The scenes on the television screen are shocking. Entire Japanese communities devastated by a recent major earthquake and ensuing tsunami. While you have heard about the incredible loss of life and concerns of nuclear reactor explosions, you may not have heard about how the missions community is scrambling to meet needs on the ground amidst the devastation.
Baptist Press reports that a Southern Baptist disaster relief assessment team arrived in Tokyo on Saturday, the day after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 23-foot tsunami wave rocked Japan’s northeast coast. The assessment team is working with local churches, government officials and non-governmental organizations to evaluate needs and create a blueprint for relief. According to the report, while the Japanese government is requesting international assistance, it does not intend to request large numbers of international volunteers. So the Southern Baptist relief effort will focus on resourcing Japanese Baptist congregations so that they can provide assistance to their communities.
Peter Howard with Food For the Hungary (FH) told Mission Network News(MNN) that they too are taking their cues from partners on the ground. The immediate need was for warm clothing for communities without power near the Fukushima nuclear plant where nightly temperatures dropped to near freezing. FH was able to send two trucks of supplies to the area. Relief efforts, however, are hampered by lack of fuel and roads that are impassible in some areas. Like Southern Baptists, FH is focused on resourcing local churches so that they can distribute aid to their communities.
In fact, the organizations we surveyed were all planning to partner with local Japanese churches as the most effective way to quickly get aid to those in the disaster region. The challenge, however, for some of these organizations is connecting with their partner churches.
According to another MNN report, the status of most of the 300+ churches in the affected region is unknown. Communication is difficult with many wireless lines and landlines down. The Wesleyan Church Denomination reported Monday that some of their partner churches in the region “survived major damage and some of their members are still missing.”
The Foursquare Church denomination initially could not get information on their churches in the region, but has since learned that all 42 of their Japanese congregations are safe. Other groups are still assessing how the disaster has impacted their partner churches.
What can the average person outside of Japan do to help? All the ministries and denominations surveyed said the same thing—pray and give cash. They ask for prayer for the safety of workers, for spiritual openness among those impacted by the disaster, and for strength for local volunteers. These groups are asking for cash rather than material donations as cash can be converted quickly into needed resources. For those seeking to go to Japan, the airports have all re-opened and Ministry Travel can make your air travel arrangements. Contact us at MinistryTravel.com or 1-877-541-5726.