SENDAI, JAPAN (A2) - Peter Thomson, A2 missionary and CRASH/Japan volunteer, shares about being on one of the first assessment teams in Sendai and helping to establish a base camp in the relief zone. Part of his job is to find out the needs of people and relay that info to the local Japanese churches who are delivering aid and hope.
In this informative clip, Peter shares firsthand about the current situation on the ground, the involvement of local Japanese churches, and how you can be involved in this effort.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5VcbZZ1uLMM
If you do not see a video player, you can view it here:
A2's Japan Tsunami Page: http://asianaccess.org/japan
See Peter Thomson's staff profile
by Elliott Snuggs
On Monday April 4, the Chick-Fil-A in Valencia, California promoted disaster relief in Japan through Asian Access. From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, 15% of all sales were set aside for Asian Access's relief efforts. In addition, people could make direct donations.
David, the brother of Asian Access missionary Peter Thomson, made all the arrangements including a live band. Chick-Fil-A threw in some give aways for those who donated.
Mary Jo and Mike Wilson along with myself attended to meet and greet those coming for the event. Several local churches promoted the event, and it was in the newspaper as well.
We are thankful for Chick-Fil-A hosting this opportunity. Stay tuned for possible future opportunities!
Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.
Free admission! Donations for Japan relief will be given to Asian Access and Send Intl.
If you don't see a video player, watch on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49xMQ9f9fJM
Three ways to help...
1. Pray for Japan: http://asianaccess.org/tsunami-posts
2. Give Financially: http://asianaccess.org/A2-Japan-Tsunami-Matching-Gift.html
3. Send a relief team: http://go2japan.org/tsunami-forum
by Kent Muhling
As I write this I am sitting in an evacuation center in Shizugawa. There are a little over 120 people staying in the karate dojo of this high school. There is no running water, no electricity. A generator outside provides electricity for heat, and trucks bring in water - but there is not enough to shower or bathe. Instead people are using wet wipes of any kind to keep themselves clean each day. Everyone gets to go to a separate location every 15 days for a bath.
Each family has their own little space, about the size of a king bed, for sitting, eating, and sleeping, and their few belongings are in boxes around them, forming a kind of wall between them and their neighbors. As you walk down the aisle in the middle of the room, you can almost imagine you are going past houses on a neighborhood street, but all in one big room.
Are you wondering why I'm here? This morning I woke up and thought about where we had been and what we had seen, and about the fact that we've spent most of our time driving around, looking for gas, loading supplies, and making deliveries, but haven't spent much time with people.
I thought, wouldn't it be great if we had the opportunity to spend time in one of the evac centers, just talking with people? I mentioned the idea to my team, and one of the others, Roger, seemed open to the idea as well.
So I prayed about it, asking God to bless us with the opportunity - and He did!
We returned to Shizugawa with more supplies today (socks and underwear were the highly sought items). The man who oversees the second evac shelter has been extremely friendly and helpful, and today he invited us into the main hall where everyone is staying and introduced us. He the asked us to each make a short introduction in English, and invited the residents to ask us questions.
When we asked him if we could circulate around and talk with people individually, he readily agreed and announced that we would be doing that.
There was a group of Japanese volunteers with us today also, and they soon had a small group of children around them and were happily playing away with them. Roger and I went around and talked with a few of the adults there, making introductions and listening to their stories.
Eventually the rest of the team left, but Roger and I stayed to talk with the people here.
Pretty soon it was supper time and we we invited to stay, then it began to get dark and we were allowed to stay the night. It all happened so naturally and easily!
We had some great conversations - one of them was with an 82 year old man, and Roger prayed with him at the end. Japanese are usually quite willing to have someone pray with or for them.
I also talked with another couple for quite a while, and got the chance to explain a lot about why we were there as Christians, about the many friends in Japan and in the US, all Christians, who were sending money and supplies, and who were praying for them. Over and over they expressed their gratitude. I was able to pray with them, too. Here they are, the Sato family (husband, wife, and grandma in the middle):
I learned more about how the tsunami had devastated the town. There was a 5 story hospital near the beach, and the tsunami swept through up to the 4th floor. Only those on the 5th floor survived.
As the tsunami flooded inland, the valley narrows, and the water built up. At the far end of the valley, the water had surged 35 meters high - that's about 110 feet. The whole town from the ocean to that point went underwater and got swept away.
Everyone here has a story. Everyone here has experienced great loss - home, car, possessions, livelihood, and in some cases, family. It was so very good to be able to listen to a few of those stories, to pray with them and encourage them with our presence, and to tell them about the many others, like you, who are concerned for them.
Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with this unique experience. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of telling others about your power and love, and that you hear and answer prayer.
Kent Muhling
Savior I come
Quiet my soul
Remember
Redemption's hill
When your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held as dear
I count it all as loss
Lead me to the Cross
Where your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord, I lay myself down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
The last 3 years have been some of the hardest of my life. There have been ups and downs for all of us, but there has been one cross that has been particularly heavy. We are grateful for all who pray for us. There have been times my heart has been too heavy to carry by myself. As I meditate on the words of this Hillsong song, the Lord has often ministered to me and reminded me of so many things including the privilege of sharing in his sufferings.
May we all let every circumstance he allows in our lives to push us deeply into the loving bosom of the Lord of all Comfort.
Mike Wilson
p.s. - If you can't see the video clip, try here: http://www.youtube.com/v/WMJox5-K5jU
go2japan is proudly sponsored by a missional partnership for Japan . . .
