Volunteers are the cornerstone of CRASH's vision. Since the earthquake hit, we have had many people within Japan and from overseas sacrifice their time and energy to work as volunteers. Their perseverance to do the most intense work, their faith in the hope that God will bring, and their humility to put in 100% even to the most unglamorous of jobs, enables CRASH to function.

We request special prayer for one of our volunteers in Miyagi, who was involved in an accident. On June 13th, a male volunteer, 54, fell from scaffolding and broke bones in both his heels. He was serving with a partner program in Ishinomaki, as part of a Church Team. After being taken to a local hospital in Miyagi, the doctors decided he should receive surgery closer to home. Currently he is back in Chiba and will undergo surgery today or tomorrow. The doctors anticipate that full recovery will take three months. Please pray for him and his teammates, for speedy recovery, and for God to show us His grace, love, and provision.

• The staff would like prayer for wisdom and discernment on how best to proceed with transitioning Hope Café to outdoor activities. The benefit would be a potential increase in the men participating; the downside would be that the change may affect the atmosphere established from the indoor activities. Please pray for apt and appropriate preparation and open hearts among the people to welcome new activities.

• Please pray for the EPMC team as some of them are experiencing allergic symptoms.

• Sendai Base is planning to accept American volunteers this summer to work on Ouchi's farm and to do manual labor in the Tona area; however, such work has to be stopped when it rains. Rain is necessary for the crops, so please pray that it is sunny on days we are scheduled to work outside and that it rains on days when no outside work is scheduled. This Saturday and next Wednesday and Thursday are scheduled days for working in the Ouchi's fields.

• Please continue to keep our two field offices in your prayers! They are cleaning, preparing the office (furnishing, organizing), and networking. Please pray for continued strength as the staff establishes the offices.

A Strategic Self Care & Suicide Prevention Conference

by Helen Kwak, CRASH Japan Care Coordinator

As CRASH Japan Care Coordinator, a growing awareness of the critical need for supporting disaster relief staff and survivors of 3.11 inspired Helen to conceptualize and advance a three day Self Care and Suicide Prevention Conference.

"I started volunteering with CRASH Japan in May of 2011, and was immediately impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff who work diligently in support of the volunteers who go to Tohoku. I continue to be moved by their willingness to sacrifice time, energy and often health in order to bring hope to survivors. Watching them carry such heavy responsibility caused me to look into the causes of burn-out, the need for self-care, and the best ways to support people who are in supporting roles themselves. I spent as much time as I could with them in the field, seeing the work that they do, finding ways to support them as they reach out to care for survivors and the many volunteers we are mobilizing. The following two stories illustrate both the great opportunities and challenges that our staff face on a daily basis.

Great news! CRASH Japan has successfully passed an independent audit of our financial records. We have had over five million US dollars in donations, have managed multiple field operations and have supported dozens of programs over an area the size of Northern California. Undertaking all this while still trying to figure out how to do it is indeed a great miracle.

I am deeply thankful for the diligence of our finance section and for the many CRASH staff and volunteers who have worked so hard to make all this possible. Most of all, I am thankful to our Heavenly Father who cares deeply about the great nation of Japan.

To learn more about the work of CRASH -- including a financial report -- click here (.PDF). We still need your support! Our goal is to raise over 1,000,000 USD by March of 2013.

Acclaimed sculptor, Douwe Blumberg -- known for his "America's Response Monument" at Ground Zero in NYC -- recently visited Japan on a short term mission trip. While here, Douwe created a unique sculpture of (God's) hands releasing birds into the air. Douwe said, "I wanted to create a piece of art that would inspire and bring hope to the lives of the Japanese people." Douwe donated his sculpture to SonRise Cafe, where it is on display. In an exclusive CRASH interview, Douwe discusses his admiration of the Japanese work ethic and how it relates to his life as an artist.

Hula, music, card-making, quilting, and drawing are some of the creative activities that CRASH Japan volunteers utilize to connect with survivors and share the love of God. One volunteer even brought her full-sized harp that she plays at mobile cafés and other venues. Make a donation to CRASH to support our creative arts/sports fund! See instructions here.