“Least of His Brethren While Other Are Neighbors”
Another Revisit to Chepang Village
Bhaju Ram Shrestha
While
translating the third quarter SS for 2019 by Jonathan Duffy of ADRA
International on caring for those in need, I again got another firsthand
experience of what it means not just to say “Be warm Brother.”
On Feb 14, 2019, Pr. Kuber and I travelled
through the dangerous narrow and twirling high way which Western people seem to
avoid traveling on that road because their life is dearer than ours who don’t
mind being dreary and weary. Unannounced vehicle popping up like a jumping jack
is a goose bump producing experience.
Pr. Umesh Pokherel was to join with us on that trip but due to his ill
health he could not come. The purpose of our trip was to revisit a Chepang
village according to the wish of Brother Gavin Simpson in accordance with
Himalayan Section of Seventh Day Adventist. Chepang means the children of grass,
and the Late King Birendra after visiting a Chepang village named the people
‘Praja” which means subject to or subject to the king. Today we have no king
but still they are subject to the unfair treatment by higher cast and “have
ones” people. (https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/2016/07/12/chepangs-of-nepal-living-on-the-edge/).
We arrived in Ramantar village and met
local Adventist church leaders to discuss on a couple of issues regarding the
Chepang community that we have been in contact with. Our initial contact was
with Pr. Prahalad of a Chepang village some years ago. He was Shaman turned to
be the believer in Jesus. He lost previous children and no Shaman rites or
other worship could prevent from the death angel lurking in his home, till he
accepted Jesus. After he became a Christian and started to have worship in own
home. His influence grew in his village that has 35 houses. Out of them 18
families from 18 houses accepted Jesus. They built a church that the earthquake
swallowed. But with the help of some of us and still unpaid borrowed money the
church was erected. It is still in a crude state. Prahalad was also kidnapped
by the Maoist during insurgent time and was put in the death trap but got
escaped and hid his way through the jungle. All his kidnappers were later
killed by the Nepal Army in the gun battle.
Prahalad came to contact with our local church
volunteer worker because he heard the voice of Umesh in the radio. Pr. Umesh
provided some zinc roof and food with friend’s help, after the earthquake that
destroyed the entire village. A few years ago, I was the first outsider
Christian to visit his village according to Prahalad. In our second visit, Brother Gavin, the lay
evangelist visited and felt compassionate on them. He helped them to fix the
roof of the church, gave food, clothes and later on uniform for the children.
With some friends help, I too was able to do something that needed to be done.
The Himalayan Section too took interest in helping some ways. But with the
government being restricted on having fund getting in the name of Christianity,
whatever we are doing it seems still so little because of the great need for
this indigenous, backward and dejected tribe.
On Thursday night Pr. Kuber and I got
together with Ramantar Church leaders regarding two issues. Prahalad and his
son Surendra have been manning about 100 Christians including children for the
number of years. In my first meeting with him, he told me that he and his
church community were seeking an umbrella church that can lead the community on
solid ground for faith. Since he been contact with the SDA Church and
appreciated its teaching, he and his community wanted to join the Adventist
Church (it is like adopting a village). He told me that no any church or
community has shown care and concern as Adventists people. To show his
interest, though he baptized his son some years ago, his son and the family
were re-baptized to be the member of SDA Church. Pr. Umesh gave me a hint that Prahalad could
be in the Gospel volunteer list if he joins the Adventist church through
re-baptism. So we discussed to mention that to him when we meet him next day.
We also discuss each other what to do with the fund that Brother Gavin sent for
this community, after much discussion we decided to ask Prahalad what was their
immediate need that should be addressed.
Next day we met Prahalad and his son Surendra
in Manahari, the river base town before going up to their village. We told what
we came up with group consensus. Pr.
Prahalad agreed to be re-baptized. And their immediate need was uniform for the
73 children who go to the school and some could not go because of not having
uniform. These children were not just
the church comers. 35 children were of
Pr. Bikesh, another Chepang church and 37 for Prahalad’s village children. He also requested if fund was available for
some rice and blankets for the 18 families under him.
We counted the pennies we had with the money
that Brother Gavin sent and what I had carried just in case. Amazingly we had
enough money for 18 sacks of rice, which we immediately bought and sent up to
the village, enough money for uniform including
part of the sewing cost and 30 blankets for two church pastors’
congregations. Immediately on the same day we went to Hetaunda 30 km from where
we were and went to action buying the needs.
