Christian Growth Strong One Year after Killer Nepal Quake

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 killer earthquake claimed thousands of lives and left millions homeless in Nepal. Although relief teams arrived almost immediately, recovery has been slow and it will take years to rebuild the country.

CBN Disaster Relief teams were among the first on the ground. Twenty-four hours after the quake, they were providing food, blankets, clean water, and temporary shelter for survivors. In the following days, the ministry brought medical help and medicine for remote areas.

The ruins of an 800-year-old Hindu temple reminds the Nepali people of the great tragedy that killed more than 9,000 people and left millions homeless.

However, it has given Nepal's Christian community the opportunity to demonstrate the love of God.

"The majority of the people in Nepal are Hindus and Buddhists and other religions," said Beni Karki of Compassionate Hands for Nepal, CBN Disaster Relief’s partner in the recovery effort.

"After the earthquake many Christians went out and started helping peopl, and now (those people) are testifying, 'Your religion is the best because you love us, you care for us, and you come from far away to help us.'"

Krishna Man Tamang is living in a temporary shelter.

"My apartment was destroyed during the earthquake with all my belongings," he said. "I did not have shelter, bed, and even food. It is only through CBN that I now have a place to stay and where my family can be comfortable."

Krishna Man is Hindu, yet the love shown by Karki and the team has made him curious about the Christian faith.

"Before I don’t have an idea about Jesus and the Christian people, but when I got attached to them, I felt that they are friendly and kind. They want to be around me and I feel I should follow their God, Jesus. I want to know more about Jesus," he said.

CBN and Compassionate Hands for Nepal are helping a blind couple revive their soap-making business.

"Life has become more difficult after the earthquake because we lost our meager possessions," Rajiv Tamang told CBN News. "I work for 12 hours a day in the factory and earn $35 every month. I want to have my own business so I can feed my wife and three children. I am grateful to CBN for helping me re-start my own business. this is a big help."

These ministries are also active in the overall rehabilitation phase.

"Now our focus will be rebuilding schools, community halls, livelihood programs for the communities for the families," Karki said. "We are in the process of getting into Nepal 30 interlocking brick presses for building their houses. Once we have them, we will have training for the people to help them build houses in the affected areas."

While physical recovery is slow here, spiritual growth and recovery have been strong.

"We have seen churches being planted in the mountains and hills. The pastors are saying if the assistance was not there, the church would have been closed, but because of the assistance CBN and Compassionate Hands provided, through the church, the community is working to protect the church," Karki explained.

"These are challenging times in Nepal but it is the right time for God’s kingdom to be established in this country," he said.