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Dear friends in the Chicago area,
It is good to know we are all connected. In fact, it is in such times that we are made to realize once again the purpose of our "Connectionalism."
When the quake hit, I was in a meeting at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church at Kagurazaka. As everyone was leaving the only transportation running was an occasional bus (mostly full) with taxis also full. So the only alternative was to start walking in whatever distance one hoped would lead closer to home or some form of transportation. Unfortunately for most, there was no alternative but to continue walking or looking for some refuge for the night. My car was only a 20 minute walk for me, then another 45 minutes on crowded streets until I finally reached the Minami Aoyama 5-chome apartment complex. (For the rest of the evening and most of the night, Tokyo had literally millions of "refugees" walking on the streets, all seeking a way home. Quite a memorable sight!)
Fortunately, there was no damage to the structures in our area, only many scattered items in all our rooms at the apartment. There have been a series of large aftershocks continuing along the Pacific side fault that extends from Iwate Prefecture down near the tip of Chiba Prefecture. During the night, the northern area of Nagano and neighboring Niigata Prefectures has been having several large tremors, some more than magnitude 6, which were apparently moved into action by the big shift in the Pacific plate.
The National Council of Christians in Japan will be putting together a formal response for overseas assistance and emergency relief funds when we can all get back to the office early next week.
In the meantime, keep us in your prayers as we seek to be faithful in this time of such great need.
With thanks for our fellowship, George (and Yoko) Gish | 
