It was fun to have Pastor Wordell there today, as he got to share in the joy of giving these quilts away to some of those who need them the most. He got to talk with and learn the stories of some of our visitors... he has been hugely instrumental in getting this center up and running, working with WELS Christian Aid and Relief to get volunteers lined up and over here to help the people of Kessenuma. It was also immensely helpful to have the manpower to distribute hundreds of fliers all over the city to let people know we are here! And perhaps best of all, Brianna played and played and played with Kai ALL day, so Kai was very happy. They made two trips to the little park near the office and spent hours bouncing Kai's ball up and down the stairs at the center. I couldn't have asked for a better babysitter! Thank you, Bri!!!
Dan also whipped out his magic skills for the guests. It started off with two girls (pictured at left) and grew to a much larger group. Nene (the younger sister) was adorable and really warmed up as Dan mystified everyone by performing "impossible" feats with cards and mutilating forks (www.MagicianAtPlay.com if you want to book a gig to see for yourself!) Secretly, though, I think Pastor Wordell was the biggest magic fan of the day. He was totally into it! Dan's magic served as a great conversation starter for us and we discovered that Miho's father (our friend from yesterday) does a little bit of magic. We asked her to bring him along to the center some time. It sounds like she is going to be coming back tomorrow with her children to play with our kids as well. It would be a great opportunity for him to come see Dan's magic too!
I made another new friend (Kei-san) today at the center and had a heart to heart (with language limitations, of course) about why we were here and how the earthquake/tsunami had affected Dan and me, prompting us to take the opportunity - even with two young children - to come to Japan to help. Kei (only a few years older than I am) pulled out her limited English to tell me "Hontoni (really) THANK YOU" in my native language to express her sincerity. She pulled out her cell phone to show me pictures of her house two days after the tsunami (a pile of rubble, shards of wood and glass, parts of household objects with sections of the foundation peeking through... akin to the city dump, really.) I watched video her father had taken during the tsunami and saw an entire house go floating by... the images were unreal, like a movie. But the remaining evidence in Kessenuma clearly proves otherwise. Today's "forever moment" that I walk away with was my time with Kei and her humble, deep bow as she said thank you to us for coming to help. I wish I could somehow share that with each individual that made a quilt and has supported this project. We also had a Taiwanese woman come to the center with her daughters (one of whom was named "Anri" but it is pronounced much closer to "Andi"! I'd never come across anyone with that given name in Japan). Pastor learned after speaking with the mother that she had been a Christian in Taiwan before she got married, but had "assimilated" to her Japanese husband's traditions when she moved to Kessenuma 17 years ago, including religious practices. However, she had kept her Bible, but it washed away in the tsunami. Pastor is going to be sending her a Chinese-language Bible. I hope that future volunteers get the opportunity to study Scripture with this woman (and perhaps her daughters as well!) It was exciting to see the beginnings of the spiritual mission here.
By the end of the day, we hosted over 45 guests and had given away all but 56 quilts... primarily child-size quilts remain. There's a huge need for adult-size quilts here, so they go very quickly when we have them. Like many rural towns of Japan, Kessenuma has a large elderly community, as many of the younger generations move away to bigger cities and start their families there. However, knowing how resourceful Japanese people are, if they really need quilts, they will find a way to make the smaller size work! I would venture to guess that our remaining quilts won't last very long!
Dan and I got the center straightened up and ready to leave at exactly 5 p.m. We were exhausted and ready to have some family time back at the hotel. Dan made up some simple food for dinner and we took it with us... the thought of going to a restaurant seemed like WAY too much work tonight and we needed the break. And Kai got some excellent playtime with Daddy, Niko hung out and watched with Mommy, and an early bedtime rolled around for the boys.
Dan and I decided to "splurge" and buy ice cream from the front desk costing us ¥260 for the both of us. I could have sent Dan down with two ¥100 coins, a ¥50 coin, and a ¥10 coin, but because anything less than ¥1000 is coins, they accumulate VERY quickly if you aren't careful. So instead I opted to use one ¥100 coin, three ¥50 coins, ten ¥10 coins, a ¥5 coin, and five ¥1 coins. Dan wasn't thrilled he had to go down and pay with it, but our coin purse is MUCH lighter! :o) I got rid of an extra 15 coins! Yoshi!! (Yesssss!!)
When Dan came back up, however, the ice cream bar he purchased was a bit different than any I'd encountered and I think perhaps the ice cream maker was feeling a little conflicted the day they came up with this one. I was a bit bewildered on how to eat it... It was a crunchy chocolate-covered ice cream bar on top, and a mini ice cream sandwich on the bottom. Ummm?
I finally grasped it by the sandwich part with my fingers, and ate it down... and it was delicious. Next on tap, a hot bath (pun not intended, yet witty, if I do say so myself!) Oyasumi nasai, all! (Goodnight!)
Thanks for sharing your "forever moment." Touching.
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