Nepal (MNN) — Nepal is rising to a new dawn.
15 years ago, Christians were put in jail for their faith. However, a change in government in 2008 meant
that Christmas could be openly celebrated. The Church and groups like the
Nepal Bible Society have been officially recognized.
While persecution is less acute than in the past, it remains. There are some who are hostile to those who
left Hinduism to follow Christ. And yet,
the Nepal Bible Society says over 95% of Christians in Nepal are recent
converts.
Mawii Pudaite with Bibles For The World says their ministry launched
an ambitious project at the beginning of 2012. Their goal was to print and distribute a million copies of the Gospel of
John. "The Lord has provided the funds
to print the first 500,000 [copies of the] Gospel of John," she says.
Together with their partners, the Nepal Bible Society, Koinonia
Patan Church, and over 50 of their daughter churches, BFTW is teaming up with
other ministries to see this project through. "We
have the Frontier Mission of Youth With A Mission, the Evangelical Free
Church Missionaries in Nepal, and other partner teams. These are the ones who
are leading the distribution of God's Word and also the follow-up ministry with discipleship
training and church planting partnership program."
The idea is to deliver a copy to every apartment, every home,
every family in the target region. As of April, Bibles For the World already
had 26,000 requests for the resource. For
those who are yet to receive their copy, Pudaite asks, "Pray that God will
prepare the hearts of the people in Nepal to receive His Word, and when copies
of the Gospel of John arrive in their homes, that the Holy Spirit will make His
Word clear."
The ministry is now raising funds to do a second print run of
500,000 copies of the Gospel of John. It's a touchpoint piece. Pudaite
explains, "In the back of this Gospel of John, we are offering a free copy
of the New Testament. We believe that hundreds of thousands of people will be
requesting the New Testament."
BFTW partner will provide the follow-up. The price for the evangelistic launch is
$2.25 per person to print, package, and mail the Scripture portion.
Pudaite cites Matthew 18:19 as her request for people to join them
in prayer for this project:
"Again I say unto you, that if two of you
shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done
for them of My Father which is in heaven."
Pray that the
Lord will give Christians opportunities to evangelize. Ask God to provide the funds needed to move
forward with the distribution project. Pray for hearts to be readied for the Word of God.
