Overwhelmed…[After one month]
Day after day, as we see and hear new reports from public media and from those travelling north, we continue to be overwhelmed by the extent of the destruction and loss caused by the tsunami.
CRASH director Jonathan Wilson, returning after a trip to visit the base camps, said that they drove all one day and never left the disaster zone.
CRASH director Jonathan Wilson, returning after a trip to visit the base camps, said that they drove all one day and never left the disaster zone.
Ovurwhelming Response
At the same time, the response from churches and Christians from around the world – through prayer, money, supplies, volunteers – has been amazing.
We and our Japanese friends have been truly touched to see this. Also, the church and missionary community in Japan has responded in big ways. But it has been wonderful to see what has been and is being accomplished by such a group of people, themselves dealing with the impact of the troubles around them.
[Here is One Story]
We and our Japanese friends have been truly touched to see this. Also, the church and missionary community in Japan has responded in big ways. But it has been wonderful to see what has been and is being accomplished by such a group of people, themselves dealing with the impact of the troubles around them.
[Here is One Story]
A young mother came in with two little girls, maybe 5 and 3 years old, saying her daughters wanted to donate some of their own money to help those affected by the tsunami. She turned to the girls and asked how much they wanted to give, and the younger girl opened her little purse, took out 11 yen (about 13 cents) and with a shy smile gave it to me.
The older girl stood quietly looking into her purse, then gave the same amount.
The mother then added another 1000 yen ($12) and said to her girls, “There, maybe with this money, some little boy or girl who’s lost everything will be able to have a ball to play with.” The girls looked so happy.
Not long after those girls’ gift, someone received a request from a school or evacuation center wondering if it would be possible to get some baseballs and bats for the children there.
The request was immediately sent out to groups overseas offering to send whatever’s needed, and apparently very soon a shipment of balls, bats, gloves, and bases was on its way to Japan. Simple stories like these help keep us going day to day...
The older girl stood quietly looking into her purse, then gave the same amount.
The mother then added another 1000 yen ($12) and said to her girls, “There, maybe with this money, some little boy or girl who’s lost everything will be able to have a ball to play with.” The girls looked so happy.
Not long after those girls’ gift, someone received a request from a school or evacuation center wondering if it would be possible to get some baseballs and bats for the children there.
The request was immediately sent out to groups overseas offering to send whatever’s needed, and apparently very soon a shipment of balls, bats, gloves, and bases was on its way to Japan. Simple stories like these help keep us going day to day...
[End]
Japan as a nation is also responding. High school students have spent several days on busy streets in downtown Tokyo, collecting thousands of dollars for relief efforts.Overwhelming Emotions
We often feel the frustration of wishing we could do more to help. The emotional needs of the people around us, however, are so much greater than our own.
Yesterday, walking to our train station I saw a lady with a small bag of groceries, wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves, a thick, large rain coat with the hood up and a surgical mask so the only part of her body exposed to the air was her eyes.
Even though there are reassurances that the levels of radiation in Tokyo are far below safety threshold levels, I could see fear radiating in this lady.
Many are afraid of radiation, or of future earthquakes, afraid of the economic downturn or maybe especially afraid of the unknown. In the devastated areas many are wondering why bother trying to start over again...
The problems forcing the shutdown of the nuclear power plants mean that we all deal with the fact of not enough electricity to go around.
Several people have asked how they can face a future where the economy might not recover, where there might not be enough power, where they might not be able to send their children to university.
People are also finding that Jesus does have answers for these kinds of questions and we see a hunger to hear more.
Yesterday, walking to our train station I saw a lady with a small bag of groceries, wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves, a thick, large rain coat with the hood up and a surgical mask so the only part of her body exposed to the air was her eyes.
Even though there are reassurances that the levels of radiation in Tokyo are far below safety threshold levels, I could see fear radiating in this lady.
Many are afraid of radiation, or of future earthquakes, afraid of the economic downturn or maybe especially afraid of the unknown. In the devastated areas many are wondering why bother trying to start over again...
The problems forcing the shutdown of the nuclear power plants mean that we all deal with the fact of not enough electricity to go around.
Several people have asked how they can face a future where the economy might not recover, where there might not be enough power, where they might not be able to send their children to university.
People are also finding that Jesus does have answers for these kinds of questions and we see a hunger to hear more.
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