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we touched this same spot with our hands, our feet, our gaze and our dreams

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

On Screen

poetry
Apparently, the folks at the San Diego Asian Film Festival just can’t get enough. Though the fest itself isn’t until October, SDAFF is launching its first-ever Spring Showcase on Friday, April 15, at UltraStar Mission Valley. Eleven films will be presented during the next week, including a fundraiser to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Click here to read more.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Quake aid, local services



For relief organizations, groups or individuals needing translators, Taichi W. sent information about the Japan Guide Consortium Volunteer Interpreters, a group of translators initially formed at the request of the government. Four are working in Sendai with the Indian National Disaster Response Force; other volunteers are available upon request. For more information, see the JGC Volunteer Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/pages/Japan-Guide-Consortium-Volunteer-Interpreters-Earthquake-Relief/ 149712655091836 ) or ( sites.google.com/site/jgcvolunteers/ ).

If you'd like to help children left orphaned as a result of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami, Living Dreams and Smile Kids Japan, two nonprofit organizations supporting children in orphanages, have set up a way to help through Global Giving ( www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-orphans-in-japan-rebuild-lives-post-tsunami/?rf=ggWidgetz ). Their project will focus on immediate and long-term support to orphanages in the affected areas. See the Global Giving site for details.

Services: Here are some local services offered in English as well as Japanese. Please send us any others you know of.

Greg Copeland is a carpenter who "does fantastic house reforms." In the industry for 25 years, he works internationally and has served Tokyo since 1998. Call 090-1700-6212 or e-mail grc@gol.com.

Tony (Antonio) Canales is CEO of the general construction company KK Rising Son Express . Phone/fax 0423-334-9511; cell phone 090-6159-4601; e-mail rising_son_express@yahoo.co.jp. All services related to construction — heating and air conditioning, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting, wallpaper, flooring, concrete, gardening, fencing and more.

Daiwa Setsubi is a long-established plumbing contracting company in Shinjuku. President Takahiko Sato (whose wife, Lyn, is American) speaks English. He and his team of five are happy to sort out any problem, from blocked drains to re-plumbing an entire property, new or old. Call (03) 3370-6294.

Akiyoshi (Aki) Matsumoto can do all kinds of things in Japanese or English: gardening, painting and decorating, plumbing, walking pets, house cleaning, disposals, removals, interpreting, message and courier service. Based in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, he will extend out as far as Yokohama. Bilingual site: www.handyman-japan.com, tel.: 080-5678-3215, e-mail: handyman-tokyo@nifty.com.

Neil Hugo builds houses. One of the few foreigners to have a Japanese construction license, Neil's company, Foothill Homes , can design and build a home from scratch, build an imported log cabin or reform existing premises and spaces. Website (in English and Japanese): www.foothillhomes.net ; e-mail: foothill@mx5.mesh.ne.jp or neil@foothillhomes.net.

Stephen Young is a mover (and shaker). His business QUOZ Movers ( www.quoz.biz ) was founded in 1995 and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. He takes care of moving, deliveries and also disposes of unwanted furniture. Call Steve at 090-3801-8083 or (03) 5932-7777 (his staff all speak English).

Cher Mori is an organizer and motivator. Describing herself as Tokyo's Personal Assistant, she will simplify errands, help you de-clutter and complete unfinished projects. Call her at 080-3340-7433. Website: www.jillofalltrades.jp/.

ChezVous specializes in housekeeping services, child care, handyman and cleaning services in Tokyo and Yokohama. Much recommended. Website: www.chezvous.co.jp/english/.

Ashley Thompson writes survival tips and unique how-tos about living in Japan at www.survivingnjapan.com. Send all your questions to lifelines@japantimes.co.jp

Saturday, April 09, 2011

PRAY FOR AND WITH JAPAN AT 2:00PM TODAY

CLICK THE PICTURE FOR A READABLE VERSION

Japanese perplexed by slow quake response


In a nation known for speed and efficiency, people wonder why it took so long for the government to mobilize relief for the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.

