Nepal Earthquake Update — K.P. Yohannan

Nepal’s Earthquake Crisis and Rising Death Toll

Hi, this is K .P. Yohanan, President of Gospel for Asia, and I just want to give you an update on what's happening in Nepal. Obviously you heard about it, possibly the worst crisis that that nation is dealing with.

And just as we are preparing to do this clip, an email came from our leader in Nepal, Bishop Narayan Sharma, and this is what he says, the President of the country now, or the Prime Minister says, their death toll has gone up over 5 ,064, and 8 million people's lives have been affected by this earthquake.

And 1 .5 million people are in need of food and clean water. And they predict the death toll could go way over 10 or 15 ,000. And Narayan Sharma says it was Saturday morning, 11 .45, he was teaching in the local church there in Kathmandu, when the whole building began to shake.

Churches Respond as the Earthquake Strikes

And knowing this is a church, people from the community all began to rush into the building for safety. And of course, you know, the believers prayed for them, and the unfortunate thing, two churches collapsed in the region, and some 45 people, believers are dead.

Keep in mind, Saturday is the Sunday for the country of Nepal, not Sunday. So all churches of all denominations, they gather Saturday morning for worship, and that's exactly when it took place. And then he says, anything we talk about this earthquake will be less.

Human Suffering and the Mission of Relief Workers

Many villages in Sundarpalok district has lost 70 of the homes. And for three days, the entire Kathmandu valley, people are living on the streets. And our people, 250 of our workers, 24 hours are putting up shelters and cooking meals and bringing hope and taking people to hospital, and the work goes on.

And this one statement that he writes in his email, this earthquake has become a symbol of human suffering. God, is there any suffering beyond this point? This was the statement of a man who lost eight members of his family in this quake.

Missionaries Serving the Poor and Needy

And you know, the email goes on to describe more in detail about the thousands and thousands of people that are in desperate need, and thank God that 250 of our missionaries and workers are serving the poor and the needy, and by the grace of God, we are 450 missionaries and churches in the country and 20 schools, and the work goes on.

Praying for Nepal and Becoming Light and Salt

We already started sending resources and help. Please do pray, and let's enter into the suffering and the pain of our Father in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the people of Nepal. Pray for the government there, and the ministers, the leaders, and especially the Christians who will now become the light and the salt and the hope of a nation.