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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..!!!”

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.

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.

>Please continue to PRAY.

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Helicopter

The service of a private helicopter was secured today.  Tomorrow, Noel, Raju, a Doctor friend from Hawaii and a few others will be flying into Gadlang to assess damage, bring rice, and provide first aid.  This is a huge answer to prayer!

Rice will be purchased in the nearest larger town and will be delivered to Gadlang and the surrounding villages.  The team from Gadlang was active in Chhampi and Kothgaon for the first week after the quake before they were able to make it home.  They have gone back to the mountain villages with both knowledge and the emergency shelter prototype that was developed in Chhampi and Kothgaon.  This strategy will supplement already existing local efforts.

Work Crews

The churches in Chhampi, Kothgaon and Gorkha had community meetings yesterday and have organized their own management teams.  These on-the-ground, local teams will assess need and manage the work being done in each village.  The HRV Earthquake Management team will continue to provide overall coordination.  Now that work crews have been hired and prototypes of shelters have been developed, demolition and temporary shelter construction will shift into full gear.

Truck

Speaking of shifting gears, we just purchased a truck to help in the transportation efforts!  Until now, we’ve been using hired drivers and jeeps.  Since we anticipate the demolition and rebuilding phases to last well over one year, owning our own truck will help with availability and long-term cost effectiveness.

Noel indicated that the purchase was a bit of a God story.  When he initially called to inquire about the truck, he accidentally mentioned that he was from a church.  Usually a higher price would follow this admission.  Instead, the man on the other end of the line immediately replied, “Jaimasi!” (a greeting only Christians use).  It turns out he was another pastor who ended up giving us a great deal on the truck.  Thanks brother!  And thanks, God!

By the Numbers:

• Currently there are 8 work crews of 4 – 5 local people per crew.
• $150 USD per temporary shelter (includes additional materials and work crew labour costs)
• Kothgaon has 2 work crews
• Gadlang has 4 work crews
• Nessing has 2 work crews
• Chhampi and Gorkha are organizing crews.
• 4 houses in Gadlang were cleaned today.
• 100 bags of rice will be bought in town and delivered to villages.

Click on the images to enlarge.

>Here is Nathan sharing about some of his experiences and stories during the earthquake.

>Please continue to PRAY.

>Click here to donate.

>Click here to access resources and our Strategic Plan.

>Make sure you check out our Google Earth Video.

Click here to donate.

Here’s the update on the efforts of the Himalayan Region Vineyards in Nepal.

High Mountain Villages:

Prem (the pastor at Gadlang Vineyard) and the rest of the Gadlang team arrived home late Monday night.  They were able to drive 60% of the way to Gadlang.  They walked the remainder which took them two days.  It looks like the road may open up completely within the next few days.  Let’s pray the monsoon rains do not wash it out again.  When the road opens up we will be able to bring relief supplies as well as needed building materials to help the villagers construct shelters which will help them weather the monsoon season, which is typically from May – August.  Plans to airlift supplies into these villages have not materialized.  Because of high prices and difficulty in transportation from Kathmandu, we will be buying supplies from China and shipping it from the north.

Demolition, Reclamation & Shelter:

Another shelter completed!

In Chhampi and Kothgaon there have been teams working at safely demolishing damaged homes and reclaiming materials that can be used for building temporary emergency shelters.  It is a boon when someone lifts up a pile of bricks to find a stash of rice, garlic, or corn cobs (for burning).  It’s like hitting the jackpot, because they represent a lot of effort to initially acquire and their scarcity now.  The government is asking that demolition not begin in Gorkha until they have completed an assessment.

Chhampi, Kothgaon and Gorkha churches are meeting tomorrow to discuss how to help their neighbours.  All shelters up until now have been constructed with volunteer labour.  After these meetings we will hire local workers from each village.  It will be the local churches helping local people.  Each location will have teams of 4-5 workers who will be able to construct 4 shelters per day.  Each shelter costs approximately $150 USD to build (labour and material costs).

Here are a few numbers so far:

1. Over 13 houses have been cleaned up (combination of demolition and reclaiming materials).
2. 2 temporary shelters built in Gorhka
3. 6 temporary shelters built in Chhampi and Kothgaon
4. There is a shipment of 30 tents coming from Europe (thanks German Vineyards and Kinderhilfe!).  These will be distributed where most needed.
5. Approximate costs to construct 1 shelter: $150 USD (labour and material to supplement salvaged supplies)

Raju (pastor at Kathamdu Vineyard) says:

“Religion that our God Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans, widows and helping people who are going through difficulties. This moment my country Nepal is crying because many people are going through difficulties and hard times, they are fighting with death to get life.  Jesus called us as an army of his kingdom so every day we are serving and helping those people who are going through difficulties.

