It's shaking

With Japan sitting on an area where several tectonic plates meet, earthquakes are to be expected on a regular basis.  Here in Hokkaido we don't get as many as some other parts of Japan, but once every few months we do hear the familiar noise of crockery rattling, see the light switches swinging and feel the swaying under our feet.  Yesterday evening there was a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido and northern Honshu followed by a 5.9, and then later in the evening a couple of 6.1's nearer Tokyo.  The 6.8 earthquake brought instant tsunami warnings and for 30 minutes or so these were repeated over and over on the main news channel with instructions to people living at the coast to move to higher ground.  In the end of the day only a very small wave reached the coast, but coming so soon after the 1st anniversary of the big earthquake and tsunami on 11th March, there was a eerie sense of deja vu.



The effects of yesterday's 6.8 earthquake



In a year we are due to move to Ichikawa near Tokyo, where recently the odds of another big earthquake in the near future have increased considerably, along with recent reports that Tokyo is not as well prepared as it should be.  In fact when we tell people that we are moving, this is usually one of the first comments they make.

Of course much of the beauty of Japan stems from the fact that it is a volcanic archipelago.  And we enjoy the benefits of a multitude of hot springs to relax in.  But the regular earthquakes are all a reminder that creation is groaning and that we too should be groaning as we wait eagerly for full adoption and redemption.  What a wonderful hope we have to share with the people around us.    

Three months on

One of our Japanese Facebook friends added a simple comment to his wall today - 'just three months passed'. We knew immediately what he meant. The 11th of the month will always be a day to remember. Three months have indeed passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 11th March. The huge relief effort goes on. Many thousands remain unaccounted for. Many more continue to live our their lives in the evacuation centres. The nuclear crisis is not in the headlines as it once was, but that does not mean it is over. Prime Minister Kan may be the next one to be out of a job. Here in Sapporo we are remote from the areas where the greatest destruction and loss of life occurred. Yet, the northernmost of those areas are reachable from Hokkaido (a journey of many hours including a ferry ride) and a number of teams staffed by pastors, local Christians and missionaries have gone to some of the worst affected places over these past months. OMF has decided to start a work in one of the cities (called Miyako in Iwate Prefecture). A couple has been appointed to lead that work and a building rented. It is hoped that this will be a base for others to come short-term to help in the ongoing relief work. Already it is being used. David plans to lead a small team down to that city early in July. A number of our colleagues, especially those who live in the north-west of Honshu island have been many times to the areas, helping in many different ways. It has been encouraging to see churches and Christians working together. The task is vast. What OMF can do is just a drop in the bucket in many ways. But each drop counts. We don't know what will come of this work but trust that somehow the Lord will use those there - not just through their words, but perhaps even more so through their ears and their hands - to be vessels of love, comfort and encouragement to those who have lost so much.

Jesus' Hands and Feet

At the moment life is busy here. Since Friday we have been involved in coordinating a trip by a small team of OMF missionaries in Sapporo to one of the areas devastated by the tsunami from next Tuesday. Two of our colleagues who work in the north of Honshu have already gone to search out the area, make the necessary contacts and see in what ways OMF can help. An area has been identified, contact made with a local church which can be used and a decision made to use this visit to minister by way of providing simple hot meals and any other practical tasks which can be done. It is not a case of simply turning up and trying to help. There is lots we are learning as we go along and we are glad of the expertise of a group called CRASH which started a few years ago and is staffed mainly by missionaries which has the specific aim of reaching out to help people in crisis situations. At the moment we are gathering together supplies; a team is place; vehicles are ready; and we are trying our best to source the necessary equipment and not least the fuel which is in short supply in certain places. All being well the team of six will leave at 5am on Tuesday morning to connect with a ferry to Honshu at noon and then the long drive to the base camp. How it will all go, no one really knows. The key is flexibility. And a servant heart. One of our colleagues talked helpfully of being Jesus' hands and feet. We may well not be in contact with our missionary friends once they are in the area as communication is very difficult with no phone lines and few mobile providers which work there. We will try to keep you posted as to how things go. So how can you help? Please pray for the team for safety, stamina, good health and oppprtunties to love and serve people in Jesus name. If you would like to give to the relief effort in which OMF and other agencies invovled, you can do so by donating to the Sendai Earthquake Relief Fund which is an OMF project. If you are in the UK, visit the omf site at www.omf.org.uk and you will be able to give online or by cheque. It is a blessing to us to be able to help in some small way and to know the depth of care and support from round the world.

When disaster strikes

It was a day never to be forgotten. It was day which saw many lives lost in a moment. It was a day which saw some of the most horrific devastation left along vast areas of the coast and further inland on Japan's main island of Honshu. It is a day which has forever changed Japan. Things are not the same now and never will be. Although we felt the power and intensity of the earthquake to some extent where we are in Sapporo, we are far removed from the areas which were literally swallowed up the sheer force of the waves as the tsunami crashed into the north east coast of Honshu. Some had managed to flee to higher ground. Many did not. Thousands of people killed. Countless homes destroyed. Half a million in evacuation centres. The logistic challenge facing the country is almost unimaginable. The scenes on television screens, the stories of human tragedy leave everyone numbed and heavy-hearted. How do you begin to move on from here, far less to understand it? Even now there are many heroic efforts ongoing to find people as yet unreached. There are fears about the state of the nuclear reactor where some brave workers are risking their lives daily to fight off the threat of radioactive leak or worse. The immediate needs are vast. The long-term needs are also vast. What can we do? For the moment it is very difficult to get into the affected areas. OMF is joining with other agencies and looking to help in whatever way we can. We can of course be and are praying, caring for people and just being with people around us. What can you do? Of course pray. Give. Consider what practical help might be possible in the weeks and months that lie ahead. We plan to follow up this blog with more detail as to what we and you can do in the next entry which will appear soon. Meanwhile we appreciate the prayers and concern of so many. As we see the vast needs around us, may we also keep our eyes fixed on unseen things, on the Lord of grace and mercy who is in ways that may be a mystery to us working out his eternal purposes.