An Update on the English Presbytery Japan Tsunami Recovery Team (EP JTRT) by Paul Teoh (Hope PC) and Yeap Eng Hooi (All Saints PC) - Publish in Presbyterian Express August 2012

Over the past few months, God has given the English Presbytery blessed opportunities to serve with CRASH Japan (a Christian Relief Organization based in Tokyo) in their ministries related to the March 2012 Triple Disaster. Together with other foreign and local volunteer teams located at two of CRASH Japan’s relief bases in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, the EP teams spend time with the survivors of the recent tsunami who had been relocated to temporary shelters or kasetsus. The EP relief effort has been about helping to rebuild the people’s lives and communities through community cafes, which continue to provide survivors with a safe place to unburden. During these visits, the teams bring encouragement through community activities – crafts, music, games and hot meals. Some ask about God. Some have prayed to receive Christ and have been studying the Bible with the volunteers.

For the Japanese Christians, has anything been changed during the past year? A Japanese pastor recently observed that God has been at work to bring down walls between brothers and sisters in Christ as churches begin working together to bring relief to the survivors. Until recently, many Japanese Christians were unable to cross barriers to engage meaningfully with the local communities, but over the past year, many Japanese Christians have volunteered to serve the survivors of Tohoku - a region which has a history of strong resistance to the gospel.

Temporary housing areas or kasetsus	A volunteer teaching English at a kasetsu
	Paul (standing right) with the Kasetsu caretaker (standing left) & residents

In June, Paul Teoh went on a fact-finding mission with the purpose of exploring the possibility of the English Presbytery involving in church planting work in partnership with 3:11 Iwate Church Network (3:11 ICN). As CRASH Japan is winding down their relief work by the end of 2012, the English Presbytery Missions Committee is exploring future ministry opportunities with local Japanese partners for 2013 and beyond. Paul met up with Pastor Yoshiya Kondo of the 3:11 ICN who brought him around to view their church planting effort in Ofunato. The Ofunato base serves the residents of the kasetsus by providing basic carpentry work at subsidised costs to help make it more bearable to live in very cramped quarters. Residents need only to pay half the price of the materials as the labour by the volunteers is free. Because of this service, many hearts and doors have been opened to the network to continue serving them and connect directly with the residents.

Impromptu singing session by June team with the kids from a school in Ichinoseki	The 3:11 Iwate Church Network Logo

The English Presbytery had plans to commission six teams (10 trippers per team) from different churches to Japan this year. The April, March and June teams have gone and returned with fond memories of how God used them to connect with the survivors in spite of the language barrier. The July team is still on site at the time of this writing. The August team is in its final stage of preparation. The September 14-23 team is almost formed up. A participant from the April team wrote in the team’s journal:

“As believers, while we may not be able to comprehend God’s action, we know that He has a plan, a plan that we will only be able to see if we continue to believe in Him. This is our blessing – that we are able to trust in and believe in the Lord our God. In the same way, we hope that we will one day be able to share this message of belief to the survivors in Japan. No matter how dire the circumstances, God has a reason, and He has a plan. He loves each and every one of us because we are His children. We are able to understand this because we believe in Him. This is the message that we hope one day, we will be able to share with all the people in Japan”.

Going forward, let us pray that God will continue to call His people to serve Japan’s survivors, with hearts and hands ready to render practical help, and a steadfast vision to bring the hope and light of the gospel to a spiritually needy people. Amen.