Update Sunday 6:00AM EDST. The Gospel Coalition endorses the work of CRASH Japan; Must-see video of the actual Tsunami wave approaching Japan; Family Forum Japan reports contact with Japanese pastor and family who had been missing for 9 days.

Gospel Coalition Endorses CRASH Japan

The Gospel Coalition is a semi-formal group of churches/ministers who describes themselves in this way: We are a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures.

A few names among TGC Council Members that you might recognize are: Ric Cannada, Bryan Chapell, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, Lig Duncan, Tim Keler, Al Mohler, Rick Phillips, John Piper, Harry Reeder, Phil Ryken, Scotty Smith, and Sandy Willson.

Their Web Site (thegospelcoalition.org) contains an excellent article recommending readers support of CRASH Japan, the evangelical organization with which MTW Japan is working. The article contains another good summary of the on going work. Read here.

Nearly unbelievable Japan Coast Guard video of the Tsunami on its way to Japan

The Telegraph, one of the main London newspapers is carrying a short with a video clip this morning. They give the background of the video: The video shows the waves rearing above the bow of the ship as the captain steers his vessel directly into the wave. The wave, which measured as much as 30 foot when it smashed into Japan’s coastline, would have got bigger than it appeared in the video as it approached shallower coastal waters. Read the report and see the video here.

Family Forum Japan reports contact with a Lutheran Brethren local pastor and family who had been missing for 9 days

This word just in from Dean Bengston from Sendai: “Tim, we just visited Pastor Okamoto in Ishinomaki. They are fine. We left them some water, rice, carrots, soup, adult diapers, blankets, etc. We hope to be back with a little gasoline for him soon.” HE AND HIS FAMILY ARE ALIVE!!!!!

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Previous Updates Follow

Update Saturday 1:00PM EDST. Note from an MTW Nagoya team member; a link to a new video produced by MTW; and a brief note from Family Forum Japan FB page, and a note from an MTW Chiba team member

Note from Tom and Teresa Wilson from the MTW Nagoya Team, recently posted on the MTW website

Dear friends,
Thanks so much for your prayers. Tom just got back home safely a few minutes ago. The shipment was successfully made and they are all safe. Praise God.

After driving several hours yesterday, they slept on the ground in sleeping bags at a rest area in Ibaraki Prefecture and then traveled on. As they traveled they got a call from our MTW country director saying that they could not go beyond the 50 mile radius from the nuclear plant that the American government has set, according to our sending agency, Mission to the World.

One option was to take the load to another place instead, but the Japanese pastor volunteered to drive on alone. So Tom and Wayne waited in a city just outside the 50-mile radius while the Japanese pastor made the delivery. Praise God for safe travels and for getting the supplies to the people desperately waiting there.

Our church is continuing to gather goods for more and more trips. Another truck will go out tomorrow night, this time most likely to one of the places in Sendvimai that was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami. It was very hard to find trucks, but the LORD has provided and we are gearing up for the upcoming trips.

More and more people are bringing things to send. People are thrilled to be able to send things. God is using His Church as a ‘city on a hill’ in the community. A couple of camera men from a news station even were there all day yesterday as the truck was prepared to leave. We pray God will use all this for His glory here.

May God continue to bless and have mercy on the desperately hurting people here and strengthen His Church to show glory in beautiful and compassionate ways.

God bless you and keep you,

Here is a link to a video produced by MTW

Japanese church members, pastors, and MTW missionaries begin disaster response efforts especially for those in the tsunami-affected areas.

Note from the Family Forum Japan FB page

The bad news and the good: Official figures for dead and missing have topped 18,000. But communites throughout Japan have offered 17,000 houses for survivors to live in.

Note from Matt Chase, MTW Chiba College Ministry

Matt Chase is one of the newest members of the MTW Chiba team; he works primarily with college students at Chiba University. He sent this email:

Yesterday I had the opportunity and blessing of delivering 1000 liters of fresh water and 500 rice balls to the people of Ueda, a small town hit by the tsunami. Ueda, has had electricity but no water for a week now. The government has done little to supply the need as it isn’t one of the worst hit areas.

When we arrived, we were disappointed when we went to a school where only 15 displaced people were staying. They took a few rice balls and water packs and thanked us-not quite the need we were told it was. Then, the head of the group said, “You all have so much, why don’t we announce you’re here to the town over the loudspeaker and let people come get it”.

Within minutes people were running with water buckets, bottles, trash cans, anything they could find to collect water in. Our truck was completely surrounded with people teary eyed and grateful to receive whatever we could give. There were many elderly people, so I ended up carrying lots of water directly to their homes and talking with them. They bowed and thanked us endlessly when they heard we were from Chiba-(4 hours away) and part of the Christian church there. One lady said, “It’s so sad…the government says we won’t have water until sometime in April. Everyone has forgotten about us”. I told gently told her “We haven’t forgotten about you”.

As we finished giving out all the water we had, I couldn’t help but think of how Jesus said “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty again”
-John 4:13-15.

People DO need water here, but what they need more is water for their souls that only Jesus can give. People are heartbroken and discouraged over their country, their family, their lives. I want them to have life to fullest and taste of the water like I have, so they may experience HOPE, JOY, and GRACE. Until then I will continue to supply people with water, encouragement, and hope that can only come through Jesus. Please continue to GIVE to, PRAY for, and LOVE Japan with me.

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Previous updates follow

JapanTeam Friday March 18 from the MTW Facebook page plus a link to story about Samaritans Purse huge shipment, part of which will go to CRASH (including some MTW work)

The team took two trucks and a van to Iwaki prefecture (south of Fukushima) and one to Sendai. They found that more people have water, but need fuel, especially so they can travel to take refuge with friends or family. However, they did find a small neighborhood that was lacking water, and the Australian missionary organized distribution to the area. Ongoing requests seem to be for fuel, food, personal hygiene articles, and occasionally, water.

They are pleased with their great working relationship with Rev Mori in Iwaki. He is receiving material the team sends and pushing it out to the neighborhood of the church. Another team also dropped supplies of food, clothes, water, fuel and toiletries, encountering a lot of devastation on the way.

Emergency vehicle passes have been made available to the team that allow them to use the tollways (only open for emergency crews and aid workers) and purchase gas at tollway gas stations where lines are very short—a great time server.

