But that’s not the only nuclear concern during the invasion.

Friday morning, Russian artillery fire hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. A fire started, triggering panic about a possible nuclear disaster. Thankfully, the reactors suffered no damage. The explosion and fire took place at a training center, away from the reactors.

A disaster avoided

Experts say the resulting disaster would have emitted more radioactive material than the 1986 Chernobyl incident. Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “The radiation from Chernobyl was detected all over the world, and it rendered large portions of southern Belarus as well as the northern parts of Ukraine just unlivable.”

“You walk into these old villages and trees are growing through windows. The homes and businesses that used to be there are nothing more than rubble.”

Russian forces have since taken control of the Zaporizhzhia reactors as well. Ukraine has several operating nuclear fission reactors scattered around the country. Mock says, “To control these reactors is to control the power grid. So you can see the advantage from a military point of view.”

Local Pastors

Mock says pastors in the surrounding areas continued serving those in need and proclaiming the Gospel. “They said they are pressing on, despite the fear that the reactor could go off. They are pressing on, they are taking aid to people.”

Praise God for their faithfulness. And pray for peace in Ukraine.

You can also help SGA send aid to Ukrainian churches. Mock says, “Day after day, we’re receiving pictures of people receiving aid, receiving hope, hearing the Gospel.”

The header photo shows the Chernobyl nuclear site in the distance. (Photo courtesy of Jason Minshull, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Takeshi Takazawa of Asian Access says, “We want to think, ‘That was it. We went through hardship enough. So until Jesus comes back, this will be the end. We just continue without earthquakes or any disaster or suffering.’ But it was a wake-up call that this can happen anyplace, anytime, to anybody.”

Japanese Christians

But God works in a mysterious new way in the world, Takazawa says. And He doesn’t stop in times of pain and hardship. “The global Church came together as one and came alongside the part that was hurting. We felt [their love] not just theological reflection. We saw it, we touched, and we smelled it. We tasted the global Church.”

The disaster also taught Japanese Christians to move towards areas of disaster and hardship, not away from them. “Of course, an evacuation was needed for the moment. But where they live, the Church must be established, raising leaders for the harvest, from the harvest.” Pray God will bless their continuing ministry in a country that still bears scars from this catastrophe.

The header image shows a small town in Japan abandoned after the triple disaster. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Saturday, the region suffered an aftershock of the 2011 quake, according to the Japanese Meteorological Society. Aftershocks can continue for years after a major earthquake. In fact, this isn’t the first major earthquake to hit the region since the disaster.

An inspection of the Fukushima area in 2012 (Photo courtesy of Global 2000 via Flickr)

Thankfully, no casualties were reported this time, and nuclear power plants in the area showed no sign of damage or abnormalities. Joe Handley of Asian Access says, “I’m hearing people are safe, but the anxiety levels are high. The shaking was so bad that books were thrown across rooms, glass was broken. It was a pretty severe shake. I believe I’m hearing it was about 7.1 on the Richter scale.”

Lingering anxiety

The Fukushima disaster remains one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. The Japanese government will continue cleaning up sites contaminated by radioactive materials for decades. Several areas still exude higher than normal amounts of radiation. Many people have never returned to their homes in Fukushima.

This new earthquake has further unsettled people living nearby. Handley says local Christians want to embody the hope of Jesus in an anxious time. “It’s in moments like these that we the Church can rise above. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, Japanese leaders in that region, and missionaries that we work with, as they try to come in and be a presence for Jesus. If they can be that light of Christ and be His hands and feet in the midst of what’s happening, I think it’s a great encouragement to the people.”

Pray the Holy Spirit will empower Japanese believers in this work.

The header photo shows a radiation hotspot near Fukushima in 2012. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Minato, Japan a week after the tsunami hit.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson – http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/5568261628/in/set-72157626249933148)

Japan (MNN) — Three years after Japan’s triple-disaster, families in Tōhoku are still picking up the pieces and trying to restore livelihoods. This week, an international team of Bible school students from Yamanaka Torchbearers Centre and SEND International will be helping them.

The world’s fourth-largest earthquake since 1900 struck just off the coast of Tōhoku’s Oshika Peninsula on March 11, 2011. It was quickly followed by a tsunami and consequential nuclear meltdowns, resulting in the deaths of nearly 16,000 people. Material damage costs hovered somewhere around $300 billion USD, making it one of the world’s costliest disasters.

Japan recently unveiled plans to expand and promote marine exports as part of a larger growth strategy for the nation. Fear of radiation contamination led many countries to ban Japanese imports immediately following the 2011 disaster.

Bible students and SEND are helping reconstitute the marine food industry on a local level. Working alongside fishermen of the Oshika Peninsula, they’re finding ways to rebuild and revive oyster cultivation businesses.

Students will also be holding programs in Tōhoku’s temporary housing units, bringing hope to disaster survivors who are still waiting for a permanent home. SEND is combining church-planting and discipleship with their community development efforts in order to share the Gospel in relevant ways.

Immediately following the 2011 disaster, SEND began a recovery fund to help their partners in Tōhoku. They’ve been able to give nearly $400,000 toward relief and recovery efforts, and are continuing to help through a project they call “Engage Tōhoku.”

