the children say “thank you”

This image overwhelms me.

 Letter after letter of the deepest, most real and honest gratitude for what so many of you did for the children of Ishinomaki, Japan.

 The children that you helped to clothe and feed and cheer up wrote us many thank you’s.

Rie, my good friend who was our connection to this town in Japan came and translated.  Letter after letter, I came to love these boys and girls even more.  I have been so excited to share…

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My house, the tsunami wasted it away.  My friend’s was washed away, too.  I received pencils and erasers– that gift made me happy and energized (hopeful).  Thank you so much for your present.  

 Esuke Oishi

 

In Japan we had an earthquake and our house was damaged.  Everything is coming back together again.  Thank you so much for your care package.

Hitoshi

 

Thank you so much for the letters.  I am so happy!  The tsunami made me so sacred that when I received the letters it made me cheerful.  Thank you very much.  I know sometime we are going to have our hard times in life and someday and I will be thinking of you, every time, as my friends in America.  

Saki

 

Dear friends of America,

Thank you so much for a lot of things in my care package.  These things cheered us up from all over the world.  We are going to make Ishinomaki rise up again some day.  Let’s work together.  

Mitsuyuki

 

Dear friends of America,

Thank you so much for the letter.  It is already past 2 months since the earthquake happened.  I was playing with  American military people the other day because it made me happy because it is you.  The food was very yummy.  Thank you so much.

Sara

 

 

Thank you so much for all of the snacks and school supplies.  We have a flower blooming in Japan right now.   School starts and makes us feel better to see friends.  I am hoping someday I will see you.

Itsuki

  

Thank you so much for the package.  It made me very happy!  I was so surprised that care packages came from outside the country.  I am going to keep rising up even though the hard times happened.  Thank you so much for everything.  

Moe

 

Thank you for the letters, pencils, and hair ties.  It helps us a lot.  I got a lot of spirit out of it.  My house, the first floor, most of the stuff is gone.  But I really appreciate your care about us.  Don’t worry–all of the people in Japan will keep going and rise up.

Fuka

 

This area had  a lot of damage.  But we received letters from you and that made us so happy.  And I really appreciate the supplies and toys. That makes me happy too.   One for All!  (with Sponge Bob illustration)

Ryo

 

Thank you so much for letters.  Because of the letters, I am so hopeful and because of that we  didn’t give up.  And thank you also for the care package.  I really appreciate  it.

Minami

Thank you, Rie, for uniting us to these wonderful children.  Thank you to all of you that sent a box and cheered up so many children who lost so much last year.  I feel at a loss of words– how grateful I am that these children in Japan have done the talking for me today.

the sleepy time gal