Hope for Japan

Just when it seems like progress is being made at the nuclear plants, there are more rumblings about the amount of radiation that is being spread in that area. Grant went back to school on Tuesday. By the way people are acting in Tokyo, it would seem like nothing is wrong. Yet, reports have shown that eleven vegetables in the region around Fukushima are now contaminated with radiation at levels that are not toxic but exceed the government limits. These foods have to be destroyed.

Our initial concerns were of the radiation in the air spreading down to Tokyo. It’s been happening already for several days, but the amounts are not at levels that urge panic and unrest. The past couple of days, Tokyo has found some traces of radioactive materials in the tap water, but this afternoon there was a news report that the amount passed the level for infants. This means we must drink bottled water (especially for Miho for breast feeding) and cook with it for any food we give Allie. This could possibly be a deal breaker for us to remain in our place for the time being, given the fact that bottled water is one of those basic supplies that are usually out of stock at every grocery store since the earthquake. We have some bottled water to last 3 days and hope to continue finding more, but the reality is difficult.

Though mainly foreign businesspeople, I heard that a fellow Korean student was transferred from his IT company to Fukuoka, which is the biggest city in Kyushu Island on the western side of Japan close to South Korea. A German company sent all their people to Singapore. A lady from our church yesterday told me that she would leave if she were us. But, when posed the same question, she feels like her family and everything is here which makes it difficult to even consider relocating. For businessmen, Tokyo is only a place of work, which makes it a fairly easy answer to get out before risks elevate. For missionaries however, we have a stronger bond with our location and being here.

Depending on how things develop in the next couple of days, either with further contamination or lack of bottled water supply, we will begin thinking seriously of heading west in Japan for a short while until things improve.

Allie can now stand up!

On a lighter note, Allie began crawling today and can stand up holding onto something! Now, nothing is safe as she invades the bookshelf, goes after our slippers, and will creep on anything in her sight 🙂 Let the fun begin…..