Japan (WAS/MNN) — Yet another strong aftershock rattled
Japan Monday morning, falling at 7.1 magnitude and straining already taut
nerves.
Shortly after the nation had observed a minute of silence to
remember the 13,000 people killed in the March 11 disaster and the 15,000 who
officially remain missing, buildings began swaying and the disorientation of
another temblor began to build.
Electricity had been partially restored across a huge area
of northern Japan from the April 7 aftershock, but the latest tremor took parts
of the system offline again, including the critical systems at the Fukushima-Daiichi
nuclear plant.
In response, the Japanese government widened the evacuation
zone around a stricken nuclear plant. This last month has seen the worst tragedies to envelop the country
since World War II.
Wycliffe Associates is trying to fund
some aid efforts to the quake survivors. Through its Missionary 911 fund,
Wycliffe Associates helps the work of Bible translation move forward in the
face of such emergencies as natural disasters and civil unrest by providing
assistance that can include temporary housing, evacuations, and the replacement
of some personal belongings.
Wycliffe Associates' Bible translation
partner in Japan, Wycliffe Japan, is scrambling to help meet the most basic of
needs of those around them and is asking for help with funds. Akira, director
of Wycliffe Japan, sent this urgent request: "Please remember in your prayers
both the people of Japan and the churches in Japan at this difficult time." He
reported that all personnel and their immediate families who were
in Japan at that time thankfully have been accounted for and are safe.
"The initial relief work is going on,
but it will take years and years to restore those affected churches," says
Akira. "That is why Wycliffe Japan needs our support so that Christians and
churches who survived the disaster will be restored quickly and be able to
reach out to the community as the light of the world," states Bruce Smith,
president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. The most critical needs include
things like food, temporary housing, replacement of lost belongings, clothing,
and blankets.
Smith adds that with so much recent
turmoil in the world, the organization's Missionary 911 fund can get depleted
quickly.
Wycliffe Associates involves people in
accelerating the work of Bible translation through their time, talents, and
treasure. Because millions of people around the world are still waiting to read
the Scriptures in the language of their heart, Wycliffe Associates is working
as quickly as they can to translate every verse of the Bible into every tongue
to change every heart. The organization partners with nationals, mother tongue
translators, staff, volunteers, and supporters to direct and fund these
efforts, as well as provide logistics, networking, and technical support.
Through a growing global network, Wycliffe Associates is striving to overcome
local limitations of time and resources to achieve the goal of beginning the
translation of God's Word in every remaining language that needs it by 2025.
