Coping with COVID-19 in Nepal
My very first mission trip was to Nepal with ARDF!
“But when He saw the great crowds, Jesus was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” – Mark 6:34
Nepal
The Anglican Church operates a school in a slum area outside of Kathmandu. Because of the lockdowns enforced due to the coronavirus, families living here have lost their sources of income.
The Anglican Church in Nepal has seen tremendous growth since the 2015 earthquakes that devastated this mountainous country. Christianity has not always been tolerated by the authorities, and yet the number of people coming to Jesus grows.
We love this church. ARDF has taken two Vision Trips to Nepal and our relationship with the Nepali people is deep. In this time of the coronavirus, how are they faring?
Most of the Christians in Nepal are poor day laborers. This is not surprising. Many Christians are from the lowest caste of society and face discrimination. This makes the loving message of the Gospel so much sweeter to them. However, the fact remains that, in general, many have limited access to education and employment and are caught in a cycle of poverty that is hard to escape.
With the pandemic, Nepal has now been under lockdown for nearly two and a half months. This has drastically affected the economy. Day jobs no longer exist, neither do jobs in construction or factories. This leaves many without the ability to buy food, let alone cleaning supplies or medicine. Many people in the cities, without access to work, have returned to their home villages, putting strains on those systems. Our friends on the ground estimate that 75% of people in their churches are out of work.
Churches are suffering too. Similar to Marsabit, Kenya, when public gatherings are banned, the church cannot collect offerings from which to pay their pastors and to support the needy in their community. ARDF sent relief funds to Nepal through the Diocese of Singapore. The Anglican Church in Nepal has been able to help support jobless people and their families, including the community in one of the slums where the Anglican church is present.
In addition to this short term relief, the church is also providing longer-term help, by awarding scholarships to children so they can go to school, and by operating the New Creation Children’s center and the Helping Orphans Children’s Home.
The situation is too sensitive now for us to get details on these funds, but know that your donations are making a difference in some of the most difficult places, where governments are unable - or unwilling - to help.
Please join us in prayer for the people of Nepal and for the leaders of the Anglican Church in Nepal. The situation, already fraught, has been aggravated by the pandemic. In addition, the church has its own grief to process.
“We are grieving because one of our young clergy Rev. Sanjeev Sunuwar passed away on the 13th of May. He was really healthy and really helpful for our ministries in Nepal. He has two children, a girl of 4 years and 6 years old boy. Please uplift them in your prayers for his family.”
- Rev. Rinzi Lama, Associate Dean, Anglican Church in Nepal
While our friends may feel distant, they are encouraged by our prayers and our support especially in these trying times. Thank you!
“Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20-21
Thank you for praying for the people of Nepal!
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