Building Community through a Scarf

On March 10 and 11, we had the privilege of collaborating with Shannon Johnston, an artist working in Australia, for the memorial events in Japan. She brought with her an 80-foot scarf as shown in pictures below. It was great to see people group around and get involved in the project. Here is the artist's statement about the origins and purpose of the work:

"In response to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan of March 11, 2011 I started knitting a scarf.  A hand made scarf is an intimate gesture of affection.  Intimate due to the personal time invested in the making. Affectionate through the way it is worn, wrapped around the neck as if a hug.  Scarves by their nature and function insinuate warmth as well.  All of these were things I was feeling and hoping for the people of Japan.

Other artists, men, women, and high school students of all different social, religious, and economic backgrounds have contributed portions to the scarf.  As they knit, all of the contributors have been asked to knit their hopes, prayers, good thoughts, and love for the people of Japan into the scarf.  Some people have chosen to knit actual items into the scarf that symbolize these prayers, others have made metaphors through knitted wool, and others still have simply used the time knitting to reflect and pray.

This is an ongoing project, just as healing is an ongoing process and new knitters can join at anytime.  Although this project was conceived for Japan in response to events that happened, it is not intended to stay there.  It is my hope that each person or group the receives the scarf will then add to it and pass it on to someone else who needs prayer, comfort, hope, and encouragement." (Shannon Johnston)

One lady quietly knitting her prayers into the scarf on March 11.

The scarf is currently about 80 ft in length. How long will it one day be?

My first experience knitting!

A group of ladies getting into the project on March 10.

Shannon Johnston interacting with a Japanese lady as she adds on to the scarf on March 11.

Abi Speaks in Luncheon

On February 23, Abi Lowther was the guest speaker for Second Presbyterian Church's women's luncheon during the world missions conference. She told what those first few days were like after the earthquake and how many joined in the relief movement in Tokyo soon after the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Here is a link to the talk:

http://www.2pc.org/resources/audio-library/world-missions-luncheon-with-abi-lowther/

Stories from Ishinomaki

This is a video my team in Ishinomaki just shared with me. This is the area we have been focusing on. We know these people. We know these stories. We know these places. There is still so much sadness in Ishinomaki, and yet, there is a "light in the darkness" that the man talked about. The government may not be offering it. The rest of Japan may not be offering it. But it comes through community...and it comes through the One who makes community.....

Then and Now from Paul Johannessen on Vimeo.

"Tsukuda Loves Tohoku" in the News

"Supplies with nowhere to go! The public effectively grasps the need." This article came out on November 6, 2011 in the "Asahi Shinbun" (Morning Sun Newspaper), the second largest newspaper in Japan. The article on the top shows what happened in many parts of the country where the government collected supplies from people but then did not know where to send them. The article printed just below highlights "Tsukuda Loves Tohoku," the community led disaster relief effort directed by my wife Abi and her friend Miho, as a model for how to get supplies where they need to go by building personal relationships with people in disaster areas. The picture was taken at a flea market near our building, selling goods in order to raise money for tsunami survivors. You can find a pdf of the article here. (Sorry, Japanese only!)

As a follow-up to this article, Tsukuda Loves Tohoku called the location in the upper picture and are now in the process of distributing the city's supplies in tsunami hit areas.

(Additional comment: The main reason for the distribution problem was that the government focused on establishing and providing for shelters where the need was quickly filled, but most people stayed in their own broken homes or moved into temporary homes and were outside this system. The only way to find these ongoing needs is through person-to-person contact and networking, the core of Tsukuda Loves Tohoku values.)

The Healing Power of Music

During the summer of 2011, I interviewed numerous people to get their take on the impact of music in disaster relief work. Less than two months after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, my focus switched from delivering food, water, and supplies to providing music and discovered the power music had to drastically change the mood of a shelter and to begin relationships for community development. Video made by Colin Miller.

The Juilliard Journal

"Current Students and Alums Reach Out To Japanese Earthquake Victims" (The Juilliard Journal, October 2011) Ten students came from The Juilliard School May 27 - June 6, just two months after the earthquake hit on March 11, 2011, to work with us in the disaster relief effort. Two of the students jointly wrote this article about their time here. You can read the whole article here.