This is the final installment in a four-part series on the Vineyard School of Justice trip to the Himalayan Region Vineyard Churches in Nepal.
- Read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
Unshakable Amidst Earthquakes
The spiritual vitality in the HRV defies the logic of the earthquakes and their aftermath. During our time, everywhere we went, we witnessed and experienced resilient, radical trust in God’s faithful presence, love, and power. There are some features of faith which are only discovered with experience, and the people in the HRV know what it means to place their hope fully in Jesus. Our time with these precious people reminds me of the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 46, words which the Holy Spirit – in some mysterious way amidst the shaking of the earth – has written indelibly on the hearts of the people in the HRV.
1 God is our refuge and strength
an ever-present help in trouble
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God
the holy place where the Most High dwells
5 God is within her, she will not fall
God will help her at break of day
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall
he lifts his voice, the earth melts
7 The Lord Almighty is with us
the God of Jacob is our fortress
Video and Photographs
Below, Pastor Uddav Thapa of Chhampi Vineyard describes his experience in the earthquake. Beneath the video, there are several photographs highlighting some of the earthquake realities we witnessed first hand.
- Vineyard leader’s former home in Chhampi
- Destroyed former home (top) and new home in Chhampi
- Rubble in Kathmandu
- Rubble in Gatlang
- Pastor Prem and his former home in Gatlang
- Gatlang Vineyard’s former building
- Earthquake crack in Kathmandu Vineyard
- Earthquake cracks and damage near Nessing
- Earthquake fortifications in Kathmandu
- Temporary housing in Gorkha, provided by the German Vineyards
- 40 plus people stayed here in Chhampi after the earthquake
- Makeshift school in Kotgaon
- Gatlang Vineyard’s current makeshift premises
- Pastor Prem and his family outside their makeshift home
- Earthquake evacuation plan in Kotgaon
- Rebuilding in Kotgaon
- Rebuilding in Kotgaon
- Chhampi Vineyard’s new building
- New home in Kotgaon, provided by the Vineyard
- New home in Kotgaon, provided by the Vineyard
- New home in Chhampi, provided by the Vineyard
- Pastor Uddav and family outside their home at Chhampi Vineyard