It is hard for me to write about the six month anniversary of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami without naming that it actually falls on the same day as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. I spent the past week feeling a strange tension as my personal life was flooded with conversations and media portrayals of the past ten years here at home and my professional life called for a reflection on the past six months halfway round the world. Two pieces that stuck out to me during this time were the Church World Service’s Japan Situation Report and Rev. Kevin Massey’s Disaster Response blog “Field Report: New Jersey and New York City“. I figured the best way to be honest to myself and get the message across was to talk about how these two documents have fit together in my head.

The CWS Situation Report gives a good update on the continuing work going on in Japan and the fact that the need will continue to be there into the foreseeable future. The major areas of work are around providing shelter, food, pest control, psycho trauma care and debris/home clean up. To date the ELCA has committed $975,000 to this appeal and continues to be present with and through our companions and partners. This report reminded me of the church’s commitment and calling to be present with people in their moments of need and how the gifts of our members can have such a powerful impact in places few of us have heard of, let alone been to.

In Rev. Massey’s (Director for Lutheran Disaster Response) post, I heard of how disaster affects us, not just in the destruction it brings physically but for the gap it can leave spiritually and emotionally. Even ten years later, the disaster and tragedy of 9/11 still casts a shadow across many hearts. Yet, through our communal rememberance of the tragedy there is the chance for solidarity and unity, for pain to be released.

And through both documents I saw how the church is present in disaster. Whether it happened at home or halfway round the world. Whether it happened yesterday, six months ago or ten years ago. The church is present to help in the naming of Christ present in tragedy through word and deed. So as we look back on the past six months of work in Japan, and the past ten years here in the United States, let us thank God for sustaining strength, continued resolve and the space for healing.

After the March 11th earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan, which devestated the country, the four Lutheran churches in Japan came together to form Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief (JLER). The purpose of this umbrella organization has been to help coordinate the disaster response to help alleviate any gaps that exist and to eliminate the duplication of work. The ELCA been working closely with JLER as we continue to respond to the needs of the Japanese people affected by this disaster.

JLER has now released its first newsletter giving an overview of the initial phase of their response. This document is a collection of reports describing the work being done and personal stories of staff and volunteers. Take a moment to read through how your church and gifts are helping to support the good work of JLER.

JLER Newsletter (PDF) | JLER Website

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Pastor Eric Olaf Olson and his congregation of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and school in Plainview NY were amazed by turnout for their “Cranes of Compassion” event held to help raise awareness and funds for the relief effort still continuing for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Led by current and alumni Japanese families whose children have attend the church’s early childhood center, those who attended the event were treated to sushi and curried rice made by the owner of a local sushi restaurant. They also learned how to make tsuru, Japanese for crane, origami to be shared with one of the Lutheran congregations of Sendai, Japan.

Thanks to many hands making light work the group was able to surpass their goal of making over 1,000 cranes! As another way of showing solidarity with our Japanese sisters and brothers they also raised over $3,500 for ELCA Disaster Response to help meet the continuing needs of those affected in Japan.

Our prayers of thanksgiving go out to Good Shepherd and the attendees of the Cranes of Compassion event as they continue to live out a vision of accompaniment where even the act of folding paper is God’s work being done through our hands.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

ACT Alliance has posted a new video from Church World Services (CWS) outlining their work in Japan. This work has entailed distributing materials, setting up stationary clinics, making connections between those seeking shelter and those offering shelter and providing psychological care for women and children affected by the disaster. To date the ELCA has pledged $175,000 to help CWS with its work. To learn more about the ELCA’s response check out the page ELCA Disaster Response: Japan.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Franklin Ishida, Area Program Director for Asia/Pacific, ELCA Global Mission, was with the leadership of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC) in Malaysia during the March’s devastating earthquake.  Franklin arrived to Japan one week ago and has been accompanying the leadership of the JELC in their relief efforts.  

