Google's New Photos of Disaster-Hit Region

Japan: Before and After the Earthquake and Tsunami

Pre- and post-disaster imagery in Google Street View

A new collection of 360-degree, panoramic street view photos of the disaster-hit region in Japan is now available in both English and Japanese at the following Google site:
Street View

For information on how to use Google Street View, click on the option at the bottom of the screen: About Google Street View. The next screen has menu options along the top banner. When you mouse-over the Learn menu, you will see the option Using Street View. On that page, you can find the how-to-use instructions.

According to The Official Google Blog announcement (12/12/2011), the photographic project was undertaken in July and was accomplished by driving some 44,000 kilometers in the "affected regions."The 360-degree panoramic imagery is available through two Google sites: The Street View feature in Google Maps and the Build the Memory web site. These two sites allow you to toggle between them to compare the before and after images.

YWAM Tokyo Team Outreach to Shichigahama & Kesenuma, November 7-13, 2011

In cooperation with Samaritan's Purse, the team worked on getting rid of all dirt and mud from the March 11th tsunami at a family's home. They prayed with the family and enjoyed eating together.

Mucking out the foundation.

The team assisted a church that dedicated itself to building relationship with the residents along the coast. There a full-time volunteer connected the team with families. For one family, the team set up two army-like tents for their fishing business. That family generously blessed the team by welcoming them into their home and serving both lunch and dinner! At another home, the team broke up parts of a concrete foundation with sledgehammers. That family also invited the team into their home to talk and eat together.

Foundation demolition.

At a different location one day, one team member who was born and raised in Japan met and prayed for two older ladies. After prayer, one lady was healed of shoulder pain and another lady was healed of problems in her knee. After prayer, she could kneel! HOORAY God!

The true champions in Tohoku are the local pastors and full-time volunteers who have been faithfully and tirelessly working, helping people to get their lives back in order, and providing ways for outside teams to stay and work alongside them. As the team worked with the local families, they sensed an openness of their hearts. As they prayed with them, it felt easy and seemed that they were very used to praying with Christians.

YWAM Tokyo Team & DTS Outreach to Ishinomaki, July 27-August 5, 2011

Returning to Ishinomaki, we have been blessed to meet and build relationships with many people up there; many with whom we have worked before. During one of our trips, one man started a conversation with a team member about God and Christianity’s history in Japan. He expressed that Christians are a light because they believe that heaven awaits those who believe in Christ. He would like to try and read the Bible again, but can't find the time to do it. Another volunteer openly expressed his deep interest in Christianity. Another man expressed his desire to start reading the Bible; we were able to give him one by the end of the trip. We pray that our relationship with these friends would continue and that they may know the love of the Lord for them soon!

 

While we were there, a two-day festival was held. One DTS student who attended the festival was able to speak with someone about the loss of their loved one in the tsunami. On the 

Spirit’s prompting, he sensed that the widowed man just needed a hug. He offered him a hug and immediately the man broke down and began to wail on his shoulder, overcome with mourning and love. 

There is still so much we can do to help rebuild Tohoku -- not only for their physical well-being. Please continue to keep Tohoku, Japan, in prayer.

 

Candles at a local festival in Ishinomaki.

YWAM Tokyo Team & Hi-BA Outreach to Ishinomaki, June 15-24, 2011

Working with Hi-BA (Highschool Born Againers), we were blessed to be able to send a team for an annual high school outreach called Gospel Team. Three YWAM Tokyo team members were asked to lead this team of four high school students plus one of this year's DTS students. We cleaned and mucked out homes and buildings, prepared Takidashi (outside community cook-out) for a nearby evacuation center, and built relationships. Because of Jesus' example (that He came and lived among us), we wanted to stay at an evacuation center with survivors who share classrooms as their living space. We prayed for favor for one center in Ishinomaki to allow us to reside there for the ten-day duration of our trip. The prayer was answered!

