Thank you sweet friends, for all of the prayers you’ve been sending to me and the squad, as well as Nepal. It has been an interesting week, to say the least. I realize everyone wants to hear about the earthquake and it’s effects and the aftermath. Maybe you want to see the first hand “devastation”. So I just ask that you are patient of me. I’m sure several of my squad-mates are blogging about it as I write. But I would like to share something that brings joy, peace, and hope, rather than sadness and maybe even a little fear. (I promise, I will share my story soon.)
Today we left the little village of Melchour, Nepal. It was mixed emotions. I won’t lie, a part of me was thinking, “Finally we’re getting off this mountain,” and another was, “how can I leave these people after experiencing a 7.4 earthquake with them”?
After spending the past 2 nights in a World Food Program tent, we packed our small bags to head back to Kathmandu. As we waited for the buses to arrive, a woman I met the day before approached me. Teresa and I had put our nursing skills to work, as she had burnt her hand a few weeks before. She also had lots of aches and pains from being in her house as it collapsed when the first quake hit on April 25th. We gave her some pain meds and some pain relief salve for her back. I never did learn her name, but we prayed with her that day. Well I saw her today, and decided to give her the left over food we had. As I was attempting to communicate with her, another sweet woman approached me. She too, had been in her house when the quake hit. Her name was Kishnamaya. I know she’s Hindi as I saw the all too familiar red mark on her head. I couldn’t really communicate with her, but some of the local boys tried helping me. After giving her pain meds, I offered to pray with her. I could sense some desperation in her eyes. And I felt horrible because, here I am leaving 2 days after the earthquake. As I prayed for her, I could feel her back move as she began to weep. In English, because that’s all I have I kept saying, “Jesus loves you,” and “He wants you to be His”. “He will protect you.” One of the boys translated one thing that will forever remain in my mind and heart, “Shey says, ‘when you come, I happy’.” This beautiful woman, I sense can see ‘the light’. Please pray with me for her, and the people of Melchour and the people of Nepal.
A group of us ladies were able to stop by the Korean Red Cross camp near our village. We asked what is some of the biggest needs for Nepal. Aside from food, they say tarps. Tarps are currently everyone’s home, as the ground remains unstable and the houses that remaining standing are technically unsafe. So if you know of an organization you trust, who is on the ground or will be on the ground, send tarps. Because of the high demand, they are extremely expensive here in Nepal.
Much love, Chelsea