Relief efforts, initiated within days after the earthquake and tsunami, have now been expanded with additional plans for entering a recovery stage. As in any disaster, on-the-ground assessment is important.  Earlier this week, a 6-person team from the JELC headed to the disaster area taking with them supplies including food, a motorcycle and a couple bicycles. These latter means of local transportation were important as gasoline is virtually impossible to obtain even three weeks after the disaster. The team visited several cities and towns, many devastated by the tsunami. They talked with local municipal officials and representative of non-profits still sifting through the massive destruction, determining needs, and addressing some of the most critical needs in their communities.

Trying to clean up from the destruction is still going slow as bodies are still thought to be in the rubble. But meeting the daily needs of those who survived, most of whom are in evacuation centers, is still critical.  Food and other daily items have been rushed in from all over Japan but are piling up due to challenges faced with the distribution network. While roads are being cleared, lack of gasoline prevents vehicles from hauling these much-needed items beyond central evacuation centers and storage depots. In some instances, people have been encouraged to come and get what they need; but they, too, don’t have the means to move around.

Relief supplies distributed in Japan.

These gaps in the distribution of supplies are causing some hardships, in addition to unmet needs in some areas. Now constituted as Japan Lutheran Emergency Relief (JLER) — a cooperative effort of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, Japan Lutheran Church, Kinki Evangelical Lutheran Church, and West Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church — the churches chartered three trucks to transport both purchased food items and in-kind donations from congregations around the country. These trucks departed from a warehouse in Tokyo on March 28 and headed to three different areas of the affected region. Coordinating with local municipalities and non-profit organizations, food items such as rice, miso soup, water, juice, and non-perishable food were dropped off at local distribution sites. To expedite and streamline the distribution network, JLER is now going to rent warehouse space in the disaster area, and will utilize a small truck and vans to reach communities with the greatest needs in coordination with other actors.

Meeting food, clothing, and other daily needs are just part of an initial response stage. As people start to rebuild their lives, even if by living in temporary housing, further emotional and livelihood questions will surface.  JLER is preparing to meet these needs as well. Counseling centers will be established, with both professional and trained volunteers prepared to engage people’s emotional trauma. The Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo has social welfare and counseling departments, and the college will take the lead in mobilizing necessary people and resources.

While the government will certainly provide much assistance to rebuild people’s livelihoods, there will certainly be gaps. JLER is preparing to provide grants to help selected individuals and families rebuild their lives. This will come after careful analysis of unmet needs as they emerge. Japan is a developed country, and much is happening quickly to address this catastrophic disaster. The scope of this disaster is presenting the greatest challenges. JLER, with assistance from all over the world, including the ELCA, is attempting to do its part in addressing the many emerging and changing needs, coordinating along the way with other actors to promote an effective response.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

In a reflection on the situation in Japan by Church World Service Asia/Pacific Emergency Response Director Takeshi Komino, he describes how the situation is understood by those making the decisions and those living the realities in the villages. The opening paragraph is a sobering reminder that human-made security is never absolute.

“Is this really happening in my country of Japan?” was my initial thought. Japan is considered one of the richest nations in the world with probably the best disaster risk reduction measures in the region. And this was certainly my first time responding to an emergency in Japan as a staff member of CWS. As the extent of damage became clearer, I learned that this is actually four disasters happening at once. First a 9.0 Richter scale earthquake, then 20m+ tsunami, then nuclear power plant reactor explosion, all happening in the harsh winter weather of Tohoku region where temperatures nowadays go down below freezing point on daily basis. Can my government respond adequately? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

He goes on later to share about how volunteers are stepping up to help fill the gaps and meet the needs of those affected by this disaster. In the coming days please pray for those in leadership that they may be guided by a spirit of justice and led to decisions of equity. Pray also for these volunteers as they give of time and talent to serve the neighbor.

Read his full report: Takeshi Reflection On Japan (pdf).

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.