Lent Week 4: When I needed a shelter…
‘And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.’
— Hebrews 13:16
Learning to do good and to share are two of life’s earliest lessons. Even as babies, we are encouraged to learn and relearn that how to live beyond ourselves. Yet, these are lessons which are easily forgotten and even more easily compromised.
What does it feel like to share and do good sacrificially? What does putting the needs of others before your own or your family’s needs really look like?
Sacrifice — giving something up so that someone else can have — is at the heart of Lent. Christian Aid’s Count Your Blessings journey prompts us to consider not only our own blessings but also how we might sacrifice so that blessings may be shared.
Shaken lives
On the morning of 25 April 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the worst for 81 years, struck Nepal. Less than three weeks later, on 12 May a second earthquake rocked the country. The two fatal earthquakes claimed nearly 9,000 lives and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
Sunjuli Singh Kunwar, Christian Aid’s Communications Officer in Nepal, found herself right on the frontline. Together with the partner, Clean Energy Nepal, she and her team worked to provide shelter to those whose lives were shaken.
‘Even though many of their own families were affected by the earthquake, that did not stop our partners from helping. From day one they have worked to reach and help the people most in need even in the remotest areas. Staff walk for hours, or even days, to reach them.
‘Working in a disaster affected area is not so easy. There is so much need and you sometimes feel helpless, you need to be emotionally, physically and mentally very strong. However, being able to help people affected by the earthquake is also immensely satisfying. It is the humanity and goodness in each of us that drives us to work for and with those in need of shelter.’
The devastation in Nepal was so severe that charities and agencies had to pick their way through rubble and landslide areas to reach people. It took days.
‘This strength and motivation to work in such circumstances has come from some power invested in us and the reality that we are doing it for the people of our country. They are our own people.’
Sunjuli’s work and support came at no little cost to herself.
‘Humility and compassion keeps us on this journey which is full of hurdles and uncertainty. Working extra hours and in difficult situations when you yourself and your family are affected and trying to bring a smile to others has been a hard but tremendously fulfilling journey.
‘We hope that with the grace of God and your prayers we will be able to bring changes in lives of the people affected.
‘During Lent please pray for each staff member and their family who have sacrificed so much. Also, please continue to pray for the support that is still needed for the affected people so that they can come out of this and start a new and better life soon.’
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
— Peter 3:8
Let us pray
Sheltering God,
Help us journey
with our global neighbours:
with sympathy to serve,
with love for one another,
with compassion that brings change,
with humble hearts and like-minds.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
With the help of Christian Aid supporters, we have raised an incredible £3.25 million to help the people of Nepal get back on their feet after the earthquakes.
With this money, we’ve provided shelter, water, food and sanitation to more than 400,000 people in the most vulnerable communities.
Join us on the Lent journey using the Count Your Blessings guide.
