Retnaraj Minute
July 2012
Friends CHE Ministry in Nepal
As we sat to review our work in June with all our trainers and their families, we were overwhelmed at what had been accomplished in these months by this small band of dedicated CHE workers, and the way the Lord has blessed their efforts and also their lives. Each one came into this work initially asking how much this work would pay them and how it would support their families and needs. But as the days went by they were sur-prised to note that with little time spent on work and more time on praying for their tar-get areas and communities, great things were accom-plished. Most of all, the indi-viduals helped by this ministry and the lives saved were evi-dence of the Holy Spirit lead-ing them on and helping them to overcome all odds. All our trainers are ordinary people of rural Nepal and members of
Friends churches, and over time, they helped form small worship groups and church-es in such simple ways using the CHE strategy.
We have mostly been cata-lysts in the whole situation, and what a pleasure it has been to witness Christian growth in small rural com-munities—in areas where people earlier worshiped idols and believed in FATE!
Now they are a strong peo-ple who believe in the living God who gave His only be-gotten Son Jesus to save them and prepare them for eternal life with Him. Most of them grew spiritually as well as physically - their life-styles changed, they had enough at home to feed the family, they were spared the inconveniences of ill health by installing bio-sand filters and toilets, and were able to extend their days a little more by the use of solar lights for meetings, training sessions, etc. Many women are learning to read the Bible through the Non-Formal Edu-cation classes. And suddenly small, sleepy communities were able to reach out to nearby communities with the good news. Jesus is alive in them!
“My father sent me to wash dishes and clothes in other peoples’ houses …”
Sita Rai is from Mahida and grew up washing dishes and clothes in Kathmandu. She was sent there because there were other kids at home and the family was struggling to make both ends meet. Her mother at one time had her admitted to the local school, but the father insisted she work and earn for the family. During the last summer, she heard about the Adult Non-
Formal Education at Mahida and enrolled. She came face-to-face with Christ in these sessions and accepted Christ as her personal Saviour. Now she helps her other siblings at home with their lessons and encourages them to go to church and Sunday School with her.
The outhouse program…Clean mind in a clean body!
Since March, awareness about use of toilets and personal hygiene has been stressed and demonstrated in Dhamile by the CHE committee. As a result, 21 toilets were constructed and a few more are in the process and will be completed soon.
There is still much work to be done in the construction of toilets for each house-hold as per the original plan for 2012. People are encouraged and advised regarding the importance of outhouses. Construction, use of toilets, and water filters have drastically decreased the incidence of diarrheal diseases in kids as well as adults. This fact has been verified by the local school where attendance has been better in school and during exams.
There is a need for training about smokeless stoves in each home to improve
health, particularly the respir-atory illnesses that are com-mon among the people of this community. Some members of the Dhamile CHE commit-tee will be going to Bardiya where this training will be imparted and then built into each home in Dhamile.
Smriti…The brave child of God!
return home, the father beat her and left her to die outside the house. The neighbors were so scared, they left their homes to take shelter in the nearby police post fearing the fa-ther.
All this because Smriti accepted Christ and goes to church to worship the living God. She coordinates our Adult Non-Formal Education Program and is busy pursuing her Bachelors
in Education, training to be a teacher herself. When she protested the beatings by her father, it was her turn to be beaten, and he nearly broke her legs to prevent her from going to church that week.
Do pray for Smriti and her mother, and for the strength needed to overcome the depression and weakness in this family, that the wounds in the body and spirit will heal, and for her father’s life to be changed.
To listen to her recite the story is painful beyond words, and to have actually undergone the suffering without help from anyone, caused by her own father, is beyond our imagination.
First, her mother consumed poison in an attempt to flee from all the suffering and problems at home caused by her father. The mother’s life was saved by the doctors in Bhatarpur Hospital, but upon their
After four months of deputation in the US, we made it back safely to Nepal in June and caught up with our trainers’ team in Bha-ratpur for a monthly staff meeting. It was good to see the work continuing on comfortably in our absence and many of the plans that were implemented during the last six months. Visits to the Far West could not be made after February but the
spend time training them all. He has started helping the local primary school and thus is able to spend more time with the com-munity. They are still try-ing to find ways of over-coming the heat and water scarcity which has hit most of Nepal this year. Crops have failed in many places.
Please pray for all our trainers and for our family. Our son Prateek graduated from primary school and will be going to secondary in August.