The guys were in one room designated for male volunteers; the girls were placed in a room full of Japanese women survivors. When shown to their room, we all sensed a cold reception thus making the girls intimidated to stay. One teammate wanted to leave the center, but because we had prayed for this housing provision and God knew where they would be placed, we had to take this opportunity. Though they were quiet and kept to themselves at first, the ladies did warm up to our girls. They began to speak with them more, as well as leave the lights on for them in the evenings. On the morning of our departure, the girls wrote a thank-you letter with a Bible verse inside. That same morning, just before 5 a.m., we noticed that those same ladies were waving at us from their windows. 

Evacuation center in Ishinomaki where the team stayed.

Prayer Request (September 1, 2011)

Evacuees: Please pray for evacuees who are moving into temporary housing. Please pray for their adjustment to life in their new homes. For some it may be particularly difficult to now live alone. For many evacuees, they are concerned about how they will pay for their living expenses because they have no jobs and no businesses. Please pray for God's provision, for God's creative solutions to be revealed, and for the churches in Japan and around the world to arise and take up the call to help in this time of need.

Demolition work: Please pray for the owners of homes and businesses which must be demolished due to damage from the tsunami and earthquakes. Please pray for the quick recovery of whatever valuables and precious possessions are within these buildings prior to their scheduled demolition.

Fukushima nuclear power plants: Please pray for the ongoing work of restoring safety at the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Please pray for God's guidance in finding ground-breaking solutions to various technical problems. Please pray for God's protection for all of the workers. Please also pray that during this typhoon season, we will be spared further disasters.

Leadership: Please pray for the new Prime Minister of Japan -- for God to lead him in His ways. Please pray that the political parties in Japan will unite to do the work needed to help Japan in this time of recovery and rebuilding. Please pray for all leaders at all levels of government that God's wisdom will be revealed in the counsel of many.

Prayer Request (July 28, 2011)

Prayer Request: During this summer, there has already been a 40% increase in heat-related illnesses. [Source: NHK World news report, July 28, 2011.] Please pray especially for the evacuees who are living in shelters or other temporary housing where there may not be air conditioners or adequate numbers of electric fans to cool the occupants.

Encouraging News: In the past, oyster farmers in Japan's tsunami-hit region worked alone. However, they are now working together to rebuild the wooden rafts on which the strings of oysters can be harvested in the future. Although they have differing opinions on how best to do things, they are cooperating in joint farming efforts to quickly reestablish their businesses.

Disaster Relief Van

On July 4, 2011, YWAM Japan became the new owner of a used (1998) 8-passenger El Grand Nissan van. The van will be used to transport outreach teams and volunteers departing from Tokyo, headed to the disaster-hit region (Tohoku), as well as for local transportation within the region. In addition, the van will be used to transport relief supplies. Thank you to all those who gave so generously toward the purchase of van to help with disaster relief work in northeastern Japan (Tohoku region).

Prayer Request (July 11, 2011)

According to the NHK World web site, there are still more than 111,000 persons living in evacuation shelters at this time -- four months after the March 11th disasters. Please pray for those who continue to wait for other housing to become available. (Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_04.html?play)

View inside of one evacuation shelter.

YWAM Nagano Team Outreach Trip to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, June 28-30, 2011

Two members from the YWAM Azumino Church Planting Team went to Ishinomaki to re-visit an evacuation centre, where the team had stayed on a previous visit, and to take relief supplies.

They visited a lady whom they had met. They offered her and her friends a lift. Because many lost their cars in the disaster, they have been unable to leave the evacuation centre. They took two ladies to a shopping centre away from the devastated area. One lady was able to buy a black top to wear for a funeral ceremony that evening.

At the evacuation centre, they realized that the evacuees desperately needed new slippers. With the help of three ladies living at the evacuation centre, they bought new slippers and treated the ladies to ice cream. There are no shops nearby for people to enjoy the simple luxury of an ice cream.

