Tuesday, 28 April 2015 Dear Friends. The Earthquake in Nepal Firstly, thank you for your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Nepal who have suffered the catastrophic consequences of the earthquake over this last weekend. You will be relieved to know that relatives of staff members in N. India and Nepal are safe. We are making further enquiries about relatives of those known to us in the community and will share information as it becomes available. Many of us feel quite powerless in response to such tragic events and this does not sit comfortably with our desire to reach out and help. But our watchful prayers are essential; we have received reliable news that in one district, Christians are being challenged by local religious groups to “prove the truth of the Gospel” or face expulsion. We would ask that you pray fervently that the message of the gospel brings life and that Christians are empowered by the Spirit to resist all attempts by Satan to use the situation to persecute the church. Obviously because of our direct involvement with the Nepalese community in HK you have asked if there is any direct action that Inner City Ministries is, or will be, making. To help clarify:1. We are, along with the rest of our community, watching carefully and, praying earnestly for the rescue relief being brought by the international aid agencies. We are not equipped to be of much immediate practical help but we are praying as a community and communicating this is vital encouragement to those who have lost so much. 2. In response to those who have enquired about specific donations; we are hesitant at this stage to make any recommendations until good communications are restored. However, we do know of one Christian agency, SUNSHINE ACTION, working “on the ground” in Kathmandu to whom you might send donations should you wish at this stage. For information : http://www.sunshineaction.org/ourwork/Nepal.html. They are beginning a relief fund , if you would like to donate please contact me and I will send the necessary details. Beyond this and, on the advice of those who work daily in areas where disaster relief is prolonged, we would advocate holding off until more specific areas of need other than emergency relief become clear. 3. We will be considering creating a fund for a specific re-building project (e.g replacing a church or Christian community centre that has been destroyed) or similar community project. This will be discussed by staff and directors in the very near future as the need becomes known. We hope you will find this helpful as we seek to unite on behalf of our Nepalese community here and in Nepal. Inner City Ministries Ltd. Registered Charity No 662960 Registered address: 138 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR W : www.innercityministries.org T : 2781 0117 F : 27810 0668 w E