for japan with love

i've been watching more cnn than ever since the devastating earthquakes and tsunami in japan and have felt so helpless. an old friend of mine lives in tokyo with his family and i can't imagine what it's been like to live through such an experience. he has kept in touch with his friends and family using facebook throughout the week and up until yesterday was still reporting about aftershocks, an empty pantry and no one on the streets. i pray for those who have lost loved ones, lost their homes, and continue to face the impact of the devastation every day.

tomorrow my blog will be quiet because i'll be participating in a bloggers day of silence for the people of japan. for japan with love was organized by fellow bloggers lydia of ever ours and lucia and henny of utterly engaged and all donations will go to disaster relief efforts for the people of japan. from lydia of ever ours:

"we have handpicked ShelterBox as the organization we'd like to donate to. we know that their volunteers are already there in Japan helping, so please be assured that your donations are being put to good use. ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items."

if you'd like to donate directly to shelterbox, please click here. thank you for your support, and until monday...i'll be praying for you, japan.