As I reflect on my trip to Nepal and the devastation that I saw virtually everywhere as well as the clear signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in nearly everyone I came across, I was reminded of this phrase from Chris Tomlin's song: "Our God":
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There's no one like you none like You!
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!
Devastating village after village as well as numerous buildings collapsed in the capital city Kathmandu, at first led me to despair. How could we ever help make a difference here? This multi-year, $5B endeavor is too much, I thought. Even the U.N. isn't receiving enough money as they determined to impact the nation. This is going to be a long, tough road for the Nepali people and most of the world have already forgotten them!
Then, signs of hope started to emerge... Glimmers of the healing touch of Jesus. As we went, village to village, my friends and colleagues would sit down with me and those who've been impacted, listened to their stories of deep suffering, pain and loss. One by one, we prayed for them and you could see that the Great Healer, the one Chris speaks about in his song: "Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power" was present. He was bringing calm to their fears.
As we spoke of providing tin roofs to provide adequate shelter from the upcoming monsoons as well as partnering with local schools in communities, you could see people's faces light up. Somebody cares about them; Jesus cares about them!
Indeed, "Our God is Healer" and He is "Awesome in Power"... "Out of [these] ashes we [will] rise"
Join me in praying for the people of Nepal... May we bring the healing touch of Jesus to numerous communities across the nation through providing needed shelter, rebuilding lives, homes and communities. As we serve through the local churches, the Healer will be present bringing hope out of despair, light out of darkness, and healing out of deep pain and loss.
Consider how you can take part: You can pray, you can give, and it looks like you'll be able to go! Soon, we'll be posting news about teams to serve if you sense the Lord calling you to help. Please keep praying, keep giving and consider going. Nepal needs all the help she can get and you can be part of God's healing presence!
Grateful for your prayers and support,
Joe Handley, President
A3
More Information
- Get the latest updates on A3's Nepal earthquake relief...
- The $10K matching grant for Nepal earthquake relief from Christian Community Credit Union has been met.
- Pray for Nepal
- Give... (click the red button)
