Below is a write-up that was posted on Facebook by an American missionary who lives in Nepal with her family. If you are able, find a way to help.
It’s been 3 days since the earthquake hit Nepal. Three very, very long days. The first day was one of the SCARIEST days of my life. There were over 30 aftershocks the first day alone, and it was not just the quakes that were scary but the fear and anticipation of how big and when the next one would be. It felt like the earth was never gonna stop shaking, and we were all just waiting for every building around us to fall. Time seemed to drag on and on as we endured more and more aftershocks. Right about the time I felt a little more relaxed, another big one would hit. When will it every stop? Silver lining: spending all day with the RANCH kids who we were with at church when the earthquake hit. We got to camp outside for 24 hours with some of my favorite people in the world! One RANCH girl said, “It’s like a sleepover, but scary.”
The second day was one of the SADDEST days of my life. Our dear Nepali friend lost his mother when their shop collapsed on top of her. He has been praying for his Hindu family to become Christian ever since he became a believer several years ago. We spent all day with the family, buying wood for the cremation, searching for drinking water, and wondering how in the world we could console the dozens of weeping people (from the dozens of deceased) all around us. I have never considered too much what hell would be like, but all day I kept thinking that hell must be pretty similar: everyone around me was in agony, hopeless, desperate, empty, beyond consolation. The agony seemed so unexpected (even though the earthquake had been anticipated for years) and like it would never end. We prayed for hours for “Ama” to be resurrected, but instead just watched her burn. Silver lining: spending hours interceding on behalf of the Nepali people who I have come to love.
The third day was one of the most EXHAUSTING days of my life. It did not help that I had slept the past two nights in a tent and then a car. The earthquakes were small enough that people felt comfortable to start venturing out more. It was also long enough since the first quake that people were starting to run out of food in their homes. So it felt like all day was spent on a scooter running errands: searching for any store that was open so I could buy petrol, tarps, ropes, water, medicine, food. I also drove around for hours searching for an American friend who was missing. Silver lining: our friend is safe and it was beautiful to see all our staff (who have been staying together) work together each doing their own part: some taking care of the kids, others cooking, others organizing, some buying supplies, a few brainstorming how to get electricity and water in our houses.
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