Today we cleaned three collapsed houses and made one hut for another family at Kothgaon village. Praise the Lord!”

These pics document the construction of a temporary shelter.  Click on the images to view the full size gallery.

Rebuilding will commence after the monsoon season in 3 months.  Plans for suitable prototype structures are commencing.

Food & Aid:

A team heads out

Relief supplies continue to be distributed as needed.  We are careful not to create “distribution events” where people line-up at the back of a truck and scramble for hand-outs.  Rather, we are working within our existing relational networks, helping our people to help other people.  We are not a big NGO.  We are a church and we want to continue to be relational in our response to the needs around us.  Please pray for wisdom.

Trauma:

Life goes on, but the stress runs deep

Surviving an earthquake – losing one’s house and belongings – losing friends and family… these are big issues the whole country is dealing with.  Most people are in a stage of heightened trauma.  Leaders are leading, workers are working, stuff is getting done, but it’s crisis management mode.  There is a hidden toll in this disaster.  Please pray that there will be moments where our people can begin to process, grieve, thaw, heal.  Pray that God’s comfort and presence would be very real.  Pray that their deepest hurts and the unfolding trauma from this event would be processed in a healthy, thorough and deep manner.

Please continue to PRAY.

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Make sure you check out our Google Earth Video.

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It’s been one week since disaster struck the Himalayan Region.  Here’s the latest on the HRV team’s activities as of Saturday evening, Nepal time.

Grateful:

We are so grateful for the widespread response from the Vineyard family around the world.  It’s amazing to see us mobilized in this way.  Thank you!

Noel says, “We have been very blessed by the prayers and support that we have received from all over the world.  In these times, when the needs are so great, it is tempting to see “big” amounts of support as special provisions of God to us.

The other day, I heard that the drop-in community in Winnipeg – made up of people who are homeless and street-involved – took an offering for us. They raised a small amount of money by the world’s standards, but when I heard what they had done it really shook me.

I was humbled that these people who have nothing were giving to us – giving to Jesus even – out of their poverty. God again reminded me that his kingdom operates differently to our world. We are to remember the poor and I am so touched that the poor are remembering us. We are very honoured and privileged to receive their gifts.”

Gathered & Praying in the Kathmandu courtyard

 

Kathmandu – the community gathers:

Gathering one week later

One week after the quake rocked Nepal, the Vineyard community gathered in the Kathmandu courtyard for a powerful time of worship, prayer and sharing together.  The churches from Chhampi and Kothgoan also gathered in Kathmandu – just to be together and to be somewhere safe.  Chhampi’s building collapsed and Kothgoan’s building is unsafe.  We are not meeting in the main building in Kathmandu because there continue to be significant tremors (another 6.2 earthquake was reported in Gorkha and two more in Kathmandu).  God, how long?!  Many poor people are coming to the Vineyard and rice is quietly and discreetly being distributed.  20% of the shops are open.  The city continues to stink as bodies are still being recovered from the rubble.

Relief Efforts Continue:

The clean-up efforts are ongoing in Chhampi and Kothgaon.  Demolition, retrieving personal belongings, and creating temporary shelters out of repurposed materials is a big job.  Just yesterday two more houses were cleaned up and another shelter erected in Kothgaon.  Tomorrow it’s back to Chhampi.

A leader from Kathmandu was just sent to Gorhka to oversee the efforts in Nareshawr.  He will be helping implement the salvaged shelter design we’re using in Chhampi and Kothgaon.  About the picture,

“Old mum” from Nareshawr (Gorkha)

Raju, a pastor at the Kathmandu Vineyard, says “Old mum – now she is homeless and she lives in a tent in the open field.  She is old and sick. When saw her difficulty, it touched my heart.”

Nessing, Gadlang, Tipling and Sertung are still inaccessible.  There are thousands of villagers across Nepal who are unaccounted for in high mountain communities like these.  The people there are cold and hungry.  We are poised and ready for when the road opens up.  There may be possibility of a road opening up from the Chinese side.  The church buildings in both Nessing and Gadding have collapsed.  Sertung does not have a building.

