(Photo by Yuchiro Haga)
Japan (WAS/MNN) ― Yet another strong aftershock rattled Japan Monday morning, falling at 7.1 magnitude and straining already taut nerves.
Shortly after the nation had observed a minute of silence to remember the 13,000 people killed in the March 11 disaster and the 15,000 who officially remain missing, buildings began swaying and the disorientation of another temblor began to build.
Electricity had been partially restored across a huge area of northern Japan from the April 7 aftershock, but the latest tremor took parts of the system offline again, including the critical systems at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
In response, the Japanese government widened the evacuation zone around a stricken nuclear plant. This last month has seen the worst tragedies to envelop the country since World War II.
Wycliffe Associates is trying to fund some aid efforts to the quake survivors. Through its Missionary 911 fund, Wycliffe Associates helps the work of Bible translation move forward in the face of such emergencies as natural disasters and civil unrest by providing assistance that can include temporary housing, evacuations, and the replacement of some personal belongings.
Wycliffe Associates' Bible translation partner in Japan, Wycliffe Japan, is scrambling to help meet the most basic of needs of those around them and is asking for help with funds. Akira, director of Wycliffe Japan, sent this urgent request: "Please remember in your prayers both the people of Japan and the churches in Japan at this difficult time." He reported that all personnel and their immediate families who were in Japan at that time thankfully have been accounted for and are safe.
"The initial relief work is going on, but it will take years and years to restore those affected churches," says Akira. "That is why Wycliffe Japan needs our support so that Christians and churches who survived the disaster will be restored quickly and be able to reach out to the community as the light of the world," states Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. The most critical needs include things like food, temporary housing, replacement of lost belongings, clothing, and blankets.
Smith adds that with so much recent turmoil in the world, the organization's Missionary 911 fund can get depleted quickly.
Wycliffe Associates involves people in accelerating the work of Bible translation through their time, talents, and treasure. Because millions of people around the world are still waiting to read the Scriptures in the language of their heart, Wycliffe Associates is working as quickly as they can to translate every verse of the Bible into every tongue to change every heart. The organization partners with nationals, mother tongue translators, staff, volunteers, and supporters to direct and fund these efforts, as well as provide logistics, networking, and technical support. Through a growing global network, Wycliffe Associates is striving to overcome local limitations of time and resources to achieve the goal of beginning the translation of God's Word in every remaining language that needs it by 2025.
