Nearly a month ago, on Friday, July 24, Katherine Parker came to Napa from Nepal. Napa’s Methodist women, United Women in Faith, welcomed Katherine with delicious food and warm fellowship. She shared stories, experiences, and an update on the inspiring work she is doing on our behalf. Katherine also gifted us with a beautiful framed piece of artwork from Nepal, which you can enjoy in the parlor.
A native Californian, Katherine is a member of Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Harvey Mudd College and a Master of Science in Biology from California State University. Her Master’s thesis explored bacterial contamination of drinking water in rural Ghana. She has lived and served in Japan, Idaho, Cambodia, and now Nepal.
Katherine serves as a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. She is a Health and Community Transformation Advisor with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), an organization that has been supported by the Methodist Church since its founding 65 years ago.
As a missionary, Katherine is supported by congregations such as ours. In that sense, her work is not something distant from us. Through Katherine, we are connected to the people of Nepal. Through her ministry, our fingerprints of goodness, our care for clean water, health, and thriving communities, are all over Nepal. So when the tragic news from Nepal reached Napa, it was natural that many of us immediately thought of Katherine and her community in Nepal. We wondered about her safety and about the people she loves and serves. We prayed for them.
Katherine is safe.
She has now shared an update with us, and it is heartbreaking. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, a community, a life forever changed. Katherine writes:
“The videos and images coming from the affected areas are heartbreaking, and the growing lists of those who have died or remain missing are a source of immense grief and anxiety. As of August 27, Ram Nath, UMN’s Disaster Response Coordinator, reported to staff that the official death toll is at 359, with 910 persons out of contact. Please continue to hold affected families in your prayers, including both Nepalese communities and tourists who were in the area. The Nepal government has deployed over 9,000 people to the search efforts, and more than 440 people have been rescued by helicopter or ground transportation.
“Given the scale of the disaster, widespread mobilization and coordination efforts are underway to reach affected families across multiple locations. UMN is joining the rapid response effort for more than 1,000 affected families in three to four municipalities in Dhading District by partnering with CIRDS, the same organization with which UMN worked during the 2015 earthquake relief response.
“Our longer term plan is to support school recovery efforts in the Nuwakot region. More details will emerge as assessments are completed and response priorities become clearer. Several members of our Kathmandu based staff have already traveled to the region to support assessments and on the ground coordination.”
May we continue to hold the people of Nepal in our prayers, those who are grieving, those still waiting for word about loved ones, those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and those working tirelessly in rescue and recovery. Though Nepal may be thousands of miles from Napa, we are connected through faith, through the United Methodist connection, and through a shared commitment to be God’s hands and feet in a hurting world.
There are many ways of helping including a check to the church with a memo clearly marked The Advance (3023568).
Prayers continue.
Grace