Now with the summer heat and humidity, the possibility of rapid food spoilage and food poisoning are real concerns. The army recently stopped delivering hot meals, and people rely now on bentos (take-out) and onigiris (riceballs) being delivered. Flies abound and it must be difficult for people to sleep at night.

Although the outreach was only for two days, their efforts were appreciated by the evacuees. There is still much to be done to help the people of Ishinomaki rebuild their lives. Yet, the number of volunteers has decreased and evacuees say they are beginning to feel forgotten. Please remember them in your prayers.

NorthEast Tokyo Team Outreach to Iwaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, June 2011

This is the fourth trip to Tohoku for the NorthEast Tokyo team. On this trip, five members went up to Iwaki to work again with the Global Mission Church for two days. They worked with a family whose house was damaged. A wall that divided their house from the next house had partially collapsed and needed to be removed. It took seven people six hours to take down four meters of concrete block wall! The family helped and it was a great opportunity to get to know them and show a little bit of God‟s love!

The people of Iwaki are still very concerned about radiation, and fear that the government is not telling the whole truth about the nuclear power plants. People are staying inside more, and are limiting the time kids can play outside.

Families who lived within a 20km radius of the nuclear power plants are allowed day-passes to enter the area to retrieve things from their houses. A lady whose house is in this area says that houses have been broken into and valuables have been stolen.

YWAM Tokyo & YWAM Nagano Outreach to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, June 1-7, 2011

Team: 1 YWAM Tokyo team member (plus his son), 1 YWAM Nagano team member, and 2 from a church in Tokyo.

Boats washed inland in the Ishinomaki area.

Outreach Activities

1st day- We shoveled sludge/mud at a Buddhist temple and graveyard behind an elementary school.

2nd day- Takidashi（food distribution）at a junior high school with a church from Shizuoka.

3rd day- Removed debris from a house which was close to the fish market.

4th day- Shoveled sludge/mud with Tokyo Baptist Church volunteers.

5th day- Cleaned a house for an elderly woman; power-washed a house.

Fish ended up between the roof and the rain gutter.

Highlights

*One of the team felt the victims were still in the process of dealing with the pain they had just gone through. Yet, God spoke to her that He is opening up the HEAVEN over that area for those who seek Him.

*The team got to talk to a lot of people who were open to a relationship with Jesus. That it happened everywhere they went, so that it seemed almost too weird.

*One of the team thinks that those who volunteer from outside of the area need to be really sensitive to what God is telling them. Otherwise they could crush people who know that life is the only thing they have right now.

Prayer Request (June 24, 2011)

New Prayer Request (June 24): Since the March 11 disasters, there have been suicides among persons who have lost their businesses and livelihoods. Also there have been suicides among those who are the sole survivors of their families. ("Suicides upping casualties from Tohoku catastrophe," The Japan Time Online, June 23, 2011.) Please pray for those who will be relocated from evacuation shelters where they have had others around them and shared a sense of community. There is concern that these individuals will be at greater risk when they leave the evacuation shelters and live alone in their new housing.

YWAM Japan National Office Outreach to Fukushima Prefecture, May 26-29, 2011

After participating in emotional care training (Kokoro no Care) with a Missionary/Professional Counselor, volunteers went to a large evacuation shelter in Fukushima Prefecture where more than 1,000 persons were staying. 

One Evacuation Shelter in Fukushima

The volunteers offered to massage the hands of persons while listening to their personal stories. Afterwards the volunteers offered to pray for individuals and gave away free Christian booklets and tracts.

Hand massage offers opportunities for evacuees to tell their personal stories.

The YWAM Japan National Office staff member found that everyone was willing to accept prayers. She feels that it would have not happened before the earthquake, and that it might not happen after they settle down in their comfortable lives again. Now is the time: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" (John 4:35)

YWAM Japan National Office Outreach to Sendai, May 6-9, 2011

Three YWAM Japan National Office team members and one Japanese friend went to Sendai to volunteer through the Japan Emergency Team (JHelp). The Japanese friend who is a chiropractor gave free massages at a large evacuation center in Fukushima City and at three evacuation shelters in Sendai. The YWAM Japan National Office team invited people to take advantage of the massages and talked to people waiting in line.

