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Dear Friend of AIM,
Thank you so much for the kind support you have been to AIM! I would like to share a little bit of my recent trip to Nepal.
My husband, Wally, and I had the incredible experience of visiting Nepal about one month after the first big earthquake devastated the country. Having been a mission team member in 2002 and 2003, and leading medical missions to Nepal since 2004, I had known and watched little kids grow up in to young men and women of God over the years. God had put us in relationship with many different people and families. I have such a heart for Nepal that I felt compelled to take the trip, to represent AIM and other teams that have gone to Nepal over the years, to see how our friends were doing, and to let them know that we care.
We left Honolulu on May 22 with 6 checked bags between the two of us. We took 11 tents, two power drill sets, a drill driver, a reciprocating saw with extra blades and all the batteries and chargers that go with them. We had water filters, blankets, clothes, lots of work gloves and other tools.
The damages are great and widespread, an already poor country, hurting even more. The death toll would have been much, much greater had the earthquake been during the night instead of at midday. Our intention was to join in the clean up and rebuilding efforts. However, God had other plans for us. On the advice of pastors there, we were to visit as many as we could and to bring encouragement….allowing people to talk about their experiences, fears, concerns, and to pray with them. This helped them to feel valued and hopeful. Many lost their homes and everything in them, only left with the clothes on their backs.
We were able to meet up with Birbal Tamang, an AIM partner, and hand over monies to aid in his relief work. He had been busy in the village of Sindhupalchok, one of the worst hit areas, almost completely leveled. So many of the people who are helping others are themselves without much. Jomesh, who you may have met at our AIM gathering, is one of them. We also visited Budhakani, the site of our November mission, leaving funds for the repair of the school there. We took a 30-minute helicopter ride to Tipling, which has no road and would have taken at least 2 days by foot to get there. We were able to deliver a load of rice to them.
I was amazed to see that their church is thriving! From the helicopter, we could see the many, many landslides throughout this mountainous country. They have experienced hundreds of aftershocks, which sent already weakened structures crumbling to the ground. Please continue to pray for Nepal, and should you be led to give financially, please know that 100% gets right into the hands that need it, bypassing agency costs and government corruption.
We will be returning with a medical team in November, of which Dr. Mona Suzuki will be a part of, ministering in Budhakani and in the plains area where AIM is funding an additional 20 wells. Thank you again for being a valuable asset to AIM and for making it possible to help relieve human suffering!
Dhanyabaad (thank you)! And may God bless you abundantly!
~maura tanaka~