Via Mission To The World:

We write to request urgent prayer for the nation of Japan. You are, no doubt, watching the crisis unfold following the 8.9 Richter Scale earthquake that hit on Friday afternoon local time. We are grateful that our missionaries and their families are safe, but they are also grieving for this country whose people they love. MTW will be working with them in preparing a response, and as soon as that is clear, we will make that information available. Japan is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so we hope our missionaries are getting much needed sleep at this moment. One missionary has said that their family is sleeping in their clothes (as much as sleep is possible) in case they need to flee their homes in the midst of powerful aftershocks.

For prayer:
Praise for the safety of all MTW missionaries
Love and comfort for grieving families
Rescue for those who may be trapped
Safety from aftershocks, which have been quite large
Shelter for those whose homes are destroyed
Wisdom and clarity for MTW regarding our response
Restoration of power and communications

Most of all, however, pray this will be an open door for the gospel, that missionaries and national believers will be able to show the love of Christ to those around them. Relationships are critical in Japanese culture, so pray this crisis opens new doors that could make many more relationships possible.