クッキーと涙 Cookies and Tears

Yesterday at SF State one of the first short-term campaigns to raise money for Japan was launched: Cookies for Japan was a wonderful success, bringing in over $150 for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan! It was a wonderful experience to be able to do something for a country that can be so easily forgotten, but that God cares for nonetheless. This fundraiser was one very close to my heart- I'm so happy people were open to donate. And of course, I took a lot of pictures.

So my roommates were all so supportive when I found out about what had happened in Japan almost a week ago, and one of them brought up my deep motivation to do something for Japan with one of the girls in my housing building's council named Georgina. She was so full of enthusiasm and life for the program, it was more than enough support to put on a whole fundraiser. She and I were able to work together to get a donation event underway on Friday night. I was so glad that there was something I was able to do as soon as possible.

She was wonderful and drew this flyer herself for the fundraiser.

 In a short matter of days we had flyers for the event, and were even able to get together with a bigger charity called SF <SUPPORTS3 JAPAN Charity Fund that is raising money all over the city for earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan.
 

The weekend passed by very quickly, and Tuesday, the day before the fundraiser rolled around very quickly. I headed over to her place to help bake cookies and was greeted in the hallway by the smell of fresh lemon bars, and this magnificent sign. My heart was touched by her call for support to anyone who was willing to help out with the cause, as small of a group as we were. There was a number of people who showed up to support and help bake all across the buildings. We even had time to paint windows for the cause. 

The day of the Fundraiser, I was nervous, but as we started laying out all the different desserts we had prepared, I got very excited about watching them go... 

A very sweet girl in our building baked 40 vegan muffins with fresh bananas!

These are our Japanese Flag cookies, with raspberries. They were a serious hit!

Lemon Bars, classic, delicious.

Very delicious chocolate chip cookies. 

 From 11am to 1pm on Wednesday, we gave away cookies and thanked a countless number of folks who stepped up to donate to the cause. I was honestly blown away by people's generosity and their condolences to Japan. People out there do really care about you, Japan. :)

The best part of this whole fundraiser was meeting a sweet girl named Chako just this afternoon, who works as a representative for the SF Supports JAPAN Fund, and turning in the donation money to her. She sent me a photo via text mail only a short hour later, showing our money had made it to the Fund Account and was headed to the Red Cross as planned.
In her message she wrote that we were the first organization (though we weren't much of an organization at all) to donate to the fund for Japan.

It wasn't being first, or even that we raised more money than we had expected, that brought me joy. Just the fact that from here, from San Francisco, I was able to help Japan. I really do owe it to my roommate for asking Georgina to help me, and to the wonderful people at the SF Supports JAPAN Fund who worked so quickly with me. I felt I was swept off my feet in ways only God could make possible.

For myself, I wasn't able to truly express my heart for Japan through this fundraiser. My actions came from a much deeper place, but it's okay if no one knows that. I am more than grateful for my friends at City Cru, though, who were able to understand where I was coming from, that deeper place in my heart. I sometimes don't know why God would make Japan the consistent thing in my life, or that He would give me such strong emotions and compassion for a nation miles away from here. But the why will soon be figured out, and sometimes I feel like I have figured it out, but other times, I get discouraged. It's hard to explain... Hopefully it won't always be that way.

I was glad to be able to sit around a group of supportive friends and pray for Japan and know that the love and compassion God feels for Japan was nearly tangible in the room. That it wasn't trapped in a bottle in my ribcage, but that it was all around me. I would like to imagine that is how it is in Japan right now - that is the one thing I hope for, of course alongside the physical need of the people in Japan being met, that the love and compassion God feels for them would be like a fog in the air. There isnt' anything I want more than that.