I only had a chance to talk with Eric briefly tonight – he and Peter are driving late tonight down to a Sendai train station to pick up a colleague Stu who is coming to help continue relief work.

This morning the groups all headed out into different directions to help families throughout the neighborhoods who were trying to clean out their homes.  Peter and the Sanda team went and helped a woman clean out her floors and throw out her piano.  She had lost five family members in the tsunami.  Our hearts break with hers.  So thankful that she has had a chance to see the hands and feet of Jesus loving her!

Eric was asked to stay back to do an interview with a Christian communications group.  After that, he and Chad went out to scout out a location to have the second barbeque.  They found a location in the midst of a residential area and set up the grills, tables, and other relief supplies that they had brought.  People kept coming and coming… all the hotdogs were eaten, and all but a few bags of the chicken.  Just as the volunteers were about to eat dinner after everyone had finished, a thunderstorm blew in and they scrambled like crazy to get everything into cars.

Here is what Chad and Jennifer wrote about the barbeque yesterday:

“It felt like life was coming back,” Chad said, in reference to the barbecue at the park today.  One of the teams headed there this morning to finish cleaning up and set up for the BBQ.  Another team prepared the food and made pasta salad at the dojo.  Three other teams headed out to nursing homes and other areas to distribute supplies, as well as do some cleaning projects in those areas. 

Though they fought some windy weather conditions, it sounds like the barbecue in the park they have been cleaning for the last two days was a huge success.  Many from the neighborhood came to help clean and then even to help cook.  Kids were all over the park, playing soccer, jumping rope and climbing on the play equipment.  Flowers that the team planted around the park seemed to give it that extra touch of life.  Chad said there was just a really good spirit there today.  Praise God!!

They were prepared to feed up to 1000, and though no one took an official head count, Chad said they fed probably 350 and plan to take what was left over and do another barbecue somewhere tomorrow.  They had lots of time to talk with people and at the end were able to pray as a group with those who were left from the neighborhood, including one of the leaders.

I was shocked to see a Google map photo of the park that they cleaned before the tsunami.  There is grass; trees; it looks like a beautiful place to hang out.  Here are a few of the photos of the park after the tsunami:

Here are two more photos of the park cleaned up:  (with some cars that still need to be towed) away:

Tomorrow Eric and the Sanda team will be driving back.  Please pray for their long drive, as well as for the teams remaining to continue relief work.  They are really tired, but I have sensed such joy that they have experienced in serving and giving.  Can’t wait to hear more from them personally.