I was in Korea the day the earthquake occurred in Japan
followed by the devastating tsunami. Last time I was in Korea I stopped in
Japan on the way home and met with missionary Ken Joseph
Jr. This time I’m glad I didn’t stop! But I’ve developed a friendship with
Ken who emailed me the day after the earthquake to tell me how horrible it is.
As I flew home I knew I had to do what I could to help. That’s when I decided
to reach out to you. One of the things I have through Charisma Media is
influence. I want to encourage you to help in some way—even if it’s small.
There are many ministries helping. We are publicizing the good works of many of
them as we find out what they are doing. Help us or help them, but please do
something.
However, we are
aware of some “small” ministries—such as Ken’s and others who—are on the ground helping. But they don’t get money from the
government or the big charities like the American Red Cross (often just because
they are Christian ministries), and they have no way of asking for help here.
That is where Christian Life Missions comes in. We are able to contact hundreds
of thousands of Christians to let them know the need, to collect the money and
to give 100 percent to a project, taking nothing for overhead.
We have a long record of integrity working with ministries
we can trust on the ground. We hate to hear that many times the charity money
raised never reaches the people who are suffering. And we are totally
accountable. If you give, we’ll send you an accounting of where the money went
and who it helped. When we raised $250,000 five years ago with the tsunami that
hit southeast Asia, we sent one of our editors to see how the money was used
and to report in Charisma how we worked with the Evangelical
Alliance in Sri Lanka, which was able to help Christians who were affected
by that disaster.
One of our authors is Joe Hurston
of Air Mobile Ministries. Joe invented a portable water purifier that helps
in places like Haiti. His book Run to the Roar tells his exciting story.
He phoned me two days after the earthquake. Joe and his wife Cindy flew to Japan to
provide portable water purifiers.
I talked to Joe twice yesterday via cell phone in Sendai, Japan. He’s there with 10 water purifiers each of
which will purify enough water for 500 people. Joe told me that a million
people need clean water, so this meets only one half of one percent of the
need. But it’s a start. He took the 10 water purifiers he was planning to take
to Haiti the weekend after the quake and flew to Japan to get the lay of the
land and to help as he could. Each purifier costs $2,000. He’s raised only
$10,000, so he needs our help to pay for the purifiers he has taken and for many
more. Recently NASA tested his water purifier, Joe said, and found it even
has an effect on lowering levels of radiation contaminants! If you give $2,000
that will pay for one more portable water purifier! Joe told me: “This is a golden opportunity to show the love
of God.”
Will you help? You can check out Joe’s ministry at www.airmobile.org and read his
twice-daily blog, www.airmobile.org/blog.php.
After my first email from Ken, I couldn’t reach him. Then I
noticed him on Facebook and asked him what he’s seeing. He wrote: “We have been to nearly every disaster since 1989 but
have never seen such complete destruction. An earthquake followed by fire,
followed by a 30-foot tsunami, followed by snow, followed by a nuclear
meltdown—it is too much for any one nation to handle alone. The greatest fear
in Japan right now is that due to the fear of nuclear fallout the one thing
that is needed the most—help from the world—will not come because the various
organizations are pulling back.”
Below we give you links to Ken’s website and to
interviews he’s done this week with FoxNews and other media.
He told me that in Sendai they prepared food at
one of the centers for 500 people and 1,110 people showed up. “All they
were eating was four crackers per person per day … in Japan!” he wrote.
“No heat or anything.”
Since he’s on the ground, he knows the needs.
He put on his website, www.jhelp.com, a
list of the supplies they need: 20 liter metal gasoline cans; bottled water;
canned and instant food; sleeping bags; electric water pots; coffee; tea;
cream; powdered milk; tents; rice; used laptop computers and active wireless
internet devices; airline mileage; and disaster relief vehicle.
You and I are sitting in the ease and comfort
of our homes or offices in America and can’t easily provide those needs. But we
can donate through Christian Life Missions, which will provide a receipt for
your income tax purposes. We know how to send the money to Ken and Joe quickly,
and they can put it to use. We can vouch for their integrity. We’ll report back
to you how the money was used.
If you were there, you’d appreciate any help
you could get. Even though they can touch only a small percentage of the
millions who are suffering, at least they are doing something. As Christians,
we are able to help them in a way the big multi-national agencies can’t.
So won’t you respond? Won’t you ask your pastor
to take up an offering and channel it to Japan through Christian Life Missions?
You can follow Joe Hurston’s blog every day at www.airmobile.org/blog.php or
check on Ken Joseph’s website, www.jhelp.com (update: jhelp.com is currently unavailable), for the latest. As we learn of other Christians who are helping (whose
integrity we can vouch for), we will respond as we are able.
Click here to give quickly online. Make your tax-deductible check payable to
Christian Life Missions and write “Japan” in the memo line. Mail your gift to
Christian Life Missions; P.O. Box 952248; Lake Mary, FL 32795. We will send you
a receipt as well as updates from time to time. And we’ll rush the money to
Japan.
God bless you as you give generously.
Thank you,
Steve Strang
President, Christian Life Missions
Founder, Charisma Media
P.S. Both Joe
and Ken ask Christians to pray as never before, not only to alleviate the
suffering but also to show the love of God and to spark a spiritual awakening.
P.S.S. As a thank you for any gift $75 or more,
we will send you a copy of Joe’s book Run to the Roar.
Watch media clips of Ken Joseph, Jr. being
interviewed.
http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/relief-worker-ken-joseph-on-the-record/
http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/relief-worker-ken-joseph-on-the-record-2/
Stephen Strang 
