Thank God for cell phones!  I have been able to keep up with Tim and the group of 5 who left at 5:30 this morning, taking the church van and a rented 2-ton truck,  to deliver supplies that our church and neighborhood people collected to send to the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear radiation disaster areas.  God protected them, and provided the gasoline that they prayed for!  (Gasoline is now hard to find, and being rationed.)  They arrived at around 11:30 a.m. 

Along the way, they saw many caravans of army trucks, both Japanese and American.  When they arrived at the town, it was obvious from the empty streets and buildings that so many people have already evacuated.  However, many older people, sick people, and many others have not been able to evacuate. 

Global Mission Chapel

They arrived at the church where the supplies are being stored, Global Mission Chapel.  The pastor of this church, Pastor Mori,  is Japanese and his wife is from Norway.  Before arriving, Tim and the team were praying for the rain to stop (since rain is not a welcome thing when nuclear radiation levels are higher than normal.)  Praise God, that when it was time to unload the 2-ton truck and the van, the rain stopped!! 

Now Kazu and his son Justin have arrived back in Tokyo to return the rented truck, and Tim, Yasu and Makoto are there in Iwaki helping distribute the supplies. 

They took food and many other donations to a home for the elderly, and were so happily received!  They found out that today, the patients each had only eaten one small rice-ball!  They also took supplies to the refugees in a refugee center– in an Episcopal church that opened their doors to be a shelter for the earthquake/tsunami victims.  

Today they received a request from the City Hall for the church to help with volunteers.  So this evening, they were working with other volunteers at the Global Mission Chapel to load up 3 trucks.  Tomorrow morning, they will be taking these supplies to two areas that were hit especially hard by the tsunami:  Minami Souma-shi and Souma-shi. 

Other churches around Japan have also been bringing many supplies, as you can see from the church “warehouse” picture.  Tim asked Pastor Mori what else our church could do to help out.  Pastor Mori is requesting groups of volunteers who can help distribute the supplies to the many refugee centers in churches, schools, etc., and also they are requesting volunteers to care for the spiritual and emotional needs of the traumatized people, especially in all the many refugee centers where they are gathered. 

Praise God that the roads are now open to whoever wants to go to this region.  So our church is now sending out a request for volunteers who can drive, and who can listen to, care for, encourage, and pray for traumatized victims in the refugee centers.  This will be needed for many months to come. 

Thank you to everyone who  is praying!!  God is certainly answering, and we pray now for more volunteers to come and bring the comfort and love of God to these precious people!!