It is unsung hero month again and the mystery of where we’re going to sleep, eat, and meet with has me in adventure heaven. We began the month meeting with people in Kathmandu, then moved to Chitwan to meet with several contacts, and are now residing in Pokhara. After meeting with each one of our contacts we like to write a blog about them to display their ministry and what others around the world are doing to spread the gospel. In my previous perspective of the world, my narrow view believed that only America was truly making a difference for the Kingdom. Boy was I wrong! It has been the most rewarding thing to see these people living in the most meager conditions giving everything they have to tell others of Christ. Just in this city alone, there are about 120 churches! In the midst of the hundreds of temples and idol worshippers, there are hundreds worshipping our Almighty God, the maker of these breathtaking mountains of Nepal.
One of my favorite meetings was with Pastor Grishma of Naya Gaun Church here in Pokhara. Naya Gaun was founded in 1987 and began with only 15 people and has ssince grown to the current size of 700 members! Sadly, the founder passed away a few years ago, leaving Pastor Grishma to take over. Even from our first encounter, I could tell Grishma was a noble and humble leader. He knows the need of his country and will do what it takes to share Christ with as many as he can. The church now has 10 daughter churches spread throughout different mountain villages and has people responsible for visiting and serving each of these churches. He is also part of an outreach program which has 22 other pastors in the area, who he meets with once a month in order to bring unity in the body of Christ. Their church has an elderly/ disabled fellowship, youth fellowship, and young adult fellowship. They teach English and also have 50 youth leaders. Their church volunteers at the women’s drug rehabilitation center, serving and encouraging the women with the word of God. They also started LEAD Nepal, which stands for Leadership Education and Development Nepal. The growth of Christianity and the church in Nepal is growing, but the growth of true discipleship and leadership is stagnant. This program’s aim is to train leaders in various areas who otherwise have no means or income to do so. They are a travelling program which trains leaders with the proper knowledge, skills, and motivation to obtain biblical knowledge and management skills needed to lead a congregation. They teach evangelism, pastoral care, expository preaching, integrity, goal setting, Christian home life, Christian leadership, building a vision, church, administration, and stewardship.
I even had the opportunity to take part in their Christmas outreach while in Pokhara. They went on the street corner and had a Christmas concert filled with carols and Santa hats. They even had several dance performances and shared testimonies and messages. It was amazing to see how bold they were in preaching the gospel in this predominantly Hindu country. There were at least 100 people on the street with about half being Christian and have non-Christian. At the end of the performance, they invited everyone back to the church to socialize over curry chicken and beaten rice.
After having a meeting with their board of leaders, they agreed to continue in the process of partnering with our organization! While it is upsetting to not be the team to stay and work with this church, I’m excited to see how the Lord can unify their goals and visions with those of World Race to spread the Gospel.
