Nepal’s changing face includes the Gospel

Nepal (MNN) — In 2008, Nepal's deposed king gave up his crown and left his palace forever. His departure closed the door on the world's last Hindu monarchy and opened the door for something else.

A newly-elected Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a Federal Democratic Republic, abolishing the 240-year-old monarchy. And the sudden openness paved the way for the Gospel. The late evangelical scholar Dr. John Stott once noted that, "Without the Bible, world evangelization would not only be impossible, but actually inconceivable."

Groups like Bibles For the World were asked for help with Bibles for Nepal. President Mawii Pudaite says their work there has been a culmination of years of prayer and careful organization. On their recent visit to Nepal, they were beginning to see the fruits of the Bible distribution project that began earlier this year.

She explains, "With prayers and sacrificial contributions of our partners, 500,000 Gospels of John and 50,000 New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs have been printed in the Nepali language and are now being distributed to families in Nepal."

Although they'd been asked for help by the lay leaders and pastors, Bibles For the World was careful not to step on anyone's proverbial toes. During their last visit, the ministry team had a "Seed Sowers Consultation" with the Senior Pastors and Leaders of Christian organizations in the country. Mawii says, "We shared with them the history, the vision, and mission of Bibles For The World. We assured them that we hadn't come with intentions of starting another organization, rather, to strengthen their hands in their endeavors to fulfill the Great Commission."

Co-founders of Bibles for the World, Ro and Mawii Pudaite shared how God transformed their headhunting Hmar tribe to become "heart hunters" for Christ, underscoring the idea of seed planting. "It all began with a single copy of the Gospel of John. We told them what God had done for us and our people. He will do the same for the unreached peoples of Nepal."

Bibles for the World then told these leaders they would be providing free New Testaments and Gospels of John, the best tool for evangelism and for the training and building up of the Body of Christ.

The idea is to deliver a copy to every apartment, every home, every family in the target region. Due to the interest in the Gospel, there is incredible demand for more. "This exciting and challenging task (to distribute the Scripture portions across the country) is being carried on in partnership with the Nepal Bible Society and the national evangelical churches and organizations." Of its nearly 30 million people, less than 3% are Christians. A majority of them worship over 20 million different Hindu gods.

Tools are great, but not as efficient for getting a job done without some training. Mawii says they didn't neglect that aspect, either. "The following day, we had the joy of conducting the 'Seed Sowers Seminar' with nearly 200 men and women who are involved in evangelism and church planting in Nepal. Some of them are heads of NGOs and ministries." Others are coordinators of evangelism and church growth in their local churches, and many of them are local pastors. All were eager to learn how to be more effective in their outreach.

At the close of both the Seed Sowers Consultation and the Seed Sowers Seminar, large boxes containing beautiful copies of the Gospel of John were given out for the attendees to distribute to non-Christian homes in their areas.

"Enthusiastic" wouldn't quite describe the mood at the seminar. Mawii explains, "To see the delight and excitement on the faces of these national Christian workers–mostly first-generation believers–was exhilarating! The prospect of reaching unreached millions with the Greatest Story ever told moved us to tears."

It's free for the asking, and Nepal's ministries are hoping a lot of people will walk through that open door over the next year. Says Mawii, "The entire Nepali New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs will be given, free of cost, to anyone who has read the Gospel of John and requests it."

It would be the second touchpoint, since the request form comes with the first touchpoint: the Gospel of John. These responses will be followed up by the pastors and evangelists who will handle the discipleship. It costs $2.25 to print and mail a copy of the Nepali New Testament.

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