They have been given a 1.5 ton truck and should get it into service next week. They continue to use rented trucks as well.

The team is hearing many reports of evacuating mission agencies, embassies, but are encouraged by apparent progress being reported on containing the radiation crisis. The US evacuation area of 80 KM around the reactor is unchanged since yesterday. Chiba is 240 km from the reactor. Japanese news reports 280K people living in evacuation shelters in the stricken area. These are well-equipped but spartan accommodations, often with limited heat.

The situation in Chiba remains peaceful and calm, except for almost continuous aftershocks, some fairly severe. On Friday morning, they sent a convoy of three trucks from Honda Chapel at 4:30 a.m. and they were to have been joined by the truck from Nagoya.

Story about Samaritans Purse supplys for Japan at this link.

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Previous updates below
10:00AM Friday updates

Three important updates from Family Forum Japan: President Obama orders U. S. military to prepare to leave Japan; Prayer for a Christian Japanese Government Minister; bottlenecks getting supplies coming into Japan to the relief sites.

9:00AM Friday morning report: President Obama has ordered the US military to prepare to pull out because of radiation risk. Our friends in the military here are heartbroken, as are the Japanese generals with which they interface. Cold weather and radiation risk continuing, dead and missing count up to 16,000, surpassing Kobe earthquake casualties.

Mr. Naoyoshi Sato, Vice Minister of Transportation and Construction, is a Christian and close friend of a Family Forum Japan staff member. He is in charge of decisions being made regarding the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Please pray for him to have God’s wisdom in this situation.

Crazy day at CRASH. Overseas organizations are mobilizing to donate relief goods to Japan, but we’ve got huge bottlenecks on this end – customs regulations, trucking out of ports and airports, gasoline supplies to and from disaster areas. Disappointment that JAL and ANA have refused to haul medical goods for us. Please pray for breakthroughs.

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Previous updates below

Following email received from Judith Newland Birkey at 9:00AM.

Jim and I are still here, and planning to use our original 3/23 tickets for departure. Obviously some expats have left, including no doubt missionaries. I’ve not heard of any missions ordering evacuations. I think many missionaries (as Edie’s update demonstrates so well) want to stand by our Japanese brothers and sisters … and friends who don’t yet know the Lord.

I know that last night Dan made sure the truck drivers knew that getting out at the edge of the US-suggested evacuation zone would be understandable, but the Japanese planned to go all the way in to the church we are partnering with, to drop off the truckloads of supplies. (I’m not sure what the Americans did.)

It’s a tough call, and one missionary in Tokyo admitted that, “Emotionally this week has been a bit rough. Possibly the roughest thing is people asking us if we are evacuating or not.” Obviously those who live here and have lived here for 5, 10, 20 years will have a different perspective than our friends and family thousands of miles away. The American embassy sends out updates once or twice a day, and we constantly monitor numerous news sources. So probably the most helpful thing that folks “back home” can do about the evacuation question is to pray for wisdom for each missionary to know if and when they should leave.

Update from MTW in Chiba:

We’ve had a 1.5 ton truck donated. (Up until now, we’ve been renting trucks.) Donations continue to pour in from church & community members. The truck(s) that went yesterday returned safely, and are headed out again at 4 AM (it’s now 9.50 PM). Church members made 1068 rice balls (onigiri) and lots of Japanese fried chicken (kara-age) to send. Our teams report that the people in evacuation shelters are still in desperate need of water and food.

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Previous posts below

This news came from Judith Newland Birkey, about OPC missionaries Cal and Edie Cummings. Edie has had to leave the area and explains what is going on in some detail.

My heart is breaking. I had to leave Sendai this morning because the US embassy is urging Americans who live anywhere nearby the nuclear reactor to evacuate.

I hated to leave behind Cal, Luke (Caleb arrives today), our dear neighbors, and friends but I had to for several reasons:

1. We don’t have enough gasoline to get around except for emergencies.

2. All I could do is bake whole wheat bread and give it to the neighbors and church friends but I was running out of propane gas (I baked TONS of loaves of whole wheat bread and gave them away. There is NO bread anywhere in the Natori area. Actually all the stores are closed in Natori and basic supplies are hard to find since everyone stood in line for hours the few days after the earthquake to buy anything and everything available)

3. Esther, Annette, and Priscila are all expecting babies in April and May and I wanted to get back to help them with the children (is that too selfish?) So after praying with Cal, Luke and the boys I quickly threw a few clothes and books in together and came back to Tokyo with Justin Dunkle.

Before I got in the car, my neighbor Mrs. Itoh and her son came out and gave me a biggg hug and we cried together. I told her to trust the one, true, living God to provide for her and take of her family and Lord willing, we would meet again. We have witnessed to her and the family ever since we moved to Natori and can only pray God will use this trial to bring them to faith. Would you please pray with us for the Itoh family? She has 13 people staying with them in her house because her relatives had to escape the nuclear reactor since they lived too close to it.

This morning the boys took supplies to Watari, another coastal town desperately in need (what place isn’t?) Yesterday Cal got in contact with another of our pastor friends who has a Christian kindergarten where Cal and I have a children’s Bible club. Mr. Hayashi told Cal what things the evacuees in the local elementary school need so the guys dropped off things there and went to 3 other towns on the coast.

Oh, a really incredible, miraculous thing happened that pastor Hayashi related to Cal. He said they had taken the kindergarten children to the beach the afternoon of the earthquake. When they felt the quake they quickly ran to the buses and sped away to higher ground! Praise God they outran the tsunami and God kept those dear, precious children safe!

I think I mentioned yesterday about our pastor friend, wife and son staying in a shelter in Ishinomaki. The boys were able to reach him and gave him the boxes of food and other goods his daughter had prepared for them (it took her days and hours of waiting in line to gather food from many, many stores). The sad thing, though, is that none of the shelters would take their cup ramen. They had no gas, no water, no way to heat the water. The guys got back to our house late, tired and exhausted.

By the way, please pray for my friend and student Naoe, a midwife. She and her husband have a clinic in Ishinomaki. I have tried several times to call her but can’t get through. No one has been able to reach her. I’m not sure if she and her husband are safe or not. She is another dear friend I have shared the gospel with many times but no response.

