Vine Stories – Fervent Prayer
from left to right: Nathan, Thomas
When I came back to Nepal from Hong Kong, I started to preach the gospel in my village. As I did this, many families in my immediate community came to know the Lord through me.
In Nepal, most things are done together in community, from fetching water at one tap for one village, and field work, to even festival participation. Every hand is crucial to the well-being of the community, and it is very difficult to live day by day apart from society. On one particular day, a community family welcomed a child, and Hindu customs dictates that there be a ritual purifying ceremony five days after birth. But because we had become Christian, we decided to hold a prayer meeting instead.
“In the crowd were those who really loved us, as well as many who were against us. Some began to throw stones at us, but God provided great protection for us!”
However, Nepal still very much operates through a caste system comprised of touchables and untouchables, and most Christians come from the lower caste. Many of these Christian brothers entered our home when we held the prayer meeting, causing non-Christian community members to ask how they could be allowed in our home with their ranking. This sparked a big argument on the subject and resulted in our Christian family being banned from community activities.
As the pastor, I felt very bad about the matter, and we began to pray about it. We went to talk to the elders in our society about the situation, and a great crowd gathered around us. In the crowd were those who really loved us, as well as many who were against us. Some began to throw stones at us, but God provided great protection for us! Many of the stones missed their targets, and instead went on to hit other people. For three days, we were subjected to endless verbal abuse, often from people who had been drinking, but God again proved to be our great protector, and He got us back to Kathmandu safely.
“We were threatened with violence if we continued to preach the gospel in a particular area. We prayed about that and began a special partnership with our accusers.”
Another argument raised was that Christians typically bury their dead, but our community didn’t want to do that, as Hindus prefer cremation. We came to a compromise, stating that how we disposed of the dead did not matter, as long as they were God’s people.
For some people, it was too much to handle. We were threatened with violence if we continued to preach the gospel in a particular area. We prayed about that and began a special partnership with our accusers. And we are now able to openly preach the gospel and pray in that area. All this is nothing but the work of God!
We are very eager to serve the Lord and carry out His work as He wills us to do in this area and beyond. Please keep us in your prayers.
Inspire us and others!
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