This is an email update that was sent by Dan Hoisington (link: Hoisington's profile), our Pioneers Japan Area Leader on March 27th, a few days after he and a group of 4 other men (from China!) arrived in Hitachi, Japan (link: info on Hitachi city) to help out with the relief work there (link: info on relief work needed there, apologies for the source!), working with CRASH Japan (Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope).
Please pray with us!!!
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Dear Prayer Partners,
We are pursuing an opportunity to participate in the relief effort of an organization called CRASH (Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope) that seeks ultimately to help Japanese evangelical churches to meet local needs. As foreigners we tend to rush in to communities, hastily hand out supplies, and then leave. We like the approach of CRASH, which recognizes that local churches best know the needs in their own communities; they have many important contacts; and, perhaps most importantly, they will remain in the community long after the disaster and recovery efforts have ceased. Practical demonstration of the love of Christ can only reinforce the message that they have proclaimed already.
Currently Dan is working with a team of 8 men in the city of Hitachi, Japan, 65 miles south of the current “hot spot” of the Fukushima nuclear power plant (we are aware of the risks, and are monitoring the situation; a recent trip north to Iwaki showed a very limited increase over normal radiation); five are PIONEERS workers (four from out of the country), and the others represent other missions agencies working in Japan. Their task is to meet short term needs as best they can with resources available, but also to talk with local pastors and enlist their aid to involve Japanese believers in the relief effort. They are setting up a “base camp” from which future relief teams can be sent out in weeks and months ahead. Already we have distributed rice, water, fuel, blankets, clothing, small stoves, canned tuna; even toys for kids.
What have we found?
Shock and disorientation: While many thousands have died in the recent earthquake and tsunami here in Japan, the current situation is that many people here remain shaken from what they have experienced. We met one lady whose house was swept away in the tsunami. Many refugees from neighboring Fukushima prefecture are huddled in nearby schools and other unheated government facilities. They are handed rice in the morning and in the evening; but no hot meals. Churches are inundated with neighbors seeking water, food, blankets and other necessities.
Ongoing quakes and damage: Aftershocks continue here; we get four or five each day. Dan took a walk today along the beach and found whole hillsides that had given way. Huge cracks in the roads have closed many of them, forcing us to pick our way along numerous alternate routes.
Shortages of food, fuel and utilities: Many can still not heat their homes. We counted a gas station line of 144 cars yesterday! People sit in line for 5 hours to get gasoline. Many stores remain closed.
Please pray:
1. That we will have wisdom as we divide our time between meeting short term needs and engaging in long term planning so that CRASH and local churches can minister effectively long term.
2. That we will truly be an encouragement to local pastors and believers.
3. That doors of opportunity will open so that the churches here can proclaim the gospel effectively.
4. For the Japanese church. One pastor told the team yesterday, “This is a wake-up call from God. We have up to now been mostly concerned with increasing our numbers rather than faithfully proclaiming the gospel and demonstrating the love of Christ.”
5. For the softening of hearts of the Japanese people, who have been resistant to the gospel for so many years. God alone can do this.
6. While Dan is in Hitachi, Cindy is holding the fort in Fukuoka. Teammate Stephanie suffered a bad fall on her bike earlier this week and it appears that she will require surgery on her knee (ACL??). She is staying with Cindy and Dean for the time being, as she cannot navigate the stairs in her apartment in this condition. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for effective ministry in the midst of challenging circumstances.
These are challenging times. We appreciate so much your standing in prayer with us. Communication may be a bit limited in days ahead, and I will not likely be able to respond to e-mail messages consistently until I return to Fukuoka in two weeks. We will try to send along some photos later to give you an idea of what we are seeing here.
May the Lord bless your own lives and ministries in the days ahead!
In Him,
Dan
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