How to pray for Nepal after massive flooding

The world has been stunned as videos, stories and photos have come out of Nepal during the past week.

On August 26, flash floods caused by a melting glacier swept through multiple villages in Nepal, near the border with the Tibet autonomous region of China. The floods were quick and violent, dumping mud, rock and debris at such rapid speeds that entire villages were swept away and buried underground. This has made rescue and relief operations extremely challenging. There are additional fears of more glacial melt, making aid plans difficult.

You can see some of the impact of the floods in this video taken by Open Doors partners:

Current estimates place the number of dead at over 1,300; however, that number will likely rise as thousands of people are still missing. Additionally, as of September 1, Open Doors knows of at least 11 churches have been affected by the flooding. Five churches have been physically damaged by the floods, with church buildings, equipment, and other materials swept away or destroyed.

Most of the believers from these churches work in tunnels, factories, hydro projects and other labor work on the riverside.

“So many people have been affected by the flood, including several churches in the area,” says local Open Doors partner Raju.* “We have been receiving heartbreaking messages from pastors in our network, sharing the tragic loss of church members and the immense suffering their communities are facing.”

“Seventeen people from our church remain missing and unreachable,” shares local pastor Mohan.* He speaks through tears. “This terrible flood has torn families apart. Children have been left without parents, women have become widows, and countless families are suffering unimaginable grief and loss.”

Believers are also coping with the trauma of seeing so much devastation. “We are also broken to see many people lose their lives,” says Puja,* an Open Doors local partner who went to assess the situation a day after the flood. “One of my friends who had a small child and used to work [in the flood region] is missing. People have lost their families and property, and the government is also at a loss. Seeing all this as citizens of this country makes us emotionally weak. Seeing all those dead bodies of adults and children brings so much pain and sadness to my heart. This is one of the hardest things to see and live with, and it is difficult to let it go from my mind.”

Raju says the losses are expected to rise. “As per the information we have from local networks, a total of 75 believers have died in the floods, while more than 70 are still missing,” he says. “These figures are subject to ongoing update as we receive more information from our partners.”

The scenes of the flood are staggering. Massive trees lay in the street and homes looked as though they were picked up and dropped, as you can see in this video from Open Doors local partners:

Raju emphasizes that no one fully knows the scope of the damage yet. “At this stage, it is difficult to fully assess the scale of the damage done, as the death toll continues to rise daily and many areas remain difficult to reach,” he says. “To make matters worse, fresh flood alerts are still being issued, further hampering the rescue and relief efforts.”

The church in Nepal is already under pressure. Most of the persecution of Christians in Nepal comes from Hindu radical groups who want to turn Nepal back into a Hindu state. Since most Christians are converts from Hinduism, if a convert in a radical Hindu family is found to be practicing Christianity, he or she is likely to face pressure and violence and be expelled from their home. Furthermore, they are not allowed to inherit property.

The floods have made the situation for Nepalese believers even more impossible.

What you can do

Thanks to your gifts and prayers and through our local partners, Open Doors is preparing to provide initial relief aid to 50 families affected by the flash floods—packs will include power banks, sanitary pads, tents, bedsheets, and light blankets.

Thankfully, many people have access to other urgent needs. “Many relief centers have already provided food and basic necessities,” says another Open Doors local partner Bijay.* “They are no longer asking for food but asking for other needs such as power banks and lights. The problem right now is that there is a shortage of these things in the market with the China border being closed, and because of the scale of the catastrophe, some supplies are also being hoarded.”

Our local partners are also offering the simple ministry of presence—walking alongside believers, praying with them, comforting them and crying with them. “The recovery from this devastation is long and difficult, and our local partners are assessing the practical ways we can provide longer term support for our brothers and sisters,” Bijay says. “For now, with the initial relief, we aim to provide prayer and presence, to assure them that we are with them for the long haul.”

But, as always, the most powerful thing we can do is pray.

“We never imagined that we would see our communities and churches swept away by the flood and that such a huge flood would come,” says Dilap,* a local pastor. “Many church members and other people have lost their homes, belongings and loved ones. We ask everyone and all churches to stand with us in prayer for Nepal as we grieve and search for our missing family members.”

“This is an incredibly tough time for Nepal, and we urgently seek your prayers,” Raju echoes.