In the mountainous kingdom of Nepal, nestled between Northern India’s rural countryside and China’s massive mainland, a small group of Christians have come together to worship and celebrate. They sit patiently on floor mats eagerly waiting to receive copies of the newest Upper Room edition in the Nepali language. These Methodist church leaders, who meet twice monthly in Kathmandu, will collect copies of the Nepali edition to take back to their communities for personal distribution to Christians there who long for a connection with others on the spiritual journey in a land where they are the overwhelming minority.
The Reverend Ratna Chapagain, General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Nepal and editor of the Nepali edition, acknowledges he and his team are undeterred by political instability due to a delay in issuing a new Nepali constitution that has resulted in strikes, lock-outs, price inflation and revolution, while also realistically acknowledging it has created hardships in launching this new language edition. Pastor Chapagain also relates the tough challenge to share the Gospel of Jesus in a place where only 10% of the population is Christian. “But we don’t give up because Immanuel God is with us and The Upper Room devotional guide is an effective tool to reach them and to fulfill God’s Great Commission to Nepal,” he said.
Very few pastors in Nepal have attained an advanced level of theological training so they struggle to present God’s word and teachings in a way that encourages deeply meaningful Biblical practice. According to Pastor Chapagain, “The Upper Room guide provides an opportunity to gather encouragement from the life experience and faith of many persons from around the world, offering life-changing inspirational words from the Bible.
Upper Room Ministries receives no world service or denominational funding but is supported primarily by sales of the daily devotional guide in the Americas and by financial contributions from persons committed to helping others spend time each day with God.
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To visit The Upper Room International Ministries webpages, visit http://international.upperroom.org/
