Dear Friend of Eurasia,
Prem Maya didn’t know if she was going to live or die.
Trapped under a pile of rubble, she struggled to hold on to hope that she’d be rescued.
It was April 25, 2015. That morning, Prem and her fellow believers had gathered to worship together in their hillside church in the Sindupalchok district of Nepal.
At 11:56 am, as Prem’s pastor preached, the earth began to shake violently.
The concrete wall behind the platform suddenly collapsed outward, the rush of air pulling the pastor right out of the building.
Church members panicked as they realized a major earthquake was upon them. They rushed for the nearest exits. Prem and her mother turned instinctively toward the back door, as did many others.
Precious seconds were lost as the crowd tried to squeeze through the tiny opening that only allowed one or two people at a time. As the walls collapsed around them, Prem heard her mother call out, “My daughter, my daughter!”
Prem was trapped in the rubble of the collapsed building for two and a half hours before being rescued. She suffered minor injuries to her back, but no other wounds. She was amazed to be alive.
But her church lost 16 members that day, including her mother. Nothing was left of the church building but rubble. Although Prem and her pastor survived, the emotional scars the earthquake left on the entire congregation will take years to heal.
In all, 47 Assemblies of God believers died as a result of the earthquake and its aftermath, and 150 Nepali churches were damaged or destroyed.
Thousands of Nepali Christians no longer have churches in which to gather. Monsoon season started in June, and will last for months—so tents and open-air gatherings are no longer viable options.
But you can make a practical difference in the lives of these Nepali brothers and sisters!
YOU CAN HELP REBUILD THE AG CHURCHES OF NEPAL.
You or your church can provide a meeting place for a Nepali congregation for just $800!
Let me tell you more about this exciting opportunity.
Immediately after the disaster, AGWM personnel teamed up with Nepal’s AG leaders to assess short- and long-term needs. The greatest construction
need was determined to be temporary church structures that will last 12 to 24 months, until resources are in place to erect strong, earthquake-proof buildings.
Each temporary church costs only $800!
The materials used to build these temporary churches will be recycled into more permanent buildings in the future, so that nothing goes to waste.
Will you pray about what God would have you contribute to help Nepal’s churches?
But perhaps you are among the millions who’ve already given to help Nepal’s disaster victims.
Did you know that if you gave through a government or non-Christian humanitarian organization, your donation is 100% more likely to go toward rebuilding a Hindu or Buddhist temple than a Christian church?
That’s because the majority of Nepalis are Hindu (81.3%) or Buddhist (9%). Several of Nepal’s temples are considered World Heritage Sites, and therefore likely to be fast-tracked for reconstruction.
Since Christians make up only 1.4% of Nepal’s population, they are often mistreated and harassed. Churches will receive no funding either from government sources or humanitarian agencies.
YET TEMPORARY CHURCHES ARE THE GREATEST NEED OF THE NEPAL AG!
If you and I don’t help rebuild Nepal’s churches, who will?
The Apostle Paul instructs us, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)
This is our opportunity to help our Nepali brothers and sisters.
Only days after the big earthquake, our AGWM team in Nepal partnered with Nepali pastors and local volunteers to distribute relief kits of rice, beans, salt, oil, lentils, and tarps to over 5,000 families in remote villages.
And great things started to happen.
The tragic events provided an opening for local pastors and believers to reach out to their community. People who just days before had been persecuting local believers—damaging their property and making personal threats—were now looking to the church for relief aid.
What an opportunity to demonstrate genuine love and “turning of the cheek” to the people of these communities!
An AGWM team leader told me: “We believe strongly that what we are distributing is not simply food and a tent, but we are sowing seeds of relationship that will produce a miraculous harvest for God’s kingdom.”
By rebuilding the churches of Nepal, you are providing places where believers can bring their friends and neighbors to hear more about Jesus!
Perhaps you can’t donate $800. On the giving options, you will find a list of building materials. Will you consider giving $20 for bags of cement, $50 for aluminum roofing sheets, or $200 for beams for a church?
Any amount you give will be a blessing to our brethren in Nepal.
While Prem was trapped in the rubble, feeling abandoned, other believers were frantically digging through the church’s remains looking for survivors.
When they found her, they had to bore a hole through a concrete slab to pull her to safety.
Now she is rejoicing in the Lord and sharing her testimony with everyone!
My friends, this is our chance to show believers in Nepal that we care—that they are not forgotten or abandoned.
Thank you for giving your best gift today. With God’s help, together we can rebuild the churches of Nepal!
Immediately after the disaster, AGWM personnel teamed up with nepal’s AG leaders to assess short- and long-term needs, and the greatest construction need was determined to be church struts: each temporary church costs only $800! By rebuilding the churches of Nepal, you are providing places where believers can bring their friends and neighbors to hear more about Jesus!