One Month After the Quake

I just received another update from Marlin Ray who is partnering with CRF to help in the Japanese disaster.  -Milt

Hi,
We just came back from another trip to the Fukushima area.  Some of the roads that were lined with rubble have been cleared, mostly in the lightly damaged areas.  The areas hardest hit are still like piles of junk.  Most of the hardest-hit houses near the beach were not second homes or beach houses, but where the workers lived with their families.  The count of the dead keeps climbing and the missing list still doesn’t go down.

We went to a junior high school gym where about 80 people live.  They have put up 3 to 4 foot cardboard walls to give a little privacy. The school is on a hill overlooking the ocean. In this area, many people lived at a lower elevation.  Many didn’t get away.  All the houses were washed away.  There was nothing left of the town.

There was one volunteer who was cooking for the people.  She has been working all day every day since the tsunami.  We came to relieve her for one day.  On that day, a 9 year old boy had a birthday.  We went out and found a small cake and put whipped cream and strawberries on it.  We sang Happy Birthday to him.  There were tears in his eyes.  His sister and mother were there.  I didn’t hear anything else about him except that he has no home to go to.  It was hard to keep from crying.  I said a prayer for him, but it was difficult. I hope it was understood by the group.  We gave all the children colored pencils and paper.

One lady was the fun maker.  She came up to us and introduced herself in “English”.  She tried to teach the children to speak in English to us.  Of course she knew little English, but she was funny and joyful.  She also told us stories of those who lost houses or family.  I am tearing up as I write this.  I can’t bring back their fathers or mothers or other family members, but I wish I could build new houses for all of them.  They must move soon as school starts back and the gym is needed.  Some of the children go to that junior high.  I can’t help but think of the memories they’ll have every time they go into the gym.

We will continue to help in Fukushima.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Serving Him in Japan,
Marlin and Jean Ray

About Milt

Milton Jones is the President of Christian Relief Fund in Amarillo, Texas. In his work there, he has focused on the care of AIDS orphans in Sub-Sahara Africa. He has also served as a preacher and campus minister in both Texas and Washington. Milton has authored eight books including a touching tale of one of his heroes with Cerebral Palsy, Sundays With Scottie. He is married to Barbie Jones and has two sons, Patrick and Jeremy.
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