“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and
the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters
roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
Psalm 46:1-3
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the generous outpouring of love and support towards Japan and our mission family at this hour of great need in Japan. As you may have heard, most of our Japan staff along with my wife and I were in Nagano on March 11th when the earthquakes and corresponding tsunami struck the country. Not only were we personally concerned, but also our hearts broke for the people of Japan as we watched the news of the devastating impact of this triple crisis.
We took solace in Psalm 46 knowing that God had prepared us "for such a time as this" to reach out in the love and compassion of Christ at this difficult hour. My predecessor whom many of you know, Doug Birdsall, wrote the following and this is something that our founder, Ken, has also been emphasizing:
This is the greatest time of opportunity for the Gospel in Japan since World War II. My namesake, Douglas MacArthur, called for 5,000 missionaries to go to help re-build a devastated and disillusioned nation. Unfortunately, only a few hundred missionaries went at the time and an historic opportunity was lost. I trust that this time there will be an outpouring of love, prayer and support. Just as Japanese have been waiting for nearly one hundred years for the "the big one" to hit, the church has also been praying for decades for the time of "major breakthrough" for the Gospel. Thus far, Japan has been resistant to thegospel. There is no country in the world where the church has sown the gospel so generously, yet reaped so sparingly.
In light of the tremendous needs, A3 received a $1,000,000 matching gift challenge to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people. For those who have already given, be assured that your gifts for tsunami relief will be matched. We created this special video message to thank you for helping. Also, if you haven’t heard about the challenge, would you prayerfully consider helping us meet this matching gift and share the news with your church and friends at this crucial hour for hope in Japan?
To learn more about what A3 is doing and how you can get involved, join us online. You can also follow The Mission Exchange's recent Global Issues Update which features A3 on the Global Status of the Japan Disaster.
A few verses later in Psalm 46, it says this:
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Resting in Christ as we seek to serve the people of Japan and exalt His Name there,
Joe Handley
Thank You Video from Joe:
http://www.asianaccess.org/a2blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=334&blogId=6
Ways that you can help
http://asianaccess.org/japan
Global Status of Japan Disaster
http://asianaccess.org/downloads/affiliates/globalIssues_japan.wmv
$1M Matching Gift
http://asianaccess.org/A2-Japan-Tsunami-Matching-Gift.html
