The Best Service Day Yet!

These 4 Shimai came to Sendai on a bus from their area many hours away the night before the service project and stayed with us at the honbu (Mission Home)They arrived late and were very tired so I fed them a little spaghetti and sent them all to bed. The cute Shimai in front with the white T-shirt was in Ishinomaki when the earthquake and tsunami hit. She described to us that she initially felt like it was the Second Coming and thought she would probably die. But her second thought was that she would just go to the other side of the veil and continue doing missionary work. She is very sweet and humble. She was interviewed by the church and her story was featured in the Liahona (Japan version) this month with her picture.
Our group of missionaries met at the Kamisugi Church where we walked a short distance to load up the bus that took us to Ishinomaki for the project. We love each one of these fine young missionaries.
A look at the project today and everyone working.
Tehei Shimai, Dotson Shimai and me. We worked together on inserting shells into the twisted ropes for the oysters to attach themselves to in the ocean; and may I humbly say we were a great team and could do it faster than the fishermen themselves--and had lots of fun doing it.
Gary worked on untangling rope and preparing it for the fishermen to use in the oyster farming. I was amazed how many ropes they were able to salvage.
The fishermen wanted to take a break every 30 minutes so we had to break with them. This picture was taken during a break. Gary with Dotson Shimai.
I'm talking to Elder Thomas who works with his wife in the mission office. We love and appreciate the Thomas'.
This picture was taken at the end of the day after we had worked hard with the fishermen and the other volunteers and laughed together and truly had a warm affection for one another. One of the men there related to Gary his experience the day of the tsunami. He is the fellow in a blue shirt right below me in the center of the picture. This is the experience taken from Gary's journal. "Perhaps the most gratifying part of the day was when 41 year old Kimura san approached me and told me (unsolicited) about the day the tsunami hit. He and his colleagues were far out at sea. He described the tsunami as being as tall as the mountain but that the ship went up and over it like it was slow motion. There was no damage or even alarm created by the tsunami as it was related to the ship. But then when they returned home, he saw his home destroyed and learned that his wife and oldest son (17 years old) were killed. They had been in the car on their way to the hospital in nearby Ishinomaki. The son's body was found in the car but the wife's body was not found for about 5 weeks. He expressed relief as he told me about the closure that came when her body was found and identified. He is left with two little girls, 8 and 10 years old, and his parents. They all live together in a home in this little fishing village. I told him that I loved him and embraced him, and he said the same to me. It was really very tender as he was able to share such a tragic experience as part of his grieving process. He went on to say that the help of the volunteers has given him and the others the courage to continue on and not give up.
He later spoke to one of our Japanese missionaries, Elder Narita, and said he really wanted information about where his wife and son are now. Doesn't that get to the core of what all of us wonder: where did we come from, why are we here, and after we die, then what? I know that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ answers these questions. What a blessing to be a missionary in Sendai Japan!"