Jim and Carol Sack, ELCA missionaries in Japan, provide an update after the earthquake and tsunami:

At our recent annual meeting of the East District of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, Franklin Ishida gave a report on what the ELCA is doing in response to the recent disasters in Japan. He reported that the ELCA would donate over $240,000. That news was received by a big ovation of applause.

The JELC also will be dispatching four pastors to the Sendai area to get a feel for what is happening and what the needs are there..

At some point Carol and I may provide counseling, grief support and healing music to those in need.

The frequency and strength of the aftershocks have reduced in recent days, and for that fact we are very thankful. At the same time the condition of the nuclear reactors remains a big concern. The good news is that the radiation levels remain unchanged, but radiation levels above normal have been detected in spinach and in milk surrounding the area around the reactors. This has brought on some new anxiety for us all.

Personally, this past week has been an experience of being in kairos (an appointed time in the purpose of God ) time and not chronos ( chronological or sequential) time. Since normal life had stopped and we were continuously in kind of an emergency mode, I had no sense of days as they were all just one after another. There was no Monday or Wednesday or Saturday; only one day at a time. Since we only had a couple of emergency meetings at school, time took on a new meaning. We woke up, did what was needed for the day and then went to sleep. This is such a strange and yet wonderful experience. There has been a sense of fully being in the present and not being driven by a clock.

We continue to ask for your prayers! Please pray for us personally, but especially for those who are still suffering because of these multiple disasters. Pray that God will provide wisdom to people who make decisions that will affect all of our lives.

May you all be filled with Peace at this time,
Jim and Carol Sack