Tonight at dinner the kids and I played “Highs and Lows.”  We all agreed that our low was Eric leaving this morning for five days, although Annie said that the mushrooms in her school lunch were a pretty bad low as well.

Eric got off today with a van packed to the top with boxes of vegetables, socks and underwear, instant ramen, individual stoves and gas refills, and individual cereal boxes.  Yesterday he had spent a few hours at Costco buying many of these goods.  He said it was all good until he had to discreetly buy three large boxes of women’s underwear and get them into his cart when no other shoppers were around….

He had two passengers, Glen and his daughter Julie,  who had flown in the day before from the U.S. and are friends with the Huddlestons, who are organizing the Kansai (Osaka) Be-One efforts for going up to Tohoku.  As we were loading up the car, Glen’s face and voice, in particular, seemed familiar.  Turns out — I was his small group leader in a Bobby Clinton class at Fuller Seminary fifteen years ago!  It was a fun connection.  After loading the van, we sent them the three off with some prayer – and lots of sardines for Eric.

Eric just sent me a text that they arrived a bit more than twelve hours later- around 10:45 pm.  He said it had been snowing the last hour or two of their drive.  I’m not sure the challenges that will add in delivering goods and helping people dig out their homes over the next few days…. They are staying at a karate dojo (gym) that has become a sort of base camp.

After returning home today with Olivia and Ian, I found a package in our mailbox from a church in California in which the children made cards for us to give to children who have been affected by the tsunami and earthquake.  As I went through and read them tonight, I was touched by the way that these kids expressed their hearts and tried to find ways to comfort children in Japan.  It will be fun to deliver them (well, most of them!)  the next time that Eric or one of us goes up.  I love how children express themselves….