MY VISIT TO KATHMANDU NEPAL / Ps Kevin Jesudasan

Flying into or out of Kathmandu is an amazing experience with panoramic views of the valley and surrounding majestic Himalayan mountains. God’s creation in this region is so awesome and a sight to behold. I arrived in Kathmandu on 5^th November and was met by our partner Ram Prasad Shrestha who is the founder of National Missions Commissions Nepal (NMCN).  Meeting and getting to know Ram and his family is a humbling experience.

I had the opportunity to meet foot soldier Hare Ram whom we had featured in our AOC 26. A donor had given some funds for him to complete the building of this church, so I met him to hand over the money and got to learn about his work and ministry. He was so grateful and looks forward to the day when he and his church members can worship in their new church. Hare Ram is doing a good job in his community by organizing awareness programmes on healthcare, especially for the elderly, and education; through these community projects he has been able to share the Gospel.

I had hoped to meet the widow of foot soldier Rueben Mar who passed away in an accident. He leaves behind a wife, 2 teenaged children, 2 young adopted children and 1 more adopted young boy. (Rueben had just spoken to Ram the day before his death about this new addition to the family.) Unfortunately, the family lived too far away for me to visit but AOM sent a donation to cover Rueben Mar’s funeral expenses. His wife will continue his work and AOM will continue to support his wife.

We went to visit the Thapathali slum where my wife was invited to share the Word with about 80 ladies there. The ladies were so eager for the Word and my wife encouraged them through her sharing. Women in the slum often suffer at the hands of their abusive alcoholic husbands. They have nowhere to go and so suffer silently. The families here live in abject poverty and often, because of the husband’s drinking habits, the wife has to go out and work as a daily paid labourer.

 Thapathali slum centre was a memorable experience; the centre conducts 90 minutes of extra class tuition from Mondays to Fridays for children ages 6 years to 18 years. The children are tutored by young volunteers (young adults) who are given a small allowance for their time and commitment. The children are also given a meal, for many their only meal for the day. For the few hours they are there, the children are safe from the violence and dangers of the slum. Drugs, prostitution, child trafficking and gangsterism are just waiting around the corner for them. During their time at the centre, the children are also taught social and moral issues. The teachers do their best to bring awareness of the social evils to the children encouraging them at the same time by telling them that they have options to live more meaningful lives and to secure a better future for themselves no matter what odds they are facing now.

This ministry has been going on for a number of years. We were delighted to meet young Sushmita, one of the teachers there, who had actually grown up in the slums herself and had been tutored some years ago. She is in the process of pursuing a bachelor programme. She is 16 years old and has a desire to better herself and give back to her community.  She understands what the children are going through living in the slum and is able to react with them very well. She is such an encouragement and a role model to the other children that they too can dream and hope for a better future.  

   

The next day we visited the Godivari slum, located 2 hours away from Kathmandu. While in Godavari, we met with a Christian and 2 other volunteers who tutor 50 students daily from Monday to Friday. The workers are doing a wonderful job in the slums and the fruit of their efforts can be seen in the children and how they have changed. In both the slums many parents have come to the Lord through their children. In the slums it’s each man for himself and even the children learn that at an early age, but here in the slum centres are volunteers who truly care for the children and want to make a difference in their lives, something not many people would do for them. They see the genuine love and caring from these volunteers and are curious to understand what motivates them. In this way the volunteers can share the Gospel with them, and our workers in the slums have brought salvation to so many families. Women who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour pray for their husbands and it is so rewarding when these hard-hearted, abusive alcoholic men come to Jesus and are completely changed. 

  

I think of it as a privilege when I get to meet the foot soldiers and am able to visit them at their place of work. They are simple men and women living simple lives with an all-consuming passion for Jesus. They do not have much but it’s this passion that enables them to evangelize boldly and effectively. They do not have mega churches or the latest books or even good internet facilities so they can google powerful evangelistic sermons. They let the Holy Spirit lead them and miracles, signs and wonders follow.

Foot soldier Meriam and her husband have been in ministry for the last 15 years and I was honored to be invited to her church and her home. It was a wonderful experience meeting her and her church members. I also traveled to a small village (3-hour drive) to meet and preach in foot soldier Kulman's church. These are experiences that I will not forget and to see their humility and passion for God and how serious they are in fulfilling the Great Commission is indeed truly commendable.

Join us to pray for our co-workers in Kathmandu. Christians have reported escalating levels of persecution and our workers have to be vigilant at all times.  Under the new anti-conversion laws, an individual found guilty of even encouraging religious conversions can be fined up to 50,000 rupees and placed in prison for up to 5 years. NGOs suspected of Christian activities are shut down immediately. We pray for strength and resilience for our co-workers and the Lord’s protection upon them.