Relief efforts still critical in Japan

Clean drinking water, food and assistance with cleanup operations are the most critical needs among the citizens of Japan, reports Alabama Baptist disaster relief representative John Hayes.

Hayes and three other disaster relief specialists recently returned from an assessment trip to Japan for Southern Baptists.

The greatest contribution Southern Baptists can make to the relief effort is to train church members in Japan in mass food distribution and water purification, Hayes said.

A great opportunity exists to bring Christ to Japan and strengthen the local church, he noted.

But response efforts remain slow because the Japanese governmental restrictions hinder the efforts of international nongovernmental organizations, said Mel Johnson, disaster relief strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

“The response for this event will be lengthy due to the amount of destruction,” he said. “We must be patient and sensitive when dealing with cultures that differ from our own.

“Baptist Global Response is working to help establish connections for volunteers and we remain committed to partnerships that will strengthen the work of our Southern Baptist representatives,” Johnson said.

For more information about disaster relief efforts, visit www.alsbom.org/japan. (SBOM)