Students pray for Japan

The impact of the earthquake that shook the Pacific Japanese coast March 11 was felt nearly 7000 miles away in Lynchburg, Va.

Liberty University student and Japanese citizen Mana Tsuchihashi recalled the fear and horror that overcame her when she learned of the devastation.

“I was shocked, at first I could not believe it. I watched the video of the tsunami online,” Tsuchihashi said. “I watched it come over the city. I watched it wash the city away.”

Tsuchihashi is one of six Japanese students currently studying at Liberty University.

The devastation claimed the lives of 10,498 Japanese people, according to the Japanese National Police Agency on March 26. With 16,621 people still missing the efforts of search and rescue conducted by the Japanese government are still continuing, according to the report released by the agency.

Although the destruction is great in Japan, controversy has arisen over the issue of whether or not Japan wants external support at this point in time, according to Gleaning For The World’s (GFTW) Communications Director Ishmael Labiosa.

GFTW is an organization that sends relief supplies and funds to people who are in need. They cover both national disasters and situations of poverty.

According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Japan is devoting its focus to search and rescue. With the means available in the nation at this time, the office announced that efforts to send supplies to Japan are discouraged.

However, Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan sent a contradicting message March 22 in a press release from his office.

“The rescue workers, search dogs and nuclear power experts from various countries, as well as the human resources support from the U.S. Forces in Japan and others, assistance with food, medical supplies, blankets, and other supplies, and offers of assistance from over 670 non-government organizations and other organizations have all been profoundly uplifting to the Japanese people, who have come to realize acutely that ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed,’” Kan said.

GFTW confirmed, however, that they are unable to send supplies because of increased inspection at customs.

Tsuchihashi was shocked to hear that the government was no longer accepting the assistance of international organizations, but she said she did understand.

“I understand that it is difficult to accept help from people in other countries,” Tsuchihashi said. “There are different cultures that make connecting hard — but Japan needs help.”

Students and organizations are coming together with the community to help reach out to the people in Japan through funds, which are being sent overseas to partner organizations now, as well as supplies, which will be sent at a later time, Labiosa said.

Tsuchihashi and the other Japanese students have been using any means possible to raise money for GFTW to send help to Japan.

“It has been an interesting situation for us,” Labiosa said. “Normally, we have an organization or something that will work with us right away, but with Japan it took us a few days to find those organizations and figure out what they needed most.”

Though the situation in Japan has been catastrophic, Tsuchihashi said that she believes this disastrous event is going to have a positive impact on her home nation.

“I am encouraged and I want to encourage people to pray for the people of Japan,” Tsuchihashi said. “Pray that they would come to know the only true hope, hope in God. We take every day for granted.”