Residents drive by some of the destruction in Kathmandu caused by an earthquake that has killed nearly 4,000 and injured more than 7,000 others. IMB Photo
As the world watches the escalating devastation in Nepal, more than 40 International Mission Board workers from South Asia gathered April 26-28 at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, for a conference encouraging 140 churches to make commitments to reach the nations.
Conference attendees prayed for those impacted by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal April 25. More than 4,000 deaths have been reported and the quake was felt in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and the Chinese region of Tibet.
A strategy leader, whose work includes Nepal, shared his mixed emotions about being in Texas instead of working beside his friends in the devastated country.
“I don’t know about the Lord’s timing. I’d rather be there today,” he said.
But he acknowledged the opportunity to advocate for the people he loves and asked U.S. churches to enter significant partnerships on behalf of South Asians.
“It’s no coincidence that a number of us are gathered here in one place,” he said. “In a way, it’s almost like God is clashing the cymbals and banging the gongs to say, ‘This is it.’ As we consider the ends of the earth, it is a strategic moment in Nepal.
“It’s hard not to focus on the loss of life in Nepal, but the potential of what comes next is really exciting,” he said. “Southern Baptists have been praying for generations to reach the lost. They’ve prayed, ‘Lord, shake the nations, Lord, do something that causes and breaks hearts open to look to you.’ Now is the time.”
During a time of prayer for Nepal at the opening session of the conference, the worker reminded the crowd of nearly 400 participants that Hindu temples and man-made buildings crumbled, “But we worship a God whose throne was not shaken.”
He asked believers in the U.S. to pray the Nepali church will “find its voice” and set themselves apart as people who meet the needs caused by the devastating earthquake in a way that will make history.
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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Marie Curtis