Also during the outreach, one team member helped to clean and prepare meals for all of the volunteers staying at a Sendai church. Two other team members joined JHelp volunteers to shovel mud from the driveway of a house in Ishinomaki and remove the couple’s car from where the tsunami had carried it to the back of their property. 

Moving the owner's car from where the tsunami deposited it.

On Sunday, they worked with a non-Christian NPO shoveling mud in the yard of a temple in Wakabayashi-ku in Sendai. It was a privilege to be able to pray and praise the Lord there.

Outreach Team to Kamaishi and Ishonomaki, April 30-May 5, 2011

Team: 4 YWAM Tokyo team members, 3 YWAM Kona team members, 3 Japanese 

In Kamaishi City, an unaffected apartment complex is used to house about 120 evacuees. They are under the care of volunteers that cook for the community and try to meet the needs of the current residents. One of the problems they have run into is that they seem to be semi-overlooked by the government. Their requests are not always met as efficiently as needed. This being the case, we have been able to form a relationship with the volunteer core team and help provide supplies. Much of the food being served at the complex has been mainly rice dishes, lacking protein. Realizing this, we got to do Takidashi (something like a Japanese BBQ) with them. Though our intent was for them to just relax and eat, we were amazed at their participation. They prepared a variety of side dishes to share with us, blessing us more than our desire to bless them! I was reminded of the true spirit of the Japanese: hospitality and servant-heartedness. They wanted us to be part of their community and by doing so they shared so much with us, despite all that has happened.

YWAM Japan National Office Outreach to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, April 27-29, 2011

One YWAM Japan National Office team member volunteered through the Global Mission Center, a ministry of Taira Christ Church in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. Along with other volunteers, she went to three gymnasiums which had become shelters for disaster victims. They brought spring clothes, laying them out neatly and helping people to find what they needed. At that time they had enough winter clothes, but needed lighter clothing. They also gave warm foot-baths with water from a hot spring, plus shoulder massages. Later, volunteers also helped clean inside a house.

Inside this building, you can see damage caused by the disasters.

In the evacuation shelter, each family had only a square of space to live in. It was touching to see an elementary school boy doing his homework on top his school backpack as a make-shift desk, a young couple with a two month old baby, and to hear from a physically disabled lady about running with all her might to escape the tsunami.

Before and after each day’s volunteer activities, there was lots of worship and prayer. Although the staff and church members at Global Mission Center were very busy and surely tired, they were full of the love and joy of Christ. God will surely use them for a great harvest in Iwaki and elsewhere in Tohoku.

NorthEast Tokyo Outreach to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, April 22-24, 2011

One NorthEast Tokyo team member went to Iwaki City to visit a church and to see its ministry for the earthquake and subsequent tsunami survivors. He went with a group of church volunteers to an emergency shelter in order to help with “foot washing.” Later, he helped organize boxes of items at the Global Mission Church which has used its building to warehouse disaster relief supplies. When bags of potatoes arrived, volunteers prepared them for cooking. Later that evening, along with a group, they went to another shelter where they made and handed out “strawberry candies” (strawberry on a chopstick dipped in melted sugar).

Disaster relief supplies arrive at a local church.

The team member saw depression, emptiness, and a looming boredom since the evacuees had nothing to do. Children were told to sit and behave and not make much noise at all. The only thing to do inside the shelters was to sleep and sleep a little more. They really need your prayers.

YWAM Tokyo & YWAM Narita Outreach Trip, April 4-8, 2011

We first traveled to Iwate Prefecture, where some of us volunteered to clean up tsunami-damaged houses in Otsuchi, while others of our team took in supplies and built relationship with a small community taking shelter in an old apartment building.

Ready to dig out the mud from a home.

