In the run-up to March 11, Japan was rattled by a moderate
quake (2:25 a.m. local time, March 10, 2012) with a magnitude of 5.4 near
northeastern Japan's crisis zone.  

No tsunami warning was issued this time, but it brought back
nightmarish memories of what happened when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck in
2011, when a crushing tsunami DID strike. Between the damage of the quake and the force of the wave, 86 communities
were leveled. In the next breath, the
country was trying to hold down panic over an accident that crippled the Fukushima
nuclear plant.

Although the country is recovering, there are still scars
physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Japanese government has declared eight areas near the reactors as
potential no-go zones for the next two decades.  

Many residents remain homeless. According to The Evangelical Alliance
Mission (TEAM), in most areas the wreckage has been gathered and sorted into
"mountains." The rubble has
been estimated as the equivalent of 30 years' worth of garbage, and it still
awaits final disposal.

Some of the infrastructure has been repaired. TEAM's partners say basic roads and bridges
are mainly passable, but add that minimal
rebuilding has taken place, and many communities are waiting on direction of
what rebuilding will look like.

Repairs could take as long as ten years. Depression is settling in. Government data from Japan shows that there a
20% spike in suicides after the events of March 11, 2011.

TEAM's continued presence among those most affected by the
tsunami has helped to open doors in building trusted relationships within the
local church and the local people. The local churches are very small and few
and far between, and many have become exhausted by the overwhelming needs of
their communities.

By having TEAM missionaries as a resource, they have been
able to be present at a most crucial time building relationships, while
creating potential for starting churches in the future after the relief and
recovery periods have finished.
 
They're calling not only for prayer support but also other resourcing help in
order to continue to make an impact for Christ's Kingdom as believers walk
alongside and offer hope to the Japanese people. We'll have the links at our Featured Links
Section.

At magnitude 9.0, the quake shifted Honshu Island 8 feet to the east
and made the Earth wobble on its axis. It
also sent tsunamis crashing into the coast, tearing a swath of destruction six
miles inland and wrecking the nuclear power station at Fukushima.

From that disaster, a meltdown–releasing 600 million times the
energy of the Hiroshima bomb–occurred. 15,000 people are known to have
died; thousands are still missing a year later.  

President Joe Handley with Asian Access says the repair task was
daunting. "86 communities were
completely washed away. People lost their homes, lost their jobs, lost their
loved ones." Yet, rebuilding quickly began, and the
picture of Japan today is painted amidst the hope of the cherry blossoms
falling now. "Out of ashes of this disaster, we've
seen hope on the rise."

As word of the scope of the disaster spread, so did the number of people who wanted to
help. "The Japanese Self Defense Force were some of the first up in the
region bringing help and hope, then believers across Japan–Japanese churches in particular–have been the unsung heroes. Then, believers around the world came to rally."

Here's the irony, says Handley. The hardest-hit region was also "the
single least-reached region of Japan. Japan is known as one of the largest unreached people group in the world, and
this particular region is the single most unreached sector of Japan."

The walls of disinterest in the Gospel began to give way. "Out
of this situation, people have been asking, 'Why would you do this? Why would
you care for us so much?' and, 'Why are you the ones that are helping us through
these emotional situations when many others are doing nothing?' Because of that, many are coming to Christ."

Asian Access mobilized 30 tons of aid with the help of a $1 million dollar matching grant last year. That aid has gone a long way to spiritual healing. "The
churches have been at the forefront of providing relief. So, as people have really faced the emotional
and the spiritual trauma that has hit them, the Church has
really risen to the occasion to meet people's needs."

Asian Access launched a strategic sending partnership with SIM USA
to help meet the needs. Handley remarked
that for the first time in his 30-year cross-cultural ministry career, "This
pastor was asking me to send hundreds of missionaries. I've never in my life
seen local pastors from a country practically begging me to send hundreds of missionaries. It wasn't just one pastor. It was a few."

It's just the beginning. Asian
Access hopes to continue to provide funds and also missionaries to support them
in this work. "Pastors think we
have about a two-year window to really invest in Japan, spiritually. This is a
unique time for Japan. Some have called it a 'kairos' moment, or a 'God' moment,
for Japan."

The good news: A2 just received a second USD$1,000,000 matching
opportunity to bring hope and healing to the country. These new funds allow A2 to continue to
bolster the strategic partnerships created over the last year.     

