Prayers for Japan

Many of us Builders are a bit out of touch right now due to Spring Break, illness, and the normal activities of daily life, but we just wanted to ask our Building Cathedrals family to join us in lifting up the people of Japan in prayer. A friend of mine lived for years in Japan with her husband, who is Japanese, and has shared the following information and prayer requests with us:

“I humbly ask for all of you to take some time and say a few rosaries or prayers for Japan and its people. As you may or may not be aware, Japan has suffered a 9.0 earthquake on March 11th followed by a super powerful tsunami which has left the country crippled and also under a possible nuclear meltdown as well.

My husband and I are deeply saddened by these events and are grateful for his family and immediate family are safe for the time being. We had several friends who were injured and many which have been displaced due to the crisis. Japan is now undergoing scheduled power outages for 4-8 hours each day to assist distributing power to the epicenter area and rescue efforts, and this will continue for at least 4-6 months.

For those who would like to assist Japan and its people as they begin to rebuild from this historical disaster, prayers are in greatest need followed by monetary contributions. The American Red Cross has a fund set up and I am trying to find a fund within Japan itself for those who would like that option as well. Atsushi and I are constantly getting updates and will be assisting as much as we can to get the word out on how to help Japan get through this and rebuild even stronger.

The Japanese are tough, resilient, and devoted and I am confident will pull through this disaster over time. Please continue to pray for all of those who are affected by this and for those still missing loved ones and the injured. There have been some truly heroic stories which have come from this disaster and miraculous rescues. Yet as the death toll rises, so many were lost from the quake and then the tsunami. Some towns are still not accessible and their residents unaccounted for and once they can be accessed, worse numbers could come.

As you can imagine, this is really tough for Atsushi (and me), hard to watch and hear many towns which we know being totally destroyed, anxiety of not the future unknown, and being so far from family, relatives and friends who are struggling to pick up the pieces. Your prayers and thoughts are truly appreciated.”

Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for us and especially for the people of Japan!