By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times

April 9, 2011

Reporting from Tokyo

The calls came into Tokyo's metropolitan government soon after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. What can we do to help, some asked. Others, seeing shocking television video of people homeless and desperate for food, urged officials to take up a collection.

"Many people said, 'I have a child too. I want to do something,'" recalled Kazutoshi Matsuura, a department head at Tokyo's Welfare and Health Agency.

But it was a full week after the initial devastation when the first truckload of donated diapers, bottled water and other essentials gathered by volunteers and municipal workers left central Tokyo for the worst-hit areas along the northeast coast.

Time had ticked away as 20 metropolitan department chiefs put their heads together; half a day was lost just getting approval for storage space for donated goods. Rules on how to pack boxes cost precious more hours.

The story of what happened between the first public calls for the city to rise to the occasion and the delivery of aid is in some ways the story of the puzzling slowness that has characterized Japan's overall response to the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami.

Weeks after the disaster struck, officials and relief workers say the basic needs of most people in shelters are being met, with many volunteers helping with cleanup as convoys loaded with water and even portable showers rumble along coastal roads.  READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE

Thursday, April 07, 2011

SOS from Mayor of Minami Soma City

The anatomy of a megathrust earthquake

It was the biggest quake to rock Japan in recorded history. On 11 March 2011, just 130 km off the coast of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu, a section of the massive submarine fault separating the enormous Pacific plate from northern Japan failed.

In a few minutes, over 500 km of the fault catastrophically ruptured, and rocks on either side were thrown over 20 metres along the fault.

The island of Honshu was wrenched 2.5 m towards the east, and the Earth's tilt axis moved by 16 cm in response to this enormous redistribution of mass. The seafloor upheaval shunted a column of water over 6 km deep upwards - a massive disturbance which culminated in a 10 m tsunami swamping the Japanese coastline.


At magnitude 9, the quake was propelled into another class of monster - a megaquake. The scale used to measure earthquake magnitude, whilst useful, does not do justice to the energy involved in the biggest of the big.


The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic - meaning the energy released by a magnitude 9 is around 32 times greater than a magnitude 8, and almost 1,000 times larger than a magnitude 7.

READ MORE HERE.......

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

International 'Golden Rule' Day

April 6, 2011
Unfortunately, this one had escaped our attention before the 5 April 2011 Ekklesia daily e-bulletin, but today has been designated International Golden Rule Day.

The idea is to stop and ask ourselves and our neighbours how our lives might be different if the Golden Rule was lived… individually, in community, in our faith groups and denominations, in the city, the region, the nation, and the world.


The Golden Rule is expressed in the words of Jesus recorded in two of the Gospels as follows:

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7.12)
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6.31).

Many religions and spiritual teachers express this positive reciprocal responsibility in slightly different ways, points out the Rev Bosco Peters from New Zealand, who runs a wide-ranging liturgical resource website at: http://www.liturgy.co.nz/.

There is also a negative way of expressing a similar concept – the so-called “silver rule”: “One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated”.

2009 was the International Year of Reconciliation. Religious Leaders of Ethiopia proclaimed 5 April as the Golden Rule Day.

Ambassador Mussie Hailu was the chair of the Interfaith Peace-building Initiative and the representative of United Religions Initiative to the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa. He had Golden Rule Day endorsed by the United Nations. It is now recognised by numerous organisations around the world.

The back-story is here - http://allafrica.com/stories/200909230374.html

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Japan Relief Update - Jonathan Wilson, CRASH Japan


CHUBU REPORTS



(Apr. 1, 2011)

It seems that the situation in Japan has taken a back seat in the news especially with what is going on in Libya, Syria, etc.  The situation here remains the same with little change at least at the reactors.  There is some speculation things are worse than being reported as relates to radiation.  Ongoing prayers are needed!  To some degree life is returning to normal in some cities and towns.  In areas where whole towns were wiped out life may never return to normal.  Some towns and at least one city may never be rebuilt.  Some people don't want to go back to their town or city because of what happened.  The psychological impact is huge!  Pastors I know are reaching out to many people in every conceivable way possible.

