Mobile cafe at Joso City

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Dear Prayer Partners and Supporters
Thank you for your prayers!
On October 2 Fri CRASH Japan sent a volunteer team to Joso city (Mitsukaido Gymnasium). Thanks to the help of the Salvation Army (they let us use a canteen car and truck and sent two staff to help us!), we opened a mobile cafe and served three kind of crapes (chocolate, chestnut cream, and red beans cream) and coffee to the survivors, volunteers, and civil services there.
Helen Kwak(Our care coordinator)opened an “active listening space.” Survivors sat in the tent and enjoyed cookies, crapes and coffee. It was a great opportunity to provide emotional and spiritual care to them.
It was also such a great opportunity for us to work with the Salvation Army. We learned a lot of practical wisdom from them.

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Can you help with sweets?

モバイルカフェWe’re planning to open a mobile cafe at a shelter in Ibaraki-ken on Friday, this week. Would you make baked sweets for survivors with love?

If you can bring them to our office on this Thursday afternoon, please send us a message contact us.

Or if you can partner with us financially at this time, please send your donations to us via postal transfer. Please include a note that it is for the “Typhoon 18”:

  • Account number: 00110-3-290907
  • Account name: Ippan Shadan Hojin CRASH JAPAN

CRASH Volunteer Worked in Joso with Salvation Army Japan Team

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Dear CRASH Prayer Partners and Supporters,

Thank you for your prayers and financial support.

Today, Thursday, Sep. 24th, Rev. Takahito Iwagami, a chaplain of CRASH Japan, joined a Salvation Army volunteer team to serve the survivors and care workers in Joso city. Joso is one of the most affected areas by the flood (Kinugawa River) two weeks ago.

Rev. Iwagami was working as a chaplain and serving hot lunches (beef/rice bowls and special soup) with SA volunteers at Joso’s public gymnasium. This place was one of the biggest shelters in Joso city, and has now become a distribution center. Many survivors come to the gymnasium in order to get daily supplies.

The team served 355 meals and 100 cups of special coffee to the survivors and volunteer staff at lunch time. Survivors were so thankful for hot meals because they usually have cold rice balls and emergency food. It was also a great opportunity to provide emotional and spiritual care to them. Volunteers at the distribution center were also thankful to have a good break because they have been getting tired from hard work for two weeks after the typhoon.

Here is Rev. Iwagami’s report:

“It was my first experience to work at a canteen truck. I was so blessed to work with a Salvation Army team. Survivors looked tired, but when they received donburi and hot soup they smiled and said to us, “Thank you for lunch.” As we served lunch, we listened to the survivors’ stories of how they evacuated and how they felt. We provided not only hot meals but also emotional and spiritual care to them. I was also very happy for the opportunity for CRASH Japan to work with Salvation Army.”

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Typhoon #18 (Etau) related info

On Sept. 17 (Thursday), CRASH sent a second assessment person to Ibaraki prefecture. He visited a church in Joso city that we had not been able to contact, and he confirmed that it’s okay. Based on the needs in the area and the results of our investigation, we are discussing how best to respond.

Digest of my visit

Mitsukaido Shalom Church

Mitsukaido Shalom Church

  On Sep. 13th(Sun), I visited Mitsukaido Shalom Church in Joso city.
All rooms on the first floor were flooded. Pastor Yoshizawa told us that the flooding was about 45 centimeters height. I could smell something rotten. This was because of mud from the river. There was no worship service at this church this morning. The congregation gathered at different churches. Toilets are broken and no water or electricity. Volunteers are wanted. Their activities are to bring all of the belongings outside, load these on trucks, and abandon. Then clean.
From Sep. 14th (Mon) group churches are asked to send volunteers for this activity. We hear it will take a week or so to use water and electricity at this church.  Please pray for volunteers to join this cleaning activity. Please also pray for Pastor Yoshizawa and his congregation to stand firm in Christ.
CRASH Japan will:
  • start funding to help this church
  • start preparing for our next step (to send volunteers if requested)
There are some missionaries and pastors thinking of doing some cleaning houses in this prefecture. We will connect them, too.
Toshio Nagai

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