Update from Dan Iverson, Japan Country Director (Mission to the World)

MTW Email | Dan Iverson

[Gamecock]

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.

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.

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.

Well, I need to get some sleep and get ready to preach in 12 hours.

Thanks for caring and praying for the now doubly needy people of Japan. - Dan

[Linda Frances]

God go with you; our gifts and prayers follow you.

[Gamecock]

[Thinkin]

You can’t see me...but i’m right behind you...

lots of prayers going up.....

[bgill]

We have already spent almost $1000 tonight renting a first truck and buying food to take north

Not knocking him but I could easily fill my car with $1000 of food. He says he spent almost a thousand to rent a truck and buy food. Is food that much less expensive in Japan?

[Gamecock]

For your respective ping lists.....

[Thinkin]

“I could easily fill my car with $1000 of food.”

Put your money where your mouth is.........DO IT !!!

[Gamecock]

He spent the $1000 on:

-Renting a truck

-Buying food. He didn't say he filled the truck with food.

Note that he is hoping that his church members, and others, will bring food and water and diapers and he wants to load the truck and a couple vans.

Renting the truck probably ate much of that $1,000. Rentals in foreign countries can be pretty steep. (Speaking from experience)

[tutstar]

bump

[MsLady]

Amen, I pray for favor and the gift of healing. I pray that those that you preach to, I pray every word out of your mouth are words coming directly from God. I pray the people will have ears to hear and hearts wide open. I pray for the salvation of every single person that comes with in ear shot of you. And I pray for safety, peace and wisdom for you, in Jesus name, Amen.

[MsLady]

Food is pretty expensive in Japan. They don’t grow everything they eat, like Hawaii, lots of food is shipped in.

[Gamecock]

If you’d like to pray for MTW* missionaries in Japan by name, here they are:

Chiba (Tokyo suburb)
Dan and Carol Iverson and family (team leader)
Roberta Brown
Craig and Ree Coulbourne and family
Sally Dangler
Kevin and Rebecca Dingler and family
Matt Gillingham (short-term)
Linda Karner
Daniel and Esther Lee and family
Roger and Abi Lowther and family (short-term)
Judith Newland
Jon and Sarah Pfeil and family
James and Joyce Repp and family (long-term)
Debbie Richards
Robert and Lisa Stewart and family

Nagoya
Wayne & Amy Newsome and family (Team Leader)
Charlene Hatmaker;
Peter & Dianne Bakelaar and family
Darlene Johnson
Jane Brinkerhoff
Michael & Pearl Oh and family
Linda Wixon
Gerry & Jessica Wheaton and family (short-term).

*BTW, the MTW is the missions arm of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Please feel free to post the names of other missionaries who are in Japan, who would benefit from our prayers.

[Quix]

THX THX.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Lots of prayers for safekeeping.

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -- Psalm 61:2

[greyfoxx39]

Inman Ping

[dragonblustar]

Save and sending prayers.

[Tennessee Nana]

God bless and protect these wonderful Christians who got right onto helping ...

[RnMomof7]

Send Bibles ....

[RnMomof7]

The staples of the Asian diet is RICE and fish ..$1000 buys a lot of Rice

[greyfoxx39]

Pray for Japan-Samaritan's Purse

Pray for Japan

Victims of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami need our prayers and support

We are asking for prayer in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake and massive tsunami that hit the eastern coast of Japan on March 11.

Samaritan's Purse has disaster relief staff monitoring the situation and assessing where and how we can help. In recent years, our teams have provided relief and recovery assistance in the wake of huge tsunamis that struck Indonesia and Samoa, as well as other major disasters in this region.

Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham has conducted evangelistic Festivals in the Japanese cities of Osaka and Okinawa, and we have hundreds of church partners in the country.

The 33-foot tsunami was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful to hit Japan in over 140 years. The quake has been followed by dozens of strong aftershocks, and sparked fires in at least 80 locations. Officials have declared a state of emergency for nuclear reactors at two power plants damaged by the earthquake.

Giant tsunami waves engulfed coastal towns and swept away houses, cars, and boats. Smaller waves raced across the Pacific to Hawaii, Alaska, and the west coast of the United States, causing some damage to harbors, marinas, and low-lying areas.

The twin disasters have devastated hundreds of towns and villages in northeast Japan. Japanese media report that more than 300,000 people have been evacuated and over 1,700 people are presumed dead.

Please pray for the people affected by this catastrophe, and for God to grant wisdom and direct our steps as we decide how to help.