Our small Japanese house is being used as a base for some supplies. Cal was able to give our neighbors cup ramen, my bread and a few other things today. They were extremely grateful as they are running low on food. Cal also took some food (the boys had left bagels, rolls, bananas, oranges, soup, consommé, batteries, diapers, etc. in our house to distribute) to one of our elderly pastor and his wife today. Pastor Tsudo and Cal took more supplies to Okino elementary school (also near the ocean and near where we used to have a cooking and Bible class). They were thrilled to receive the food and supplies. He said the only things they didn’t want were the Skippy peanut butter and spaghetti sauce!

Thank you for your continued prayers for this country and our precious Japanese friends. Please pray for wisdom to know where to go, enough food and other supplies to take, relationships with neighbors, victims, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father.”

Editor’s note: This is also posted on the OPC/RPCNA article
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Earlier Posts Below

Note received from Dan Iverson before he decided to get some sleep – at about 3:00AM Friday time in Japan. I suspect it’s been a couple of days since he tried to sleep. Also testimonies from two other missionaries involved in the work. Also a note from MTW.

Note from Dan Iverson discussing the ‘stay or go home’ question:

Don, some may be fleeing, but our Japanese church members just finished making tons of food and packing trucks. We are sending 4 trucks north into bad area tonight. We prayed and debated long and hard tonight around midnight. do we go or not? A pastor in Iwaki is needing the stuff now loading on our trucks to feed and water and gas to take stuff to people. Our Japanese assistant pastor going on this run said as long as Rev Mori was there, he is going in to help. So, for tonight, we decided to have our MTW missionaries stop at 80 km USA radius, and those Japanese who want to go on in can.

Following is a testimony from a team member who is making the overnight trip that Dan spoke of above. Seima Aoyaki became a Christian through the work of the MTW Japan – Chiba City mission. He attended Covenant Seminary and worked in a church plant for 2 years in San Diego. He was ordained as a Teaching Elder in the PCA with a call to return to Japan to work with Presbyterian Mission International (learn more about PMI at their website). This posting comes from his website ‘Walk in Tokyo With Jesus’.

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your praying and showing your concern and love to Japan. Tokyo is not as messy as Tohoku area you see most in TV. But we feel aftershocks quite frequently. Because of uncertainly from nuclear power plant, Tokyo is under scheduled blackout. People are scared of radiation.
Stores in the town have many empty shelves. People are flocking to get gas, food, and water, because of fear. On top of that, we see every day in TV devastation of northern area of Japan. A lot of refugee camps are running out of water, food, and gas, etc. Responding to this massive disaster, our MTW team in Japan collected materials and rented a van and has been delivering to people in the north.
At the beginning, we did not know how and when and where the best way to bring the supplies, but having sent three teams so far, we came to have better understanding. Various faith communities, including us, are sharing information under name of CRASH JAPAN (check FB) to work together. I was encouraged to see God brings us together to work together to bring God’s love to those who are suffering.
There was a church with more than 210 members just a few miles away from the power plant. It was a good, solid and missional bible believing church. Earthquake, tsunami, and forced evacuation happened in 24 hours and the members were scattered. The pastor was in Tokyo when earthquake happened. In the messed up telephone line, he tried to get in touch of the members, but 50 people are still missing. Those who are alive are scattered everywhere. The pastor wanted to go back to a northern area where he found 20 of the members being refugee, but could not because of lack of fuel supply on the way. I and two other guys from our team helped him to get back carrying extra oil supplies.
Meeting the first time each other after the disaster, the pastor and the members were crying. The pastor gather the members around him and opened Isaiah 37, where Hezekiah prayed to God in the midst of overwhelming difficulty. “God established and carried our church through various difficulties for last 60 years faithfully. Earthquake, tsunami, even radiation cannot shatter what God started.” As we sang together “what a friend we have in Jesus,” I saw Jesus truly has become friend to them as they lost family and home. People are suffering. God’s body is aching. But God is the comfort.
I and other guys are planning to make another trip tonight to go to Iwaki city, 20 miles south of the power plant. Helping a pastor who decided to remain the area without escape. Please pray that God enable us to do whatever we need to do, and to be wherever we need to be. Pray God that what we do brings hope to those who receive our help, and be encouraged to hear that God cares for them. Pray that the power plant recover stability as soon as possible that we can do our relief effort without hindrance. Pray for peace in people’s heart.
Trusting in the Lord,
Seima

Below is a note taken from the MTW website from Amy Newsome, a team member at MTW Nagoya with details on this same trip
About four hours ago, after a intense effort over the last few days, our team/church/presbytery sent our first truck to the disaster area filled with supplies: food, water, fuel, blankets, medicines and other supplies. Wayne, Pastor Mamoru Otake and team member Tom Wilson are driving. Their destination is Iwaki, Fukushima. This city is on the southern edge of the disaster area. Based on the information from our Chiba team, who had just returned as we were loading, we were able to prioritize certain types of items, and feel so confident that we sent exactly what will help them the most at this point. It’s been a blessing to share information and resources with one another, and have a more effective operation because of it.

Our team has managed to find rental trucks through the end of March. So as soon as that truck pulled out, we began turning our minds toward the next trip, which hopefully can take place next Monday. Our bodies are not as cooperative—we are very tired. I really wish I could put my thoughts together more effectively. There is much more to tell you; but for now I need to rest.

I can’t express how much we covet your prayers right now. Please forgive me for the lack of information in this letter—we just need you to pray, so I wanted to get this out, regardless of how inadequate it may be.

The MTW FB page contains this brief, but important note:
At the request of our Japan leadership, an Advance Needs Assessment team will be leaving tomorrow morning for Japan, arriving Saturday afternoon, Japan time. Their work will be essential for our long-term response to this crisis. Please pray!
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Previous posts below

Just Received several updates from Judith at 9:30AM EDST:
I have no idea what’s going on … power just came on. I just sent you a bunch of emails. We’re in the national park near Mt. Fuji. Will look at news now. The embassy letters seem to state that if you want to leave, they’ll reimburse your travel to another Asian country, but you pay your onward ticket.-

From Chiba MTW Team (Iversons)
One of our trucks that went up last night to Sendai was able to evacuate a family … dad, pregnant mom, 2 yr old. Sounds like they came back to Chiba with our truck and are staying here for now.

