Update from Japan!

I have several updates from Japan and I wanted to pass them along:

Walter and Mary Maxey, missionaries I know in the southern island of Kyushu, reports that they are fine, but the island, which is 1000 miles from the main epicenter, is still under a tsunami warning. A prayer request for them is that Toshiaki and Sachiko Chida, who live in the main area of the disaster (Sendai) and pastor a small church, will be able to reach out to their fellow Japanese. Pray for them specifically! God will do the rest!

 From the Japan Acts website, a blog written by new missionaries to Japan, the following is reported:

" As of this writing, hours have turned into days, and we are still unable to enter the damage zone to offer help to those in need. It is our desire to share the gospel to give people real hope in Christ as they face an unknown future."

Here is the update from the CRASH Japan website:

-In Fukuoka shi there were 657 house demolished by the tsunami.
-In Iwate there have been around 200~300 people who have died, and at least 40 who are missing.
-All over Japan, there has been a total of 1000 plus people who have either died or are still missing.
-There is still a chance that 4~10 meter high tsunami (13~32 feet) may hit the coasts in some areas.
-There are around 7000 people who have retreated to 41 different safe locations.

CRASH Japan has set up a command center in Tokyo to help with relief efforts and I'm waiting to hear more about the results of those efforts.

I am awaiting more news and will update you as soon as I know. Until last night, I felt helpless as I thought the only thing I could do was pray since I wasn't able to go help. My loving wife looked at me with compassion, and said, "Dan, you feel hopeless because you think you being in Japan right now would be more powerful than praying to God. That's not true." She's right. The only thing I can do is pray...but that's enough. That's exactly what I need to do. Please, please pray with me for Japan, particularly the Sendai region.