Hey all of you sophisticated good-looking people!
The last couple of days have been fairly uneventful. I have
been working hard to figure out a way to make the transition from volunteer to
volunteer much easier and smoother. For starters I am taking the initiative to
create a volunteer handbook for the center. This is going to include everything
from how to make things work here at the center to where things like laundry
facilities are. It is also going to include a list of community connections
that have been made since being here. Prior to coming here I was able to talk
with the Jaspersens but after about two volunteers information will get lost.
This is one way we can attempt to prevent that from happening.
My peeps down at the temporary restaurant units have become
a vital resource for information and I have been talking up the future
volunteers so that they will be prepared to be as helpful to them as they were
to me. This volunteer handbook is going to be one of the best ways to ensure
that previously learned knowledge gets passed down. This is also key because
some of the things took well over a month to learn and with some volunteers
only being here a month we want to make sure they are as productive and
efficient as possible!
Next up I purchased a sweet little calendar to keep track of
English classes. This will more so be used for when there is a volunteer
switch. At the end of March there will be a week where the center is closed.
The plan will be to schedule all of the next volunteer’s English classes for at
least that first week so that there are no issues with contacting students and
trying to figure out times… This is what I like to call COMMUNICATION!!!!!
I am also developing a couple of different procedures so
that we can collect contact information and use it effectively. There was a
visitor book that people use to sign but it has been difficult to get people to
sign it and sometimes even read it. This new procedure should fix that and by
the time all of the volunteers have come and gone, God willing, there will be
an extremely long list of people that volunteers have had contact with along
with how that person wants to be contacted, if at all, who their first
impression was with, and what kind of supplies they received. Doing this will
provide the church in Japan a way to make additional contact so that they can
build a stronger relationship with that person and God willing share the
message of Christ love more extensively with them.
The next thing I am working on is additional clothing
apparel with the LECC Logo on them. This was originally something that was done
outside of the Aide and Relief committee. God has blessed the decision numerous
times to have something like this. For example two days ago I was at the store
doing some shopping when a man came up to me. He explained that he was a
Christian too… I was utterly confused until he pointed to the LECC Logo on my
fleece. He asked if I was a Christian and if I go to church on Sundays. I said
yuppers!!!! We struggled through the rest of the conversation (in Japanese). In
the end I gave him a flier that I had in my back pocket…that I had used for
writing my grocery list on :/. Here is to hoping he calls someone!!! Anywho the
fleeces with the logos on them have been a blessing time and time again. This
is not something in the budget and so this is going to be a little side
project. The Logo is digitized by a company in the Waukesha, WI area. We have
about five more volunteers coming that I know of…most of which are women. And
the only apparel here are these large men’s fleeces. If you have any ideas of
how you can help out and get something here by the time the first female
volunteer comes on March 27
th I would love to hear your ideas!!! My
email is
hieb.jah@gmail.com
I have had the opportunity to meet more individuals with
Samaritan’s Purse and it sounds like they may be able to help one of my
students with fixing the damage to his house! I also just made contact with an
NGO here in Kesennuma. I am looking forward to getting to meet them again. At this
point it sounds like they might be interested in doing some English class!!!
There are six employees up here in Kesennuma. This may prove to be a great
resource to learn about how volunteers can reach more people affected by the
Tsunami as well as share the gospel. Also I just want to clarify that in no way
is the LECC relief center joining with or collaborating with other church
organizations. I am however making connections with organizations in the area
because it is an opportunity not only to gather useful and needed information
but also to be a “bridge to the Gospel” (I heard this was the key phrase in the
WELS so I thought I would try to use it ;)
It is Friday tomorrow! And its going to be an awesome day!!
You have some great ideas Jesse! Keep up the good work! With the change in volunteers every month or so, it's really important to have a way for the Japanese to connect them with the center and the LECC. I love the idea of the fleeces. What a bout getting some t-shirts or a band to wear around their arm. Also, do you have meishi to give out. Maybe not with your name but the center's infor and the info of one of the Japanese pastors. They're small enough to always carryy some in your pocket. I can't count the number of people who contacted us years later with someone old meishi. Will keep thinking....
ReplyDeleteJesus be with you!
Love, Mom
I know some places will send you free Meishi, Maybe Vistaprint. I'll ask Jon, he seems to know about that stuff. I also know that vistaprint has a lot of other good deals out there too. You just have to get the logo so that it can be uploaded onto the website. Let me know if you need help or money with this, I'm sure we could help out!
ReplyDeleteHey Jesse! I also think your ideas of passing the info on to future volunteers is great. They will appreciate all your efforts. You are right - men's fleece for ladies coming in the spring and summer won't work very well! Tshirts and meishi should work. Or an umbrella with the logo?
ReplyDeleteYou are in our prayers. Martha
I like the umbrella idea! Perfect for rainy season in Japan!
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