A loosely translated headline in one of Japan's daily newspapers on Friday read, "Praying for a Fast Recovery."

That's what Robert Staehlin, a Capital High School graduate, and his Japanese wife, Akiko Tada, are hoping will happen. After the March 11 earthquake and devastating tsunami in Japan, the couple on Friday left their home in Iwate, Japan, and arrived in Santa Fe with their three daughters a day later.

"We were without power for two and a half days," said Staehlin, 35, who moved to Japan in 2003 after being accepted in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. He is an English lecturer and a senior thesis adviser at The University of Morioka in Iwate.

The family had planned to visit later this month, but moved up the trip because of food rationing and the radiation dangers from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

"You were only allowed to buy 10 items at a time," Staehlin said.

He was thinking of his three girls, who range from 8 months to 5 years old. Diapers, milk and baby food were scarce; stores only allowed three baby-food products per family. "That's when we really got worried," said Staehlin, sitting in a home off Richards Avenue where his mother, Jacquelyn Archuleta-Staehlin, lives.

Jacquelyn Archuleta-Staehlin then knew that her only child, daughter-in-law and granddaughters had to come to a safe place.

"I was desperate to find a way to get him here," said Archuleta-Staehlin, an education-law attorney with Cuddy and McCarthy in Santa Fe. "And really, my bigger concern was about the long-term effects of the nuclear (reactors), the food shortage and the transportation."

Their home is about 60 miles inland from the coast and a couple of hours north of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has released what the Japanese government says are small amounts of radiation.

Although the family's home was not damaged in the 9.0 magnitude earthquake — which became a three-minute, 7-magnitude temblor in Iwate — it completely wiped out their electricity.

In Japan, many new homes are solely powered by electricity, said Staehlin, a University of New Mexico graduate. A neighbor down the road had a kerosene stove and allowed the family to cook soups and boil water for the baby's milk.

It's winter in Japan. No electricity also meant bundling up in one room to keep each other warm.

"By the third night, it was just cold all around the house," they said while their oldest daughter, Elisha, 5, ran around the living room taking photos with her pink toy camera.

The family brought with them clothes, toys and a sense of peace. Still, Tada, 32, has had mixed feelings about leaving Japan, where she has siblings and parents.

"I thought, 'What if something worse happens and I can't go back?' " Tada said. She calls her parents to ask how they are. All her immediate family is safe.

"They say people are in long lines for food and gasoline," said Tada, who was a special-education teacher for elementary- and middle-school children when she met Staehlin in 2003. The couple married at Loretto Chapel in January 2005.

As the days unfold, so do the family's plans. Maybe they'll go back together April 3. Or, if school is delayed further, they might stay longer. Another option is for Staehlin to return on his own to assess the situation in Iwate. News media in Japan tends to "underplay the situation, and media in America tends to exaggerate," Staehlin said.

Meanwhile, his daughters Elisha and Kayla, 3, run around the house laughing, playing with toy laptops and coloring books, or watching Dora the Explorer movies with Grandma.

Baby Sienna, the 8-month-old, is having trouble adjusting and is not sleeping much.

For Tada, Santa Fe is a temporary refuge. She appreciates the opportunity to keep her children safe and also acknowledges the international support Japan is receiving.

"As soon as this happened, many countries sent support and that make us grateful," Tada said. "Rebuilding is difficult; I hope the world doesn't forget us. I hope they pray for us."

Contact Sandra Baltazar Martínez at 986-3062 or smartinez@sfnewmexican.com.