Displaying items by tag: Nepal

When a pastor shared the gospel with a Nepali family, they eagerly placed their faith in Christ and began attending church regularly, walking eight miles each way to attend. But when the owner of the land they leased learned of their newfound faith in Christ, he kicked them off the land. As an extremely poor family struggling to survive, they had leased the land both to live on and to farm, giving half their crops to their landlord in payment. In addition to being evicted from the land, they were denied access to the village water tap. Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Nepal face great pressure from their communities to reject Christ or suffer the consequences of continuing harassment and beatings from nationalists who envisage Nepal becoming a ‘pure’ Hindu nation. Also the government has criminalised conversion to Christianity and declared that ‘those who change their religion should be expelled from Nepal.’

Last week you prayed for South Asia’s humanitarian crisis with 9.6 million people affected by monsoon floods (three times more deaths than last year). This week floods took a turn for the worse in Nepal. In China relentless heavy rains have pummelled areas for a month. Yangtze River areas are overwhelmed, causing anxiety along the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, the 2.3-km Three Gorges Dam Already, 40 million people have been uprooted and 400+ rivers have overflowed. The dam, 300 km west of Wuhan, threatens to flood the first city to have been hit by coronavirus. In Texas, Hurricane Hanna has left some areas ‘totally under water’ and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases. Pray for communities with strained health care systems caused by coronavirus now airlifting patients to larger cities or areas away from floods.

A humanitarian crisis is deepening in South Asia as new figures reveal that over 9.6 million people have been affected by monsoon floods, devastating large areas of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Pray for the millions of people marooned in their homes, with crops destroyed by the worst floods in recent years. This year’s monsoon has come at the height of a deadly global pandemic. Tragically, already 550 people have lost their lives. Close to one third of Bangladesh has already been flooded, with forecasts of worse flooding in the coming days. Pray for God's comfort to be over those living in fear of worsening weather and deadly pandemic enemy. Pray for those mourning the death of friends and family killed by landslides, drowning and sickness. Pray also for the aid agencies and the various ministries of disaster management to have clear communication strategies to work in united support of the vulnerable.

Deshu writes, ‘I was born and raised in a Hindu family, all totally involved in idol worship. I suffered greatly from demonic attacks. I tried all kinds of medical treatments and made lots of sacrifices to our idols, but none of it helped. My neighbours who are followers of Jesus began to share with me and encourage me. I visited when a group gathered in their home to worship Jesus. They were all wonderful people and they prayed for my healing. The Lord answered their prayers and I was miraculously delivered from the demonic attacks. He became so real to me. I have placed my faith in Christ alone and have been baptised. I am so thankful to the Lord for His healing power and salvation. Please pray for me as I desire to see others find eternal freedom in Jesus.’

Nepal has a constitutional obligation to guarantee press freedom, but over ten journalists have been threatened for their coronavirus reporting since late March. One victim of death threats is the manager of Radio Janakpur, threatened after his programme described the carelessness of a coronavirus tracking centre established by a local hospital. As he left his radio station he was accosted. He now feels ‘constantly under surveillance’ whenever he goes to Janakpur. A reporter for another radio station and website was accused of sowing fear and spreading fake news after he covered the case of a woman placed in quarantine. While the ruling party and regional officials try to control media coverage and intimidate reporters, the opposition Congress Party also threatens journalists. A website editor was told, ‘You could lose your life for writing such news’, after his site reported a politician for not cooperating in quarantining someone suspected of having coronavirus. 

84% of Nepal’s people are Hindus, striving to attain freedom for their souls by good works. 90% remain untouched by the Gospel. Hinduism is not just a religion for these millions, it is their culture - their way of life. Christianity is seen as foreign and as a threat to their culture. Those who choose to follow Jesus often pay a high price, yet the Church is growing. Though it is a small portion of the population, there are now believers in nearly all peoples and castes, but the tragic reality remains that over 25 million Nepalese have never yet heard of Jesus, the only one who can bring true freedom. Please pray for him to be made known among unreached peoples in hard-to-access locations; for biblical training and Christlikeness for a rising generation of church leaders; and for the help they need to win the daily poverty battle.

Pastor Biju stopped to pray with 18-year-old deaf mute Tilak, who belongs to an unreached, unengaged people group. As he stretched out his arm to pray for him, he saw confusion in the boy’s eyes. Tilak had no way of communicating with others, and no context for what was about to happen. Pastor Biju gave Tilak a reassuring smile before he closed his eyes and focused his attention heavenward. He prayed for deliverance and healing, and as he did, he felt Tilak jerk away. The bewildered look on his face showed that something amazing had happened. Tilak was instantaneously, miraculously healed! Tears streamed down his face as he heard through his ears for the first time. He rushed to his mother, who heaved sobs of joy and relief. Her boy was healed, and it was all because of Jesus! The entire family became Christians that day.

After two months of harassment from high-caste Hindus, a church in Nepal has been forced to shut down. Brahmins had disrupted worship of the Pakhluwa Eternal Life Church each week, and accused pastor Tufani Bhar of converting villagers. Church members had resorted to meeting in homes, but the Brahmins issued threats to anyone found meeting even there. Pastor Bhar said that he had tried everything possible to preserve the fellowship, but was unable to withstand the opposition. Initially the Brahmins objected to the use of guitar and drums in the church service, so they worshipped in silence. The next objection was to the monthly Lord’s Supper, and opposition rose steadily until they were refused permission to meet at all. Church attendance fell from 30 to 16 people, before disbanding last weekend due to fear.

The executive leader of the Church Mission Society, Canon Philip Mounstephen, after a recent visit to in Nepal, ponders what difference it would make to the Church in the West if it was as filled with the Holy Spirit. He said that Nepali churches have experienced sustained and significant growth over recent years, while the older UK Church is in decline, facing indifference and suspicion. The Nepali Church is a living demonstration of what happens when the holy and the human meet - a church full of the Holy Spirit and faith, resulting in a great many people being brought to the Lord. The name Barnabas means ‘son of encouragement’, and the Nepali church should encourage us to explore what happens when a Church is filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. We must begin with prayer. We must recognise our emptiness, and ask to be filled.

Nepal has eight of the ten highest peaks in the world. The Himalayas cross northern Nepal, and rugged terrain makes remote communities extremely difficult to access. Six years ago *A, a Nepali Christian leader, climbed to the top of a peak and in the fading dusk saw lights flickering in villages across the side of the mountain. He realised no-one had shared the Gospel in those areas. Beyond that mountain there’s another, and then another, all the way to Tibet where there are many villages that have no witness to the Gospel, no believers, and no Church. Together with a discipleship mission training programme they shared the news of Jesus Christ in that area. People were receptive, and they prayed for a number of people who were healed. Now there are seven churches in that area, working together to disciple new believers.