Nepal Update Part 1

GREETINGS!


Monday, November 12th:

We arrived in Nepal's capitol, Kathmandu, on a cold overcast afternoon after 40 hours of travel from Washington DC. We crammed into the small taxi and were driven through the impoverished, bumpy streets to Mercy Children's Home. We quickly dropped off our luggage and walked to a nearby church where we met eight pastors and some of their wives.  We prayed with them for the youth camp that we were putting on over the next two days. Sher Lama, the pastor and founder of two children's homes, told me that he and most of these pastors from around Kathmandu had all been raised in the same children home many years ago. It was awesome to see how influential a children's home can be and that so many men and women of God came out of it. Sher Lama's raises the orphans as his own, they all call him, Buwa (father). He cares for the children and raises them up as disciples who love Jesus.

The next day we went to another children's home just outside of Kathmandu (the capitol) where we met another  amazing pastor, Lila Tamang, who also runs an orphan home. He and his wife care for 10 children plus two of their own. He is one of the strongest prayer warriors I have EVER met! When we arrived there was an old lady sitting on the floor. She told us (through translation) that her left hand had been paralyzed for many years and when Lila Tamang prayed over it in the name and blood of Jesus it was healed (this was a few years ago when she became a Christian). We prayed for this lady and her husband who was not a believer. Lila told us many more amazing stories about how people had been healed! My friend Spencer had torn all her tendons in both her ankles. She had been in constant pain for two years and the doctor told her she would need surgery. I had told Spencer that she could not come on the second half of our trip where we were going to hike to remote villages to share the gospel. After hearing all these stories about God's healing power, we asked if he would pray over Spencer's ankles. After an intense time of prayer and to my disbelief, Spencer said her ankle's were completely healed! On our 5 day trek she was in front of everyone the whole time.

Lila said there are around 300 Christians in a city of a 100,000! As we walked through the city idol worship was EVERYwhere! We even saw a lady bowing down and worshiping a "holy" cow!

We also met three adorable new orphan girls who Lila had just brought from the mountains. One of them had arrived the morning we got there! We stayed the night and this video is of the 5 orphan girls waking up the next morning: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100633474529318


November 14th:
Yesterday we helped put on a youth camp where nearly 175 youth came from around Kathmandu. We were able to share our testimonies, teach from God's word, worship and pray over those who were sick.

November 15th:
This morning we are going with Iris Ministry and YWAM to feed to poor and share the gospel. Then we will be going to a Tibetan Children's home this afternoon.

November 16th
Tomorrow we take a long bus ride up to Pokarah and will stay at another children's home. Saturday we start our hike!

Until the whole WORLD hears,

Holly

Nepal Update! Part 2

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

I am just leaving Nepal after two wonderfully amazing weeks.

Yesterday we arrived in Kathmandu after our five day mission trek through the beautiful Anaparuna mountains. The day before we started our trek we visited a Tibetan’s children home called First Love Home. We spent the evening with 13 amazing children between the ages of 4 and 10. We had a time of worship and it was truly the most AMAZING worship I have EVER experienced. I have never seen children crying out to God, weeping, waling, and shouting out with joy and such zeal…it was intense to say the least. After worship the children described the way they felt while they were worshiping. One child said he felt Jesus hugging him and felt so much love, another said he felt like he was in heaven singing with the angels. Another one said he felt that God was much more powerful than a doctor (earlier that night that boy had told me he wanted to be a doctor when he grows up). Another quiet girl said she felt as if she was singing in God’s presence. I asked the children if they had ever seen Jesus and one girl said she had seen Jesus! Another boy said he had seen angels. Seeing their intense worship, I truly believe them. Three boys told me they want to be pastors and take the gospel to those who have never heard. I cannot tell you how intensely touched I was. God is so real to these children as they rely on Him for their every need. (See attached pic)

The next day we took a seven-hour bus ride to Pokarah through the windy green foothills with the white peaked Himalayas in the distance. We spent the night at another children’s home there. We hiked with two of the most amazing men I have ever met! Lila Tamang and Sher Lama are pastors in two different cities and they both care for 10 children in their homes along with their own children (right).

On our trek, we stopped in five different villages where we encouraged believers (if there were any). In one village we met three teenage sisters who hiked four hours to come meet us because they heard that (we) Christians were visiting! They are the only Christians in their village and wanted prayer and encouragement. One of the girl’s who was 14 years old had been suffering from headaches and depression for a few years. We had an intense time of prayer and afterwards she said that her headache was gone.

