In this town, the residents still do not have running water and the sewers and gutters are clogged with mud and sewage and other debris. The boys spent hours shoveling the muck out of the gutters and into bags for disposal. A very dirty job.
The following pictures show what is left of several communities and underscores the severity of the disaster. In these areas, all they could do is continue to sort and pile up all the trash and debris into big piles for future removal.
There used to be homes here.
Piles of debris from destroyed homes.
Some homes were still standing and even had people living on the upper floors. But the bottom floors were gutted.
Homes were completely washed away from this area.
A photo album washed away by the waves.
Inside what is left of a house.
It looks like a war zone.
This car was washed into this cemetery and rests upon several graves.
The soil is covered with mud which has dried and cracked. It will need to be cleared before anything can be planted again.
Overturned ship in the middle of the road.
This used to be a ramen noodle shop.
James, Ricky, Curtis and Morgan wishing the ramen shop was still open.
Ricky and James stand in front of the closed train station in this village.
There is so much more work to be done in the affected areas. It is hard and dirty work, but must be done. There are still towns and villages that have not been cleaned up yet. The coastal regions will take some time to return to normal if they ever can.
The Kobe missionaries all came over to celebrate with us. Sister Priddis made delicious cinnamon rolls and mom made a cake.
Rika is thinking next mission...maybe India!
Sammy looks a little tired at the end of transfer week. He loves playing with all the missionaries that spend time in the home especially during transfer weeks. He also finds a lot of food on the floor those weeks! An added benefit.
Elder Hobson's cookie from Sister McIntyre
