I am a member of the 54th batch of the 1000 Missionary Movement. I am from Korea, and I have been serving as a missionary in Hetauda, Nepal, since October 2019.
Let me briefly introduce my mission field. The capital city of Nepal is Katmandu. The country consists of rivers and mountains without seas. The population is approximately 29 million, and most of the people make a living by farming. The national religion is Hinduism, and more than 87 percent of the people are Hindus. There are 53 Adventist churches, 5 ordained pastors, and 5 non-ordained pastors in Nepal. In other words, the number of pastors is much smaller than that of the churches. Since 2017, the regulation for Christianity has become more restricted. If someone is caught due to missionary work, he or she has to pay a fine or go to jail, or it could lead to banishment from the country. In addition, many Hindus of Nepal are proud of their religion because they regard it as their traditional religion from their forefathers. Therefore, the current situation of Nepal makes it difficult and even dangerous to do missionary work.
When I learned about this situation, I was afraid of working as a missionary. It seemed that I could not do anything here. I did not have any choice but to kneel down and ask God why am I here. For many days, I did not receive any answer from Him. I spent my days in a state of torpor. When my missionary partner and I visited people’s houses, I was not sure this was the missionary work I had expected. At that time, I went through a hard time with the language barrier and food, and honestly, I really missed my home.
As I admitted that I couldn’t do anything by myself, I found out that I can do everything in God. After I realized that God is always with me and the victory is already in His hand, I didn’t worry anymore. I lowered myself and looked up to our Father in heaven who has always waited for me.
In November 2019, missionary training started in the mission center in Nepal. Now my partner and I start each day with morning exercise. Then, we learn how to teach the history of Bible characters, children action songs, piano, Taekwondo (Korean martial art), and the Korean language. These will serve as tools to get close to people and will create opportunities to share the gospel. We are busy and sometimes physically tired, but we are happy to be serving God.
I understand I have many things to do here in Nepal because many people are blind to the true God. I have been entrusted to spread the gospel and the love of God to people in my mission field. Although this land seems hopeless in the eyes of man, God who can do everything will make this land fruitful through the work of His servants.
Please pray for Nepal, and may the Holy Spirit be with us.
Article by Lee SeonMi