The believers in Tipling had just finished the last prayer of their service last Saturday, and everyone came outside to warm up and say “Jaimashi”.  Just then, the earthquake struck.  The whole structure collapsed right when the last person exited!  God is good.

Collaborating & Rebuilding:

The HRV Earthquake Management Team is fully operational and is in continual contact and collaboration with the Winnipeg Centre Vineyard team.  Daily reporting and accounting is taking place.  They are also working together with agencies on the ground to ensure effective responses.

Beyond the pressing concerns of providing food, shelter and other supplies to those directly affected, plans are in development for long-term rebuilding.  Many villagers have indicated they would rather have their schools up and running before their own houses are rebuilt.  We are keenly aware of the dangers of disparity and want to engage in rebuilding efforts in a sensitive, wise, and collaborative way in the villages we are active in.  Additionally, we are also very aware of the amazing opportunity to spread God’s love to our neighbours in very practical and compassionate ways.  Let the Kingdom come!

Please continue to PRAY.

Click here to donate.

Click here to access resources to help spread the word.

Make sure you check out our Google Earth Video.

Here’s a map of Nepal highlighting the epicentre of the earthquake on April 25, 2015.

Here are the locations of Vineyard churches which were directly impacted by the earthquake.

Below is a Google Earth view of the churches on the map.  In case you can’t see the names on your screen, the order of the tour is:

1. Dakhbari Sangati (Kathmandu Vineyard)
2. Chhampi Vineyard
3. Kothgoan Vineyard
4. Dakhbari Sangati (Kathmandu Vineyard)
5. Gorkha Vineyard (near the epicentre)
6. Dakhbari Sangati (Kathmandu Vineyard)
7. Gadlang Vineyard
8. Nessing Vineyard
9. Dakhbari Sangati (Kathmandu Vineyard)

HRV Earthquake churches from WCV on Vimeo.

>> Click here to Donate to the Nepal Disaster Fund.

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Here’s the news as of Thursday, 9pm Nepal Time.

High Mountain villages of Gadlang, Nessing, Tipling & Sertung:

We’ve finally heard word from this region and, like most other remote areas in Nepal, the situation is bad. All the houses and most other buildings are down. They are built with dry stone construction and do not withstand earthquakes. Shelter is limited and people are cold and hungry. They have begun to kill their animals for food. Aid has not yet arrived. The road into Gadlang (the rest of the villages are only accessible by foot) is blocked from landslides. From Kathmandu, you can only get 20% of the way. We are still working on getting supplies airlifted in, but this is proving difficult. Given this grim picture, we are grateful that no fatalities have been reported at this point! There was a rumour in Nessing that Mingmar, one of their girls who lives in the Kathmandu Vineyard, was killed. The village was mourning her, while at the same time, those in the outside were dealing with the possibility of huge losses in those villages. When word came through that she was alive and that there were no fatalities in the village, both sides were relieved and humoured at the power of rumours!

Kathmandu:

Line-ups for water in Kathmandu

The situation in Kathmandu is getting worse. 1,000s of people are attempting to leave the city because of unstable structures and the stench from unrecovered bodies in the rubble. Rain is falling which does not help the situation. Rations are in effect for basic commodities and prices are increasing. The team is using all their connections to acquire relief supplies. There are basic food hampers being given out from the Kathmandu Vineyard, which continues to provide shelter to a number of people. Due to limited supplies, they are being careful to not become a major distribution hub while at the same time attempting to be generous.

Kothgaon & Chhampi:

Since they are closer to Kathmandu, the teams have been working up in these villages daily. With international and local expertise, a helpful demolition and temporary shelter strategy has been developed. Because supplies are limited, using reclaimed materials has become key. As demolition commences, they are retrieving personal belongings, food and building supplies such as bamboo and tin. A prototype for temporary shelter was finished today using reclaimed bricks for the floor, bamboo and tin for the walls and roof. Tarps and plastic are also used when available. This will become a model for the other villages.

Nareshawr (Gorhka):

Damage is less extensive than initial reports indicated. Still, aid is critical and we will be delivering supplies on a regular basis as available.

Strategic Plan:

A plan has been developed with local and international expertise and will be implemented by the HRV’s Earthquake Disaster Management team and Winnipeg Centre Vineyard. We are working and consulting with other agencies to collaborate and assist where needed. Reporting and documentation will be handled on the ground in conjunction with WCV. The Earthquake Disaster Management team has a template through which they will filter all needs. We will stick to our 6 point plan which is:

1. Critical first response to immediately accessible regions
2. Demo – excavation with excavator (not yet acquired)
3. Demo – 6-Person, 5-day Local Teams
4. High mountain Teams: Gadlang, Nessing, Tippling, Sertung
5. House Rebuilding
6. Sustainable Infrastructure Rebuilding

More details of these steps and philosophy will be available soon.  Check back.

