We had only one larger after-quake at 10:10 last night with some small tremors. The quake sent shivers down my spine as the haunting rumble and shaking still penetrates my soul to the core.
Reports continue to trickle in. Now 2,500 are confirmed dead, 1,100 in Kathmandu alone. Whole villages in seven districts were destroyed with at least eighty percent of the homes in these district destroyed because they were farm homes made of stone and mud. Hundreds of believers who had gathered for worship when the quake hit have lost their lives. Sixty people from the El Shadi Church in Kathmandu died during their service. Six church planters closer to the epicenter have lost everything. Their houses are demolished covering and contaminating all the food they had stored, so they have nothing to eat. Roads are impassible because of landslides and many bridges have been destroyed. We have tried for two days to reach some church planters in the hardest hit districts and we still have been unable to get through to them. One precious older lady that Donna taught this past February and her husband who oversees four churches are missing.
So instead of going to the Fly Dubai office this morning to get a flight out, I have talked with Donna and decided to stay and help in whatever way possible. It is clear that my cancelled flight last night has opened the door for me to serve our brothers and sisters and their villages. Even at 5am I had the joy to cook and serve breakfast to some brothers from Nepal and Pakistan who had come for training and are unable to return to their families because of cancelled flights and landslides blocking roads. All I had available was oatmeal and coffee, but they were most grateful for a warm breakfast after they endured a cold, rainy night outside huddled under a plastic. They were all laughing because the guys stuck on the edges got wet and shivered most of the night.
I met with different Christian leaders today, we prayed for those devastated by the quake and asked the Lord to give us direction on how we may show the love of Christ. This is what we believe the Lord would have us do: We will collect funds from churches in Nepal and the US. I am asking pastors and churches from the United States to take a special offering this Sunday for earthquake victims in Nepal. The funds will be expedited to Gospel Harvest Mission on Monday (Donations are accepted on this site at: http://ghmission.org/donate/ or checks can be sent priority mail to GHM, 2213 Rudy Road, Harrisburg, PA 17104). Donna will deposit and wire the money to me and we will wire funds to our church planters and pastors in the villages that are most devastated. They will become our army to distribute help to their communities.
Right now food, blankets, and temporary shelter is the greatest need. We will continue to put the logistics together to do the greatest good with your gifts, and I would ask you to open your heart to those in Nepal. This has been the worst natural disaster the country has experienced in eighty years.
Oh, my Lord…we just had another large after-shock-9:37pm-Monday night. It has been over a minute and I don’t know if it is me or the ground that is shaking. Please keep praying for us. I am going to head for the street and sign off.
Much Love,
Paul
Finish The Mission 