Our second stop was Sendai, where we helped unload supplies at the Samaritan’s Purse--a great place for networking with other Christian groups. At nearby Ishinomaki, we joined in an outreach organized by the Tokyo Baptist Church to distribute household goods and food to people still living at home in the tsunami-devastated area. 

Distributing food.

During our short trip, we had numerous opportunities to interact with people, and many people expressed their appreciation to us. One older man came and shook hands with each one of us, bowing deeply as he did so.  With tears in his eyes, he thanked us over and over for coming to help Japan!  In each of these encounters, we tried to let people know that we are Christians, and the reason we had come is because of God's love for the Japanese people. 

Words of Encouragement for Japan: 2011 April-June

In early June, I had the pleasure of meeting Walter and Irene Heidenreich, the founders of the Free Christian Community (FCJG) in Germany and the leaders of HELP International, on their first trip to Tokyo. Two years ago, Walter heard a prophetic message that God wanted Germans to help the Japanese -- that because of the pact between Germany and Japan during World War II, God wants to bring forth a new partnership between Germans and Japanese which will be a blessing to the world.

Germans & Swiss pray for Japan, April 2, 2011 in Ludenscheid (near Dusseldorf).

150 German artists pray for Japan, June 12, 2011.

YWAM Japan National Office Team Outreach to Sendai, April 7-11

We took tools (battery-operated drill set), women's supplies, vegetables and other fresh foods to Sendai. We visited a pastor who decided to offer his church facility as a place for volunteers and outreach teams. On the first night just after we arrived at the church, a strong earthquake hit. There were immediate tsunami warnings -- but, thanks be to God, we were spared that experience. We did, however, lose electricity for a day.

We went to an evacuation shelter and heard first-hand accounts of what happened on March 11th from a junior high school teacher. We saw sights of utter devastation.

It was a blessing to see connections being made so quickly. The Japan Emergency Team enlisted the volunteer help of the grandson of the pastor during our outreach. Since our visit, the JET headquarters have relocated to the church we visited. Volunteers from Kona and other National Office teammates have also gone to Sendai and stayed at the same church. Since then, the church typically hosts 10-15 volunteers.

YWAM Azumino (Nagano) Team Outreach to Iwaki City, Fukushima, March 29-31

Our team of four had a good and safe trip over and back to Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture from March 29-31. Our church members and many other people donated lots of goods for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

After arriving in Iwaki, we unloaded most of our supplies at the city drop-off place. The people working there were thankful and polite.

We went on to the Global Mission Chapel where we were warmly welcomed by the pastor and others busily working there unloading goods and making hot meals to take to the evacuation centres. We gave them 2 boxes of mandarines (or mikans as we call them here). They were grateful for fresh fruit.

The pastor was very busy, but he took us upstairs, made coffee for us, and shared about the situation in Iwaki, their current needs, and how we could help in the future. I was very encouraged meeting him and seeing how calm, positive, and cheerful he was in the midst of a disaster and relief effort. The people at the church were so cheerful, treating us like family after meeting us for just a short while.

The church has been buying hot spring water and taking big tubs of it to the evacuation shelters where they bathe peoples' feet. While their feet are soaking in the warm water and being massaged, the evacuees open up to the church people and share their stories and let out their hurt and grief. They also give shoulder massage as a way to care for those in the shelters. In addition to the warm meals they provide, these are the practical ways the church has been able to minister to those in the shelters.

 

The next morning we visited the coast to see for ourselves some of the damage. I was shocked to see huge concrete blocks, cars, houses, etc., swept away or smashed up.

On the way back to the church, we saw cars lined up for kilometres for petrol at the few stations opened. Some places didn't open till 1 p.m., but the cars were all lining up at 10 a.m.! We gave the church the rest of our petrol (approximately 45 litres) to help with all the delivery they do. 

We were very thankful to God for leading us there and connecting us with His people. We pray we have been of some support to the people in Fukushima. Now we are praying about what we can do next and where to minister.

The YWAM Azumino team.

