Broken heart for Nepal

I recently read about the horrific earthquake in Nepal (24 April 2015) which reached 7.8 on the magnitude scale. It is the worst earthquake in 80 years and the fatality is thousands and counting. The earthquake was so severe that the tremours were felt in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India and caused avalanches on Everest and other peaks. The damage is indescribable with historic sights and structures now in ruins, electricity and water has been affected, telecommunications is limited and the nation is in dire straits. Numerous international organisational aids have come forth to assist with mobile hospitals, food, water, supplies and funds which are desperately needed. It has been a couple of days and people are still trapped under rubble.

I have been following the updates and the numbers keep increasing. My heart breaks for the nation and come this morning I felt I needed to become a part of the aid. I have no idea where it came from but the urge took over my entire body. It was something I have never experienced to that degree before. I started researching organisations assisting and emailed various ones I found in the news articles, only hoping one would reply and say “Please come over and assist our team.” I do not have any medical knowledge or ample funds to donate, nor I am not strong enough to move rubble, however I have hands and compassion for those in need.

I watched a movie a year ago called Soul Surfer, based on a real life event, about a girl called Bethany Hamilton. She was a surfer with potential at large but was attacked by a shark and lost her arm. She then joined a trip with World Vision to assist the people in Phuket after the tragic tsunami in 2004. The movie and her story was inspiring and showed strength to unbelievable degrees and how she overcome the attack, gave all she had to the survivors of Phuket and continued to surf with one arm.

After watching that movie I was so moved, almost to tears and just felt so much emotion for what she did for the people despite her setback. I wanted to be a part of a greater cause and help people too. It just spoke to me…and now there is a huge disaster area a flight away that needs as much help as possible. Not only that but World Vision is a large organisation in Thailand and I have been advised to send my CV to them for a long term position. It seems so right and that everything I simply thought of last year is now coming into play in various ways. I can’t get my head around it and feel so grateful and positive. Don’t get me wrong I don’t feel grateful about the disaster but just that there is a small opportunity that I may be able to give my hands and love to the people.

Over the last month that I have been in Thailand many things have simply come into perspective and for that I am grateful. I have a much better vision of where I want to be and what I want to do now. In saying that it has been days since I wrote to the organisations with no reply and that saddens me. I just wonder how people willing to help can reach them…

I know that Nepal will take months and years to recover from this devastating disaster and I still hope that I can somehow help and contribute when the time is right. I am still looking for an opportunity and keeping my eyes and ears open, but until then I will continue with my present…