this shelter for now.

We are sleeping in the open room at the Evacuation center tonight.  Tomorrow we will help a church do some acivities for the people here.

Thank you for your continued prayer for our efforts and the people to whom we are trying to minister.

Until the Whole World Hears,
Erik Boehme

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