RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–International Mission Board missionaries serving in Japan are asking Southern Baptist churches to pray for the victims of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook northern Japan on June 14.
The earthquake killed at least 10 people and injured more than 250 others. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors. No IMB personnel were harmed.
Missionaries Kevin and Donna Qualls serve in Miyagi-ken, a city about 50 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter in Japan’s mountainous Iwate prefecture (state).
“It was scary, but we are all OK and suffered no apparent damage to our home,” Donna Qualls wrote in an e-mail to prayer supporters. “Thank you for always praying for our safety.”
There’s no word yet quantifying the extent of homes damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. Japan’s relief efforts are being hampered by landslides, damaged roads and aftershocks that continue to rock the area.
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Don Graham is a writer for the International Mission Board.
