Courtesy of David & Pat Depew - for May 3, 2015 church bulletins
Mission Focus #884 PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEPAL
Thousands of Nepal’s population of about 30 million have been killed or injured follow the horrific 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on April 25th. Many individuals have either lost their homes or have been forced to live outdoors because of the threat of further aftershocks.
Several countries including the United States, China and India are sending search-and-rescue teams, aid workers, supplies and medical help to this impoverish country. Some of the U.S. Christian groups are Samaritan’s Purse, Save The Children and World Vision.
According to a recent report 81% of the Nepalese population are Hindu, 9% Buddhist, 4% Muslim, 3 % Christian and 2.5 % Yumaist (Shamanism).
Saturday is the Christian worship day in Nepal and most churches meet between 10.00 AM to 12.30 PM. When the earthquake hit many believers were in church. Gospel for Asia stated that many church buildings were totally destroyed leaving hundreds injured and approximately “500 + Christians are feared dead”.
As Nepal struggles to deal with the tragedy of the earthquake it continues to face political problems. It has not completed its transition to a secular democracy by declaring its new Constitution. It has been more than six years since the Maoist guerrillas overthrew the Hindu monarchy. One political member of theUnited Marxist Leninist party said, “the constitution will not be ready in May. The country might have to wait another year.”
Pastor Dahal, National Churches’ Fellowship of Nepal stated,
"These further delays will be a disappointment to the country’s Christians and other minority religions hopeful that the new constitution would guarantee them equal rights and religious freedoms. We do not have a long history of Christianity in Nepal. During the Rana (1846 until 1951) regime, Christians were not allowed to live in the nation. In 1950, the late King Tribhuvan announced that Christians could live in the nation and in 2006 we were declared to be a secular nation. Even though we now number almost 1.1 million, the government has not accepted us [Christians] as one of the religions of the nation. Christians are hoping and praying for the best amid the delay in announcing a new constitution. But they say they are also prepared for the worst and to carry on, come what may. We have to love our brothers irrespective of their faith, irrespective of their level of spirituality. . . because God. . . and there’s only one God, there’s only one Creator. . . therefore they may be Hindus, they may be Muslims. . . whatever. . . they are still God’s creation. And they are our brothers."
Another Nepalese Pastor commented,
"As Christians, we are always prepared to work and live our faith under any circumstances. So hindrances, difficulties, obstacles do not hinder Christians from living their Christian faith and also propagating and sharing their faith. Even though there are some voices, some groups of people who are not very happy with this [secularism] and who would like to see Nepal become a Hindu kingdom again, Nepal cannot go back. God is moving in Nepal and He will be our strength through all that we go through.”
Operation World reports, “The Nepali diaspora is officially two million, but the number of Nepalis illegally working abroad (by choice and increasingly by compulsion) may exceed 10 million. Nearly every family in Nepal has at least one member working away from home. Most go to India, but Nepalis can be found in over 100 nations. Nepalis abroad are more open to the gospel than are those at home. Numerous churches are established among Nepali migrants, even in restricted-access nations. Pray that creative ways might be found to share the good news with these scattered peoples.”
PRAY for the many needs facing the people of Nepal following this terrible earthquake and PRAY for aid workers reaching out to help the people. PRAY that there will be a final political resolution for Nepal and that Christians will no longer face persecution. PRAY for the redemptive power of God in the middle of this tragedy so the Nepalese will KNOW the LIVING LORD!