– From Nagoya MTW Team friend request Amy Samuels Newsome
a little over an hour ago, she wrote:
Wayne, Tom and Mamoru Otake left at 4:00 for Fukushima…they are making good time, and everything has gone smoothly so far. They are taking 2 tons of water, food, medicine, blankets and fuel. Pray for their safety, and that they are able to encourage and help the people of Iwaki City.
and 23 minutes ago:
Amy Samuels Newsome Just got a call: they left at 4:00 and are now in Shizuoka somewhere. Everything is going very smoothly. They will text or call me when they arrive…so far so good.
23 minutes ago

– Here is the email Judith received from a USEmbassy staff member (all travelers are supposed to have signed up with the embassy for such info):
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo informs U.S. citizens in Japan who wish to depart that
the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to
safehaven locations in Asia. This assistance will be provided on a reimbursable
basis, as required by U.S. law. U.S. citizens who travel on US government-arranged transport will be expected to make their own onward travel plans from the safehaven location. Flights to evacuation points will begin departing Japan on Thursday, March 17. There will be a limited number of seats available on evacuation flights departing from Narita and Haneda airports on March 17. Priority will be given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions.
Persons interested in departing Japan via USG-chartered transportation should proceed to Narita and Haneda airports or contact the US Department of State and Embassy Japan by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling 1-202-501-4444. Please provide the following information: Name, age, place of birth, U.S. passport number and any special medical needs. Immediate family members (spouses and children) who are not U.S. citizens must be documented for entry into the safehaven country and/or U.S., if that is your final destination.

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Previous updates below

7:00AM update
The following update is from Matt Chase, a member of the MTW Chiba team who works in campus ministry at Chiba University. It is the only update I have at this time (and speaks of a trip we already reported). We are searching for current news from the various teams and will get it up as soon as we can. There are rolling blackouts in the country now – Judith Newland Birkey is coming to the end of one where she is staying tonight.
7:00AM EDST From Matt Chase

Please continue to PRAY for Japan! I don’t think there is any time in history where a country has suffered an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear problems all at the same time. Our local church network has mobilized now to send a total of 7 trucks of water, food, gas, blankets, diapers, etc.

I was part of a team who got to bring aid to 40 church members who’s coastal town of Tomioka had been completely devastated. The main point of our mission was to escort the church’s pastor (who had been in Tokyo for a conference when the quake hit), back to his scattered flock.

Words cannot describe the feeling in the room to see this small community reunited with their pastor. The first thing we did, is have a worship service to rejoice in God. This moved my heart to see people that have suffered so much in the last few days, be crying out God in praise, as their future is still unknown.

One man, who survived with his wife and five children said his home, the train station, his company building were completely wiped out in 3 minutes. The area is so devastated, you cannot recognize where the train station used to be, he told me. It was a great blessing for me to pray with him, as tears filled his eyes, thanking God for life in Jesus, and that our hope and joy comes from Him, not the circumstances in this world. He as well as many others in their church were filled with gratitude, tearing up as they saw us unload the truck.

As I write this, 6 days after the quake, there are 1.6 million still without any water, 24,000 alive but in need of rescuing, hundreds of thousands that have been displaced moving inland, and many still without power. Please continue to PRAY, God is moving and He is answering your PRAYERS!

Keep in touch with our family blog: www.chasesjapan.wordpress.com

ADDITIONAL INFO IS AVAILABLE at the CRASH website. This is the work of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, many of which are from non-denominational churches in the US. The MTW Chiba team is working along side this group, with MTW doing work at just one of the CRASH sites. This news is from a different site, but is very encouraging. crashjapan.com/

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Earlier postings below:

The following update on recent activities came from Judith at about 2:00PM EDST. Highlights include: Assistance from non-Christian neighbors who had been hoarding goods; Police passes for the highway north; contact with another church in Awaki City; helping reunite another Japanese pastor with survivors from his church. You can let your tears join your prayers after reading this one!!

2:00PM EDST Wednesday update
3 more trucks from PCJ churches are headed up tonight (a few hours from now), two to Iwaki (where they have been going every night since Sunday) and one to Sendai.

Non-Christian Japanese in the community have given generously from their own supplies. Those who hoarded in a panic are giving up their hoarded goods. “We asked people to bring in supplies and we’ve just been shocked by the results. We have full rooms of clothes, toiletries and medicine ready to go. Today our team gathered and made over 1000 rice balls to go as well. We also asked people in America to pray for gasoline and today we were overwhelmed with the amounts we received. God is at work,” reports MTW MK Mary Coulbourne.

The police have said they will give us passes so the trucks can travel on the expressways (which are currently open only to military, ambulances, and government-approved rescuers). We are praising God for giving us favor in the eyes of the officials, and trust it only continues.

On the way up tonight, they plan to stop off in Hitachi City to distribute water to an emergency shelter that has no water. They will also be investigating the possibility of that becoming a distribution site where we can have a longer-term relationship.

In addition to the church with which we have been working this week in Iwaki City, tonight they plan to go to another church whose pastor we have known for several years. This church has a four-story building and large parking lot (very rare for a church in Japan), and the pastor says he plans to stay until death. Although he says the town, about 50 km from the reactors, is like a ghost town, there are outlying people who need help, and his church will become a distribution center for relief goods our trucks are taking up.

Pray for safety, as each trip brings with it the need for fuel, the need for navigating, the need to be aware of cracks in the roads, the need to be constantly vigilant to know how they would escape to higher ground in case of a tsunami, and the possibility of radiation exposure. The three missionaries, two Japanese pastors, and two church members going tonight have 18 children among them, and wives who are no doubt concerned, although I know each one is thankful for this opportunity to share the love of Jesus in word and deed.

A Japanese pastor of a 210-member church just a few miles from the power plant was in Tokyo when the quake hit. One of our trucks was able to take him home this week. PMI’s Seima Aoyagi writes, “As he was reunited with 20 of his church members in an evacuation site, the pastor and church members were crying. The pastor gathered the members around him and opened Isaiah 37, where Hezekiah prayed to God in the midst of overwhelming difficulty. “God established and has faithfully carried our church through various difficulties for the last 60 years. Earthquake, tsunami, even radiation cannot shatter what God started.” As we sang together “What a friend we have in Jesus,” I saw Jesus truly has become a friend to them as they lost family and homes. People are suffering. God’s body is aching. But God is the comfort.”

