Another urgent update from Tokyo

Since our last update, we have made several additional progresses in our effort to bring hope. First, earlier this morning, we have agreed to partner with the US NAVY to collect and distribute basic items to the people in the affected areas, ranging from baby bottles to clothing/blankets. We will focus on collecting items that are needed and once we gather enough of them, we will take them to the Yokosuka Naval Base so that they can ship them directly to the affected areas. We will be promoting this clothing donation drive to other local churches in the area and also to our neighborhood community so please pray that people would act selflessly in order to be a blessing and an encouragement to others in need.

Secondly, we have contacted a top leader of one of the biggest Baptist denominations in the areas that were hit by the tsunami and radiation. And we have agreed to open up our church building to host Christian refugees from those areas. While we are still waiting to hear from them about the details, we need to be ready to transform our church to a place where we can house as many as twenty people. Your generous donation will be exchanged to Japanese Yen immediately to provide bedding and food for those people who have lost everything. Currently the biggest issue is the lack of gasoline to transport those people to us. In case they are unable to escape to Tokyo, we will donate a large part of our funds to a group of trusted pastors and allow them to use it as they see fit to help those in the areas. Please keep praying that your generous giving and our effort to use them effectively would bring hope to this country.

Currently, we are advised to where a facial mask to avoid radiation when walking outside. Japan suspended operations to prevent a stricken nuclear plant from melting down Wednesday after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain at the facility. If the containment at the nuclear power plant damaged by the earthquake fails, a potential radiation plume from a full core meltdown could reach Tokyo by nightfall. In such a scenario, there is not much we can do to escape from it. But we will remain in the city as long as possible to provide stability and spiritual assurance to those in our community. We will leave the city when everyone in our community is able to leave with us. This will also require a large funding to pull off, so please be generous in giving so that if this happens (and we hope it doesn’t), we can evacuate the city before it is too late.

We also have two members of our church community who have been deployed to the affected sites. Mr. Harada, who is a faithful attender of our church, is being deployed to the nuclear site, and Mr. Hagiwara is being deployed to Miyagi. Please pray for their protection, but more importantly that God would use them to bring hope to others and that their own faith will be strengthened through their experience.

Furthermore, many prominent mission boards are pulling out their missionaries and pastors from Japan. We do not disagree with their decision to protect their missionaries, but we are also saddened by many confused Japanese Christians who are left behind without spiritual leadership and assurance at a time like this when they are most needed. Please pray that many Japanese pastors and leaders will be strengthened to lead Christians in this country during this time. Also, pray for non-Japanese missionaries who choose to stay with their members in Japan. Please pray that God will provide them with strength and wisdom needed to stabilize believers across the country and help them to become single-minded believers who endure various trials of faith so that they can demonstrate the love of God selflessly wherever they have been placed by God’s sovereignty.

You can use our PayPal widget which you can find on the left of this page or directly send your check to our mission board FIM and make sure you designate it to us on the check somewhere. Any non-regular gift we receive will be used to assist our effort to provide both physical and spiritual needs of those who have been affected by the disasters.

If you are unclear on how to donate or have further questions, please feel free to contact me via email (kazu@fimtokyo.com).

Kazu and Amy