When I started writing my emails it was with the intention of asking for prayer and for sharing my heart regarding Japan.  To some degree it was therapeutic for me to write everyone.  I was overcome with the loss of life and destruction.  My heart ached for the people of Japan and especially the people in the Tohoku area.  It was not my intention to raise money for the relief effort.

However, some of you have donated money through Destiny Ministries for relief work in the Tohoku area.  Thus, we are helping a church in Fukushima Prefecture in the city of Iwaki.  It is about 40 km from the reactors.  The city has asked this church to help the people of the city as well as the people who have flooded evacuation centers there.  This includes feeding them and setting up baths as well as providing clothes and some essentials.  To date we have sent significant money to help this pastor as well as other pastors in Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture.  Thank you to those of you who have sent donations to help these people.  Pray for strength and provision for them as they reach out to help the people there!

There is speculation that there will be hundreds of orphans from this crisis.  As many of you know my wife was an orphan and we will soon be working together with Loving Shepherd Ministries to reach out to orphans in several countries.  The plight of orphans is something very close to our hearts.  There are over 143,000,000 orphans in the world today!  I have pasted an article from the Yomiuri Shimbun (Newspaper) below regarding orphans from the earthquake and tsunami.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Several hundred children are believed to have lost their parents in the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, substantially more than the 68 who were orphaned by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Compared with the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck early in the morning, the majority of children were at school on the Friday when the  Tohoku earthquake hit and were able to evacuate safely.

However, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is having difficulty collecting information about orphans from local governments in disaster-stricken areas. Therefore, the ministry is sending local government officials from other regions to assist with such efforts.

Most children who lost their parents in the Great Hanshin Earthquake ended up being cared for by their relatives or acquaintances.
 
Thank you for your continued prayers for Japan!



A TEAM~JAPAN REPORT


Psalm 23:4
”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me."


Dear Praying Friends,

We have been here in Tokyo at the CRASH Japan Command Center for one full week now and what a week it has been! From the day we arrived, we have been put to work primarily being asked to take the lead in the volunteer relief team orientation and pre-deployment briefings and also debriefing the teams upon their return. Being thrust into a leadership role with new responsibilities being added daily, such as training, helping to develop a Volunteer Field Operation Manuel for Survivor Care and Team Care and developing the necessary follow-up procedures for the counseling of some who have been in the field has been a bit overwhelming, to say the least. But, we are thankful for a TEAM family who are currently on a three month home assignment opening up the use of their home to us, which has given us a quiet place to get away to for rest in the midst of all that is happening.

Two Personal Stories heard last week in Team Debriefings 

From two Pioneer Mission workers who flew in from China to help.... 

"Though the area we were in was not hit by the tsunami, there was considerable earthquake damage and due to the proximity to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant....tensions were high. However, upon our arrival in Hitachi City, we were amazed to see that the pastor and the church already had a network set up for the distribution of the aid and all we had to do was follow their lead in getting it to those who needed it most! We were tremendously encouraged in seeing the church and Japanese believers at work!"    

From one Volunteer Worker who was in a Tsunami devastated area of Sendai

"We spent the day shoveling mud out of the house of a 75 year old lady in Sendai and when we were taking a break at one point, I asked her if I could pray for her. She said yes and upon finishing the prayer, as I looked up, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks, as I believe God touched her heart. Later in the day and before leaving, I had a chance to pray with her again and am trusting God to draw this dear woman to himself through this tragedy." 

How next week is shaping up for us. With the enormity of the task before CRASH Japan and the number of volunteer teams the organization anticipates will soon begin pouring in, we will need to step up our efforts to see systems put in place for: 
1. The forming of Volunteer Teams prior to their coming to CRASH Japan.  
2. The training of staff for orienting, briefing and debriefing of Volunteer Teams.  
3. The follow-up of Volunteers after their return who might need continuing counseling and care.

How you can be praying.