Aoyagi, planning to go in one of the trucks tonight, writes: “Please pray that God will enable us to do whatever we need to do, and to be wherever we need to be. Ask God that what we do brings hope to those who receive our help, and that they will be encouraged to hear that God cares for them. Pray that the power plants will recover stability as soon as possible that we can do our relief effort without hindrance. Pray for peace in people’s heart.”

Earlier updates follow
Updates Noon EDST Wednesday
1- Note from Dan Iverson, Team Leader
2- Link to Story about Danny (Dan Iverson IV) coming home for Spring Break
1. Dear Family and friends, Thank you so much for praying! We have been going north to help where we can, and just a few minutes ago, we located a Japanese pastor, a good friend of ours, who is just 8km outside the evacuation zone, in a city with over 5,000 evacuees who are receiving very little govt assistance.

We are mobilizing today for a trip tonight to take as much as we are able. The critical need is gasoline to get there, water, and diesel fuel for those there who could help but don’t have any way to transport help. We particularly need gas cans to transport the gas…all supplies of everything here in Chiba are gone because of panic (grocery shelves empty, gas lines for hours, all containers for water, gas, etc. GONE).

Just yesterday our MTW team in Nagoya began mobilizing to bring abundant supplies from there, but we just learned that in the last 12 hours, the same panic response has left them in the same situation. We trust the LORD will supply as we go out today to gather what is needed. Please pray for this effort…this pastor and his church are committed to stay until the end for their city and the glory of God; may God be exalted!

In the strength of our Sovereign, Carol (helping Dan with email tsunami)

2. Link to story about Dan & Carol’s son, Danny, coming home for Spring Break from seminary in Orlango:
bit.ly/enq7X4

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Previous updates follow:

Updates 7:00AM EDST Wednesday
1- Interview with CRASH team returning from trip to Sendai
2- Update from Family Forum Japan
3- Update on map development

1- Joey Millard, working with CRASH just returned from a trip to Sendai to analyze the situation up there. He came back and shared with interviewer Jonathan Love on what he saw, and what he plans to do starting now.

Video Link here: www.youtube.com/watch

2- Family Forum Japan
One of Family Forum Japan’s primary roles in the Earthquake Disaster response is preparing literature on family grief and trauma to be distributed to tens of thousands of victims. FFJ is cooperating with several publishers to make this happen. Funds will be needed. Stay tuned.

3- Map development: The Aquila Report is working on develop a single map for our readers to better understand where everything they are reading about is taking place. We will include elements from CRASH (Japan Evangelical Association), MTW, OPC, RPCNA, and PMI. If you know of others we should include, please contact [email protected]
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Earlier updates follows:

Tuesday PM updates:
Below are updates from Family Forum Japan recently posted by Judith. (She is in Hiroshima and reports it is snowing there as well. Also a link to a story about the nuclear power plant issue.

Overnight News: M 6 earthquake near Mt. Fuji 100 km W. of Tokyo. Unnerving but no serious damage. In the Tohoku the count of dead and missing has risen to 11,000. Hundreds of thousands are living in about 2000 different shelters. And a cold front has moved in, with snow. Please pray for warm weather, and for success in stabilizing nuclear reactors.

An emerging complication is that in many municipalities, local officials are dead, and local gov’t is non-existent. The chain of authority mandates that local gov’t grant permits for everything from dealing with wreckage to removing dead bodies. This is tying the hands of the Self-Defense Force soldiers doing the essential work.

Also, read this note from Don Clements website with an update on the nuclear power plant issues:
on.fb.me/hZIZn5
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Earlier posts follow

Update from Dan Iverson , MTW Japan Team Leader, 6:00AM EDST

• Editor’s Note: The best place to donate money that will end up support the relief work that Dan and the rest of the CRASH Relief project need is through PCA Mission To The World. Here is the best link to use: http://bit.ly/hvBWzq

(Details of first trip north here – summary of subsequent events follow)
Three of us went north into the devastated areas Sunday midnight with a packed 2-ton rental truck with 1000 liters of water, gasoline, blankets, food, warm clothes, etc, that our church members and lots of non-Christian friends donated. People were most desperate for water.

We distributed supplies to a small church we had contacted, to an elementary school housing displaced people, and drove around the town (Ueda town, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture) giving water to people. People were so grateful.

Many were saying we should not go in, for various reasons. As we prayed, discussed, gathered supplies, and loaded them into the late hours of the night Sunday, we felt led to go. People are fleeing south as we go north. Some people really fear what may happen with a nuclear meltdown, or another Tsunami (as some pretty big tremors keep coming, the radio keeps on saying that if you are on the coast, where we were, to always be aware of roads inland to flee to higher ground, which we did).

And the radio is often saying the government does not want volunteers in there getting in the way of the professionals, and possibly becoming victims themselves who need to be evacuated. We were so glad we went. We saw almost no official relief supplies coming in where we were. We saw no self-defence force troops bringing relief until we were heading home south as 15 self defense force supply trucks passed us coming north.

The exhausted city hall official lady in her late twenties in charge at the elementary school with 100 displaced people living there was so thankful we did not listen to those warnings not to come (which I understand the need for), and was so grateful, and a good future contact for several spheres. She was surprised that we were from a church, and wanted us to thank everyone who sent things.

She wanted us to bring more, and to bring people to help her with so many people, especially the many older people who were there because they did not have the strength or means to flee.

People were so desperate for water that when we ran out, they wanted the not-so-clean spill-over can water. It was very sad to run-out with people still coming with plastic bags and trash cans and anything they could bring to get water.

I could not help but think:
– May the Japanese people come to thirst like this spiritually, and be this desperate seeking Living Water (Isa. 55:1-2; John 4).
– May they flee to higher ground… to The High Rock (Ps. 61:2).
– May a tsunami of grace, wave after wave, flood Japan (Ezek. 47; John 1:16)

Just had a fairly large tremor, and not one person around me even made a comment about it. They have become so common place. May God so shake Japan spiritually, and may the Japanese people be humbled to desperately seek the Living Water God offers in Christ.

Please pray also as we begin working today on a long-term plan. Our thousand liters Monday and 2000 liters today praying with and talking with a few was like a drop in the Pacific, so little for such great great need.

