By Andrew
This was my first overseas mission trip in my 44 years of Christian faith though I had done some local Orang Asli ministry in the past. Nepal has a great need to hear the gospel. 85% of the population are Hindus, 9% are Buddhists, 5% are Muslims, around 3% are Kirat ( indigenous) and only 1.78% are Christians. Though there are lots of small Christian churches in every corner of the nation (about 120), gospel poverty can be felt and seen in the Kathmandu valley, which consists of 3 districts (Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu).
Here’s my summary of the giants of faith in their mission fields in Nepal.
Pastor Hari of Nepal EFC
Situated in a small village in Bhaktapur, Pr Hari has faced many challenges in reaching out to the neighborhood, who are mainly living in poverty. Nevertheless, his community services (screening blood pressure, giving food aid, running Sunday school and the main worship service, conducting Bible studies for the young adults) have bore much attention. Many people now know about the church in this village.
Pr Hari was once disowned by his family members, especially his father, who is a Hindu religious leader. But his steadfast faith and love for Christ has impacted and changed the mindset of the family who has received him back to the family. Though many of them have not become Christians, they still turn up for the church services and have fellowship with the Christians.
Pastor Timothy (The Fellowship Church)
Through his testimony, we learned how this church was chosen and set up in his area. This place was rife with drug addicts and gangsters. That’s why God chose it for evangelism. Initially, there was a legal issue with a lawyer who threatened to sue whoever stayed behind the church building. But now the lawyer and the neighborhood are glad to have the church in their area. The church started from scratch without any funds, but God provided through donations from multiple churches and even donations from non-Christians.
Pastor Richan (Chauturi Community Church)
Like Pastor Hari, he was disowned by his family. He was despised and alienated by his siblings and society for being a Christian. They considered him a traitor for forsaking his traditional Hindu beliefs. In 2011, he went to Japan to do his degree in theology and there, he met his wife who was his coursemate. They returned to Nepal upon their graduation and began their journey of pastoring this church together with their teen daughter. After years of gradually building the church with limited funds (his father played a key role in getting the land), God’s grace and salvation came upon his family and they have become Christians. The hard labor for God has borne fruits after years of faithfulness.
Brother Jin of Korean restaurant “the Bonache Café”
This is a Korean brother who migrated to Nepal and started his mission 20 years ago. He runs a private school and a restaurant. His mission of employing locals for his businesses has opened opportunities to share the gospel. His wife and daughter are currently staying in PJ and the family, including son E-Han, worship with the PJEFC English congregation.
The above testimonies of these brothers and servants of God show the steadfast, unwavering faith and obedience in God’s call to them. Their dedication and commitment, perseverance in facing the challenges and difficulties in evangelism (open evangelism is illegal), their faithful discipleship, witness and service have inspired me. I pray God will use the remaining years of my life for His glory.
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
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