Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
CHARLOTTE, NC (ANS) -- Six months after the massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, 3,000 families have home kits, filled with supplies provided by Samaritan's Purse.
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Karayoshi Abe and his home kit from Samaritan's Purse (Photo courtesy Samaritan's Purse) |
"I was on the coastline," he said. "The walls in my home started to come down; we ran away immediately. I had my 6-month old son with me, so I went to a high place." Karayoshi didn't look back as he was racing up the mountainside, but when he finally stopped and the clouds of dust cleared, he saw his home and place of business completely under water.
The Samaritan's Purse article said that about 240 people who lived in the Baba District and escaped the giant waves found refuge at a volunteer center. Everyone was freezing cold, and there was no food or water, so they began to look for fuel and food in the remains of the destruction.
"When I came back home I saw everything was washed away, but I was more worried about all of the people in my community," Karayoshi said.
All the fuel and food they could find only lasted them one week. Samaritan's Purse arrived shortly after with fuel, food and water, shelter, and hygiene supplies. We were the first organization to bring them aid, which had come over on a plane filled with 93 tons of emergency supplies.
"Two hundred people were relieved when Samaritan's Purse came," fisherman Chiba Takahiro said. "It really gave us peace and assurance that they would keep coming and be here a long time. It was quite amazing because when we needed anything it came."
Chiba said that the hygiene kits were especially helpful because everyone was dirty after surviving the tsunami and the conditions in the shelter were poor.
"Samaritan's Purse gave us hygiene kits first," he said. "We were so thankful because we had no toothbrush, toothpaste, or soap. There were no shops and we had no money."
The Samaritan's Purse article said that a few months later, 21 families were able to move into a temporary housing community nearby, provided by the Japanese government. The small homes are equipped with basic appliances, such as a washer and dryer, and a stove and oven. However, other necessities like knives, pots and pans, and bed sheets were not given to them and were very difficult to find anywhere on the coasts of Japan.
Samaritan's Purse developed "home kits" to give to families living in shelters, temporary housing, or in their flood-damaged homes, so they could have these basic needs. The home kits include not only useful goods like salt, sugar, and cookware, but also a Bible in the style of a Japanese comic book, called the "Manga Bible." Since we began working in Japan, we have distributed about 3,000 home kits to Japanese families in need.
When Karayoshi and his wife Chikami received a home kit on August 14, they smiled in great gratitude and then stood in shock as they went through the different gifts in the box.
As he picked up a container of rice seasoning he said, "I can't find this in stores anywhere. It's hard to find this, so this is very helpful."
The article says Karayoshi used to have a seafood factory, but it is now buried underwater. In order to provide for his family, he borrows a friend's boat and fishes all evening and then sells the different items-octopus, crab, and scallops-to local markets in the morning.
"I'm so thankful when we receive things from people," he said. "There are many places that don't receive these kinds of things. You have to drive hours away to buy things like these. So I am thankful for these people delivering these things to us.
"In Japan you always give something back, but we have nothing to give."
The article goes on to say that Karayoshi and his family are taking a risk by staying near the coast, but they have hope that they can rebuild and renew their lives again. Since he is a community leader, he asked Samaritan's Purse staff if they could help his community pave a road to the volunteer center in case another earthquake and tsunami hits Japan. This summer we met that need by providing the equipment to clear a road up into the hills.
"Samaritan's Purse is not just helping now with the home kits, but right from the beginning," Chiba said. "I'm thankful for the home kit today. They have delivered things that we are in need of."
| ** Michael Ireland is Senior Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of th e National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior Reporter |
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