Christians bring aid to overlooked villages in Nepal

Nepal (MNN) — The United Nations says response to their earthquake appeal has been slow. Residents of remote villages in Nepal, some of which were leveled, say they had still not received any government aid since the quake struck last month.

Time is growing short. World Mission CEO Greg Kelley explains, “One of the tragedies of the timing of this earthquake is that we’re going into the monsoon season in Nepal, so torrential downpours can be expected coming in May, into June, July, and August. That obviously compounds the situation.”

However, World Mission has a team making final preparations for a trip to Nepal in a couple of weeks. The timing? It’s a God-thing. “We had a group that was already scheduled to go in the first week of June and do ministry, leadership training, and distribute Treasures–our solar-powered audio Bibles.” The team also hopes to “encourage the nationals there.”

With the information being sent by World Mission partners on the Nepali side, they know what to prepare for. “People will be going into some areas where the earthquake has particularly damaged at a high percentage: 80% of some villages had been wiped out. So they’ll go in there and minister to people. It’s still in survival mode with water, food, tents and traps for shelter–the basic necessities of survival.” Kelley adds, “The agenda is just to be responsive, be a blessing, and encourage people. They’re taking in 2,000 Treasures, which is the most that any one of our short-term teams have ever taken on a trip.”

When faced with a shortage of survival goods, what good is a Treasure? The Nepali people have “observed around Kathmandu and other places, all of their false idols and false gods, temples, crumbling to the ground,” leading to the question, Kelley explains, “When people hear the Gospel in their own language, there’s just such receptivity to it because they feel like God is speaking their language.”

Kelley says the tragedy has positioned the local church to have a tremendous influence in sharing the Gospel. Simply put: they were ready with answers in a time of need. He explains, “One of our partners was in an emergency triage response, and every single person that received medical care, she asked if she could pray with them. Without exception, they all accepted, and many of them received Christ.”

Another partner wrote,

“[Sic] I am glad that our children at the orphanage got two big tents. Yesterday we started repairing and rebuilding our orphanage.

We distributed 300 tents and mattresses to believers and non-believers. More than 10,000 masks were given. We also distributed rice, dal (lentil), cooking oil, sugar, tea bags, soap, noodles, etc., for 500 people in various places like Kapan, Sukedhara, Narayanthan, Sindhuli, and Nuwakot. We also distributed medicine to 120 families.

Praise God for all of you who are giving freely to relieve us. The orphanage children are fine. We are still unsure when their school will reopen.

My wife, Bidhya, is doing better, after the death of her sister-in-law, and her family is being comforted. We had a privilege to bless them even though they don’t believe in Jesus. We did hear that our son who is in India at Bible School is fine. He and the other students are doing good and preparing to go to the villages for a month of service. God is good.

I am also going next to Dapcha, Sindhuli, and Nuwakot for relief work this week and the following week. We will be doing repairs and reconstruction.

Dear friends, your help is a great means to us, and it is so countable in God’s sight. We continue to help rebuild our believers’ houses and churches in the villages. Please continue to be praying for us.”

To that end, Kelley chimes in on prayer requests for the team heading into the area in June: “We could really use prayer that the Lord would help pave the way–safe travel, safe connections, arrivals–and that the roads are clear because landslides have been a real issue.”