One week after the devastating 7.9 earthquake that hit just east of Kathmandu, killing at least 7,000 people with estimations of the death toll hitting close to 20,000 once everyone is found and effecting over 8 million people, I sit on the roof of our ministry site, overlooking the beautiful city nestled in the mountains of Nepal. From my roof, looking down, the city seems pretty normal… Kids biking up and down the street laughing, women washing their clothes on the roof, a man beating out his rug on his porch, women selling vegetables on the roadside, dogs barking at the passing pigeons, the intermittent whir of a motorbike cruising down the street. It’s calm, peaceful, easy, safe. Yet one week ago, I can imagine the sheer terror, and uneasiness of every soul in this city. Not knowing where your loved ones were, or if your house was going to crash down, or when the next quake was going to happen. No place was safe and nothing guaranteed.
We were planning to be in Nepal this month for ministry anyways, then with the earthquake, our plans became uncertain. We weren’t sure if we would be allowed in Nepal or if it would be safe or our help even needed. However, just a few days after the earthquake, an old world race contact reached out to see if Adventures had any teams they could send to help because there is a lot of work to be done to comfort and help rebuild the local community. Well it just so happened 50 willing workers who were planning to go to Nepal anyways and had a flight to Kathmandu booked already, were right next door in India. So we aren’t even working with our original contacts in Nepal, but God had placed us in the perfect place at the perfect moment to come in and help with some immediate response to this horrible natural disaster. I am so excited to be a part of this! Speaking to our contact last night, he said our main ministry is going to be going into parts of the city that got hit worst by the earthquake and had the greatest casualties, and we will be coming alongside the local people with extra supplies of food and basic amenities and bibles as we comfort the Nepali people in a time of need. We will also be doing a couple day camping trip into a mountain community that got completely leveled by the earthquake. There we will be working with the Christian community and all 50 of us will be spread throughout the community helping to rebuild their houses and their church! It’s amazing how God used our timing and original plan to be here right alongside the Nepalese when they really need the extra support and labour. I’m anticipating an incredible and moving month where we will be faced with extreme tragedy and destruction and am so honored to be a part of the healing process.
