Doug Shepard was an MK in Japan (“missionary’s kid”). He forwarded me some messages from mission "family" updates distributed by retired IMB missionaries who served in Japan. As we continue to read and watch news from the earthquake and tsunami, remember the connections we have to the island nation through our mission agency.
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PRAYER REQUESTS
March 13
FROM LANA AND TAK OUE -
Last night the mission leadership met with Baptist Global Response leader of the IMB here at our house to see how we can do relief work in Tohoku. how we can help with our Convention churches as well as those in need to meet physical and spiritual needs. Thursday more people from BGR are coming to Japan to asses the situation, how we can help with the number of personnel we have. Right now the experts are in there looking for survivors and bodies, but soon we will be able to get people in to the area. Richard and some others will be going to Sendai to check on our personnel. They are working on the logistics today. We have to have a pass to get into the area, and today they are going to the embassy to get it. This is a one time pass. They have all the roads into the area closed so you have to have a pass to get in.
Tak is taking the guy from BGR and Sam Stallings in the morning to meet with the convention leaders to talk about how we can cooperate to help the churches and those in need in Tohoku. Richard has been in touch with Kato Sensei, General Secretary of the Convention, and others since Saturday regarding expediting some volunteers who have already come in to help. The group includes two from North Carolina. Southern Baptist will be sending response teams and the BGR will help in setting up plans for that.
Thanks for praying! There are so many needs, and I'm sure all of you are watching the TV and seeing the devastation. It is just hard to imagne. Tak was on the ground in Kobe right after that quake, and he said that being there and watching it on TV were totally different!! I can't imagine the pain of those who watched their loved ones being washed away. I pray that my heart will be broken for the lost as those folks hearts are broken for those they lost. Pray that all of us will take the great commission more seriously as we think about all of those who went into eternity without Christ in that brief period of time.
We will be having rolling blackouts here in Tokyo to help take the pressure off the power plants in Fukushima. The situation at the plants is still unstable. Pray for wisdom for those working on the problem. The radiation level rose again this morning and they are determining the cause. There is shortage of food and gas in the Kanto area, but we have enough for now.
We are praying for this to become a catalyst for a great response to the gospel. Thanks for praying with us.
FROM ED AND NAN JORDAN IN KYOTO (Central Japan) -
"The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain." (Heb. 12:27) Ask God to raise up Japanese Christians to be bold helpers and share Jesus as they go. Pray that they will take the Seed of the Word of God to plant or be watered in their hearts. Right now, the entire world is focused on Japan. Millions of Christians are praying for the people of Japan. When the news media gets tired of this story, please keep Japan in the forefront of your prayers. It is the tsunami of prayer and God's Holy Spirit who can bring revival to Japan.
Please continue to pray for the people of Japan to turn their hearts to Jesus Christ.
March 12
FROM THE JAPAN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Pray for the efforts to rescue the many isolated people who are suffering in the freezing cold, waiting to be saved from the debris wrought by the earthquakes, aftershocks, tsunami, and fires.
Pray that the Lord will provide His peace, comfort, and hope for the thousands of persons experiencing grief, despair, and emotional pain.
Pray that the Lord will provide a means for dedicated Baptist men and women to serve in the disaster area.
Pray that the Lord' church will know and follow God's leadership during this crisis and faithfully serve the victims of this disaster, to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
FROM DELINDA LEMIRE BRADFORD AT MISAWA (US Air Force base, North Japan) -
Pray for all of Japan---but Tohoku or Northern Honshu in particular. Our biggest concern is the 5 nuclear reactors near Sendai (Fukushima Daiichi) that were hit by the quake and knocked off line and their generators were then swamped by the huge tsunami. There are dangerous cooling issues with two of them.....that could be disastrous if one should explode or meltdown. PRAY PRAY PRAY......
Thank you for your prayers and concerns........we covet them
FROM JACK AND CATHY GARROT IN NAGASAKI (Southwest Japan)
We still have not made contact with our dear friends, the Hayasakas, in Sendai. We called the local church where he was pastor for several years and asked if anyone there had heard from them. The latest word (around 2pm) was that a message had gone out from the central headquarters (for that church's denomination) asking for prayer as no contact could be made with the church, the pastor, or any of the members. We are very concerned for our friends. (NOTE: A LATER UPDATE REPORTED THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE BAPTIST CHURCHES IN SENDAI ARE ACCOUNTED FOR AND SAFE.)
As I watched the waters flood over and wipe out entire townships, neighborhoods, areas I could not help but think about the people in those places whose lives were gone in seconds. If they had known in advance, would they have paid any attention ... would they have done anything differently ... would that have been a "business as usual" day for them? Bucket lists are temporal - what are we doing to prepare for the eternal???
It makes our work even more urgent, needed, important! Pray for us to have wisdom and boldness to follow through on what we are feeling and dealing with right now. We may not have tomorrow!