Quick Points:

A truck similar to this will be purchased for supply runs

Over 100 houses amongst our community members are down. We are providing aid and support to these and their neighbours. We are empowering our people be good neighbours in this time of great need.

Airlift is critical for the high mountain villages.

A 4×4 truck will be purchased in the next few days. This will be critical in our efforts in the coming months.

Thank you!

Thanks to all who have contributed financially and have provided prayer support for us and those directly affected.  We are so grateful and overwhelmed by your response.  The need is still great.  Please help us spread the word.  God is with us!  We are relying on his wisdom, his connections, his provision, his presence, and his love to sustain us and propel us forward in this disaster.  Please continue to pray.

To donate, click here.

To donate, click here.

Here’s the latest as of Tuesday, 9pm Nepal time.

Gorkha – the Epicentre:

Rice destined for Gorhka. Raju on the right.

A Jeep bearing rice, salt, tarps and blankets arrived in Gorkha Monday night.  It was a treacherous trip because of the rain and road conditions.  They got into an accident but all are ok (the jeep isn’t).  Raju, the pastor of the Kathmandu Vineyard, grew up in Gorkha.  He will deliver these supplies and will hopefully give us news tomorrow.  Nathan says, “I do apologize to the world that the first blankets brought to the region include Hello Kitty blankets.”

Kathmandu:

Nathan says: “People are starting to wake up to the realities of limited food supply.  We’ve been in shock for three days. But now, the realities of a very broken infrastructure are sinking in. Hoarding, banditry, and panic for supplies are creeping closer.  A well-loaded truck full of rice going to the epicenter is an easy target. Oh God, save this mission of mercy.

Kathmandu Vineyard courtyard

In Kathmandu the rain has started. It’s feels like the monsoon, but it’s not due for a week. The thunder is so loud that it’s hard to tell by the noise if it’s an aftershock or just the monsoon come early.  And people are only under plastic.  The whole city is under plastic.  The villages sit under plastic. The houses are still unstable with all the cracks gaping holes, and aftershocks… we cannot go inside.”

Where We’re Working:

We are operational in the following locations with Vineyard communities – we’re working with our people and our neighbours:

Kathmandu – Within hours of the earthquake we were feeding and providing shelter to several hundred people.  These activities are ongoing.

Damage in Chhampi

Chhampi & Kotgaon – Two towns on the outskirts of Kathmandu. High degree of damage but fairly accessible from Kathmandu.  Food and temporary shelter supplies began to be distributed on Sunday.  Locally hired demolition teams are commencing work.

Gorhka – Effectively the epicentre of the earthquake.  A jeep just made it in Monday night.  It was a dangerous drive because of the rain and landslides.  They got into an accident on the way, but all are ok (the jeep isn’t).  Rice and relief supplies will be delivered Wednesday.  Survey and report will be given at that time.

Gadlang, Nessing, Tippling, Goljung, Grai – High mountain villages near the border of Tibet. We are awaiting reports and access.  Currently the pastor from Gadlang is attempting to bring word to Kathmandu.  Only Gadlang has a road in normal circumstances.  The rest are only accessible by foot.  This lack of news is very troubling.

God’s Hand:

People are saying, “because you went to church, you are saved”.  This is literally true.  It also happens that our Canadian team includes owners of a steel company and another company which specializes in demolition.  Both Paul and Darrel are providing critical advice on assessing damage and creating safe models for demolition.  An architect from Germany will be joining tomorrow.  It is a great collaboration between Western expertise and Nepali know-how.

The Widow’s Mite:

Today at WCV’s Drop-In for our street involved and homeless community, there was an amazing time of sharing and prayer.  There is a deep sense of kinship among those who are homeless.  Our Winnipeg street community empathized deeply with our newly homeless Nepali community.  Kenny, one of our long-time drop-in community members, shared about the time he got to go to Nepal (true story!).  An offering was taken and our generous drop-in crowd dug deep into their pockets!  God, Multiply!…

Donations:

Thank you to all who have given money to this effort.  We will keep the updates coming.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.  However, we will not be publishing amounts due to sensitivity on the ground in Nepal.

To donate, click here.

Keep praying.  Here are some prayer points.