Their basic needs are great but the directive of Lord Jesus, “Do as much
as you can” has to be set in our mind while helping without giving feeling that
the Adventist Church is not a Santa Clause but the people are made of those who
have burden for the cause.
On Friday evening in the moon light we
climbed up the steep hill that took about 80 minutes. On Sabbath we held the
services in the still crude church, and we returned back on the same day to
leave for Kathmandu the next morning-Sunday. Coming down the steep hill was the
hardest for me, but fortunately I had the lady walking stick and Surendra who
helped me all along.
Depending upon the resource and approval by
the Lord, I plan to go back with some energetic young people who will spend
some time in Prahalad’s and other two villages to conduct ministry for the
children who are as hungry as hungry eyes to learn new things for their
building their life on the Lord.
Having
said those things, I would like to share some photos to attest my write up.
Over all I am thankful to the Lord who finely let me know what it means to
serve His brothers who love Him however least they may be and to love them as
He loves while other are neighbors expecting to love them too as we love
ourselves, making it difference between His brothers and neighbors. I am
thankful to Pr. Umesh who has been giving me strong hand of moral support by
letting me to spread myself out wherever I am needed. I wish to thank Brother
Gavin Simpson who has woven the strong sense of stewardship over the least of
Nepali tribes by helping whatever he could do. I am also very grateful to a few
friends who have been my walking Spiritual stick that keep me going.
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Welcomed
by the Valentine Kiss of the vehicles, we passed through kind of JRR
Tolkien’s misty mountain in a sumo vehicle that runs like the car games in a
computer.
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 The church leaders of Ramantar met
with Surendra and Prahalad in the tailoring shop of Biswaraj to discuss. In
the photo: Biswaraj’s wife, Surendra, Prahalad, Pr. Jit Bdr, Pr Kuber,
Bisworaj and Rajkumar. During the meeting someone stole $700 worth of gold
ornament from the shop of Bisworaj.
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18 sacks of
rice were bought and handed over to Surendra and his father Prahalad and
transported by a vehicle at the base of the river from where the people came
and carried on their back climbing toward their village.
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Since
every cent comes with the sense of responsibility trusted by God, maximum
bargain was made to buy uniform for the children
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Blankets
were chosen by the benefactors according to their immediate need for the cold
weather as you see in the first picture. They were handed to Pr. Bikesh and
Pr. Prahalad as you see in the second picture.
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Still
much needed attention to make the children’s SS more effective, Sunita and
her friend conduct the SS program around 7 on the Sabbath morning. The
children are attentive and hungry for something better than they get in their
regular school.
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Pr
Jit Bahadur of the Ramantar SDA Church, who accepted Adventist message after
hearing his superior that Adventists were false, welcomes the congregation in
the church
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Music
does not need to be harmonized but it is singing that needs. Pastor Prahalad
plays guitar just to make sound but the congregation enjoyed just the same.
Pr.Kuber dwelt on SS lesson and I gave the message entitled, “Why Jesus
walked 50 km just to meet one Canaanite and outcast woman.”
It
was blessed moment to worship God with those who come to the church not base
on what they know but Whom they want to know.
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This
is one of the typical dwelling places of Chepang people, the kitchen and the
bedroom as well as closet. The earthquake destroyed almost all the houses and
they are trying to salvage their life. The Government seems to be silent to
help this village of 35 houses. But one day it will rise up because road,
electricity and water system are approaching in this village in a snail pace.
The photo is of Prahalad’s daughter and the family.
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While
I was trying to sleep up on the floor with three thin blankets in the cold
night, I came down to the floor in the night and I saw Prahlad’s family
sleeping with think blankets and some even covering with saris. I felt pity
and after asking Prahalad how many blankets the family need, I gave enough
money to buy 8 blankets.
Wellknown
temples in Nepal and India have billions of dollars worth of treasury being
stored in their coffers while the people suffer and Christians are harnessed
for trying to help Nepalese by emptying themselves. I guess there is no
wisdom, justice, judgment and equity (Prov 1:3) because people are making God
strange to them.
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This
is Prahalad’s granddaughter suffering from the broken ear drum and stuff
coming out from her ears for the last two years. No hospital in Hetaunda or
Naraynghat could cure. They told him to go to Kathmandu where I know like me
they will have to go from one hospital to another for treatment. Only
solution is her to go to Shining Mission Hospital in Pokhara where there is a
special ear care premises, and I got better and inexpensive hearing aids. We
may be talking about $300 for her treatment.
