ELKHART, Ind. – In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear contamination threats that have befallen Japan, Mennonite Mission Network workers and associates from North America have been sending powerful and inspiring stories of their experiences and the relief efforts of the local Japanese churches.
Mennonite Mission Network has launched a website, Messages from Japan, to highlight these compelling dispatches.
“I was near Shibuya station downtown when the quake hit, right next to a huge building under construction," said Michael Sherrill, a chaplain and associate professor at Aoyama Gakuin Women’s Junior College in Tokyo. "All of a sudden, I felt a sense of disequilibrium and noticed everyone looking up…The building swayed back and forth like it was made of rubber."
Mary Beyler, a longtime mission worker in Obihiro, wrote: “Even here in Obihiro, our lives are affected because shipping routes to Hokkaido have been severed… Each opportunity to interact with people inside and outside the church is precious.”
Mission Network has one supported worker in Obihiro, and four families of mission associates in other areas in Japan. Mission associates are workers who relate to Mission Network, but do not receive financial support from the organization.
Mission Network also partners with the Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference and the Tokyo Area Fellowship of Mennonite Churches. According to the Mennonite World Conference website, there are nearly 3,000 Mennonites in Japan.
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact Andrew Clouse at andrewc@mmnworld.net, (574) 523-3024 or (866) 866-2872 ext. 23024.
