Last week, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, the mountainous country between Tibet and India. The epicenter was located midway between the capital, Kathmandu, and the nation’s second-largest city, Pokhara. Aftershocks magnified the damage and complicated rescue efforts. Thousands of people are known to have died including reports of fatalities in India, Bangladesh, Tibet, and on Mount Everest.
Barb Wooler, director of crisis response for Encompass World Partners, has issued a call for prayer and giving as a team is preparing to deploy in a couple of weeks. Partnering with another evangelical mission agency, they will focus on a grouping of 13 church plants in the area hit by the earthquake. A team will be assembled to help on-site, concentrating on trauma counseling and clean-up. Until then, funds are needed to be used for immediate needs — tents, water, food, blankets, etc. A goal of $30,000 has been set for this need. To give toward this effort, click here. Please manually chose the Crisis Response Network from a pull-down menu. If you are interested in volunteering to serve, contact Barb Wooler directly at bwooler@encompassworld.org.
John McCollum, executive director of Asia’s Hope (which has orphan homes in northern India), reported on Facebook: “We are thankful that all of the kids and staff of Asia’s Hope India are safe and properties seem undamaged. But we are concerned for our brothers and sisters in nearby Nepal.”
Asia’s Hope is responding to this crisis by prioritizing grassroots, orphan-focused relief efforts. All funds donated will be distributed to Nepali and Indian leaders connected to Asia’s Hope who are already caring for orphaned children and those caring for children orphaned by the earthquake. Click here for more information.
This article first appeared in GraceConnect eNews. To subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter that includes news and information from congregations in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, click here.