FROM CARLTON AND CORNELIA WALKER IN CHIBA (near Tokyo)
It is disturbing to watch the news with reporters reporting with safely helmets on. The toll of those dead and missing is at the 1,500 mark. Aftershocks up to 6.3 continue. It was a cold night without heat for so many people. Fear and pain is etched particularly on the faces of the elderly of which there is a high concentration in the hardest hit areas.
Our nation is wounded, our people are hurting, but all our personnel are OK. Richard Oue writes, "For now, our ministries will be primarily local, helping people make sense of these tragic events in the light of God's love and compassion, leading them to think beyond the temporal to eternal things, and introducing them to the love of our solid and unmovable rock, Jesus Christ. As the immediate crisis abates, we will begin taking advantage of other opportunities to meet needs and minister."
We deeply appreciate the tsunami of prayer that is coming our way. May the Lord use this concentrated prayer to soothe and move the heart of the nation to Himself.
March 11
FROM JOHN & NANCY NORTON IN FUKUOKA (Southwest Japan)
TV is showing huge lines of people at large stations, waiting for a bus, with almost no taxis available. In many areas there is no electricity.Reports at this time are of 28 deaths, unknown numbers of injuries, people missing, and varieties of physical damage to people's property. Many people have evacuated for safety to local schools or hospitals.
Please pray right now for those whose lives have been affected in all of these ways. Pray especially for those who have no way to get home tonight, and will have to find a hotel or return to the office and figure out a way to have a warm place to stay. Pray for patience for all of these people. It is not only inconvenient, it is cold.
Pray that people will be reminded of the brevity of life, and that hearts will be open again to the Lord who is their only salvation.
March 13
FROM ED AND NAN JORDAN IN KYOTO (Central Japan)
We are living in Kyoto Prefecture about 500 miles from the earthquake tragedy. Even so, our house rolled for about 20 minutes like we were in a boat on a lake. We are safe, have internet connections, food and water. When we do something simple like turn on a light or use the toaster, we are reminded of those in the earthquake area who are without basic necessities. We have been glued to the TV. We immediately contacted our Deaf friends via cell phone text messaging to alert them of what was happening. All our Deaf acquaintances in Tokyo are safe as well as all our Southern Baptist missionary colleagues. JEMA (Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, which includes all evangelical denominations) as of Sunday evening, has not heard from any missionaries in the Aomori area. Communications in that area are weak or non-existent. No one has received communication from a pastor who is Deaf in Sendai.
"The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain." (Heb. 12:27) Ask God to raise up Japanese Christians to be bold helpers and share Jesus as they go. Pray that they will take the Seed of the Word of God to plant or be watered in their hearts. Right now, the entire world is focused on Japan. Millions of Christians are praying for the people of Japan. When the news media gets tired of this story, please keep Japan in the forefront of your prayers. It is the tsunami of prayer and God's Holy Spirit who can bring revival to Japan.
Please continue to pray for the people of Japan to turn their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Blessings and peace
FROM LANA AND TAK OUE
I wanted to let you know that all of IMB personnel in Japan are ok. Saturday Tak talked with the Renmei office. Even though they have not been able to make contact with all of the churches in Tohoku at that point, the churches they did contact seemed to have avoided major damage such . But they were concerned for Baptist Domei (Union) churches that are located closer to the sea coast.
As you have seen on the news, many cities, towns and villages up and down the coast in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima are virtually wiped off the map. Fortunately members of the families in our house churches in Chiba who live in Tohoku are all safe. We're praising God for that.
Yesterday afternoon some of our leadership met with CRASH and got good information from this organization that has much experience in disaster relief. They were told that the first stage after the disaster is rescue stage when experts are going into the most affected areas, which lasts a week or so. Then, comes the relief stage when volunteer teams begin to come in to do assistance.
Last night the mission leadership met with Baptist Global Response leader of the IMB here at our house to see how we can do relief work in Tohoku. how we can help with our Convention churches as well as those in need to meet physical and spiritual needs. Thursday more people from BGR are coming to Japan to asses the situation, how we can help with the number of personnel we have. Right now the experts are in there looking for survivors and bodies, but soon we will be able to get people in to the area. Richard and some others will be going to Sendai to check on our personnel. They are working on the logistics today. We have to have a pass to get into the area, and today they are going to the embassy to get it. This is a one time pass. They have all the roads into the area closed so you have to have a pass to get in.
Tak is taking the guy from BGR and Sam Stallings in the morning to meet with the convention leaders to talk about how we can cooperate to help the churches and those in need in Tohoku. Richard has been in touch with Kato Sensei, General Secretary of the Convention, and others since Saturday regarding expediting some volunteers who have already come in to help. The group includes two from North Carolina. Southern Baptist will be sending response teams and the BGR will help in setting up plans for that.
Thanks for praying! There are so many needs, and I'm sure all of you are watching the TV and seeing the devastation. It is just hard to imagne. Tak was on the ground in Kobe right after that quake, and he said that being there and watching it on TV were totally different!! I can't imagine the pain of those who watched their loved ones being washed away. I pray that my heart will be broken for the lost as those folks hearts are broken for those they lost. Pray that all of us will take the great commission more seriously as we think about all of those who went into eternity without Christ in that brief period of time.
