Earthquake

Jenny walking from our house

“Have you told Leah about the possibility of an earthquake here” said Jenny. 24 hours later it came. We are only just back on internet so if you are reading this then you probably know more about what has happened in Nepal than we do! Here is a copy of the message we sent to friends and family:

We are all fine. Its now 8am here and we are sitting outside in the garden where a wall conveniently fell down giving us easy access to a safe spot away from buildings. About 40 of our neighbours, including a 4 day old, slept here last night under a tarpaulin. Fortunately there was only a tiny drop of rain as we weren’t under the shelter.

You will have lots more info than us about what is going on. There is no internet from here so we are hoping we can find some where to send this. Electricity is off altogether so people’s internet mobiles are running out of power. After the first shock we had about 20 further shocks/tremors. The last one came at about 5 this morning so we still don’t know if its safe to go back inside but we do shoot in to get things, make tea, use loo etc.

Having a quick cycle around the area this morning I was amazed at how few houses have come down in our area. The old Durbar square is worst hit with several temples in rubble.

It was very scary when it came. Jenny was quickest to react and ricocheted down the stairs screaming at Leah to get out. Leah was skyping her parents but managed to hit the off button as she ran so they didn’t worry. I foolishly grabbed my lap top and that slight delay meant I was suddenly thrown to the floor and thought I wasn’t going to get out so tried to pull the bed over my head – except its a bed with struts on the bottom so its impossible. Got down just after the others with a few cuts and bruises but fine.

We stood in a huddle with neighbours, holding hands as more shocks came and the ground wobbled like a water bed or ship at sea. Gates, trees and windows waved around and we heard the occasional loud crashing sound and the swoosh of outside walls turning to rubble.

Looking at the papers this morning it looks like other areas have had it much worse. For us we now wait for news wondering when water and electricity will be returned.

Our neighbours

All is amazingly calm most of the time here. A few shops are open. There is no panic buying or hiking of prices. People are sharing food and blankets. Someone has now set up  a stove to make Dahl Bhat.

Another piece of excitement in the night came when people started shouting ‘light’, ‘thief’. It looked like a light had gone on in one of the neighbours houses and they thought it was being robbed. Several young men rushed up there but it seems it was a cat.

We still feel occasional dizziness, especially when going up the stairs. It’s a bit like getting off a boat and coming on to dry land but not having your land legs. There is a relief we are OK, concern about others, anxiety that we just don’t know if another big tremor may come. However it’s a great way of getting to know the neighbours.

Thinking of you all – no need for you to worry. Hopefully life will return to normal soon.

Love from us all

A,J and L

Fresh Eyes

It was great to have two friends from Plymouth staying with us for a weekend. It was their first time in the ‘two thirds world’ and so the craziness of the traffic and the electric wiring, seeing four people on a motor bike and three different religions at worship in a morning was all new to them. It helped us to see Kathmandu through fresh eyes again. We visited tourist sites and took our time just enjoying the differentness of Nepal, where so much of life is lived on the streets rather than behind closed doors.

Andy also had fresh eyes observing the work of the Bible College last week. A team of three came from the Asian Theological Association to see if the College met the standards required for accreditation of the B.Th. course. They observed classes, questioned students, staff and faculty and examined huge amounts of documentation. They did a really good job of testing without making it seem like a visit to the dentist.

There were two bits of good news. Firstly they are happy to offer us accreditation! This is really beneficial for our students as our degree will now be recognised in institutions around the world. Secondly, they helped us to see several ways in which we can improve and also to recognise that there are areas where we are doing really well. It was a great encouragement for the Principal who was for a long time the only full time member of faculty and whose vision has driven the college forward. And it gives a focus for the ongoing development of our work.

Other news: Andy’s niece is with us for 2 months and teaching English at the College prior to further work overseas. One of our church members has a vision to share Jesus with 30,000 people in 3 months!