Gary Fallesen / Monday, June 23, 2014 / Categories: Nepal, Mission: Nepal 2014, Mission Moments Mission Moment: NEPAL Do arrests mark beginning of persecution? The arrest of about 40 leaders and members of a church in northeastern Kathmandu during a baptism event on Friday, June 13 has prompted a call for prayer for Christians in Nepal. “Please pray for us and Nepal because persecution has begun,” one Nepali Climbing For Christ member and ministry partner emailed the day after the arrests. Reportedly, Hindu government leaders pressured local police to make the arrest. They were charged with forcibly converting Hindus. Another Nepali C4C member and ministry partner reported local churches praying for our brothers and sisters who were jailed. “God heard our prayer and they were released from the police station,” this member said. “Praise the Lord! “There is an extreme Hindu political party in Nepal and this party is bringing persecution among Christians in Nepal. Some of the Hindu followers are thinking how to dominate Christianity. “They are targeting to stop the Christian activities and destroy the churches in Nepal.” More than 300 pastors and church leaders and some supportive government officials met on June 17. “We decided, let’s do the prayer and send the prayer request to all the believers and friends, too,” our member reported. “Please pray for Nepal. “I have a great hope God does not want to stop His kingdom (work) in the Himalayas.” There have been reports that a leader of India’s Hindu nationalist party, which won that country’s general election in May and has introduced anti-conversion laws in some Indian states, visited Nepal’s Hindu prime minister and the chairman of Nepal’s Maoist party two weeks before these arrests. The message: outlaw religious conversion. Proselytism and conversion were illegal in Nepal until the country became a secular state in 2006. There is concern among Christians that their freedoms and rights may be lost in the long-awaited writing of a new constitution as Hindu extremists who feel threatened by the growth of the church become more vocal and violent. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” – Matthew 5:44 (ESV) Mission Moment: UGANDA Mission: Philippines June 2014 Trip Report Print 3786 Gary FallesenGary Fallesen Other posts by Gary Fallesen Contact author