Nepal Earthquake – God is Bigger than those Cracks

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It’s been nearly one month since the initial earthquake rocked the Himalayan Region. There has not been one day without significant aftershocks and tremors – some of which have been classified as earthquakes. During my latest conversation with Noel and Raju, they stopped in mid conversation as the dogs started barking, people outside began calling to each other, and the earth reminded us all of its tectonic unrest. Yet in the midst of all the shaking, hope is being found and formed. Noel showed me a crack in the Kathmandu Vineyard building that is getting wider with every earthquake. It’s ominous, but as he said, “God is bigger than those cracks”. Indeed.

Nessing

This girl said to Raju, “with money you can buy beautiful house and good food, but not peace and joy. Only Jesus is the prince of peace and joy.”

A few days ago the first outside help reached Nessing. An awesome team from Hawaii, working with the HRV, arrived and treated over 300 people for various injuries. Thanks Dr. Tim and Tara and the rest of the team! This was the first relief that has reached this remote mountain village.

Two villagers died in the earthquake. All of the buildings are down – except two. The church building will be usable when the ceiling is reinforced with local timber and one of the church elder’s homes was left standing (although it will likely have to be demolished). We have 17 work crews active in Nessing. They have built over 8 temporary shelters and are working on cleaning the whole village. There was no rice in the village until 2,300 lbs were airlifted in – this is cause for celebration. They also had a beautiful time of worship. The whole Nessing church were very grateful and there was a tangible sense of God’s presence as they thanked him for protection. They are actively cleaning the whole village and are being a wonderfully tangible sign of God’s hope to all.

Ramesh says, “We bring the love of Jesus to remote villages of Nepal… through food supplies, medical help and temporary shelter… that’s what people need now… these are small things that we will be doing for next couple of months..!!!”

: The Community Gathers

: A Helicopter arrives

Tents & Tarps

A large shipment of tents has just arrived. Thanks to the DACH Vineyards in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and to Kinderhilfe for the donation. They will be used to keep families dry during the monsoon season. They will also be used for school rooms. Education is a high priority and it’s important to get back to a regular routine, even if it means studying in a tent in the rain. The tarps were donated and imported from His Feet International (thanks Todd!). They will be distributed where needed the most.

: Bundles of Tarps

: A Tent getting set up

: Rice being loaded

Other News

Silas Rai, the senior pastor at the Namchi Vineyard in Sikkim, India (a small part of India that is part of the Himalayan Region), arrived today. Silas is part of the Earthquake Management team and will give Raju a much-needed break. The team will rotate oversight responsibilities to make sure each gets the rest they need. Please continue to pray for them.

This young girl lost her sister in the quake. Here she is showing Raju the remains of her house “where she used to play with her small sister who died that day…”

Operations continue in Gorkha, Chhampi and Kothgaon. We will continue to supply necessities until people regain self-sufficiency. Temporary shelters continue to be constructed. The road up to the high mountain villages remains closed. There are many landslides, and even reports of helicopters crashing due to dangerous land conditions, falling rocks, etc. It’s dangerous work.

By the Numbers

Here are a few numbers for you to crunch…

40 households cleared in Gadlang
17 shelters built in Gadlang
470 homes in the whole village of Gadlang – Pastor Prem wants to clean them all.
3 months to clean the entire village of Gadlang
17 work crews active in Nessing
2,300 lbs of rice delivered in Nessing
7 Helicopter transports have already been taken to Gadlang and Nessing
200 homes need to be cleared in Tipling (will begin next week)
172 Vineyard people’s homes destroyed throughout the region

Thanks!

Thanks to all who have donated and prayed. Your money and your prayers are making a difference.

A note to Canadian donors: Monday, May 25 is the deadline for the federal government’s matching program. We qualify for this program. For every dollar donated by a Canadian to our Vineyard Disaster fund, the federal government will deposit a dollar into their own Nepal fund (it doesn’t double our money, but it does insure more help will reach Nepal).

Remember that 100% of donations we receive go to relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts on the ground in Nepal.