And, of course, we are praying and dreaming and talking about how God might use this disaster, and us, for a new WAVE of effective evangelism and church planting in the affected area, and throughout all of Japan?

Thanks for praying for places to go serve. We now have two Japanese churches in the affected area to possibly partner with long-term in their area to help them in their witness as we help people in their communities. The city hall lady above, Ms. Yamamoto, has access to lots of information and officials. And she likes us.

Please give and pass the word on how to give to the relief effort. I have already spent $2000-$3000* of my money renting trucks, buying gas cans, truck fuel, water tanks, needed supplies, etc, and it is a drop in the bucket to what we will spend, and what will be needed to do what needs to be done in the weeks and months ahead. (*I have not had a minute to see exactly how much I have spent, nor do we even know yet officially where all the money will come from. But we do know we need to act now and worry about all that later.)

More later, but wanted to get this out to you.

Dan

• Editor’s Note: The best place to donate money that will end up support the relief work that Dan and the rest of the CRASH Relief project need is through PCA Mission To The World. Here is the best link to use: http://bit.ly/hvBWzq

Here are brief notes (perhaps from Twitter?) from Dan subsequent to the first trip

* Carol interviewed on NPR. A Christian AP correspondent had done the telephone interview. The portion NPR used on this NPR podcast will be interesting to you.

* Safe, 1st trip to devastated area with needed supplies; 18 hrs up and back. Exhausted. Displaced people stunned, cold, tired, but most desperate for water. Very thankful.

* Sent two more trucks north last night as people flee south.

* Sent a second supply truck at midnight last night and a 3rd supply truck at 2am, to miss traffic. No traffic, Smooth, fast. Up 4.5 hrs. Home 9 hours in daylight. (We did this after Kobe earthquake 15 years ago).

* Pray for safety, as there is much concern about another tsunami (aftershocks), and about the now 4th nuclear reactor problem .
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Earlier posts follow

4:30PM EDST Update:Report from the MTW missionaries working the CRASH – First very successful run to Iwaki returned about 5:30 PM (Monday afternoon – Japan time). Two more trucks ready to go.

From MTW Missionary Bob Drews:

• We were able to deliver 1000 l of water and 60 l of fuel to Iwaki-Shi. A school/shelter near the church was housing 100 people who have no water, so most of the supplies were left with them. The young prefectural officer in charge was extremely grateful. No official help or supplies had arrived, so this was a great blessing.
• At this point, it appears that shuttling supplies to this community would be beneficial and feasible.
• Two teams with two rented trucks are going up again tonight, primarily with water. Dan was able to find several more large portable water tanks to use so two trucks are needed for the additional supplies.
• One team will return immediately, the second will remain a bit longer.
• Seima (Japanese pastor) will be leading this group, with Rich Rainsford also participating as “pathfinder” since he went with the first group.
• It should be noted that this is a thoroughly Japanese Church/MTW team joint effort. Most of the supplies and loading help have been provided by Japanese Church Members.
• We escaped the “rolling blackouts” today, but they’ve been announced again for tomorrow. There are also additional reports of core meltdown at Fukushima reactors. This is 50 Km from our target work area.

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Previous updates follow

2:30PM EDST Update: The following information was recently posted by Jonathan Wilson, Missionary Pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship in Ome, Tokyo, a non-denominational evangelical ministry. Jonathan also serves as the director of CRASH, the Disaster Relief organization of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association. We have established the CRASH Command Center at Matsukawa Place

The following sections are operational
– Leadership Team
– Finance and Fundraising – We can receive donations and use them to provide relief
– Intelligence – We are gathering information on the disaster zone
– Volunteer Coordination – We are registering volunteers from both inside and outside Japan
– Communication – We have set up a system to efficiently communicate with the public and all members of the team
– Supply – We are working on receiving relief supplies and distribution
– Hospitality – We are arranging housing for staff in the Higashi Kurume area

Our Goals
– to Establish 6 Regional Bases of Operation from which we can send volunteers
– Region 1 – Fukushima
– Region 2 – South Sendai
– Region 3 – North Sendai
– Region 4 – Minami Sanrikucho
– Region 5 – Morioka
– Region 6 – Hachinohe

– To give volunteers brief training in safety and trauma before they depart to one of these bases at Higashi Kurume

– To provide support, information and expertise to every church, denomination or group who is sending volunteers through these 6 regional bases or to other areas on their own.
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6:30AM EDST Update. The local coalition of evangelical churches in the Toyko region, with whom the MTW related churches are working in the relief area, have formed a Facebook Page.

Here is the link to the Facebook Page for CRASH www.facebook.com/home.php You can follow their efforts in the relief efforts. The PCA-related churches are working with this group.

The mission statement for CRASH is to equip Christians in Japan to be ready when disaster strikes to show the love of Jesus in practical and effective ways. Our method is to provide a model of action, accurate information and volunteer training to a broad network of churches and ministries across Japan.

CRASH is endorsed by JEMA the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association and works in cooperation with the Disaster Relief Commission of the Japan Evangelical Association

CRASH website: http://www.crashjapan.com/

JEMA website: http://www.jema.org/joomla15/

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7:00PM Sunday Update from Carol Iverson
I heard from Dan this morning that they had arrived at 5:30….roads relatively clear, no problem. Praise God! They were going to see the pastor and heard that people gathered at an elementary school nearby would welcome the food supplies. Have not heard anything since then. Thanks for praying!
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Here is a posting written by the wife of the Japan MTW Team Leader posted on Sunday afternoon. Pray for Dan Iverson (Team Leader) and two other men who are currently (Sunday afternoon EST) driving a truck load of water, gasoline, clothing and food to a town about 30 miles south of the nuclear plant that had the meltdown.

Japan Update written by Carol Iverson, wife of country director, Dan Iverson – pray!

by MTW on Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dan, Dedachi and Rich Rainsford are leaving in about an hour to head north to a town named Iwaki, just 30 miles south of Fukushima (sight of the nuclear plant). After much prayer and searching for a place to help, they were able to contact a pastor in Iwaki who has asked them to bring water and gasoline. They have rented and loaded a truck with large tanks of water and about 60 liters of gasoline, along with a room-full of supplies like blankets, coats, boots, food.

