As the aftermath of the massive (mag 8.9) earthquake in Japan and the resulting 10-metre tsunami (in Sendai, the Japanese city closest to the epicenter) continues to unfold, my family and I remember the Japanese people in our prayers as well as those people in other countries hit by the resulting tsunami, including Philippines, New Zealand, US (California side), Mexico, Indonesia, Hawaii and other countries located along its path. We thank God that so far the effect of the tsunami in these Pacific Rim countries and territories have been minimal.
Link to Latest Photos of Quake and Tsunami-Hit Japan
LIFE Photos of the Quake
And now, what started as a natural disaster can turn into a man-made catastrophe.
Fukushima Nuclear Plant Video
The cooling system of the nuclear plant in Fukushima was damaged by the quake and the tsunami. Without an efficient cooling system in place, a meltdown can occur. In a meltdown radioactive material can be released into the environment endangering the lives of people, animals and practically every living thing around the reactor. A full-blown case meltdown happened in the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine in 1986. It involved massive relocation of residents in the area. Hence, the scientists and technicians in Fukushima are working and thinking fast how to prevent this from happening, and they only have a few hours to sort it out. Japan badly needs OUR prayers at this critical time. Please spare even just your few moments for them. God bless to you all out there!
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29th March 2011, 9:40 am, New York time
I found this new footage on You Tube, put up only two days ago (27th March 2011). I wonder how this footage was obtained. On a helicopter? This close-up view of the "monstrous" tsunami that hit the Japanese east coast really puts things in perspective. So many thoughts run in my mind:, like, "God sits enthroned in the flood." And, "you wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy." And, "you would never want to be caught in this sitaution," etc.
Tsunami ravaging Kesennuma port
And on the Fukushima nuclear reactor plant crisis, an offshoot of the tsunami brought by the same Tohoku-Kanto earthquake of 11th march 2011, since upgraded to mag 9.0, radioactive contamination has already been found in drinking water in Tokyo and in the soil and vegetables in Fukushima, high radiation levels in the sea water around Fukushima, etc. These are not very good signs and are a source of concern for everyone, even for us far from Japan. The overall effects of this radioactive leakage on people and the environment will not be seen and totally evaluated until much, much later. I pray God will have mercy on Japan and their neighboring countries, as well as for the rest of us humanity. I do buy Japanese food products in the Oriental shops here, so, what would make us think we're safe from this nuclear accident just because we're on the other side of the world?
Japan nuclear plant: plutonium found in Fukushima soil
May God have mercy on us all!
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29 March 2011, 10:07 pm
Here's a nice song for Japan.
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Update 8:58am April 5, 2011 (NY time)
Above photo taken from:
Snapshot on the Battle to Contain the Radioactive Leak in Japan
Meanwhile, Japanese folks continue with a semblance of normalcy by celebrating Spring through Sakura viewing (Hanami) in local parks, a Japanese tradition.
Spring in the Park
On the other hand, we hope and pray the recent earthquake in Christchurch (2/11) and the series of aftershocks after, didn't wake up a sleeping giant in the form of Mt. Ruapehu, an active volcano near Taupo. I have received prayer alerts from friends in Auckland.
The God of Nations is on a roll, may God defend us all.
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2:07am, April 9, 2011, Sat. (NY time)
More items for prayer over Japan:
Japan's Meteorological Agency has announced that 20 volcanoes have become active due to the massive March 11th earthquake. It also said that volcanic eruption have occurred after earthquake, several times in history, hence, people need to be vigilant over this possibility. Japanese authorities have also announced that research findings indicate that a chain earthquake of over 9.0 magnitude might hit Japan and its surrounding off-shores. You can read more of this news here :
Japan warns of massive earthquake and volcanic explosion after the April 7 earthquake
Also, the April 7, 2011 magnitude 7.1 aftershock quake near the east coast of Honshu caused water spillage out of spent fuel pools in another nuclear plant, the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi prefecture, raising concerns that a second nuclear crisis might ensue, even while workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are still struggling to prevent a full-blown nuclear meltdown.
Meanwhile, China, Japan's neighboring giant economy, has urged the Japanese government to observe international law and take steps in protecting marine life, amid concerns over discharge of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, as well as accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date reporting on the crisis.
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13th April 2011, Wed., 8:42pm (NY time)
Another Wormwood?
"Japanese authorities have raised the severity rating of the nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant to the highest level, seven." This is the update as of yesterday, 12th April 2011.
Although experts have earlier said that the Fukushima accident can never be the same as that of Chernobyl's, they have raised the severity level of this nuclear crisis to the same level as Chernobyl's because eventually, though the release is much slower, the amount of radiation that would be leaked out to the environment from Fukushima's contained reactors could exceed the amount released from Chernobyl which was a sudden release due to a series of blasts from a non-contained reactor. The level of radiation is low and release is slow in the case of Fukushima, but nobody can exactly tell right now how this low level and slow release of radiation would affect people, animals, plants and the environment in the long-term.
In his book, "Operation Exodus," Gustav Scheller, the founder of Ebenezer Emergency Fund (Operation Exodus), a ministry that helps Jews worldwide to make aliyah, mentioned that the Chernobyl accident was for him the fulfillment of Rev. 8:10,11. The word Chernobyl is a bitter herb in Russian which literally translates to "wormwood". For him, the star of communism that fell when the Chernobyl meltdown happened, is the star of Humanism. (The Chernobyl accident eventually led to the disintegration of the USSR, which set the Jews free to go back to their own country to make aliyah.) Humanism is the symbol of man's self-belief and self-effort. Doesn't this as well symbolize the present-day nation of Japan which is very deeply rooted in Shintoism, a spiritualized form of nationalism? Christianity has hardly made a dent on this nation. For Christians who want to understand the times and pray with understanding for Japan, a good guideline when praying concerning the recent earthquake / tsunami / nuclear crisis, can be found here. When I first read about Wormwood in Scheller's book, around 2006-07, my friends and I were saying, "Are we that far into the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Book of Revelations??!!" Well, think again and see what's happening in Japan. (Unfortunately, I gave away my copy of that book on our recent move from NZ to here, the US, and I cannot check the exact words of the author.)
The times may be sobering but may we always remember to look with Hope to the Lord Jesus Christ who came, that we may have Hope. My children always say, "Mommy, we don't want Jesus to come yet because we want to have children of our own so we can see how they look like." :-) Nobody can really tell when He's coming again but we might as well be ready for it any time, as the signs are there. May God still find faith on the earth - in us - when He comes.
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