Knowing the Heavenly Father Better

Nepal is a small country situated between China to the north and India to the south. The total population of Nepal is about 30 million, formed from diverse tribes and tongues. The rooftop of the world, Mount Everest, is also located in Nepal.

A common Nepalese greeting is to clasp your hands together and say, “Namaste,” meaning, “Hello” or “Nice to meet you.” However, Christians greet one another by folding their hands and saying, “Jai mashi,” meaning, “Praise Jesus.” 

In Nepal, 81.3 percent of the population practices Hinduism, and only 1.4 percent is believed to be Christian.[i] Nepal’s parliament declared it a secular country in 2006, but the amendments attached to this declaration have made the lives of Christians in Nepal more difficult and insecure. Many churches have been bombed. Church arson and the unnecessary detention of Christians frequently make headlines in local newspapers. 

Discrimination among local villagers grows day by day, as some government leaders are determined to make Nepal a Hindu nation. so it would become the first totally Hindu nation in the world. However, despite the strict laws that ban religious conversion, the number of Christians in Nepal has rapidly grown. Many people are coming to know the one and true Savior. But there is still a long way to go.

Christians in Nepal are seeking to know our heavenly Father better and better. They do this despite all the challenges and opportunities, the failures and successes, in life and ministry. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Knowing the Father better and helping to make Him known to others is the ultimate goal of life and ministry. (See John 14:1–14.) 

The church is reaching the next generation of Nepal with God’s Word in order for them to learn that true salvation can be found only in and through the blood of Jesus Christ. Children and youth make up 40 percent of the population.[ii] In the years to come, these youth will change the face of Nepal into a God-fearing and God-serving nation. 

Prayer Requests

· Please pray for spiritual breakthrough for Nepal and for the leaders of the country. Pray that laws that forbid evangelism will be abolished.

· Pray for those who convert from Hinduism to Christianity. They often experience persecution and are at risk under the law.  
   

[i] “National Population and Housing Census 2011,” Government of Nepal National Planning Commission Secretariat Central Bureau of Statistics, November 2012, accessed November 23, 2019, https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf.

[ii] “Children in Nepal,” UNICEF, accessed November 23, 2019, https://www.unicef.org/nepal/children-nepal.