Their plan is to use back roads to enter some of the coastal areas, distribute all that they are able, establish contact with a few more area churches, then head back tomorrow. If they are able to get through, they are planning for three more people to leave tomorrow with another truckload. Our hope is to focus on these particular communities and continue supporting the recovery and rebuilding efforts long-term.

Tonight is a reconnaissance mission of sorts, borne from a meeting of the CRASH emergency response team of JEMA (Japan Evangelical Missionary Association). Several other members are taking trains farther north, renting motorcycles, and hoping to do some recon of the hardest hit areas, then communicate needs back to the team.

Please pray with us. Surely if the LORD has led, He will make a way for the truck and supplies to reach those who need them. We are trusting that the roads will be passable – the pastor has told us that they are, but the Japanese government may not welcome volunteers and have the roads blocked. There is also the imminent danger of a strong (7+) earthquake occurring in the next few days according to seismologists.

We continue to experience tremors regularly. There is also the danger of radiation following the release of radioactive steam from the explosion yesterday. Even though the government has said that there is no danger, the levels close to the plant rose to dangerous levels today. We will be having “brown-outs” beginning tomorrow when we will be without electricity for several 4-hour periods.

Worship today was rich and helped us all to focus on our Sovereign, who is our only refuge, strength and ever-present help. He who created the forces of nature dwells with His church and “will help her at the break of day.” We look for Him to be exalted in this nation, in these times, and pray that He who is with us would send us out to that end.(Ps 46)

Thank you for praying!

In His strength,
Carol (for Dan and team)
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Earlier posts below:

Judith wrote this update at 11:00PM Sunday in Tokyo; that would make it about 10:00AM EST in the US

I am too tired and emotionally spent from the accumulated stress to report on the wonderful ways God met His people in worship services today. The words of the hymns and songs, the Scripture passages chosen to be read, the prayers offered, the messages were all good reminders of the all-knowing all-powerful God who is sovereign over the universe He created and is a loving God.

Rolling blackouts are to start in the Tokyo metro area tomorrow. Ours is scheduled for 6.20 AM – 10 AM and 4.50 – 8.30 PM. These could last one or two weeks, or they might last until the end of next month. Already today we noticed several signs that were not lit, as businesses worked to conserve power. We missed our turn once, and almost missed it a second time, because we were counting on the signs to be our landmarks.

Some gas stations we passed are out of gas. We went into three stores this evening … all were out of bread and water.

Who knows what is happening with the nuclear reactors? We were gone 10 AM until 10 PM today, and without news. I think I’ve reached news fatigue, and really can’t absorb much anymore. I do have the TV on just now, but my mind is having trouble concentrating to understand the Japanese language. I do know that there continue to be frequent messages scrolling across the screen, reporting earthquakes. The latest one was an M5. We must have had hundreds of these in the past two days.

In the midst of all this, there are some normal activities. This morning and also this afternoon we were privileged to meet in the Lord’s house with His people. In between, we ate at McDonald’s, rode trains, had a special visit with a friend and her family, stopped off for fast-food Chinese after the evening service, and are staying in a home with electricity, water, gas, and phone service.

I cannot imagine the physical and mental fatigue, exhaustion, trauma, and distress of the people who are suffering … homeless or without utilities or food or blankets.

This afternoon there was an initial mobilization meeting for CRASH Japan. Pray for their efforts to coordinate relief work, wisdom to know what will be most helpful, how to best distribute resources and be a real help, etc.

Thank you for praying for us and for Japan. You are literally being used of God to uphold us.

Judith
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Earlier posts below……

Dan Iverson, PCA’s Mission to the World Team Leader in Japan, recorded an interview with a reporter from the CBN TV network.
www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/March/SOS-Japan-Christians-Please-help-us/

Editor’s Note: Judith Birkey (MTW missionary in Japan from 1994-2009) and her husband Jim arrived in Japan March 9th for a two-week visit to introduce Jim to Judith’s friends and co-workers. She sent the following to The Aquila Report.

Latest Update from Dan Iverson at 8:30AM EST Saturday

Just as I wrote this, a fairly large tremor shook the church building again. # 130th or something since 2:46 pm Fri afternoon. Incredible.

1. Donations for Japan Earthquake via MTW: see www.mtw.org
Send to MTW 93993 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami”

2. This is incredible devastation. Please ask your church to take special offerings for this tomorrow. And pass the word to Christians to give and pray for this. We have already spent almost $1000 tonight renting a first truck and buying food to take north, Lord willing tomorrow night. This is a very small start on a huge and expensive project these next months. Pray that we can really help, and show the love of Christ in this lost land.

3. One news report an hour ago said that in a hard hit northeastern prefecture a village of 17,000 people was missing 10,000 people. That seems impossible, and they had not confirmed it yet, but what is for certain is that the devastation is incredible. And the confirmed death toll goes up much every hour.

4. Pray for us as people bring money and food and water and diapers etc to worship in our church plants here in Chiba 12 hours from now. We plan to load the truck and a couple vans, and maybe leave at 2am as daytime traffic bumper to bumper (so gov’t shut down the highways going north, only police and military can use, we have heard) We are tentatively planning on going to a an area south of Sendai and the worst devastation, and south of the nuclear plant problems (hard to get in further north … roads are blocked except for emergency vehicles). Pray we find a needy town and a church to partner with in a hard hit area on the coast in north Ibarki prefecture, or south Fukushima prefecture. Someone who knows the area and worst places on the ground will really help.

Your CNN and other news is pretty much same as what we are getting here in Japan.

Keep praying about nuclear reactors, and that we and lots who are mobilizing teams to go in and help the devastated areas can indeed get in, and can get to where they can really help with the right relief materials and people
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Update received Saturday at 5:11AM EST
It has been 28 hours since the quake. In some ways it seems like it just happened; in other ways it seems like it was weeks – or months – ago. A few students came to their weekly Saturday morning conversational English outreach classes sponsored by local churches this morning.

After a tragedy like this, doing something normal can be helpful. So, this afternoon the Korean choir concert scheduled at a local church was held as planned, with a full sanctuary. (The short-term mission team from Korea arrived at the airport here 30 minutes before the quake hit.) Several non-Christians attended.

One missionary this afternoon had to go to four gas stations before she could get gas. We stopped at a grocery store this evening. There was no bread. Most of the deli section was bare, as were the meat section, eggs, etc. There are rumors that we could have rolling blackouts to conserve electricity. That is one rumor we hope does not materialize, as the weather is quite nippy.