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Child
labor may have become a myth in the West or to those who have “haves” but in
Nepal it is a part of culture, which I too had gone through. Surendra’s I
think 6 years old daughter carrying her burden as she came down from her
village to go to the town where she is studying in a private school because
in government school the most teachers are not morally and ethically feel
obligated to conduct classes as they should. I know what I am talking about
because I had gone through it. Most of the time we learn how not to be
educated than how to be educated in the government school, though not all but
most of them.
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Coming down from the steep hill with the help
of my lady walking stick in spite of protest from the injured knee due to the
fall in a mild ditch several years ago in one of the mountain trips, we got
into the bus in the river base, which it ploughed through the water as if it
were a Hoover craft bus.
I praise God for the blessed trip, however.
On Feb 17 we came back to Kathmandu through the same twisted road.
In the AWR on Chepang
On Som:
I am not sure I have written he story on
Som. All I know from him is:
Some was lured to go to America after paying
two hundred thousand rupees to the mediator. He was taken to Indonesia, I
think, and tried to smuggle him to America through a boat along with about 25
of his Nepali friends. As the boat was approaching American sea, the coastal
guard caught them and turned them away. Then the boat was sailed to Micronesia.
The people in the boat were hungry, the ration ran out and suffered delusion.
In Micronesia, the government arrested them and put them in the prison camp but
were treated with respect. There they waited for the entry process to America
as refugees.
During this time, Som and his friends got to
meet several Christians and had Bible studies. They were confused with several
sects Christians coming to them. Finally a Seventh Day Adventist pastor showed
more kindness and care for them. He studied with them. There got convinced of
the Adventist teaching.
In the mean time several were given
permission to go to United States but Som and some of his friends decided to
come back to Nepal. Particularly other two friends of Som, Amit and another
whose name I don't remember right now have become Adventists in full
commitment. Amit is a layman who is a construction worker and attends the
church in Luvu, Patan, the other friend is in Jhapa attending the church there
and Som is working for an independent Adventist organization in Hetauda.
February
25, 2012
Dear
Fellow Pilgrims of Planet Earth,
2012 is another year to rethink our reason for existence here.
There are lots of uncertainties. The famous end of the world
prediction can create terror to some, but for us every night is the end of the
world and every morning is the beginning of the world. If we make the best use
of the day, it is the beginning of the world, if not the end.
As I
looked back 2011, it was the special year of enlightenment for me. I would like
to share with you what kinds of battle are taking place in my mind. Writing a
spiritual log is a part of my therapy of survival. This blog, I call it B-log
or Bhaju's log, not just blogger. In it I am going to pour out the water from
the spring of my mind. As various subjects swim in my mind, I would like to jot
down in this log and share with you. Some of the topics that I would like to
dwell on are: spiritual outcome and experience of my reading of Bible,
effect of other faiths in my mind since I am a student of religions, (for why should the
Andrews University alone have the department of comparative religion?
University of Hard Knox (Einstein) is a best university to discover the reason
to live), social issues, constructive political issues, cream of my reading, submission trips (I
call it submission trip since I am not working in a mission), call for prayer
and personal experiences as a result of SDA (Seven Days Adventure) life. This blog will also have Nepali version of
Bible study guide (SS Lesson) that I have been translating. Thanks to General
Conference SS Department and my son Jitendra Shrestha for the sites. I will be
posting various translated work in Nepali language that could be available for
the Nepali speaking communities. The translation work of mine has been the
strategy that the Lord has been using for the tragedy of losing my wife, Purna
Maya.
As I share these thoughts from time to time,
you will be receiving automatic message to open the blog. Should you not want
to receive it, I would appreciate if you would let me know. I will take not
send it to you for I respect privacy of your time. I will be using blog site
for email from time to time.
You
are welcome to comment or write me directly on your views agreeing with me or
not agreeing with me. This blog that I am able to create with the help of my
son Jitendra Shrestha is going to be a kind of soul mate trying to reach out
other souls whom the stream of my mind can flow into.
I do
trust that you will be able to lend a few minutes of your eyes to Bhaju who
lives a life of solitude but not certainly solitarily, for the day I feel I am
alone, I shall cease to exist.
Longing
to hear from you,
Recycled
for the Master's use,
Bhaju
Ram Shrestha
Kathmandu,
Nepal
bhajupurna@gmail.com
