wow, what another long mission. in fact, it was a mission in a mission. we started off with 9, as 5 went back to tokyo, the rest of the 4 drove even deeper into tohoku. missions 1, 2, and 3, i lost a lot of weight. mission 4 was different. we were invited into warm loving homes and fed the most healthy and delicious meals. i actually gained 3 kilos or 6 lbs. i’m sure everybody else gained weight too. as i sit here in my hotel in tokyo downloading all the photos off my camera, one thing is obvious. the faces of the people who lost their homes or loved ones are starting to shine. they are so strong and it’s unbelievable how genuine they are. seeing everybody heal made our team feel wonderful. there is still lots more to do and like i told everybody we visited for the past 4 missions, “WE WILL BE BACK!”
i wanted to say great job to our team, wanted to say thank you to everybody that made this possible, and most of all, wanted to say thank you to the people of japan who inspire people all around this world, including me. WE ARE ONE!
well, better empty out my bag, and get ready for a short trip to somewhere that has blue water, blue sky, white sandy beaches, and a lot of mensore! do you know where? see you there!

Dinner with the Miyagi Kitakami baseball boys!

ryoko-san and naomi-san are sisters. they are my new inspiration. what they went through, and what they are still going through would make a normal person fall off a bridge. we visited a school where naomi-san’s son minami-kun attended. luckily, he made it to the roof when the tsunami came. some kids weren’t as lucky. we walked into the school and went to the top where minami-kun and others spent that cold chilly night. when i got up there, i got chicken skin. photos coming later.

this mission made me realize 2 things. first, people seem to be happier, more energetic, and moving forward. it’s ok to laugh now. it’s ok to ask what happened. when i came on mission 1 3 months ago, no way. no laughs, no smiles, and i was completely speechless. second, this is far from over. we were happy to see some places cleaned up and looking normal, but other places are still the same. huge piles of debris, the smell, and traces of the earthquake, tsunami, and the invisible fear of radiation still lingers here in japan. please don’t forget.