How to Help Japan

All of the pastors were horrified to watch the events in Japan unfold over the weekend. Each day, we look with sadness as more and more casualties are recorded and the economic and ecological damage is assessed. The people of Japan are in our prayers.

I thought I’d share the following email from Redemption Gilbert member, Ronnie, who lives in Japan. Ronnie isn’t your typical “missionary”. Instead, Ronnie is in Japan working for his company, understanding that he is an ambassador for Christ in that country, intentionally living out and engaging the people of Japan with the Gospel. He’s asking us to pray for Japan in some very specific ways. And he could use your prayers as well.

Over the next few days, I will continue looking for specific areas to pray about. And sure, feel free to forward the prayer requests. I’ve spoken to a number of Redemption Church people so feel free to use my first name.

There are some obvious issues that everyone can pray for. The number of lives lost has yet to stop growing. There are still people trapped, frightened, injured, missing, and very worried. Pray that people can find their friends and family safe. Pray for safety and protection over the nuclear power generator problems, and for safety, strength, and patience through the blackouts that may come as a result. Pray for continued protection during the aftershocks. Pray that people can get home safely, with hearts softened by this experience. Pray that over all this suffering and tragedy, the light of the Gospel may reach Japanese people, that lives will rebuild on the foundation of hope in Christ, and that the God of the bible will be seen as sovereign, mighty, personal, merciful and gracious.

Over the last two days, many people I talked to seemed to have compiled their own lists of a few people that they still can’t contact in the Sendai area. This could be because communications are down, but there is still anxiety all around. And while today was much better, these aftershocks make it really hard not to be on edge. Many of us work in skyscrapers and even stay in high-rise buildings, designed to sway with tremors. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep as the sound of the creeks and the swaying structure can be pretty dramatic. I’m really learning to trust God more with every tremor.

The people here seem to respond very strange (to me) to this kind of thing. It’s hard to read these people because they hide so much, and ambiguity is built into most responses on purpose. I did see some tearful emotions at church. Some churches have started to assemble worker teams to help repair roofs and start to assess needs. I’ll forward you some additional notes about individual conversations later. It’s been very humbling time of prayer, sharing, learning, and listening to people.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate being prayed for by God’s people.

Please pray for Ronnie and the people of Japan.

Also, in addition to prayer, please consider helping Japan with your finances. Pastor Tyler Johnson is the Vice President of Disciple Nations Alliance. He passed along their request for donations for relief efforts in Japan. Here’s is their note:

Dear Friends and Partners of the Disciple Nations Alliance,

Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Japan as they respond to the terrible earthquake and tsunami that struck on Friday. The DNA is a global alliance comprised of local champions, regional networks, and national organizations. One of our key national organizations, Friends with the Voiceless International), is based in Japan. Its leadership team, Dr. Eisuke Kanda, Shun Jinnai, and Midori Yanagisawa, all live in Tokyo, which is just South of the area most directly affected. Friends with the Voiceless works with churches throughout Japan, including areas most heavily affected by the earthquake and tsunami.