Update - Initial Response

This is an email template that we've been sending out to our friends and family over the past week since the earthquakes and tsunami hit northeaster Japan last Friday afternoon. We started out replying to emails personally but then when everyone in the US found out by Saturday morning (our time), our inbox started to get flooded so Peter wrote the email below. Sorry I haven't relinked the websites.

Thank you for your concern and prayers.


We're doing well. The earthquakes and tsunami are more than 500 miles northeast of us so we have not felt any direct affects. Also, the way the islands are positioned, we were well protected from a tsunami coming from north-eastern Japan.


However, we do have friends in the Tokyo area who have been affected. Although they are physically well, they are quite shaken - no pun intended. There are still aftershocks in Northeast Japan, and thus the trains and some communication was out of order for some time after the initial earthquake (this is according to some friends in the Tokyo area). The buses ran all night last night, and we understand the trains have also resumed except for the Shinkansen (bullet trains). Also, although there is no physical damage in the Tokyo area, many of the stores are out of stock of food. This could make life quite uncomfortable for possibly millions of people in Northeast Japan. Also, four nuclear power plants were shut down for precautionary measures, and have resulted in power outages to over a million people. You may have heard reports of explosions as well at the power plants. Fortunately, they were hydrogen explosions, and not explosions caused by a meltdown.


The worst hit areas are in the Miyagi Prefecture (prefecture=an area similar to what we refer to as state in the US) and those in the tsunami hit regions of Fukushima and Ibaraki Prefectures. There are reports of over 1,300 people who are dead, and that number is expected to rise as search efforts are under way. Also, forty-four fires have been reported in six different prefectures. The damage is extensive.


This is just a tip of the iceberg. People's lives, jobs, the economy... so many things will be affected.


At times of disaster and tragedy such as this, there are so many things to pray for. Please pray for the people in the cities and prefectures mentioned above. Please pray for the families of those who are deceased, and for the families of those who are missing. Please pray that those who are missing will be found.


Many people here will be asking many questions in their hearts, but may not vocalize them. May God through His Spirit and by His mercy turn the hearts of these precious people to Christ who alone can rescue both their bodies and their souls. Pray that the church in Japan would take this opportunity to care for their neighbors with Christ's love and the good news of hope in Christ.


For more first hand news reports see this Japan news agency:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/index.html


If the LORD is leading you to help out in some way with the relief effort, even though our missionary team doesn't have direct connections with these groups, we would encourage you to take a look at the following sites:


http://www.crashjapan.com
http://www.samaritanspurse.org
http://www.wordvision.org
http://www.redcross.org


Thank you again for your prayers.
Peter and Jenny