Prayer Points (Updated June 1)

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf! Please join us in praying for Japan.

For the Fukushima nuclear power plants, please pray that:

+ all 6 nuclear power plant reactors will be fully restored and contained.

+ all the nuclear power plant workers, Self Defense Forces, electric power company workers, firefighters, and every person be protected and healed.
(Psalm 91; Psalm 46; Daniel 3: 25-27)

+ those who live close to the forced evacuation area will be shielded from radiation.

+ all evacuees will soon be relocated from the public evacuation shelters into their own separate homes.
+ God intervenes to cleanse the air, the ocean and waters, and the soil in the areas surrounding Fukushima.

+++ "Skilled Veterans Corps" is a group of some 250 volunteers over the age of 60 who are willing to work at the Fukushima nuclear power plants at the cost of their lives. Please pray for these courageous persons.

For disaster relief, please pray for:

+ volunteers and relief teams working in the disaster-hit areas -- for protection over their health, minds, emotions, and spirits, as they witness the extent of the damage and destruction.

+ for the smooth flow of distribution of relief supplies to all of those in need.

+ for the Christian Relief, Assistance, Support, and Hope (CRASH) network based in Japan. To sign-up for weekly prayer slots, go to: http://www.24-7prayer.com/signup/c397f6. After you've signed up, you can find updated prayer requests at: http://tinyurl.com/CRASHPrayer.

For the Japanese people, please pray for:

+ hope to arise; for all believers in Japan to be carriers of hope. (Romans 15:13)

+ God’s peace and God's perfect love which casts out all fear. (Philippians 4:7; 1 John 4:18)

+ those experiencing survivor guilt, heartbreak, overwhelming sorrows, compounded grief, and untold loss -- that God will bind up the wounds of the broken-hearted. (Isaiah 61:1)

+ the teams going to evacuation shelters to talk with survivors -- that God’s compassion will be revealed through them. Please pray for their emotional, spiritual, and mental health as they listen to many heart-wrenching stories.

Messages of Encouragement from Around the World: 20011 March

We praise God for the many persons, many churches, and many group prayers which are praying for Japan. Since March 11, we have received encouragement from persons from around the world. Here are some of the messages emailed to YWAM Japan.

March 12: A spontaneous prayer meeting is held at a prayer house in Germany. Last year, this organization sent an outreach team from Germany to Tokyo. Their team partnered in ministry with the YWAM Japan National Office.

March 16: From a YWAMer in Holland.

Isaiah 43: 2: Stand firm for the Lord your God is with you. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Psalm 18: 32: For who is God save the LORD? Or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

March 18: From YWAM Amsterdam, we are praying Psalm 46 for Japan.

March 21: God showed me the most gigantic fishing net. I got the impression that this net was being thrown over the entire country of Japan, and while many people popped up out of the holes, many, many more remained in the net.

March 23: From the Missions Team of YWAM Santiago, Chile.

Habakkuk 3: 19: The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Acts 16: 26: Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

Proverbs 2: My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Haggai 2: 3-4: ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

Isaiah 38: 4-6: I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears.  I will not leave you nor forsake you says the Lord your God.

Isaiah 62: 4 & 11 – 12: No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.  The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’”  They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.

March 23: From a former YWAMer who is now serving among urban Navajos in Arizona.

“What if the believers in China and Korea took deliberate, prayerful steps to do something extraordinary to partner with the hurting in Japan, thus putting feet to their words and prayers on behalf of these people? Would not something powerful occur in the heavenlies? Would not the forces of darkness be shattered and the grace of God pour through in ways not heretofore witnessed in Japan? By acting in ways contrary to the natural enmity that exists between these countries, you might bring unimaginable transformation in all three!”

Want to Send a Message of Encouragement to Us?

If God brings to your mind some specific scripture, prophetic words, visions, or images, and you would like to share them with us at YWAM Japan, please email the information to Kristyn Kuroki at ywamofficekk@gmail.com.