Volunteer Ministers and the Help They Provide

17 April 2011: Report from Scientology Volunteer Ministers Heasquarters in Tokyo, Japan:

Today we helped 2,673 people and delivered 219 assists in Onagawa, Ishinomaki and Kesennuma. While we are expanding and sending teams to assess the damage and the state of the shelters in areas we have not yet visited, we continue delivering assist and helping the evacuees in any way we can.

The head of the Meiyukan shelter in Ishinomaki, who has gained a great deal from the assist the Volunteer Ministers have given him, asked us to teach him how to deliver assists himself, so he can start his own Volunteer Minister group. He and several of his friends learned the procedure and began giving assists to one another.

In Kesennuma, we arrived at a shelter today to a warm “good morning” from several evacuees who seem to be growing much more cheerful as the days go by. Our arrival was announced over the loud speaker in the school-turned-shelter so no one would miss out on receiving assists while we were there.

Several evacuees told one of our Volunteer Ministers that the food at the shelters was tasteless—weak miso soup, white rice and boiled vegetables. The Volunteer Minister promptly called Tokyo Volunteer Minister headquarters to arrange for some tastier dishes. The headquarters contacted a man who owns a supply company in the city, who donated a set of meals to the shelter that very day. We were able to distribute the meals to grateful evacuees along with other needed supplies such as diapers, shampoo and vitamins.

Some of our Volunteer Ministers have now been invited to stay at the Kaizo-ii Buddhist temple in Kesennuma, after the chief priest learned of the work we are doing to help the people of the area.