HAPPENINGS AROUND THE WORLD n HAPPENINGS AROUND THE WORLD n HAPPENINGS AROUND THE WORLD n Sierra Leone

Expresses Thanks for Ebola Support

Baptists in Sierra Leone expressed thanks to the Baptist World Alliance for the support that the international organization gave over the years, particularly during the Ebola outbreak in the West African country. “I wish to register our continued thanks and appreciation to the Baptist World Alliance for their continued support to the nation of Sierra Leone and the Baptist convention in particular,” wrote Mohamed Mansaray, general secretary of the Baptist Convention

of Sierra Leone (BCSL).

Mansaray said that the BWA support during the past several decades “had been a great blessing to the lives of many people in the country.” The BWA, the international umbrella

organization for Baptists, has, over the years, provided agricultural, developmental and other forms of support to Sierra Leone through BCSL, one of its 231 member organizations in 121 countries and territories. When the Ebola crisis emerged in 2014,

the BWA led the global Baptist response in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, providing food, medicines and educational materials for the prevention of the spread of the virus, as well as materials and equipment for adequate sanitation for persons affected. Almost 12,000 persons were infected and some 3,800 died from the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.

The virus is now largely contained in

the nation of six million. Through much of May, Sierra Leone went without an Ebola case.

Dipak Raj Rai of the Nepal Baptist Church Council

Nepal in Recovery Mode

Baptists in Nepal are still recovering from the massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the South Asian country on April 25. While many are still in the throes of putting their lives back together, they are thankful.

According to Dipak Raj Rai, executive director of the Multipurpose Community Development Service (MCDS) of the Nepal Baptist Church Council, no Baptist lives were known to have been lost, although many lost their homes in the earthquake. Eight Baptist places of worship were also destroyed or severely damaged.

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Baptists Respond to Devastation in Nepal

Baptists of Nepal provided assistance to communities affected by the April 25 earthquake that devastated parts of the South Asian country, including the capital, Kathmandu. The Baptist World Alliance made urgent appeals to Baptists around the world

to make meaningful contributions for emergency relief. The Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC), a member organization of the BWA, led the response on behalf of Nepalese Baptists. Rescue 24, a Baptist search and rescue team from Hungary and North Carolina in

the United States, arrived in Kathmandu on April 27, just two days after the quake. The Baptist Church of Mizoram, a BWA member organization from India which already had personnel working in Nepal, offered assistance. In addition to providing immediate food, shelter and medical assistance, NBCC,

with support from the BWA and these and other partners, also offered trauma healing and spiritual support.

Baptist World Aid director Rothangliani Chhangte, (standing, right) leading a training seminar on trauma management for Baptist staff,

pastors and volunteers

Rai, who visited the Baptist World

Alliance offices in June, recalled the exact time – 11:50 a.m. on April 25 – when the earthquake struck. He also recalled that the tremblor lasted three minutes – a very long time to endure an earthquake. They were near to concluding the worship service

at their church in

Kathmandu, the capital, (Christians in Nepal mainly worship on Saturdays) when the shaking began. The 32 worshippers in his young church were alarmed, but continued in prayer during the shaking. It was upon going outside that they

realized the extent of the damage. Persons, he said, were running into open areas