We also showed the Jesus Film in one village, handed out hundreds of gospel tracks, went to schools to make gospel bracelets for children, went door-to-door sharing the gospel and praying for the sick.  We saw many people healed and a few people gave their lives to the Lord.  One young man, Karma, was a Tibetan Buddhist. After hearing the Gospel and asking questions for nearly an hour he was ready to accept Christ. After he prayed he told Julie (my sister) to cut his Dali Lama necklace off because now he worshiped Jesus! Praise the LORD for His grace.

God is mightily working in Nepal and I want to be part of His work here! This is just a small glimpse of all the wonderful things that happened on our trip.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Until the whole world HEARS,

Holly <><

Pray for Nepal

Day 1
Psalm. 98:2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 

Father God, I pray that the Nepali people would turn to You from their idols and serve the living and true God and wait for Jesus, Your Son from heaven, whom You raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. I pray that the LIGHT of the gospel breaks through the satanic veil that blinds their eyes. Reveal yourself to them. Bring them to salvation so that the Word of the Lord would sound forth from the people of Nepal into all the world and that their faith in God would go everywhere! 

Day 2

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

 Lord, You are the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, and there is nothing hidden from Your sight. You are the wisest counselor of all. I thank You for your promise, that You give wisdom to those who ask. 

Father God, I pray that you would give my team the wisdom we need to minister to the Nepali people. Fill us with heavenly wisdom that is pure, peace-loving, and considerate. Reveal to us the divine strategies we need to navigate the cultural issues we will face with the people of Nepal. Inspire us with creative solutions to the challenges that hold back the Gospel among the Nepalis. Lord, release your wisdom and light the path before us to penetrate this people group with the truth of Your love.

Day 3

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 

Father, I thank You for the Holy Spirit that You have sent to lead us into all truth, I lift up the people of Nepal to You, and I pray for the children among them. Holy Spirit, I ask that today you would visit one of these children and spark in their heart the revelation of who You are. Over-shadow them with Your presence Lord, and touch them with the truth of Your love. Draw them near to You Lord, give them eyes to see beyond what they have been taught. Open their hearts to receive Your love and Your truth. Comfort them with Your peace and set them on a new course for the rest of their life.  

Day 4 

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 

You, Oh God are Lord forever and there is no one who can challenge Your authority and power. You rule for ever and ever, and there is no end to Your Kingdom.

Lord, anoint my team as we work with wisdom and insight to reach out to the poor and needy. Enable us to put Your truth in a form that can be easily understood. Anoint our words with power to penetrate hearts. Open the ears of those who hear, and make the Good news of Your son Jesus, real to them.  Lord, Your heart is near to the poor and oppressed, anoint us, to represent you as Lord and Savior.

Day 5 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.-Ephesians 3:14-21 

Father God, may your Kingdom come to Nepal. Shine your LIGHT and your truth into the hearts of the people. Awaken them! Give them ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to receive your Word, your Spirit. May we be grounded in love so that we can have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and the depth and to know the love of Christ so we may be filled with all the fullness of Christ Jesus. 

Day 6

Father God,  may we be holy and have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as You have forgiven us, so we also must forgive. And above all these we put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And may Your peace rule in our hearts, to which indeed we were called in one body. And may we be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God. And whatever we do, in word or deed, may we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to you, God the Father... (Col. 3)

Day 7

Father God, I pray you would be in the midst of the Nepali people, a mighty one who will save. I thank you that you will rejoice over them with gladness, and quiet them by your love and exult over them with loud singing (Zeph 3:17) I pray you would pour your Spirit on the Nepali people, that their sons and daughters would prophesy and their old men would dream dreams and that their young men would see visions. (Joel 2:28-29)

a call to step UP

Believers must actively pursue being a part of fulfilling the Great Commission. Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...” (Matthew 28:19) He said, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) The church has had nearly 2000 years to share "this gospel of the kingdom" YET there are still nearly 9,000 people groups who have not heard the gospel (Joshua Project).

I urge you, dear brother's and sister's in Christ, to step up and get directly involved in fulfilling the Great Commission…especially among the UNREACHED.

I believe it all begins with PRAYER!!! 

Father God, we come to you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ asking that you give the church a renewed and urgent passion to fulfill the Great Commission. Awaken the church, awaken our hearts to seek first YOUR Kingdom. May your Kingdom come to the unreached, to every nation, tribe and tongue. Show us how to empty ourselves so the Holy Spirit might well up in us a spring of LOVE that will overflow and spread to the ends of the earth. Send us, Oh God…send the church to the darkest places so it might shine with the brightest LIGHT as the fullness of Christ transforms our lowly sinful bodies. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.  Unite the church and make us one just as your Son is one with you. Fill us with zeal for your house…zeal for spreading Your Kingdom. Come Lord Jesus...the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!