Missionaries and churches in Japan are working together with CRASH (Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope) Japan (http://crashjapan.com/), which will coordinate the relief efforts.

Our dinner plans for the evening were canceled as two of the men had spent the night at their workplace, and one of the men (who works at a steel plant which had a fire) had to return to work at 8 PM.

Pray for the pastors and missionaries who will bring God’s Word to God’s people (and others, we hope) in worship services Sunday morning. One wrote, “Pray as I think and pray about what to say in the church services tomorrow.” Pray for God’s Spirit to move in a way we have never seen in Japan.

Judith
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Also received was this information from the PCA”s MTW Japan team leader Dan Iverson:

Please pray for MTW missionaries as we decide where to go and help with hands, food, water, money, etc. We are looking for missionaries or churches in the area with whom we can partner. Pray for wisdom as to when, where, and who to go and what to take.

1100 killed= 12 day total of suicides in Japan
To put the spiritual darkness of Japan in perspective, Japan averages about 90 suicides per day. It is so sad that already 1100 people appear to have died in the earthquake/tsunami and that is making world-wide news. It needs to also break our heart that this very rich country is really so spiritually impoverished, with so many with no hope. But if indeed 1100 are dead from the killer earthquake, we need to also remember that a normal 12 days in Japan brings about this many suicides. But it does not make CNN news.

So, as we and so many Christians mobilize and seek to relieve incredible suffering and pain in the name of Christ to the 5 million people of the devastated areas, pray that this will bring a turning to the true and living God, and to Christ and his grace and love. Japan really needs true hope that does not disappoint.

Below are some stats on the affected areas, and just how lost and unreached they are.

The stats on Japan’s spiritual poverty, and especially the affected area:
The areas affected by the earthquake and tsunamis of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki are some of the most spiritually needy places in Japan. With over 4.9 million people yet only about 9,000 active Christians (about 0.15%; about 1/6 of 1%). Fukushima has the lowest average worship attendance in all of Japan with only 19 per church. There are is one city and 44 towns with no church at all. There are 86 missionaries (adults, including husband and wife) assigned to these prefectures.
One town in Ibaraki has over 46,000 people with no church (Operation Japan, p 24) and several others have over 24,000 people with no churches. Average attendance for all the churches in Japan is the lowest in Fukushima prefecture. Ibaraki prefecture has the least number of people claiming to have any religious beliefs.

Please do pray for Japan! And for us.

Dan
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From Facebook Judith reports that this video segment on CNN news was actually filmed by the MTW missionary in whose home Judith and Jim are staying; this part is several miles from the missionaries home. It starts slowly but it’s worth watching the entire clip.

www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2011/03/11/ireport.kooi.cracked.japan.quake.cnn.html

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PREVIOUS STORY AND UPDATE FOLLOWS:

Update received 3:15PM EST:
We are sleeping (or not) on the floor. Every ten or fifteen minutes the floor starts shaking and windows start rattling, and we wait to see how big it will be and how long it will last. Dawn will be here soon. May it be the dawning of a NEW day for Japan, as in Isaiah 43.19-22, that God will do a new thing in Japan, and that “the people whom [He] formed for [Himself] they might declare [His] praise.
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Also new
– here is the link to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church World Missions website which has current updates on the OPC missionaries in the area: www.opc.org/feature.html
– here is the link to the PCA Mission To The World website which has current updates on the PCA missionaries in the area: www2.mtw.org/home/site/templates/mtw_splash.asp

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Original Story follows:

Our first 48 hours here were filled with reunions, meals, meetings, wonderful fellowship with missionaries and Japanese believers, and good opportunities to spend time with unbelieving friends, watering seeds of the Gospel that have been planted over the years.

48 hours after arriving, we had just returned to the missionary’s home where we are staying in Chiba, when the house started shaking. We rushed out into the street, where others had rushed also. The ground underneath our feet was moving, and I leaned against a concrete wall to steady myself.

In the 8 1/2 hours since then, we have felt several strong aftershocks (and rushed outside once, where a passerby cried as she exclaimed to me how horrible it was), as well as the smaller aftershocks that keep coming every 10 or 15 minutes, and keep one on edge, always wondering when the next one will be.

We also heard the explosion at an oil refinery on Tokyo Bay, about 5 miles from where we are staying, and could see the ball of fire.

The TV stations have had live coverage for hours, and some of the footage (which you can see on BBC or other news networks) is disturbing.

We are hundreds of miles from the epicenter, but still some vases and photo frames fell to the floor. Two cities (where MTW has planted and is planting a church) along Tokyo Bay are built on reclaimed land. Some sidewalks buckled, and water and mud seeping up through cracks in the street.

All trains in the Tokyo area stopped, and phone lines were unable to handle the volume of calls. Our host rode a borrowed bicycle one hour and 45 minutes to get home.

The father-in-law of a Japanese student about to graduate from Christ Bible Seminary in Nagoya (founded by Michael Oh, MTW – see most recent Network) was in surgery when the quake struck. The doctors had to stop the surgery for awhile.

PMI’s Seima Aoyagi and his family were stranded at a train station in Tokyo for several hours.

Redeemer City to City’s church planter in Tokyo was attending graduation at Tokyo Christian University, (http://acts.tci.ac.jp/). The earthquake struck in the middle of graduation. He is spending the night in the boys’ dorm.

Japan is accustomed to earthquakes and everyone has wondered from when “the big one” will come. Schools and offices and communities hold drills regularly. But is Japan prepared spiritually? Sadly, no. With less than 1/4 of one percent of the population attending churches (of any stripe) on an average Sunday, how many Japanese know God’s unfailing love and covenant of peace?

Isaiah 54:10 ‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you WILL NOT BE SHAKEN nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you.’

Pray for the Lord’s mercy tonight and in the coming days. People will no doubt be fearful and on edge. Many people are without power, or stranded, or have evacuated from their homes. The temperature is to be below freezing near the epicenter the next few nights.

Pray for the Lord’s people to rise to the occasion to be the hands and feet of our Lord, during this time when people may be more open to hearing of the Solid Rock.

Pray for hearts to be softened, and that the next tsunami will be a tsunami of souls running to the Cross of Christ, finding the only true refuge for their souls.

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]