On April 25th and May 12th of this year, earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.3, respectively, shook the mountain nation of Nepal. Around 9,000 lost their lives with 25,000 injured and millions more driven from their cracked and fractured homes. Villages were leveled by the shaking or buried by landslides. Aftershocks have been numerous and as strong as 6.7.
The initial earthquake also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 19. This made it the deadliest day on the world’s highest peak in history. Perhaps God is trying to get our attention by shaking this high point on our planet.
For days, our partners on the ground lived in tents for fear of the aftershock, including the ten widows of the Elderly Home. Just as the tremors seem to slow down, another occurs and they rush outside. Manju Thapa, who runs the home, shared that “All moms are so scared, they don’t want to sleep in the home. Please pray for their hearts to get relief out of fear.”
Dil Tamang is our partner who leads Himalayan Bible Study Academy for grassroots pastors. He has sprung into action to help those in need, purchasing food, tents and other relief supplies. We have been sending funds periodically to help.
The problem with our short-attention span news culture is that the world has moved on to more recent stories and crises. The Nepal earthquake aftermath is now out of sight, out of mind for most. Yet the need continues. Please pray that the Lord may somehow use this tragedy to spread the Gospel through His people, and that we would have discernment as to how to best assist their outreach efforts.