With the combined efforts of Japanese Saints, full-time missionaries and Church volunteers, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been making an impact across the islands of Japan.
January’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the Noto Peninsula has been cause for service and charitable giving in recent months. Latter-day Saints have also found other ways to fill needs in Japanese communities large and small.
Read stories of these service efforts below.
2 communities affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake
The Noto Peninsula earthquake struck the Yatagō and Oharae districts of Nanao in January 2024. The Church was essential in providing relief and support to victims of the earthquake.
First, there was the “Town Stroll” activity, organized by the Misohara Community Development Council and carried out by volunteers from the Kanazawa Japan Stake. Volunteers walked around the neighborhoods of those who had been evacuated and listened to victims’ individual needs. Volunteers were even caught in the rain, yet they continued to serve, reported a July 1 news release from the Church’s Japan Newsroom.
The Church supported an activity sponsored by the Miharae Community Development Council, in which footbaths using hot spring water were offered to the public. Volunteers also provided an aroma massage with the aim to relieve tension and stiffness in the head and shoulders.
Months later, members of the Kanazawa Stake cooked meals at an evacuation shelter on March 16. The Church donated pickup trucks to affected areas to help remove rubble and transport goods across communities.
“We are grateful for the volunteer work done in many places, but the donation of the light truck in particular has been an unexpected help to us. I have used it many times,” said Haruki Ken, chairman of the Misohara council.
Annual beach cleanup event
For the third consecutive year, the Nago City Mother and Child Widow Welfare Association and the Church of Jesus Christ hosted a beach-cleaning event at Nago Bay’s Municipal Park. Single mothers, their children, missionaries and other volunteers participated in the cleanup event July 27 and were fed barbecue afterward.
The Nago association came about during the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal to create more activities for single mothers and their children to participate in. Amid quarantine mandates and online schooling, there were few opportunities for social interaction and events in general. One goal of the association is to help single or widowed mothers understand that many of their circumstances are out of their control and their situations are not their fault, explained Japan Newsroom on Aug. 8.
The Church plays a fundamental role in the Nago City Mother and Child Widow Welfare Association. The organization is almost solely funded by donations and offerings from local businesses, local government and other charitable organizations. The Church provides food, funds and services to help the association continue to bless the lives of others. The Church even holds a semiannual event to collect food items for over 300 families to single-parent organizations.
Christlike acts of kindness at the Friendship Festival
Over 303,000 people attended the annual Friendship Festival at Yokota U.S. Military Air Base, Japan, on May 18 and 19. Crowds stood in lines over a mile long to see one of the largest air shows and naval ship displays in the Pacific Rim.
Japan Newsroom reported July 30 that the Church played a large role in this event by passing out complimentary water, fans, snacks and other items. Approximately 30 member and missionary volunteers from the Church served at the festival. Volunteers also handed out flyers about the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, FamilySearch and other Church-related information to those in attendance.
In preparation for the event, donations were collected by the Yokota Military and Fussa wards in Tokyo earlier that week. With help from the Asia North Area Communications Division, over 2,000 bottles of water and snacks and over 10,000 packs of tissues were collected and distributed. Although the items were expected to be distributed over a period of two days, all of the items were handed out in the span of five hours.
