Dear Joe
GOD BLESS YOU for your faithfulness for God's Kingdom!! When I read your recent report on Nepal I felt so strong that the Lord wanted me to write a follow up on Nepal (Please see below). We will be praying for A3 and the other groups you mentioned.
In His Grace, Pat
courtesy David & Pat Depew - for May 10, 2015 church bulletins
Mission Focus #885 - PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEPAL (UPDATE FROM A3 AND OTHER CHRISTIAN GROUPS)
You are praying and God is Answering! The following are updates from mission groups, field missionaries and national Nepali Christians that will help you to know how you can further pray and help the Nepali people devastated by the earthquake:
A3 (www.asianaccess.org/)
President Joe Handley wrote, "I just spoke with some friends from Nepal; as you can imagine, they are devastated. Here is what they shared with me:
"Church (members) that have survived have begun to act quickly by providing food, shelter, water, clothes and other needs for the people. It's good to see some pastors and leaders have already started doing this."
"Thank God for many nations and people that are gone to help our country. We are thankful."
As a first step, A3 will send people to Nepal as soon as possible to assess the situation on the ground. Our intent is to hear from local leaders what is needed, and how they believe that A3 can help. In this immediate response period, we will deliver aid through some of the top local churches in the nation. Ten percent of the funds raised will be invested in the equipping and empowering of these leading pastors. The remaining 90% of the funds will be used to provide immediate relief, through their congregations (e.g., fresh water, food, blankets, medical supplies, etc.). As our response team gains an understanding of the situation, we will adjust to meet the real needs on the ground, as identified and prioritized by trusted national leaders.
In disasters such as the earthquake in Nepal, there is a natural urge to send volunteer groups who want to provide short-term help on site. While the intent of these groups is good, THEY do NOT need unskilled volunteers or aid they can't use at this time... In her article, "Don't rush to Nepal to help", Clare Bennett stated, ". . . what is most needed in Nepal right now is money. Donate what you can, to a reputable relief organization, and do research to find out where your money will go." Joe Handley is encouraging Christians to support the following Christian groups with which A3 works:
SUNRISE INTERNATIONAL www.sunriseinternational.org/nepal-relief/
Sunrise President writes, "We are scheduled to be in Nepal May 17-20 for a conference with Abe Huber and around 100 Nepali leaders. I will take funds that are sent to Sunrise for Nepal on this trip and pass it directly to pastors there who will use it to meet the immediate needs of people around them. In 2008 when the cyclone hit Myanmar 138,000 people died and 2 million were homeless. I took about $30,000 to Myanmar and distributed it to local leaders in churches. We made a simple contract with them and asked them to agree to the following: 1. The funds would only be used for the immediate needs of hurting people to provide food, water, medicine, clothes, supplies, etc. (This will not be used for buildings, church programs, etc.) 2. Half of the funds were to help the Christians and the other half were be used to help people in the community. This plan worked very well. Local people understand who has the greatest needs and how the funds can be used most efficiently. We will follow a similar model for this current crisis in Nepal."
SAMARITANS PURSE: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/donation-items/nepal-earthquake-response/
"The deadly earthquake killed thousands. Over 70,000 houses were destroyed. An estimated 2.8 million people have been displaced, including hundreds of thousands who are afraid to return to their houses. Our disaster response team is in Nepal to provide emergency shelter, food, clean water, medical care, and meet other urgent needs for victims of the terrible disaster." Please see the videos that SAMARITANS PURSE is providing on their web site for updates.
PLEASE NOTE: In the long term there will be a need for people who can help repair and rebuild destroyed houses in Nepal. If you or someone you know would like to help in this effort please keep in contact with A3.
PRAY that through the work of GOD'S SERVANTS THE LIVING LORD WILL BE KNOWN IN NEPAL!
