In the News–A Spiritual Perspective April 25, 2011 ISSUE

A foundation of prayer for the rebuilding in Japan

By Beverley Beddoes-Mills

The beginning of 2011 may be a time Australians, New Zealanders, and the people of Japan will never forget. Floods and cyclones caused havoc in northern Australia, an earthquake destroyed the city of Christchurch in New Zealand, and in Japan an 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that wiped out many coastal villages with a huge loss of life, and severe damage to a nuclear power station.

Some of the villages were so thoroughly destroyed that there is nothing left to reconstruct. Tens of thousands of people are being housed in evacuation centers. Fuel and food are in short supply, and many people have to queue in freezing conditions waiting for the supermarkets to open.