Aftermath of the Nepal Earthquake:
One Year Later
Nepal Earthquake:
One Year Later
In March and April of 2016, some friends of GFA (SA) visited Nepal and traveled to several regions that were badly affected by the earthquakes. To this day, many people are still rebuilding their lives. The couple who visited Nepal shares their experience.
“In the Ramechhap [district]. . .” the couple said, “we saw devastation from the earthquake everywhere. We had seen the photos that were published when the earthquake struck 12 months ago, but [we] had no idea of how widespread it was or how severe it was. It was like a tornado had hit matchbox houses and had splintered and wrecked them completely. It is going to take years for these villages to recover to normality. In the midst of this carnage, the people are showing great resilience in clearing their broken homes and, with limited finances, rebuilding their lives . . .”
Pastors living in these areas are not immune to the disastrous effects of the earthquakes. The couple who visited Nepal met a pastor and his wife who were affected.
“They were a delightful, happy family who lost everything in the earthquake,” the couple said, “and now [they] live in a one-room little tin shed attached to another small tin shed used as the church. They have no toilet, bathroom or kitchen . . .”
Not long after the two major earthquakes, GFA-supported Compassion Services teams came alongside this pastor and other pastors in the area, helping them bring relief to the 748 families living there. Since then, GFA-supported workers have continued to help those who have lost their homes.
In a different village, the couple also met Pastor Pranish and his family whose home and church were both destroyed in the quakes. The pastor and his wife suffer from different illnesses as a result, yet they have not slowed down the reconstruction. In fact, this couple celebrated Easter Sunday in the congregation’s partially constructed church!
“It was a special blessing to be able to spend several days in [this region],” the couple recalls. “Easter Sunday morning was spent worshipping the Lord with our brothers and sisters in the new church under construction with no roof. It was a great uplifting experience to join with them under an open heaven—literally.”
Even in the midst of a dark time, the hope of heaven is alive and shining on those who are in great need. GFA (SA)-supported Compassion Services teams have been providing aid since the day of the first earthquake and have continued to bring help to thousands of affected families. Yet, as this couple witnessed, there is still much to be done. Thank you for your prayers and support to help families in Nepal find relief and hope for survival.
Read how you can pray for Nepal