SHALOM!
As we sat to review our work in June with all our trainers and their families, we were overwhelmed at what had been accomplished in these months by this small band of dedicated CHE workers, and the way the Lord has blessed their efforts and also their lives. Each one came into this work initially asking how much this work would pay them and how it would support their families and needs. But as the days went by they were sur-prised to note that with little time spent on work and more time on praying for their tar-get areas and communities, great things were accom-plished. Most of all, the indi-viduals helped by this ministry and the lives saved were evi-dence of the Holy Spirit lead-ing them on and helping them to overcome all odds. All our trainers are ordinary people of rural Nepal and members of
Friends churches, and over time, they helped form small worship groups and church-es in such simple ways using the CHE strategy.
We have mostly been cata-lysts in the whole situation, and what a pleasure it has been to witness Christian growth in small rural com-munities—in areas where people earlier worshiped idols and believed in FATE!
Now they are a strong peo-ple who believe in the living God who gave His only be-gotten Son Jesus to save them and prepare them for eternal life with Him. Most of them grew spiritually as well as physically - their life-styles changed, they had enough at home to feed the family, they were spared the inconveniences of ill health by installing bio-sand filters and toilets, and were able to extend their days a little more by the use of solar lights for meetings, training sessions, etc. Many women are learning to read the Bible through the Non-Formal Edu-cation classes. And suddenly small, sleepy communities were able to reach out to nearby communities with the good news. Jesus is alive in them!
“My father sent me to wash dishes and clothes in other peoples’ houses …”
Sita Rai is from Mahida and grew up washing dishes and clothes in Kathmandu. She was sent there because there were other kids at home and the family was struggling to make both ends meet. Her mother at one time had her admitted to the local school, but the father insisted she work and earn for the family. During the last summer, she heard about the Adult Non-
Formal Education at Mahida and enrolled. She came face-to-face with Christ in these sessions and accepted Christ as her personal Saviour. Now she helps her other siblings at home with their lessons and encourages them to go to church and Sunday School with her.
The outhouse program…Clean mind in a clean body!
Since March, awareness about use of toilets and personal hygiene has been stressed and demonstrated in Dhamile by the CHE committee. As a result, 21 toilets were constructed and a few more are in the process and will be completed soon.
There is still much work to be done in the construction of toilets for each house-hold as per the original plan for 2012. People are encouraged and advised regarding the importance of outhouses. Construction, use of toilets, and water filters have drastically decreased the incidence of diarrheal diseases in kids as well as adults. This fact has been verified by the local school where attendance has been better in school and during exams.
There is a need for training about smokeless stoves in each home to improve
health, particularly the respir-atory illnesses that are com-mon among the people of this community. Some members of the Dhamile CHE commit-tee will be going to Bardiya where this training will be imparted and then built into each home in Dhamile.
Smriti…The brave child of God!
return home, the father beat her and left her to die outside the house. The neighbors were so scared, they left their homes to take shelter in the nearby police post fearing the fa-ther.
All this because Smriti accepted Christ and goes to church to worship the living God. She coordinates our Adult Non-Formal Education Program and is busy pursuing her Bachelors
in Education, training to be a teacher herself. When she protested the beatings by her father, it was her turn to be beaten, and he nearly broke her legs to prevent her from going to church that week.
Do pray for Smriti and her mother, and for the strength needed to overcome the depression and weakness in this family, that the wounds in the body and spirit will heal, and for her father’s life to be changed.
To listen to her recite the story is painful beyond words, and to have actually undergone the suffering without help from anyone, caused by her own father, is beyond our imagination.
First, her mother consumed poison in an attempt to flee from all the suffering and problems at home caused by her father. The mother’s life was saved by the doctors in Bhatarpur Hospital, but upon their
After four months of deputation in the US, we made it back safely to Nepal in June and caught up with our trainers’ team in Bha-ratpur for a monthly staff meeting. It was good to see the work continuing on comfortably in our absence and many of the plans that were implemented during the last six months. Visits to the Far West could not be made after February but the
spend time training them all. He has started helping the local primary school and thus is able to spend more time with the com-munity. They are still try-ing to find ways of over-coming the heat and water scarcity which has hit most of Nepal this year. Crops have failed in many places.
Please pray for all our trainers and for our family. Our son Prateek graduated from primary school and will be going to secondary in August.
SHALOM!
