Christians Might Be At Risk: But The Churches Move On

  My friend Dr. Ramesh Khatry who has a Christian library in Kathmandu, also was in jail for quite a few year during the rule of the king told me, “I also look forward August 17, 2018..”  Because I wrote to him that on that day the ghost of Prithivinaryan Shah who ousted the Christians in Nepal around 1768 is going to come alive as the present make believe democratic government has decided to come heavy hands on Christians preaching or publishing literature that threaten the religion of ancestor. I am going to call August 17, 2018 a Black Day for those who long to live eternal life. The government said they will deport the foreigners preaching and import the Nepalese to jails with heavy fine making  of course mockery UN Declaration of Human Right whose signatory was Nepal.

   Yet, I move on pressing the promise that God has given in Psalms 91:16 “I will give him a long life, I will make sure he lives a life of satisfaction and whenever he is in trouble I will deliver him.” On the condition of course, “If he stays on My canopy and is willing to follow My way” Psalms 91:1 (Bhaju’s paraphrase).

  With the strength the Lord has been providing me, I have been continuing to hop form one mountain to another each Sabbath. Three Sabbaths ago I was in Kosi Dekha which the president of the Union of India told it was the end of the world when he visited during the opening of the church a few years ago. On August 4, 2018, I was in a village of Sangachowk of Chautara district that borders between China and Nepal with the mountains, this Sabbath of August 11, I was in a non-Adventist Church in Charikot of Dolakha District of the epicenters of last major earthquakes. It is north-eastern side of Nepal

  Some pictures with some cooked flashy thoughts about the last two Sabbath trips.

Sangachowk SDA Church

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4	5	6

Picture 1:  The daughter of a layman who is a strong man to keep the Sangachowk going.. He is a local man. Here his daughter leads the first part of the church. She was deaf and with a treatment, she could hear.. She told me God helped her to hear.

Picture 2:  Shankar lost everything including his wife when he accepted Jesus. He started a church in his village of Chautara, later on he handed over to a leader.. He went to Malayasia where he learned to drink and smoke.  But there he found the meaning of life in Jesus. When he came back his wife took all money and disown him. His parents persecuted him. He came wandering to SDA church, where he found Manna who was the Gospel worker. After getting the legal divorce from his first wife, he got married with Manna. Together they run the church with a small stipend his wife gets from the mission. Theirs is the survival by faith. He sold his gold chain to meet the end.. Their life is struggle with no extra source of income but they are happy and dedicated.. Shankar is a strong man in the church. In this picture he is telling the regular mission story that is printed in the SS lesson.

3.This person’s house was burnt down along with part of his body. He lost the beauty of his life but found beauty in Jesus. He is teaching the SS lesson.

4. I am salvaging whatever felt I have to use it to tell Bible stories for the message. People are enjoying saying that the felt pictures make the presentation of message vivid.

5. This is the congregation. Manna is sitting in front with blue dress. When she came to this village, There were only a couple of believers as the other believers got scattered due to the lack of a leader. She says now if everyone comes there are over two dozen. She and her husband Shankar take care of the believers by making them feel home. They regularly visit and have fellowship with them. Manna tries to retrieve the back sliders and also reach out to people by making friends.  Her family disowned her when she accepted Jesus. Both she and her husband are on call all the time resulting not able to do another job. But living by trusting in God.

6 The mission bought the land. The Koreans built it. It does not have compound wall making vulnerable to be used by public. Manna wants to protect the church property but the mission has no money. She   says the public is challenging to protect it if not it would be like a  public property. Christians are still treated as outsiders and have no legal voice.

                          

August 11, 2018 I went, I gave message and left just a foot print

                                                                                              A Trip to Dolakha

Riding on the merciless twisting road, in a jumping bus that hit my head several times as a result of sitting way back, after about 7 hours I arrived in Charikot, Dolkha district on Friday upon the invitation of our faith sister to preach in her husband’s church which was not the SDA ignoring the warning by the newspaper not to travel far unless emergency..	Sara and an SDA believer who used to be a light bearer in Kosidekha is married to Naran who is the metal potsmith. They come from poor and schedule class. Naran did not believe that I would be there. After spending some time with the value of study of Bible he said he would like to spend a couple of days in Adventist Point with me to study about Adventist message.	In absence of a pastor this Baptist congregation was led by a young girl. It is a rare opportunity to lift Jesus in the congregation other than own..
The high light of my visit was to meet these two sisters-Amika and Ranjana of the Baptist church. Amika said she had been a Christian for 22 years because her husband got healed from devil possession but now does not go to church She did not know much about the Bible because she did not know read and write. I bought an alphabet book, note book and pencils (in the second picture) , and requested our sister to teacher reading and writing and also reading the Bible. Amika said, “Thank you for encouraging us. God has sent you to encourage us.”	Charikot, Dolakha is a beautiful mountainous place, presently blanketed the  beautiful view of the mountains due to the monsoon. It has 12 churches. Nearly a couple of years ago 7 Christians were arrested for distributing Bibles along with the notebook in the school that is shown in the picture. After a month of custody, they were freed. After August 17, more Christians are expected to be arrested. Christians might be arrested but the no one can arrest the power of Jesus.	Sara and her husband lives in a small rented room having a kitchen in the same room. They insisted that they sleep on the floor while I sleep on the bed. Such repeats often when I go to the villages. The I find the light bearer often sleeping in the porch outside while I sleep inside. This is why I can’t charge anyone for using the Adventist Premises for God’s laborers. In a couple of months they plan to move to near China border in Khadichaur where they hope to get better income. They will attend the church that is 11km up. I suggested to start a company in their new place which they  hope at least to start with a tin shack.

                                                                                       Potpourri:

My weekly spiritual fellowship with the daughters of ex-bonded labors and the family who is taking care of them under an organization has been blessing to both of us. I provided Bibles, notebooks and Sabbath School lesson. It has been looking forward event.

Once in a while I do get treats.. I got to be invited at the dinner hosted by Pr.. Umesh of Himalayan Section to the students who are learning primary health care under the leadership of Dr. Calvin David from SUD and the liaison from Vellore Medical College for the health training that is being held in SMH. Most of the 15 participants are active SDA church members from different parts of Nepal. The program is the first of its kind conducted by the Southern Asia Division according to Dr. Calvin Joshua. (Sitting front are Shanti Pokherel wife of Pastor Umesh, Pr. Umesh, Dr. Calvin Joshuwa and Pr Abirman Puri. The behinds are the teachers and the trainees.

Finalley, in spite of extracurricular activities, I have finished translating the last quarter SS lesson for 2018 entitled Unity in Christ. It should be in the press within two weeks after proofreading and formatting. The last of the faith base SS lesson for 2018 in which the Lord and I seesaw to publish it. I am starting to translate the new SS lesson of first quarter of 2019, entitled the Book of Revelation by Ranko Stefanovic

Welcome to Adventist Point in Dhulikhel to view: