On April 25, 2015 a horrific 7.8 magnitude earthquake ravaged Nepal. Hope Force responded by sending two back-to-back medical teams. Since then, Hope Force has raised funds to assist with significant rebuilding projects and established a long term partnership with a Nepali-based organization through our US National partner, Crossroads Church. In March 2016 we returned to Nepal with a construction team and a medical team to once again work hand-in-hand with our Nepali partner. The medical team provided care to people living in the surrounding rural areas, thus serving as “goodwill” ambassadors. The construction team concentrated on rebuilding facilities lost by our Nepali partner organization during the quake.
Our Nepali-based partner is an amazing organization that works to battle the horrors of human trafficking. This organization works collaboratively with Hope Force in an effort to meet the critical needs of survivors. The on-going relationship that has been established since 2015 has decidedly gone from partnership to that of “family.”
Hope Force has continued to send a combination of construction and medical teams each year - sometimes multiple times a year - since the initial earthquake in 2015. Through our Nepali partner, we have been steadily working on rebuilding some of their structures at a facility they call “The Farm”. The Farm is a place of respite and work in the Himalayan mountains. It is a place where they are growing food, and providing a retreat for staff and volunteers. Eventually their dream is to be able to provide food for the children who have been rescued out of the trafficking industry.
Those who have been fortunate enough to join HFI in Nepal have found it to be one of the most meaningful ministry experiences of their lives. It is an opportunity to witness God’s rescuing and restorative intervention on behalf of seriously abused and once helpless children enslaved in human trafficking. Through sacrificial acts of service, team members have the privilege of investing into the future stability and strength of the ministry. A cornerstone of this outreach is expressing the tangible love of God to staff and children alike.
If you are interested in joining a team to Nepal, please email Alan Sowell.
Read this story covered by the Tennessean on one of our Nepal trips.
“With four days notice, I dropped everything to travel to a disaster-stricken country, and since being here I’ve been through a 7.4 earthquake (my first earthquake ever), NUMEROUS aftershocks including a 6.3 and 5.7, actually feared for my life countless times, nearly jumped off a bus/out of a truck three times, have developed a startle and sprint reaction time like no other, and now know how fast my heart rate can go from 50 to 150 in response to a quake alarm.
But I’ve been able to help so many people who have suffered so much loss and injury, and have met and been reunited with some of the most amazing people…. I’m so blessed to have been able to serve with all of you these past 12 days. I’ll never forget it!”
- HFI Nurse, Teryn Warnke on her time in Nepal
A combination of medical relief and construction rebuild trip. Hope Force has deployed teams to Nepal with our on-the-ground partner for six years — working side-by-side in an effort to rebuild that which was lost. Construction teams work hand-in-hand with our partner — rebuilding facilities lost to our Nepali partner during the quake and modest homes for staff of our local partner and other projects. Medical teams provide care to people living in the surrounding rural areas as well as in Kathmandu – thus serving as “goodwill” ambassadors on behalf of our Nepali partner.
If you would like more information about the annual trip to Nepal, please email Alan Sowell.
