The capital city is Kathmandu and is home to the tallest mountain in
the world. What is the country?
If you have seen the most recent McDonalds commercial or are fairly
adept in geography, you might have a clue to the right answer. Yet I
am guessing most of us have never experienced this country first hand.
INTERNATIONAL STEWARD, led by Chuck Roost, headed to Nepal to conduct
a workshop for Christian ministry leaders. Nepal is nestled between
the Tibetan region of communist China and Northern India, where a great
deal of persecution still exists for Christians living in the only Hindu
kingdom in the world.
As I reflect on the workshop that is just finishing up as you read
this, a couple things have been impressed upon me.
First, the fact that Mt. Everest stands in the midst of the everyday
lives of the Nepalese provides an apt analogy as to the significance
of a commitment to Christ in this culture. I have never been to this
country and I can only imagine the plight of the Christian minority
in Nepal. Ninety percent of the population identifies themselves as
Hindu, with the remaining population primarily practicing Buddhism and
Islam. It is a setting where sharing your faith with a Hindu, by law,
can mean up to one year in prison.
It’s difficult to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes,
but try to imagine with me standing at the foot of this seemingly insurmountable
mountain; wondering how to provide the life giving message of Christ
to a culture that is hostile to the Christian faith. In fact, for most
Christian leaders, and for Christians in general, the political and
economic climate that exists frequently gets in the way of daily living,
let alone spreading the Gospel.
Yet NicoThapa and dozens of other Christian leaders in Nepal approach
life and ministry with an incredible faith. (Nico is his Christian name,
derived from Nicodemus. I was informed to be careful not to use his
Christian name in correspondence because of the Christian connotation.)
Nico heads up a youth ministry based in the capital city of Kathmandu.
He, like his other Christian leader counterparts in Nepal, has a great
vision for the ministry that is needed to conquer that proverbial mountain.
There is, however, a recurring theme amongst these
courageous leaders. They remain at the foot of the mountain because
of the limited finances and resources…or at least that is what
many might tell us is a primary barrier for moving forward in their
ministry.
We are excited about the opportunity to explore with this group in
Nepal some Biblical truths and practical tools that may begin to transform
their perspective in this regard. There is an important reality that
we all need to grasp whether we come from a “rich” country
or one more poverty stricken. If we truly believe that God is the owner
of all and that he is fully in control of his creation, the reality
is that there is no shortage or limitation of finances and resources.
From God’s perspective every resource is available for all He
wants to accomplish. There is, unfortunately, a shortage of maturing
stewards of the resources that He has entrusted to us.