We will be having rolling blackouts here in Tokyo to help take the pressure off the power plants in Fukushima. The situation at the plants is still unstable. Pray for wisdom for those working on the problem. The radiation level rose again this morning and they are determining the cause. There is shortage of food and gas in the Kanto area, but we have enough for now.
We are praying for this to become a catalyst for a great response to the gospel. Thanks for praying with us.
March 12
FROM DELINDA LEMIRE BRADFORD AT MISAWA (US Air Force base, North Japan)
In the midst of it: Wow! It is now 2:15 am on Sunday morning and the electricity came on about an hour ago but the TV says it will only last a couple of hours. So, we are heating the house and taking showers and running a load of wash right now. We have had NO ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, TV, RADIO, CELL PHONE COVERAGE since Friday afternoon at about 5 minutes into the first quake. So we have been literally in the dark about the damage to our south except what our kids and friends have told us who called us. The international line OUT of Japan are down and cell phone towers are down but we have an old ANALOG home phone so we are directly in the phone line.
Misawa is about 190 miles north of Sendai (and the epicenter)----I have counted about 57 aftershocks that have shaken my entire house since the first one on Friday afternoon. The expected Tsunami for Misawa port (only about 2 miles from the base and about 1.5 from our house) did not materialize---Praise the Protective Hand of our Lord Jesus Christ! However, one did hit Hachinohe port---25 minutes to the south of us. The toll road to Tokyo is closed, all airports in N. Japan are closed as are Haneda (downtown Tokyo) and Narita (the International)---until further notice. All rail lines in Tokyo and to the north are halted. 5 trains that were on the coastal lines have disappeared--they are still looking for them and 1 boat with about 100 people on it also disappeared from near Sendai. I know you are getting pictures and news but you can go to Stars and Stripes.com and get the No. Japan pictures--they will curl your hair.
The water was about waist high in some of Hachinohe after the tsunami hit and of course, the gigantic tsunami that hit 45 minutes after the quake in Sendai----went 6 miles inland at 500 miles per hour. Not a lot is standing in the path of the tsunami in Sendai----pray--pray ---for them ---our hearts are breaking---we have churches and friends in Sendai and Miyagi prefecture.
The Misawa Base is basically unhurt----superficial damages--inside my house, pictures on the walls, spices, angels from the shelves, books, dvds, all over the house, closed shelves dumped---but nothing I can't clean up or do without.
I want to make this short so it will go out while I have the Internet connection. Pray for all of Japan---but Tohoku or Northern Honshu in particular.
Our biggest concern is the 5 nuclear reactors near Sendai (Fukushima Daiichi) that were hit by the quake and knocked off line and their generators were then swamped by the huge tsunami. There are dangerous cooling issues with two of them.....that could be disastrous if one should explode or meltdown. PRAY PRAY PRAY......
Thank you for your prayers and concerns........we covet them
FROM CARLTON AND CORNELIA WALKER IN CHIBA (near Tokyo)
We are awaking to more fully understand the dimensions of the earthquake and tsunami. Like most of you, there was little sleep... But we did have our own bed, which many didn't. And warmth & electricity and many didn't. With all the rocking and rolling that we are still feeling here, I can't even imagine what it is like for those closer to the epi-center.
Images on the television are deeply disturbing - they look like scenes
from a war. Last night I watched and prayed until tears and sleep
overcame me. At this point, over 400 are dead and 700 are missing
nationwide. We each in our own ways, continue the vigil of prayer for the nation and the healing & helping of the Lord.
We continue to hear amazing stories of what people who could did to get home to their loves ones last night. One friend literally walked more than the distance a marathon to reach home. If a human father would consider this a light thing to confirm the safety of his wife and baby daughter, think about what our Heavenly Father is doing to bring the suffering home to Himself.
Our inboxes are packed out with people wanting to know that we are safe and promising their prayers. Praise the Lord that a tsunami of water is meeting a stronger tsunami of prayer and concern!
Grace and Peace,
The Prayer Walkers
FROM JOHN AND RHONDA WRIGHT (near Tokyo)
This was apparently the big earthquake we have been waiting
for. The upgraded construction standards after the Kansai
earthquake have enabled buildings and structures to hold up
with no problem. Tsunami damage is the serious concern,
along with a few fires. CNN is reporting that this was the
7th strongest earthquake in recorded history. It is amazing
that the damage is so limited, considering.
The earthquake went on and on in Hachioji--at least 12-15
minutes of very strong movement, with continued aftershocks
every few minutes since then that feel like most earthquakes
I have experienced so far in my life. The extremely
prolonged nature of this one was deeply disturbing and
disorienting--like nothing we have ever known.
All in all, we are fine here in Hachioji, with no
disruption in any services other than overloaded mobile and
landline phones. No worries.
Probably the best way to communicate with us is by e-mail
for the time being. We will call you from our end when the
phone lines open up.
Love,
John and Rhonda
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