1. As we will be meeting with Jonathan Wilson, the CRASH Japan director and a number of key people over the next few days in order to see the above accomplished. Please pray for wisdom and the Lord's leading so that we might get the necessary systems in place in order to effectively handle the growing number of Volunteer Teams.
2. As we will also be seeing an increase in all Japanese Volunteer Teams coming, all of the team preparation materials and procedures must also be developed in Japanese. Please pray for the necessary Japanese to help in the translation and staffing needs that will be growing.
3. Having been in the trenches here at CRASH Japan for a full week now, Eileen and I both feel that the Lord has prepared the both of us for a time "such as this". Please be in prayer for us however, that we may sensitive to the Lord's voice and leading in just how long that commitment will need to be.

God is Good! As part of the debriefing process with the teams coming back from the disaster area, we are purposing to ask the team members to tell us one or two of the bright spots or stories of hope that they have seen. The above mentioned are just two of the many we are beginning to hear and each is a reminder that God is good and his hand of mercy is at work through the relief efforts of CRASH Japan volunteers! Thus, please continue to pray for the on-going relief efforts and specifically that the seeds of the Gospel that are being sown in the Tohoku area now will result in a revival in not only that area but also throughout Japan!

In Christ and for His Glory, Jim Nielsen TEAM-Japan

 

Jesus and the Buddhists

Samaritan's Purse brings aid to bind up Japan's wounds
Ken Isaacs, head of the Samaritan's Purse disaster response team in Japan, had a dwindling warehouse of supplies - what remained of a 96-ton load the group had airlifted to Japan. He would be reordering soon, and he needed the latest intelligence.
Updated Apr. 3, 2011 3:21 AM | Full Story

Friday, April 01, 2011

'Not done weeping yet,' missionary in Japan says

Mar 30, 2011 | by Tess Rivers ISHINOMAKI, Japan (BP)--"Disaster" says it all.

Southern Baptist missionaries and volunteers finally distributed relief goods in Ishinomaki, Japan, this week after two weeks of attempting to gain access to the quake-stricken areas. Power outages, gas rationing, an escalating nuclear crisis and relocation of International Mission Board personnel hampered earlier attempts.

Ishinomaki -- a small city of around 120,000 people -- was devastated March 11 by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Officials estimate that more than 18,000 people died and thousands more are missing along Japan's northeastern coast.

The 11-member team spent two days distributing relief goods at multiple locations throughout the city, including an apartment complex, a nursing home and a bus station. Everywhere they went, they found grateful Japanese, eager for someone to listen to their stories.

International Mission Board missionary Jared Jones helped one man shovel debris from his home. The day before, the man received a call from local officials to identify his wife's body. The man -- a Buddhist -- talked with Jones about how his wife often encouraged him to read the Bible. The couple had been married 40 years.

"He just needed somebody to listen to him," Jones said.

Missionary Ed Jordan had a similar experience. Jordan, who works with the deaf, was distributing goods in a bus station when a colleague asked for help. One of the victims was a deaf woman who was unable to communicate with the hearing volunteers.

When Jordan talked with her in sign language about her family and her home, the woman was thrilled. "If she shook my hand once, she shook it a dozen times," Jordan said.

Both Jordan and Jones noticed uncommon openness from the Japanese during their trip.

"They look you in the eye," Jordan said. "They need somebody to talk to and many are willing to let us pray with them. No one turned us away."

On Saturday International Mission Board missionaries living in and relocated to the Osaka area loaded a 2-ton truck and three mini-vans with rice, vegetables, baby food, cleaning supplies and other relief goods. Then they drove the nearly 600 miles from Osaka to Ishinomaki.

The group was overwhelmed by the scope of the destruction that greeted them. A large fishing boat leaned against a damaged power line in the middle of a city street. Battered cars sat atop mounds of trash and debris. Black mud, the color of crude oil, filled the streets and the ground floor of homes and businesses.

"This is not like any other disaster I've ever seen," Jones said.

"There was a debris field everywhere you looked," Jordan agreed. "Cars were stacked on top of each other. One car had washed through the plate glass window of a 7-11."

As they make plans for future relief work in the quake area, the team asked for prayer that they would have opportunities.

"Our biggest prayer is, 'What can we do in the next few weeks to get reorganized and get back up there?'" Jordan said. "There is such great openness, and we want to be able to respond."

Jones agreed, adding that the scenes and experiences from this trip will continue to affect him.

"I'm not done weeping yet," Jones said.