Pray for Nepal and Tibet After Catastrophic Flooding
Pray for the Word of God to be known in Nepal
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Invest in NepalCatastrophic flooding swept through towns and villages along the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug. 26, killing at least hundreds of people and leaving over 1,000 missing.
Locals were stunned by the massive wall of water, possibly triggered by a glacial break high in the Himalayan mountains. The break was so powerful, geologists initially thought it was an earthquake.
The waters overwhelmed the Gyirong Port, home to the major land crossing between Nepal and China. The flooding rushed into Nepal, unearthing boulders and washing some victims’ bodies 150 miles to the south.
Fears mounted that a dam created during the disaster could break and cause more flooding, as meteorologists said heavy rains were also a possibility in the region over the next few days.
A local believer working with Radical in Nepal said conditions were safe in the capital city of Kathmandu, but devastating in the flooded region about two hours north. He asked the global church to pray for those suffering and those still missing.
Meanwhile, rescue workers rushed to find survivors in towns buried under mud and massive water damage. Survivors mourned lost loved ones, and friends and relatives frantically tried to reach the missing.
The affected area is a popular site for Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimages, and hundreds of foreign tourists were among the missing.
THE LAND OF SEEKERS
Nepal isn’t just a popular tourist site for spiritual seekers. It’s home to what’s considered some of the holiest sites for both Hinduism and Buddhism: It’s the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha.
And it’s home to the Pashupatinath Temple, a place where Hindus from all over the world visit, and where devout Hindus come to cremate their dead on the banks of the Bagmati River.
Nepal isn’t home to many followers of Jesus. Christianity was forbidden in the remote country until 1951. When the government finally allowed missionaries to enter Nepal, they only allowed them to conduct social work.
But missionaries had already reached Nepalese living along the border with India, and Nepalese converts were some of the first believers to bring the gospel into their own country.
Since then, churches have grown, and the gospel has spread, but less than 2 percent of the population identifies as Christians. Still, gospel efforts continue, including Radical’s partnership with a local seminary to train future pastors and ministry leaders.
In a remote land that’s literally and spiritually hard to reach, the gospel continues to break through.
PRAY FOR NEPAL’S SUFFERING AND THE CHURCH’S WITNESS
As Nepal grapples with its own brokenness in the wake of the recent flooding, opportunities abound for the global church to pray:
- Pray for rescuers searching for survivors.
- Pray for families mourning the loss of homes and loved ones.
- Pray for protection against disease and hunger.
- Pray for believers in Nepal to have a ministry among the suffering.
Pray the local church will have opportunities to reach out to neighbors with the love of Christ in a land that desperately needs it.
