NEPAL, May 13, 2015 (MNN): Nepal (Mission Network Online): Nepalese are afraid to go inside any building. For the second time in less than three weeks, Nepal was shaken by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, leaving many dead and hundreds more injured. President of Asian Access Joe Handley says, “The reports fresh from the field [are] that there’s just a great deal of fear. People are in buildings that aren’t very solid, and so they’ve raced outside. Everyone is trying to get into the open air, or in a tent in Kathmandu.”
The earthquake is shaking the faith of many Hindus in this predominantly-Hindu nation. What does that mean for groups like Asian Access? “People are grappling with ‘How do the gods that I serve allow something so tragic to occur?’ Pastors are well-equipped to handle the spiritual side of things,” says Handley. “They’re also often the best when it comes to emotional care.”
According to Handley, these uncertain times are laying the groundwork for churches to provide tangible aid. “We’re trying to mobilize aid to probably about 30 churches that are right in the middle of the worst-hit areas, to be a point of light in these neighborhoods.” Pastors and motivated Christians are reaching out with emergency aid as well as with the message of the Gospel.