March 11, 2011 will remain an infamous date for Japan. That day, the country was hit by a powerful earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, causing a devastating tsunami. The human and material losses were heavy! The events that followed would confirm it!
Perhaps, right now, Japan is no longer in the headlines, but the painful Japanese reality has not changed. Beyond the material losses and the nuclear consequences that no one can ignore, what about the moral injury the Japanese suffered? How can they grieve and believe that this will not happen again? Japan is one of the countries in the world the most vulnerable to earthquakes. The country has one fifth of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. In this context, where does one find peace? How does one heal and forget the past? How does one plan for the future with hope for a better tomorrow?
In our view, the answer lies in the one the Bible calls the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ! We believe he is the only one who can make all things new! For several years, it has been the desire of our heart to reach the Japanese through the Internet, and ever since the tsunami, we have felt an urgency in our hearts. Action is needed now, not in 10 or 15 years! It is today, at the heart of their suffering, distress, deprivation, and trauma of all kinds that the Japanese need to hear this message of hope of the Gospel!
And God, who knows our hearts, permitted the opening of a “Jesus.net” office in Yokohama, Japan, just a few days ago. Our local partner, Andy Game, had already begun to mobilize people in prayer and action for Japan at the time that the tragic events struck Japan. There is already a movement in place, and here is the website: http://www.crashjapan.com/
Today, after months of prayer and effort, Andy has an official office on site. These premises were leased through the generosity of the former owners, committed Christians, who rented their property at a reasonable price. These people have exercised their generosity, as many of you have done for us to be current owners of the Top Chrétien property.
For years, these premises were used for prayer for the city but also for the nations. And this action will be able to continue. Indeed, in these offices several meetings will be held, each one as rich as the other: pastoral meetings, e-coach training for the spiritual follow-up of Internet users who are searching, and non-stop prayer meetings twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
As of September, our partners in Japan will launch an exciting new project called “Hope for Life” in collaboration with several ministries. In April 2011, just one month after the disaster, partners from the Netherlands and Switzerland went to Japan to design the strategy and the websites for Japan. The KnowingGod website, 5 landing pages, and a WhyJesus website in Japanese are also being prepared and will be launched in the coming months. In addition, 10 video testimonies are being made to show God in the lives of the Japanese people. What grace to know that soon we will see displayed on the Google Earth map, real-time decisions of spiritually-seeking Japanese!
Our desire is that these offices serve to build the unity of Christ’s body, to create a passion for prayer, and also to find new ways to reach people searching on the Internet. It is a small stone in the edifice that God is building in Japan, but we pray that it triggers a spiritual tsunami. Below are some pictures of the offices purchased:
I think the most important need for the Japanese is that they know the only true God and His son, Jesus Christ! May these new Jesus.net offices in Japan be visited by the presence of God and may millions of Japanese hear the Gospel on the Internet and through new technologies!
Also, pray that lives are changed, support our partners in Japan in prayer or financially if God puts it on your heart. To do this, please contact us here and mention “Japan” in the notes so that your donation is specifically earmarked for this project!
Together for Changed Lives,
Eric Célérier and the Top Chrétien Team
Do you know what the last words of Jesus were to the eleven after his resurrection and just before being taken up into heaven?
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
