Greetings in the Lord to all,

Greetings to you and the family of God there from your brother and family in Kathmandu, Nepal. I am very thankful to all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve our Lord as a full timer and specially want to thank you for supporting for travel to Jaigaon, Indo-Bhutan border and east Nepal. Brothers we had a very good trip and we became able to establish a good contacts in Jaigaon, north Bengal and inside of Bhutan.

HONG KONG WATER FRONT

We are pleased to provide this brief report of the work which we have been blessed to be a part of in the nation of Nepal. We want to begin by thanking all of our beloved brethren and friends that have helped to make this possible with your kind and generous donations of funds and materials. We would be unable to pursue this work without your love of the gospel and your interest in the peoples that it is being taken to. We left home on the evening of January 11th. Since this was Janis’ first trip of this nature I was concerned about her strength to endure the regimens that this type of travel requires. After a very long flight and in order to arrive in Nepal more rested we took an overnight layover in Hong Kong, staying at the YMCA hotel not far from Hong Kong’s waterfront.

We arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal late of the night of January 14th. Brother Parsuram Sunchuri met us at the airport and took us to our hotel for the next two nights, the Everest Hotel. On Thursday evening we met at his home with the congregation that meets there and enjoyed teaching and fellowship. We left on a packed bus early Friday morning to travel west to the village areas in the Chitwan district. After 5 hours we got out at the city of Dumre and waited for our brethren from the village to take us with them. The crush of people, the odors and the chaos of traffic was all disturbing with us not being used to this environment.
We arrived a couple of hours later at the village of Khatitok (cot-ti-toke) where we would spend the next two days and nights. This village is located in the mid-hills region, an area of red clay and dust without electricity or running water. Our host Sube would keep us in his daughter’s room in the upper level of his humble home of clay and wood.

VILLAGE IN THE CHITWAN DISTRICT

After 5 hours we got out at the city of Dumre and waited for our brethren from the village to take us with them. The crush of people, the odors and the chaos of traffic was all disturbing with us not being used to this environment.
We had great fellowship and teaching that night in the lamp light of the church building which the congregation here was able to build about 1 ½ years ago. Jerry Golphenee and others aided with the funds to construct this building.

DUMRE CHURCH

We had great fellowship and teaching that night in the lamp light of the church building which the congregation here was able to build about 1 ½ years ago. Jerry Golphenee and others aided with the funds to construct this building.
We had studies about the change Christ makes in our lives over many hours on Saturday. Each of the meeting periods brought between 50 and 95 people to participate in the studies. Of course throughout these days all the daily work and needs of this village goes on even with the interruption of our visit. This congregation was begun about 8 or 9 years ago with the help of Sube and another good worker Mensa. The village itself has been here for about 60 years and there are 450 homes scattered about the hills making up this community. It was definitely an adjustment for us to sleep on a thinly padded board bed and crawl down the ladder to use the outdoor toilet.
We were amazed at the children and their daily chores which they conducted with skill and seeming contentment. This is a farming community with each family unit growing for their own subsistence. On Saturday evening after dark we were finishing our evening meal and we could hear singing coming from the church building. We learned that all of the young people were up there singing and enjoying fellowship together. It was a joy to walk up there to join them in the dim light of small flashlights and listen and fellowship with them until late into the night. The beauty and intensity of their singing was truly marvelous. There were none of the distractions which seem in our own society to take the place of fulfilling worship to God. We think they enjoyed our visit with them and we did our best to be part of them and relate to them. We had another great time of worship and fellowship on Sunday morning and then we took our leave to the next place

DUMRE CHHILDREN

We arrived in the city of Bharatpur late that afternoon, met with Daniel, the preacher in that city and again went to the place the congregation meets and in the darkness engaged in teaching and fellowship. Our work there was to continue the next day before moving on to another village. The next morning though we learned that Parsuram’s daughter Nilam had become quite ill with a form of jaundice and we were compelled to return to Kathmandu so that she could be attended to for her medical needs. Our extended visit with Daniel and the Christians here was curtailed as well as our visit and work with the villagers at Bhalamura which would have been our next place.

GOTHATAR SAINTS

After returning to Kathmandu we rested for the next couple of days and did some shopping for items which were identified as those which the village congregation needs and made some plans to help provide for the school materials for the village children. On Thursday the 22nd we traveled to the outskirts of the city to an area known as Gothatar. Here Mensa’s sister hosts a congregation in her home. It is far and difficult for them to go into the city to meet with another group of Christians so they have done what is good for them in meeting here near to home. We taught and fellowshipped with them that afternoon. The room that they meet in is a bedroom about 6’ by 8’ and there were 12 of us in that little room. It was good.

The effects of dust and elevation and I suppose crowds had given Janis a good sinus infection or something that had her down pretty much. Still she was a great helper in going with us and putting her all into the meetings. On Saturday we went to the city congregation of Baneshwor where a preacher named Ravi B.C. serves and spent the full day into late afternoon with more teaching and fellowship to encourage the brethren here. It was well attended by about 25 to 35 folks. We interacted with more thoughts of how Christ changes and enriches our lives as no other experience can do. Sunday the 25th, which would be our last Sunday in Nepal brought us to the village area of Tika Bhairav. This place is about an hour travel from our hotel at the outer edge of Kathmandu valley. It is hilly and tree covered. Scattered through the hills here about 5 congregations are meeting. This one is assisted by Deepak Deshar and Shudarshan Thapa. Around 30-50 brethren worship in the home here in an upper room about 8’ wide and 20’ long. I taught about the “Canvas of our Lives”, what do other people see in us. Is it Christ seen in the image we present?

We began our journey back toward home on Wednesday night and with flight delays and the equally long return flights we finally arrived at our home late Friday night the 30th of January. We are thankful to God for keeping us safe and well and for the beautiful fellowships we shared and the friendships we made and will nurture as best we can. We are thankful for all of you who prayed for us and for the work to be done and the health of the churches in Nepal. We feel so blessed by being able to participate in these good works and for your joint participation with us. It was another blessing that we had received some study materials from a brother and sister in Alabama and we had several already that we were able to carry with us in extra suitcases for distribution among congregations in Nepal. The brethren in Nepal have sent their greetings and thanks to you by us and they are thankful for your love and concerns for them. Our earlier thoughts had been to go to Nepal this year and then not again until 2011 following my retirement from the Postal Service. Janis has said though that she would be more pleased to work a little longer so that we can return next year and continue in this great ministry with you and the people of Nepal. We pray that the Lord will bless us in this and we look forward to continuing in working with you as we serve the Lord in His kingdom.

VIEW FROM OUR KATHMANDU HOTEL WINDOW

This was the view we had out our hotel window in Katmandu. The sun shining off of the Himalayas was so fantastic. You can see them in the clouds just above the middle hills. Everyday the mountain mist would come in and cover the middle hills. The smog would disappear and even the city would put on an air of beautiful.

God bless all of you and we pray for the best for each of you as you strive in His kingdom receiving the full measure of His love.