(Logo courtesy SEND)

Engage Tōhoku is a 10-year commitment to engage the unreached in three disaster-zone prefectures. Help their ministry go further here.

Pray for families in the disaster zone who are starting their lives over again. Pray that Bible students will be able to share with survivors the reason for their hope: Jesus Christ.

For more on how SEND ministers in Japan, contact their main office here.

This was the image Japan's government depicted in a recent "worst case disaster scenario" report.

"Since March of 2011, they've talked a lot about another quake coming," said Mary Jo Wilson, VP for Japan for Asian Access, "possibly with an epicenter closer to Tokyo, which would have much greater implications for life and loss."

The government's intent for the report was to help officials boost their disaster preparedness, but Wilson noted a different effect on the people of Japan.

"We're seeing just a lot of anxiety," she stated. The Japanese, she explained, have a very low tolerance for ambiguity. "Culturally as a nation, they prefer to avoid uncertainty, and they're sitting on a lot of uncertainty right now."

But there's a silver lining to the unease plaguing Japan. Wilson noted several positive changes resulting from the ministry's relief efforts and the security of eternal salvation through Christ.

"We're seeing an incredible openness and people wanting to know more," she said. "It's not just Christianity as an idea, a concept, the moral code, but really wanting to know more about Christ."

Wilson says uncertainty avoidance and the experience of last year's disaster play a large role in today's Japanese ministries. She mentioned one congregation that's building a new church in Tokyo. Asian Access worked with this ministry before the tsunami and saw leaders shift their approach following the March 2011 disaster.

"After they saw what happened…they decided to build their church differently," said Wilson. "They're preparing to become one of those evacuation centers or a place where they can minister to the community after a large quake."

Last spring, the world's fifth-largest earthquake rocked the island nation of Japan, killing 15,000 people and sending the nuclear power station at Fukushima into a meltdown, releasing 600 million times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. Eighty-six communities were completely wiped away, and thousands are still missing after the disaster's one-year anniversary.

Japanese churches stepped up to help care for survivors, and Asian Access stepped in to help with debris removal, rebuilding and physical aid. The hardest-hit region was also the least-reached, and as unbelievers saw more of Christ's love in action their hearts began to soften. As more people open their hearts to the comforting security of Christ's salvation, Japanese ministries are turning their attention to expansion.

"They're looking now at more church-planting," said Wilson. "Navigating that transition has been a challenge."

Pray for Japanese pastors as they tend to growing flocks.

Asian Access received a second $1,000,000 matching challenge in March and has reached $600,000 toward their goal. These funds allow A2 to bolster strategic partnerships formed over the past year and bring more hope and healing to Japan. They have until November 1 to complete this task, and you can help by clicking here.

Feel called to serve in Japan? Click here for Asian Access missionary resources.

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.

It also brought evacuations, flooding and more worry to the country struggling to recuperate from the tsunami, quake and nuclear disaster in March. Although a fierce storm, it weakened on approach to Fukushima as a Category 1 hurricane, before veering off. Japan’s government took no chances. Aside from evacuation orders, the weather
agency issued warnings for landslides and flooding throughout the main island
of Honshu, with high waves in coastal areas.

Joe Handley, president of Asian Access says their teams will
continue to do what they've been doing in response to the crisis. They have a three-phase response they've
implemented since the tsunami struck.  "The initial stages were just to get a
feel for what was happening, provide immediate assistance as much as possible,
and then to do a discovery process, finding out what the real needs were on the
ground."

Cleanup began and ministry teams established a
communications hub in order to developing resources that would
mobilize Christians worldwide to help. Relationships
have already been established, too.
"One of the common stories that's being heard throughout the
eastern part of Japan is from little kids, talking to their parents and
grandparents when they see the aid workers coming. They've become so well known
in their work, that you'll have little kids that say things like 'Grandma!
Jesus is coming! Jesus has brought us food!'"

A2 also partnered
with Churches Helping
Churches, Billy Graham
Association and Alpha/Japan in hosting
"Oasis," a
retreat for pastors and their spouses from the affected regions.

The second phase began this past summer. Handley says,
"We're able to take in a number of requests for all the areas and
find out strategic ways that we can come alongside the churches in providing
for physical and spiritual relief in this hour." Roke's march may provide a setback in Phase
Two growth, but that remains to be seen once the storm moves out of the
area. IF the network of churches was
well-grounded, it may bolster Phase One response. 

Phase Three focuses on the future. "The place where Christ's name
has not been very prominent all of a sudden is becoming quite the story.
Churches are a key force for providing aid. We've come alongside these churches
and helped equip them to be the
centers for relief in their communities."

Asian Access/Japan is preparing to partner with churches
across Japan to be the hands and feet of Jesus and develop a longer-term
plan for holistic church multiplication. Within the next three to five years, Handley says, "There's a dream by
the local churches and a plan that goes with those dreams to see over 1000 new churches planted in this region, all with the mindset of the
holistic outreach center."

Handly goes on to explain
that because the churches meet the needs of the community and have
proven their commitment, doors are opening in ways never imagined. "This part
of Japan is the single most unreached part of the country. So you have not
only one of the largest unreached people groups in the world, but within that
country and this people, you have the single largest area that has been
somewhat neglected by the church."

There's more here.