Nepal (MNN) — Daily bomb blasts, government officials murdered, Americans threatened, sounds like Iraq, but it isn’t, it’s Nepal.
Christians are being asked to pray for this Himalayan Kingdom, a nation in crisis. Partners with World Help say that it is not safe for Americans to visit the country at this time. One worker says it’s not even safe for our partners to even be seen with Americans.
The Maoist terrorists are targeting Americans and American sponsored projects in Nepal. Just a few weeks ago, five Nepali pastors were kidnapped and held prisoner because of their connections to Christian ministries in the United States. Miraculously they were all released unharmed even after the Maoists discovered they had no money. Nepali Christians says, “Normally, when people are kidnapped, they don’t come back. God has intervened in this process and allowed this to happen. To God be the glory!”
Over the past seven years, the political parties in Nepal and the Maoist rebels have been in conflict with one another and have created an environment of civil unrest and increasing violence throughout the kingdom. Just within the past 11 months, the capital of Kathmandu has witnessed the forming of three governments, bombings of all kinds, targeted assassinations and a new law preventing the gathering of more than five persons in any public place. A dusk to dawn curfew is routinely imposed in Kathmandu.
These tragic events in Nepal have forced World Help to postpone their November mission trip to Nepal. But more importantly, the worsening political crisis in Nepal is making life and ministry very difficult for Nepali Christians.
Yet, despite daily killings, bombings, kidnappings, robberies and nine months of an officially declared state of emergency, our faithful partners in Nepal continue to carry out their strategic evangelistic church-planting vision to reach all of Nepal with the Gospel.
One of World Help’s strategic partners in Nepal called called for a 24-hour prayer chain for the next 30 days. I want to urge you to join me in this worldwide prayer chain and to pray daily for the heart and soul of the nation of Nepal. Our partners have asked us to pray specifically for the following requests:
Pray that cease-fire talks between the Nepalese government and the Maoists will resume in earnest. Pray for those people, especially Christians, who have lost their loved ones and possessions in the civil war. Pray for the children that have been orphaned by this war, and pray that no children will be used as combatants. Pray that God will reveal Himself both to the Maoists and the government parties, so that Nepal may become a country of peace and freedom. Pray for the courage and effectiveness of the World Help Church-Planting Teams in Eastern and Central Nepal.
Pray for the safety of the thousands of believers and hundreds of pastors in the over 300 Nepalese churches provided by World Help.
