Nepal (MNN) — A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Tibet region last Tuesday, January 7. At least 126 people died and more than 47,000 have had to relocate in the midst of below-freezing temperatures.
Tremors reached down into Nepal and India too. A man we’ll call Chitry is A3’s Country Director for Nepal. He was literally reading Scriptures about God shaking mountains and rolling rivers.
“Right there, as I was doing devotions, and then earthquake hit there, and I couldn’t get up and move even and run away. That’s what happens. It wasn’t long, probably 45 second, almost [a] minute,” he says.
More than 1,600 aftershocks have rolled through the region as of Friday, slowing rescue and relief work. Tragically, experts say it’s likely that those who were still trapped underneath the wreckage died from hypothermia.
Chitry says they are reaching out to people in northern Nepal to assess any needs there. It’s an important time, he says, remembering how after the deadly 2015 Nepal earthquake Christians rallied others to begin clearing rubble.
Shakemap from USGS for the magnitude 7.1 Tibet earthquake. (Photo courtesy of United States Geological Survey via Wikimedia Commons)
“Many people were shock[ed] and they had no desire to move and do anything. When we went with the love of Christ, people were moved. Within the day… they started to come and help side-by-side with us. We as Christian[s] need to initiate and work so that other will join together also.”
He remembers people who’s lives were completely changed after that 2015 disaster.
“These kinds of things actually moves the heart of the people, and the Holy Spirit can work in their life. They find Jesus as their Lord and Savior,” he says.
Please pray for those who will be serving as the hands and feet of Christ after the quake, that their witness will be strong. Pray also for urgent, ongoing relief work, and consider supporting these efforts.
“If our brothers and sisters in USA and around the world can join with us, we can help them show the love of Christ and also meet their needs,” says Chitry.
Header image: Screenshot of a video from China News Service that shows the aftermath of the 2025 Tibet earthquake. (Photo by China News Service courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=157606649)
