Saturday, March 19, 2011

"Misawa Refugees" Arrive Home

Thirteen "Misawa Refugees"  were flown out of Tokyo to Misawa on a C-130. We arrived Saturday at 0400.  I promise to write. I find myself unmotivated to describe my emotions, my thoughts, our new normal and yet....others are telling me "write, write"....as they realize I process when I write. LOL  I will...maybe this afternoon.

Yesterday was filled with a briefing. I thought it would be info good for all to know...it turned out to be mostly info for those who have chosen to leave. Obviously, most in the crowd were leaving. I went to the commissary to restock our groceries.  I always have a full pantry and freezer. Mike and the kids did well...the freezer was over 1/2 empty and my shelves looking bare....with one exception. I tend not to buy "canned" and I now have lots of canned food.... we are now subject to power outages and it's nice to have on hand. I hadn't stocked canned foods for emergencies as we don't have storage space and we don't do "canned" but we do now. ::snort::  As I tooled around the commissary filling my cart with fresh lettuce, fruit, veggies....I was amazed at how well stocked the shelves were. Then I hit the snack aisle and I realized everyone I met was leaving and filling up with items to take on the plane, to tide them over as they aren't sure where they will be landing etc. I began to feel that I must be one of the only spouses staying....  I began to get a bit shaky...then realized my family is 100% in agreement in our decision, we're watching the reports, we've prayed, and decided to stay. No need to second guess our decision based on what others have decided. God is faithful. He leads us differently. If we had health reasons or if any of us were still very shaken - we would leave. If Mike were deployed, for his peace of mind, he may have asked us to leave.  Good to be reminded that God isn't after cookie cutter Christians...but those who listen to Him for their individual paths and follow.

On a side note, our Wing Chaplain welcomed me home and reports that 100% of the chapel staff (Chaplains and Chaplain's Assistants) have chosen to stay. As he put it - "We're in the business of hope."  They are very busy now talking to those who need to talk, helping with the out processing necessary for so many to leave. It's amazing the amount of man hours and details that go into moving this many people quickly. In a sense this is a real life practice of all the filed  contingency plans....and it seems to be working well. So....objectively, we are NOT the only family staying.... ::snort::

Arielle and Jared spent the day at the center where those leaving are  pre-processing. They watched children all day. They were glad to be doing something that felt helpful and meaningful. These are the opportunities we will continue to look for. We wanted to help with clean up in Hachinohe, but are told that children must be at least 16 yo. Anything I do, I need to be able to do with our younger set.

Our kerosene tank was filled. This is good. We still are heating only one room. We aren't sure about our propane source. I'm working to figure out which way is the most efficient  to cook - base says microwave...but that isn't the way I usually cook....so I'll experiment...can I roast veggies in the microwave? Frankly, at this point we'll probably get more radiation from cooking so many meals in the microwave than we will from the reactor. ::grin:: It's good that I grind wheat and can bake bread....we'll have that regardless. I plan to bake a full oven full this afternoon or tomorrow so that we have it  on hand.

It's good to be HOME with my family. Adjusting to the new normal will come quickly.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

9 comments:

Jen said...

So glad you are home! I am guessing that your ministry travel plans are on hold?

Cynthia said...

One of our recent favorite ways to cook veggies is to grill them. I don't know if you have a grill or not, but we like grilling them with some seasonings... that way they stay a little crunchy!

The Social Frog said...

I am glad to hear you are home with your family! We are supposed to be moving to Misawa at the end of May, although right now our orders are on "Stop Movement" but we expect this to change soon and I am still looking forward to coming.

Deja said...

Welcome home! I'm sure you are not hugged out! As for the cooking...do you have a pressure cooker, or access to one? You'd be able to roast, etc in at least 1/2 the time as baking or steaming. FWIW, crockpots use a lot less energy even though they are used for longer amounts of time. You'd be subject to blackouts, though. If you're getting much sunshine, you and the kids could make a solar oven and try cooking your food that way...science credit ;-) Praying for your family as you adjust to the new normal of life in Japan.
Deja

Debbie said...

So glad you finally made it back home. Respect your choice to stay and frankly didn't think you all would decide any differently. Mission work is mission work and you all certainly have a heart for helping people where it is needed.

Continuing to pray as you work out all the details of living with limited resources. Sure wish there was more we could do. I'd send Bri over with one of their Hercs full of supplies if I could.

Debbie said...

Glad you made it back home! I do hope you will blog your experiences and please let us know if there are specific prayer requests.

Renee said...

So thankful you were able to get home to be with Mike and the kids. I can only imagine the stress right now... but I know you'll lean on God to get you through difficult times.
So did active duty have a choice about staying/departing? Or only dependents?

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Jen, I am not going to Korea today. I am praying about the Train the Trainer event I am scheduled to attend the first week of April.

Cindy, grilled would be good. I bought more charcoal yesterday. Tried the stoneware/micro thing today and they were tasy but not roasted...

Social Frog - we LOVE Misawa. Absolutely love it here. I pray they lift the stop loss shortly.

Deja - my friend - I love you. I was so looking forward to visiting San Angelo and now I'm not sure I should or can leave the kids again this soon - a bit of trust and fear issues to deal with, I suspect.

Debbie, thanks for the prayers. I wish Brian COULD bring a herc over - wouldn't that be awesome to finally meet in real life?

Renee - Essential Mission folks (active duty/DOD teachers) stay. Families have a choice. It is not an evacuation - it's a "voluntary departure" ....

Yes, Debbie, I need to blog my story. I will. It's pretty straight forward - got stuck in Tokyo, chewed off all my nails, arrived back home. ::snort::

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

DEJA - we bought a solar lantern to try out....and I have talked of buying a pressure cooker for years - now may well be the time...wonder if the BX has them...though I've had my eye on one at Urban Homemaker - not sure the mail is bringing packages in yet.