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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -1

I (Tomo) know a pastor in Iwate prefecture (colored in the map on the left), Japan, where the coastal towns were devastated by the recent tsunami. Pastor Yoshiya Kondo has been driving into the disaster area to serve and minister to the people there. He posts updates on his Facebook with photos he took, and he has some great first-hand reports and about how great the spiritual needs are in the area. So I asked his permission to translate his updates into English and share them on our blog also, so that more people can pray more specifically for the people there.

Here’s the first one:

In Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture, we first visited the church. There was a clear mark on the wall showing the water level of the tsunami. It was truly heart-breaking to see the destructed, mud-covered sight that had hardly any resemblance to what I remembered from when I attended their service a couple times in the past. But the day will come when a worship service is held at this place again, and the voices of praise will resound into heaven higher than ever before. We will pray and wait for that day. (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo)

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Support Japan Relief Efforts

If you are interested in donating to help send relief to the victims of this disaster, we can recommend two organizations that are in a unique position to not only help to meet the great physical needs of the victims of this disaster, but also their equally great spiritual needs. If you would like to make a long term commitment to helping the people of Japan, we encourage you to consider becoming a monthly financial partner in our ministry as we eagerly prepare to move to Japan and begin sharing the hope and love of Christ Jesus with a people that has suffered so much.

SEND International has an ongoing church planting partnership with the Japanese Evangelical Church Association (JECA), of which Tomo’s home church in Japan is a member. SEND has established a project to equip local churches to minister to those who have been affected by this tragedy. Money given to this project will be distributed to churches in Japan, some of whom were in and near the actual disaster zones, to aide them in reaching out to those around them.

CRASH Japan is a Christian Japanese disaster relief organization. In the past they have responded to smaller scale disasters in Japan and neighboring countries in Asia. They currently have set up one base camp in the midst of the disaster and are receiving supplies from the government and other organizations to distribute to evacuees and those still living in the diaster areas. The scale of this disaster is far greater than any they have faced, and they are in great need of additional resources.

When the cities are rebuilt, the need will still remain…

Because of this terrible tragedy, Christians all over the world have turned to Japan with a heart of compassion. However as great as the physical needs of Japan are now in the wake of this disaster, the spiritual needs have been just as great for far longer. SEND International, along with many other mission agencies began work in Japan following the devastation caused by World War II. It is our prayer that God will send a second wave of missionaries to share the love of Christ with a nation that so desperately needs to receive it.

If God is calling you to a longer term commitment, we ask you to prayerfully consider becoming monthly financial partners with us. If you will commit to sending us to Japan, we will go to minister to the needs of the Japanese for the long term. God is calling us to plant new churches in Japan. Will you join us in this effort?

Click here to become a financial partner

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Japan Earthquake Update

As is in the news, the northeastern part of Japan was hit by a M8.8 earthquake at 2:45pm on Thursday, and tsunami hit the coastal towns. This is the biggest earthquake in the history of the country.

First of all, our family and relatives in Tokyo are all ok. And I haven’t heard that anyone I know has been hurt, missing, or lost their home. Thanks for the prayers.

As many of you might have already seen in the news, there are several small towns on the coast that were almost completely swept away as a whole, and thousands of people are still stranded on rooftops. Rescue efforts are slow since the whole areas are still completely flooded up to the roof. Roads and bridges are broken, and millions of people are without electricity with freezing weather at night. There have been many aftershocks, landslides, and fires in many places and many people are still buried. There are about 680 confirmed dead so far and there are reports about hundreds of more bodies on the coast that they cannot get to because of the water and the possibility of more tsunami. They expect the death toll to keep rising.

In the cities, all the public transportations stopped and many people were stranded in their workplaces, schools, etc. My dad was among them and he walked 4 hours to a nearby church and spent the night there. He found a couple buses running the next morning and made it home safely.

There are also two nuclear power plants on the coast where the tsunami hit, and one of them started to melt and they have been trying to cool it down with sea water. There has been a minor explosion in the power plant as well and 3 people were exposed to radiation. Many are afraid of meltdown.

I haven’t heard much about how the churches in the area are doing. Phones and e-mails are still either down or crowded, but I was told that Facebook has been very reliable.

Please pray:

  • That those who are buried or stranded will be rescued quickly.
  • For warmth, food and shelter for those who lost their homes or evacuating.
  • That there won’t be a serious damage at the nuclear power plant.
  • For the churches and Christians to be able to help those who are suffering.

Thank you again for your prayers and let us keep praying.