Elder Jim Valentine had gone to the church a little early to meet with some members. His wife, Sister Chris Valentine, stayed at their apartment on the seventh floor of an apartment building. They are serving in Kathmandu, Nepal.
It was about that time the 7.8 magnitude earthquake began its violent ground shaking.
According to their son, Todd Valentine of Springville, when the earthquake started, his father grabbed a couple of members and ran for the apartment.
“When the earthquake hit, my mom ran down the stairs of the apartment,” Todd Valentine said. “They met up outside the apartment.”
Todd Valentine has been able to get just small bits of information from his parents, but he knows they are safe at the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu.
“Their first night, they stayed outside the church because of all the aftershocks,” Todd Valentine said. “The next day, they got to the embassy with just the clothes on their backs and their passports.
“We had been waiting on pins and needles to hear from them after we learned of the earthquake. We actually heard from the church before we heard from my parents.”
Elder and Sister Valentine, Boise, Idaho, are the only LDS missionaries in Nepal and are serving as humanitarian missionaries. They also help with the church’s wheelchair program and have been helping set up water systems in Nepal.
Continue reading at Herald Extra.
(Photo courtesy of Associated Press)
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
