DISPATCH: Thursday, Feb. 2

We began our goodbyes, saying “Jaimashi” (“Victory in Jesus”) to our brother Megh after a day of meetings, planning, prayer, and a final dinner as a team (back at the Higher Grounds coffee shop in Kathmandu).

Megh, Tej, Brandy and I met to talk about this trip and the projects resulting from it. Brandy presented US$1,000 donated by her church, Crowsnest Community Christian Centre in Coleman, Alberta, Canada, to Megh for the construction of the church at Korchabang in the Mid-West district of Rolpa. This provision came from God as the church is expected to go over the original budget of US$3,500. Our targeted date for completion is mid-May.

We also discussed with Pastor Tej:

• Project 1:27. Some children will graduate from the orphanage (because of age and completion of school), while others are being added, bringing to 21 the total we will prayerfully be sponsoring. Currently, three are sponsored. There will be a need of US$1,050 per month for this project. We are asking people to sponsor a child for US$50 per month.
• The church at Dapcha. The next phase will be the renovation of the two-story building that hosted the home church before construction of the new house of worship. Pastor Bhakta Khabung and his family (wife and one daughter) will live there; they currently reside in Kathmandu. There will also be room for “Saturday School” classes and orphans who will be placed there. The cost for this project is estimated at US$3,500.
• Future work. Tej will be taking a Nepali team of up to seven members back to the Buddhist village of Thuman on the Tamang Heritage trail in Langtang National Park in May or June. We are also exploring the area Tej and I will take a team in November — possibly to the Far West — during the next Mission: Nepal. That November mission also will feature a group from my home church, Hope Lutheran in Rochester, NY, USA, working at the orphanage in Kathmandu.

Additionally, we met with John Babu Purimitla, a missionary from India who has worked for 15 years in Nepal. John Babu was connected to us by Climbing For Christ member and Mission: Nepal veteran Kyle Austin. John’s ministry is to street children in Nepal, but also a widows home in South India. He presented the work being done with 22 widows and the needs. We are praying for and about this ministry as a possible extension to Project 1:27, which is based on James 1:27 — “to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” More about this and other work resulting from Mission: Nepal will be shared in a Trip Report following this exhaustive Evangelic Expedition.