“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” ISAIAH 58:10 
Thank you for your wonderful gifts to help the Japanese people.
I have never before seen a moment like this for the Gospel in Japan. Over and over again, I hear stories of the openness of Japanese people toward accepting Christ. These next 3-5 years are essential for the Gospel’s advance in Japan.
To date, over 20,000 people are listed as dead or missing; entire communities-were washed away within minutes.
Because we have always partnered with local churches, we were able to quickly assess the needs of those hardest hit by the tsunami and earthquake and join up with many of the churches to offer help.
During the first few months, the overwhelming immediate needs of the hundreds of thousands affected have been the basics: food, clothing, and shelter. Hosting huge outdoor barbeques is one innovative way we’ve served thousands of these victims in the city of Ishinomaki. For several days teams of volunteers pulled together local community members to clean up neighborhood parks. Then hundreds of people flocked together to celebrate their hard work with American style BBQ. One group staying at an evacuation center remarked that this was the only cooked meat they had had for seven weeks, since the tsunami.
Throughout our history, Asian Access has focused on meeting spiritual needs in this nation where less than one percent believe in Jesus. We have focused on starting and strengthening churches, as well as training Japanese pastors to lead those churches. Since March 11, however, we realize we have an additional task we cannot ignore:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” ISAIAH 61:1
We are now able to combine our expertise and passion to meet spiritual needs with the mandate brought on by the disaster to care for the brokenhearted, feed the hungry, and comfort orphans and widows in their distress. As we look to the coming months and years of relief, recovery, and rebuilding, we are ever aware of the huge size of the task. We are hopeful for many hearts to turn their Savior. We are trusting that God will bring new vision to the Japanese church.
Our Three Phases of Relief
Phase One
(Much of this in partnership with CRASH/Japan)
- 1) Helped deliver over 30 tons of relief supplies….
- 2) …in cooperation with major international Christian aid organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse and Food for the Hungry
- 3) Help launch regional bases for volunteer operations….
Phase Two
- 1) We are supporting the work of several regional bases run by local churches
Phase Three
- 1) …and coaching these pastors as they seek to plant churches that will serve as centers of community transformation in the affected regions.