March 19, 2011

Dear friends and family,

This is a quick note to urge you to praise and prayer!

So much has been happening in the world that now, less than two weeks after one of the worst tragedies in modern history, our attention has turned away, toward the problems in Libya. . . another human tragedy. However, I want to let you know that in Japan, finally some good progress is being made to get relief to the stricken victims of the earthquake/tsunami!!

Several hours from now 90 tons of supplies will begin to be transported from Sendai airport and dispersed to those in the most desperate need. As I have done a couple of times, I will copy the latest report from CRASH, the organization headed up by our friend, Pastor Jonathan Wilson. He writes:

I went to bed last night thinking what an impossible task lay before us to transport 90 tons of relief from the airport in Sendai to our new base. With fuel being rationed none of the companies that we could normally hire are driving, and the number of small 2-ton trucks needed would make it a logistical nightmare! But by mid-morning my nightmare turned into a dream, with three 20-ton trucks at our disposal with multiple backups as well. Samaritan's Purse will first fly the 747 into Yokota and then transfer it to smaller planes for the flight to Sendai. Once it reaches there our teams are poised to begin distribution through around 30 local churches to the surrounding communities.

Our command center team has been going non-stop from last Sunday from morning to night and tomorrow we will pause in the morning to worship our Lord before resuming our work from 2:00pm. Pray for this incredible group of missionaries, pastors, students and Christians who are serving their hearts out for the victims of this terrible disaster. Please pray for us

Praise God for food and supplies that are reaching those in need and praise Him for those who are working so hard and such long hours so those supplies can be distributed immediately upon their arrival. Let's continue to be in prayer for them as we pray for those who are continuing to suffer from hunger and the extreme cold.

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

In His Holy Name,

david & yuka

June 15, 2011

I just received an email from a good friend of mine in Japan. He is a pastor and has spent a lot of time in Fukushima ministering to the refugees there. He wrote this very moving testimony to me about Pastor Satou and the believers who are with him and I thought you would want to know about it too.

My friend wrote:
victims"I just want to tell you about the victims of the earthquake/tsunami disaster. The death toll is now at 15,424 and there are still 7,931 people missing. There are 84,537people living in refugee centers. We can hardly stand up to this much trouble without Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Last Sunday I went to the Ochanomizu Christian Center to attend a worship service. There was a famous pastor whose name is Satou. He served the largest church in Fukushima before the earthquake. Now everything is gone since the nuclear power plant exploded. The church is only three miles away from the power plant and no one can go back to the church building. Pastor Satou has been serving that church for thirty years since he first became a pastor. Now, everything is lost. He lost the church buildings, his house and everything. Not to mention many believers passed away suddenly because of the tsunami. Pastor Satou moved from one refugee center to another with some of the believers as well as some unbelievers. In the beginning he often cried day after day because he was not able to deal with the sadness of the tragedy. However, gradually more and more believers who had been scattered far and wide began to gather with him."

"Now there are sixty believers together with him and they are living in temporary quarters in a suburb of Tokyo. They lost their houses and their families but they continue to praise the Lord everyday. Finally they recognized that God is all. Pastor Satou said that, "I am convinced that the Church of the Lord is neither buildings nor regulations, neither programs nor organization. The Church of the Lord is people. I am sure that the Church of the Lord will never fall; it is invincible! A long time ago Job said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised." Now, some of the unbelievers who have remained with Pastor Satou have put their faith in Jesus. They were recently baptized in the shelter where they are staying. Heaven and earth will pass away but God's Word will never pass away!"

My friend went on to write his personal word to me, "David, the Lord is your shepherd, you shall not be in want. The Lord guides you in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Enjoy the blessing of knowing God - and of being known by Him!

Sincerely, david & yuka