"So much to pray for": Pam Cooper, former mission partner in Japan(Photo: © CMS)From Osaka, Japan, Pam Cooper reports on the post-earthquake situation. Pam retired last year after 41 years as a CMS mission partner in Japan
I am in Osaka with friends so I am far from the north-east part of Japan where the centre of the earthquake and the tsunami hit so I am reliant on what I am seeing on TV as you are.
This northern part of Japan is a rural area with not so many large towns but villages. The largest town is Sendai near where the epicentre was. It is mainly farming land – rice and apples and fishing. There are small industrial centres. The district is more traditional than most of Japan with Buddhism and Shinto being important to community life. The Anglican Church and other denominations on the whole are small with ageing church members.
The area that is affected is vast and we have three disasters – the earthquake, the tsunami and now the problems of the nuclear plants.
Most of the houses would be Japanese-style wooden frame houses, built to move in an earthquake but it was impossible for such houses to stand in the force of the tsunami which as you will have seen was often as high as a three- or four-storey building.
Tsunami warnings have been lifted but there are still many aftershocks. Japan is well equipped to give people warnings of tsunami but this one came so fast with such force that in some cases the warning and the tsunami came at the same time.
Watching the news tonight 15,000 people are still missing. Bodies are being swept up onto beaches and are slowly being found in the debris, cars, boats etc. Over 1,000 have now been declared dead.
The failure of the nuclear plants and other plants means that many people have no electricity, gas, water and are short of food and water.
Many thousands are in evacuation centres, in schools etc. Now temperatures are dropping and snow is expected again from Wednesday. In many other areas north of Tokyo power is being restricted on a three hour rotation. Train services in Tokyo and other places are being restricted or stopped to save power. Shops are shutting early. Even Disneyland has shut for two weeks – all these things to save power.
Today I have been visiting friends in the area of the Hanshin earthquake 17 years ago. A new modern city is there now: Japan will rebuild and they will learn from this unbelievable disaster but it will take years.
There is so much to pray for at this moment and I know you all have been praying and will continue.
Please pray also that through this the Grace of God will be seen and people, and the nation, will be helped by Christians to see the love of God for each one of them, and that his presence is there in the deepest despair bringing hope.
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