Dispatch: Life in Japan Remains Unpredictable

21 March 2011

Staple items are hard to find at stores in Sakado, Japan. Many items are in short supply following the earthquake and tsunami that have ravaged the country. Widespread fuel shortages have also complicated the lives of residents of this northeastern Japan city.
                                                                                                                                 Courtesy Photo

By James A. Smith
Dispatch From Japan

SAKADO, Japan — Reports have surfaced that the United States government is evacuating Americans from Tokyo in the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which also triggered a massive tsunami earlier this month. These rumors are false. The U.S. has been evacuating Americans from the city of Sendai, nearly 200 miles northeast of Tokyo.

 HOW TO HELP

Baptist Bible Fellowship International has set up a relief fund. Send donations to: Japan Tsunami Relief, c/o BBFI Missions Office, P.O. Box 802757, Kansas City, Mo. 64180-2757. Questions about the fund are being fielded by the BBFI Missions Office at 417-862-5001.Sendai took the full brunt of the tsunami and suffered significant damage. Americans in Sendai were encouraged to leave because of the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where fears of a meltdown seem to be subsiding. My family lives in Sakado — nowhere near Sendai — and is in no immediate danger. Life here, however, continues to be unpredictable.

My family and I certainly want to do our part to help those who are suffering the most, but we'll have to wait for now. Only people with permits are currently allowed to enter the most devastated areas of Japan. However, disaster refugees are beginning to arrive in some towns.

Our missionary friend, Mike Burgett, said that in Nagaoka, where his ministry is based, 14,000 refugees arrived last week. As people continue to be displaced from their homes, they will need help to meet their practical needs. We will begin doing our part soon.

In the meantime, my family and our neighbors are getting used to the government-imposed power outages — an effort to conserve energy. Residents here continue to face long lines to refuel their vehicles at service stations. We spoke to a neighbor Friday who said she waited four hours for gasoline.

Shopping also remains a challenge. Most staple items — such as bread, rice, milk, etc. — and other items, such as toilet paper, are out of stock. Some stores are limiting the quantity of an item customers can purchase to ensure goods are distributed equitably.

We want to offer spiritual support to people distressed by the turmoil in Japan. These situations present some very unique ways to help and we intend to take advantage of them. We had some new Gospel tracts arrive Saturday that we plan to distribute, possibly to the lined-up cars at gas stations. The tracts deal specifically with loss, distress and finding peace in knowing Jesus Christ as Savior.

James A. Smith is a missionary pastor to Japan with Baptist Bible Fellowship International.