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JP’s Story: Hope for Nepal

A number of weeks ago, we were all astonished to learn of the earthquakes in Nepal that rocked the Richter scale and cause wide-sweeping devastation. As the death toll mounted, we prayed for respite for the people of this beautiful, rugged nation. The aftershocks that continued to reverberate have thankfully lessened now. Sadly, what is left is a nation on its knees as it attempts to recover from this historic natural disaster. The current death toll stands at over 8,500.

In light of this disaster, it can be difficult to find hope or seek out the stories of God’s goodness, and yet that is precisely why I am writing this article. The week of the first earthquake saw James Sundararajan (India Director) and Hari Chhetri (Nepal Director) embark on their most ambitious distribution trip to date. They were able to distribute close to 500 audio Bibles in two of the major languages in Nepal, Nepali and Maithili. The villages they visited were inaccessible by any form of transportation except foot traffic. They met with pastors and people who have waited for an exceptionally long time to receive audio Bibles.

James decided to cut his trip short by one day because the flight prices for Friday were astronomically higher than the prices for flights leaving on Thursday. Little did James know that God’s protective hand was enabling him to leave by way of the fully functioning Kathmandu airport before the earthquake hit. He made it safely to Bangalore only to learn the horrifying news of the earthquake. Our attentions were immediately focused on our director, Hari, and his young family. After many long hours we got ahold of Hari. We were relieved to hear that he and his family were fine. Unfortunately, due to the aftershocks that continued to ravage the capital, Hari and his family have moved into a tent outside their building. They will continue to stay in tents on the street until they feel safe enough to return to their home. We have heard that there are still many bodies buried in the rubble that have not been found or cleared, and an awful stench fills the neighborhoods. Food and water supplies have run low, and people fear the outbreak of disease due to the poor living conditions.

We are very thankful that the lives of Hari and his family were spared and we continue to pray that overall damage would be minimal. We are also hopeful that the audio Bibles that were distributed in areas that were worst hit will provide sustenance to people who need to be reminded they are loved and not alone. We do not know exactly how God will show up in these situations but we eagerly look forward to love and redemption being the ultimate triumph.

Thank you for walking with us in this journey.

JP Sundararajan
India-Asia Director

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