Handley explains, "We continue to invest in key pastors and
leaders throughout the region, developing community centers that are centers of
hope, centers for transformational and church planting efforts, even investing in
small businesses that have been completely devastated."

"It's cherry blossom season," Handley says. In
Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds, besides being a metaphor for life.
In this case, A2 teams have given life
meaning through the Gospel. "Through
this season of hope, this million-dollar matching opportunity will help us come
alongside key churches and send more missionaries to help them share the
love and hope that lies within us."

To give toward the match, either send a check to Asian Access
marked: "$1M Matching Gift" or give online. If you indicate "For
Japan Matching Gift" on your check, your gift will be doubled.

That means residents can stop being
ready to evacuate, and–once cleanup is finished–schools and other public
services can function again. Business is
getting back to "normal," but after the quake, tsunami, and
nuclear disasters, what's defined as "normal?"

International Aid CEO Brian Anderson
says as they supported the local church through the emergency phase, they were
beginning to see a new picture emerging of what "normal"might look like.
"Because the government is truly
focused on infrastructure, it does create an opportunity on the personal level
for the Christian community to make some inroads with the people and to be able
to share the Gospel."

Prior to March 11, 2011, Christians
weren't ready to respond to a disaster. "The Christian community there is represented by less than 1% of the total population. There really is a need there to hear the
Gospel."

Since then, it's been quite a different
story. Anderson explains, "We
had an opportunity, early on, to provide two vehicles to an organization called
CRASH Japan. CRASH stands for Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope,
which allowed them to move people and supplies."

CRASH Japan got people
organized and has since sent out over 1600 volunteers to serve both the physical
and spiritual needs of survivors. In
partnership with local churches, CRASH Japan has planned and accomplished many
programs to serve the needs of disaster-affected areas. For example, "Koriyama has a lot of
temporary housing that was put up. Koriyama Christ Church is delivering food to
these residents, and at the same time, having an opportunity to share the Gospel."

Koriyama quickly became
a settlement area as temporary housing
units sprang up all over. "A number of these housing units lack both
heat and air conditioning. There are gaps along the roof line."

Many who were displaced hoped that they
would be able to return home quickly. As
the weeks drag on into months, there's another issue believers are facing. "Coming into winter, there's a real
concern about the lack of hope. They really are dreading a spike in the suicide
rate there as well."

Anderson says
International Aid provided thousands of dollars of medications, hygiene products, blankets
and flashlights to be given to those who were injured or lost their homes. They also addressed the human dignity problem. "We had the opportunity to
provide 25 starter kits made up of home furnishings and items for use in the
temporary housing to make those units more livable."

More than programs, the
impact made through these relationships will play a key role in spreading the hope
of Christ throughout Japan in the future.  

However, church partners are
tired. What can you do? "Pray for the church partners. They've been at this since March. [Pray] for
strength and endurance. You can see that there's weariness on their part
because there's a lot of effort, and it goes on week after week. Coming into the
winter months, I think that their workload is going to increase."

The quake resurrected images of the devastation that
hit in March this year.  The rebuilding
of Japan has been ongoing, but many are still without jobs or the means to
support themselves.

From the beginning, International Aid has been providing
thousands of dollars of medicines, hygiene products, blankets, and flashlights
to partners working on the ground in the hardest-hit areas. They also coordinated
an effort to supply numerous families who lost their homes with "start-up" kits which included items such as appliances and furniture.

International Aid CEO Brian Anderson just visited the
northern regions to encourage partners in ministry and some of the people being
served. Nine months after the disaster,
the majority of the people in that region continue to be unemployed and need
help.

Anderson met with their main partnering organization as well
as with some of the families that received the "startup" kits to see how
International Aid can continue to meet the needs of those affected by the
earthquake.

A trip to South Korea was aimed at further strengthening
relationships with organizations in the area. International Aid has had a
history of distributing aid in the region, and in the past few years has
shipped to various Asian countries including India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Strong relationships
with partners in South Korea could be incredibly helpful in distributing aid to
this part of the world.

International Aid teams demonstrate the love of Christ
to those who are suffering.  Please pray
for open doors to continue to bring physical and spiritual relief to the
Japanese people. Pray also for opportunities to share the Gospel.