Nepal (MNN) — What happens when missionaries see a need for more than the Gospel in areas they serve? Unreached communities in Nepal are often poor, lacking sanitation and medical resources.
"We see a lot of poverty," said a team leader for Operation Mobilization Nepal. "We see a lack of understanding of health."
Last week, OM Nepal team members went through a five-day training course taught by Community Health Evangelism (CHE). They learned how to combine their outreach efforts with public health initiatives and discussed several CHE objectives. CHE works in developing nations worldwide. Their objectives create dramatic transformation in struggling populations: health improves, infant mortality decreases, and agriculture becomes more productive.
The team leader said this training is already helping their ministry in Nepal. Pray that God shows them how to support the local church.
OM's ministry in Nepal is quite diverse. OM trains leaders for the Nepali church, brings the spoken Word of God to those who cannot read, provides education and support for those with HIV/AIDS, and gives international volunteers an opportunity to experience cross-cultural ministry.
The OM Nepal team leader said one main focus is discipleship.
"The church in Nepal is exploding in numbers," he stated. "We really need to assist the church in discipling these new believers and helping them realize what it means to live like Christ and to be a Christ-follower."
Right now, OM Nepal is gearing up for the Winter Outreach Program. It sends approximately 150 students each year to share their faith in remote, unreached areas of Nepal. The Christian worker called it a "grassroots" movement, teaching believers about the foundation of their faith and then sending them into the field.
As the OM Nepal team heads into a busy time of ministry, pray that they would be refreshed and encouraged.
"I know that right now, the Lord is calling some people to get involved in missions," the OM leader stated. He encourages believers to research their calling and find out where God is directing them.
Is God calling you to serve in Nepal? See how you can join the ministry of OM as a short-term volunteer.
