Update on Japan: 3 Months Later

It has been over 3 months since the Great East Earthquake and of course much has changed. Amidst nuclear radiation concerns, in Tokyo we are encouraged to conserve electricity this summer. It is still strange to see dimly lit train stations and streets. Relief efforts continue and rebuilding lives is underway. Missionaries and national churches work together to show practical demonstrations of the Father’s love. People who once resisted the gospel have become a bit more open as love and care are shown to them.


In April I went with a team of church volunteers led by a pastor. We shoveled mud from yards and sidewalks in a neighborhood in Higashi Matsushima, a city just north of Sendai.






The next day we volunteered along with the Japan A/G Bible school students at Shichigahama Volunteer Center. I worked with a team drying out photo albums and documents recovered from the beach. A TV crew came by and filmed the work as individuals came to search for lost photos in hopes of recovering lost memories. I was especially struck by the life experiences I was viewing as I laid out family photos of weddings, baby pictures, school graduations, family vacations, etc. I spoke to one lady who found two photo albums. She was really happy to be reunited with snapshots of her family.


We A/G missionaries have been partnering with Convoy of Hope and Japan A/G churches in the Sendai area and in Koriyama. Thanks to generous disaster relief funds, we have been able to support church distribution, send relief teams for cleanup efforts, and provide necessities of food, bicycles, etc. There is need for emotional care for everyone but especially for those still living in evacuation shelters.

Read more about relief efforts at www.japanagmfrelief.blogspot.com.


Campus ministry started late due to universities delaying the school year to May. Yet our ministry team is seeing a new openness among students to spiritual matters. We hosted an International House of Prayer University student team this month. During their 3-week stay, we made many new contacts with students. At one event where we planned for 30, we actually had 54.

Also, this summer we started a new campus ministry at Meiji University with the help of two professors. Our two MAPS workers, Amanda and Liz, are meeting students there and at their language class at Seikei University. We continue to partner with YWAM at Waseda University. At the University of Tokyo, there is a faithful weekly group.

Please pray for churches and volunteers who continue to sacrifice to bring hope, comfort, and relief to those in the Tohoku area.