Nepal 2019
Day 5_Saturday

Yang Bong

As Sweet As Honeycomb

After two days of medical camp in the capital where the team ministered to villagers and brick factory workers in the Kathmandu region, the team returned to Banepa where our host church was based. Being able to partner with Dr Michael and the local church in serving and reaching out to the communities, brought much joy to the team. 

Back in Banepa, it was a Saturday and we were going to be split into groups of two and three to be sent out to the local churches in the Banepa region to preach and share in their Saturday worship services. What a privilege it was! We woke up early that morning to have our team devotion, before heading out. The verse for that morning was taken from Proverbs 16:24,

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Indeed the medicine we brought as a medical team and the prayers brought healing, but according to Proverbs, so do kind and gracious words! We went our separate ways to the individual daughter churches that morning with a renewed understanding of the power of gracious words. 

We were split into 4 groups of threes and twos to the various churches in the region. David, Van, Sylvia and Joe were the respective speakers for the morning, sharing the word of God and encouraging the local congregation with scripture, personal testimonies and teaching. We were all blessed by the willingness of the team to step up and share in front of the church, as for many of them, it was their first time.

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…””

 (Mark 16: 15)

Indeed the command to go and share the good news is not just restricted to the qualified, the eloquent or outspoken, but is given to every believer who calls Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 

Brenda L 

Pastor NP Planted, God Watered

The day started with a morning devotion followed by a homemade Nepalese breakfast. After which, we attended a morning service at Ropheka church, the mother church planted by pastor NP Pradhan about 20 years ago. The church can accommodate 300-400 people. Pastor NP had a kingdom vision to plant 200 churches before 2020, and by the grace of God, there are now more than 200 churches planted. Many are financially independent and the mother church provides training to local pastors, leaders and the next generation.

In church, everyone sits on the floor, with men and women separated. I found it tiring to sit on the floor with no back support. I had to keep reminding myself to sit upright; the consciousness of needing back support was in my mind. Just like the Holy Spirit, I have to be conscious of its presence and make a connection with Him.

As the service was going on, Sylvia, Yang and I had to leave halfway through, to take a taxi to another local church in Khadpur. This is a new young church with only about 20 people, and no pastor.

Sylvia shared her testimony and shared the story of Deborah from Judges 4. After the service, everyone stayed behind and we had the opportunity to pray for each of them. The congregation’s eagerness and longing for God’s blessing inspired me. It had me thinking that God wants to bless us through different people and we need to be aware if we are too reluctant to be blessed by them.

After the service we went upstairs to the leader’s flat, where the women prepared a delicious Nepalese meal for us. We had a good time of fellowship with the leader’s family and took a ride back to Ropheka church on a motorbike. The journey back was an experience as the driver had a helmet and I had none, and the roads were bumpy with many big potholes.

David Bee

Standing in Temptation’s Way

It’s the first Saturday since we’ve arrived in Nepal. Over here, church services are held on Saturdays instead of Sundays—unlike in my part of the world—as most people work on Sundays.

Henna and I were put together to visit Janagal Church, while the other teams visited other churches. At the church, I shared a word with them and touched on the message of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. I wanted to encourage them by learning and teaching from the Word, on how Jesus endured through the testing and trials. Throughout the forty days in the wilderness, Satan tried to put temptation in Jesus’ way.

He wanted to see Jesus trip up and fall, but with every testing and trial that came His way, Jesus overcame it by standing firm through the deep understanding and knowledge of the Word. It is an encouragement and call for every member of the church to seek the Lord closely through the reading of His Word, so that they too can find the strength to overcome enemies that try to come in between God and them.

After I ended my sharing, I passed the time to Henna, where she next shared her life’s testimony. When she had finished, she brought the church into a time of prayer. In the name of Jesus, we went around to every single person, laid our hands and prayed for them—those who were sick, those who needed freedom from demons and for any specific needs. We did not expect to pray for 100 people that very day, but it was such a privilege and it was amazing to see God move among us

Once the service had ended, we were invited to have lunch with the church pastor. Henna and I were so thankful to have been given this opportunity to serve the church. 

Yang Bong

In the evening, we gathered back at Ropheka Church in Banepa with the youths from across the region, for a time of worship. Sherwin, Roshan and Sanjay who came from India for this camp, led us in a powerful time of worship. In a mixture of Nepali and English, we sang from our hearts in worship with all who were there. Many were touched by the presence of God, including our team from BLi. It marked the start of the youth camp, which will be happening for the next three days in this church.