At least 155 people have died, dozens are still missing, and thousands have been evacuated during recent flooding and mudslides in Japan.
Alliance international worker/field director Don Schaeffer reports,
“We have been following the news on the Japanese NHK news. The two hardest hit prefectures, Hiroshima and Ehime (on the island of Shikoku), are where we have the most Alliance churches. People in 10 of the cities where we have Alliance churches have lost their lives (115 dead and 61 missing is the latest count with over half of the dead in those two prefectures.) I wrote Rev. Tanaka, president of JAC [Japan Alliance Church], and he said that no churches have been affected by the flooding and landslides. Rev. Tanaka sent a file from Rev. Goto with details about what had happened in various cities where we have Alliance churches. Believers in Kure (near Hiroshima City) and Uchiko (Shikoku) have had homes flooded. Transportation (roads and trains) has been disrupted, and several churches were not able to have worship services on Sunday.”
Please pray:
- For the rains to cease
- For those who have lost loved ones, homes, and possessions
- For the safety of those who remain in highly threatened areas
- For the safety of relief and rescue workers
- For local and national governments as they work together to respond
- For Alliance workers and churches as they find ways to demonstrate Christ’s love in tangible ways