Dear Brethren Stewards in the Cause of God,
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7. The poor are all around us, the distressed, the afflicted, the sorrowing, and those who are ready to perish. There is a greater need for the exercise of mercy today as it has ever been. God has made us His stewards, and He is not to be charged with the sufferings, the misery, the nakedness, and the want of humanity. The Lord has made ample provision for all of us. He has given us large supplies with which to alleviate the needs of these sufferers and underprivileged ones.
“When you meet suffering souls who need help, give it to them. When you find those who are hungry, feed them. In doing this you will be working in lines of Christ's ministry. The Master's holy work was a benevolent work. Let our people everywhere be encouraged to have a part in it.”—Welfare Ministry, p. 29.
We are all aware of the destructive earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015—one of the most powerful disasters to strike Nepal in 81 years, leaving a trail of massive destruction and an estimated 6,400 deaths and over 20,000 thousand injured. Initially, we were trying to establish contact with our brethren in Nepal, but have been unable to get full information. What worries us the most is that there are so many areas about which where we have no information at all, and when we have this silence, it usually means the damage is even worse. The devastation and the desperation wrought by this catastrophe are in the exact area where we do have our brethren.
We have just received a message that many of our brethren have lost their homes. We need to get into action to rescue these brethren from this disaster. They need emergency supplies of drinking water, food, preventive sanitation measures, and help to rebuild their homes. The impact for the entire community has been really devastating.
Below I quote from the communication we received from North India:
“Though the Bible prophecies speak about natural disasters and occurrence of earthquakes, we are saddened by the recent Nepal earthquake with a high magnitude of 7.8 or 8.1 Ms and a series of aftershocks that shook the entire nation of Nepal, and is believed to have killed more than 6,100 people as of April 29, 2015. The death toll increases every hour. This was far more powerful than the earthquake that ruined Haiti in 2010. Major aftershocks of a magnitude of 6.7 have occurred repeatedly. This is a very catastrophic event. Up to 15,000 people may have died in the devastating earthquake. People are in great pain and panic.
“We have tried to establish contact with our people in Nepal. We have not been able to reach them either by mobile or email. Then we sent our members and volunteers to rush to the spot.
“Many of the houses in the hills have collapsed, and the injured are in a bad situation. A few landslides have blocked the roads leading to these places. People across the country sleep outdoors or in cars because of the fear of aftershocks , despite the cold and rainy weather.
“We have sent a team to help in supplying the basic needs such as emergency food (nonperishable), purified water, blankets, tents mats, body bags, torch lights, sanitary supplies, first aid materials, and emergency medicines (like IIV cannulas, IV drip sets, Elastoplast, leucoplast, splints, casts, POP, glows, bandages, and dressings) and have joined in the rescue operations which are carried out with international organizations. The Sindhupalchok District where we have the majority of members has sustained total damage and all the houses were destroyed. Gorkha is another district where our members are—a place where rescue teams are unable to reach. We will keep updating once the team arrives there. The Kathmandu airport was shut for a couple of days.
“It will take a great deal of time and resources to bring back our people to normal. They need our prayers, aid, and support to recover from the effects of the earthquake.”
Despite the lack of reliable data about the extent of the property damage caused by the quake, the Welfare Department has immediately organized funds and persons to embark on the task of distributing relief and to engage in the service of helping the victims. Yet, now we realize that what we gave is not enough. We need more—so much more!
You can help make a difference by donating as little or as much as you can. United States residents can make tax-deductible donations. The General Conference ensures that 100% of the donations will go directly to help the victims and their families.
Please, forward to the General Conference's Welfare Department such donations as you feel appropriate to help our devastated brothers, sisters, children, entire families, and others in this stricken jurisdiction. Please make checks payable to the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement General Conference, World Disaster Relief Fund and send to 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019, USA.
Please mark on your check that you wish the donation to go to the Nepal Relief. There are two ways to donate:
By check payable to:
Seventh Day Adventist General Conference
5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019, USA
By PayPal: Specify for Nepal Relief
Your brother in Christ,
General Conference Welfare Department
D. Sureshkumar, Director