 

First Love Home

Zechi and Lola Lhomi were raised in a small Buddhist, Lhomi village near the Nepali Tibetan border. There are no roads that reach their village. To get there, one would have to walk miles through incredibly steep hills and valleys. Their village has no electricity and limited access to facilities such as schools and medical care. Zechi lived most of his life as cow shepherd and had to work hard for his livelihood farming wheat and potatoes.  

His village and culture are deeply rooted in Buddhism and the Lhomi people have strong spiritual pride. His life forever changed when he became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. One day his younger brother became deathly ill. The Buddhist holy men tried to heal him but nothing worked. After many days a Christian man from a nearby village prayed for healing and slowly he was healed. Zechi and his family accepted Jesus as they saw the power of God displayed in their life. A church was founded in his village and Zechi became one of the leaders. A small revival sparked the surrounding villages and many people came to Christ. After some time a severe persecution rose from a Maoist Rebel group. They came with their machetes and threatened Zechi and the other church leaders and told them to leave. They tried to burn down the church and beat some of the Christians. They had to flee for their lives. After a while another village killed the Maoist rebel leader. His body was cut up into pieces and thrown into a river. He left a small boy behind named Thudok.

 

Three years ago Zechi and Lola felt God impress on their hearts to start First Love Home for Tibetan children. Their vision is to disciple children and train them up to be responsible Christ-filled adults who will return to their villages to share the Gospel. Currently they have 14 children and 4 of their own. Thudok (right pic), the son of Maoist rebel leader who severely persecuted them, now lives at First Love Home and he loves Jesus.

*Names have been changed

Psalm. 98:2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

Seeking God's INSTRUCTION

There is, perhaps, nothing a Christian needs to more closely examine than his or her own presumed views and habits, for we are so prone to take God’s divine approval of them for granted, rather than seeking out his counsel and instruction in the Word! Let us examine ourselves, our habits, our ways and see if there is anything that is hindering us from fully following God. 

1 Chronicles 13 tells the account of King Davids endeavor to bring the ark of God back to Jerusalem. David just became King of Israel and is living in Jerusalem. He has good intentions of bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem. All Israel goes to get the ark. They put it on a new cart to bring to Jerusalem. "And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah."-1 Chronicles 13:9-11 

Even though David and all of Israel have good and right intentions to please the Lord, they did not seek His instruction. Uzzah perishes because of his lack of knowledge in understanding of how to correctly carry the ark of God. David learns a harsh lesson and seeks the Lord for instructions of how to correctly carry the ark of God.

Two chapters later, David realizes God is blessing the house of Obed-Edom because of the ark. He goes to bring it to Jerusalem, however he does it differently this time. He does not put the ark on a CART like he did the first time. David seeks the Lord's instruction. He realizes that no one but a Levite can carry the ark of God. In 1 Chronicles 15:13-15, David says, "Because you (Levites) did not carry the ark the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule."

The priests and the Levites consecrate themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord. This time, the Levites carry the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

"So all Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres" (vs28). 

So often we are like David and Uzzah, we have good intentions to follow God and seek him but we are not going about it in the right way. Hosea said the people perish because they lack knowledge. We must examine our own presumed views and habits, rather than taking God’s divine approval of them for granted. Let us examine ourselves, our habits, our ways and see if there is anything that is hindering us from fully following God. 

Lord, search us this day. Search our hearts and minds and bring to our attention any hbait or presumed view that might hinder us from following You!

Take your candle, and go light your world

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

The church has had nearly 2000 years to share "this gospel of the kingdom" yet there are still nearly 9,000 unreached people groups (Joshua Project).

How are you directly involved in fulfilling the Great Commission…especially among the unreached?

I believe it all begins with PRAYER!!! 

Father God, we come to you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ asking that you give the church a renewed and urgent passion to fulfill the Great Commission. May your Kingdom come to the unreached...to every nation, tribe and tongue. Show us how to empty ourselves so the Holy Spirit might well up in us a spring of LOVE that will overflow and spread to the ends of the earth. Make us weak, foolish, poor, lowly and unknown for your Kingdom here on earth. Send us, Oh God…send the church to the darkest places so it might shine with the brightest LIGHT as the fullness of Christ transforms our lowly sinful bodies.

Jesus said ask anything...anything in his name and for the glory of God the Father…so we ask for FAITH, HOPE and LOVE…for wisdom, knowledge, understanding, truth, grace, holiness, and humility. We ask for freedom from the sin that so easily entangles and that we might walk continually in Your presence…for we know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM. Father God fill us with the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.  Unite the church and make us one just as your Son is one with you. Fill us with zeal for your house…zeal for spreading Your kingdom. Come Lord Jesus...the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:6

Story of FAITH.....Nepal.....

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Sher Lama runs two children's homes in Nepal. He loves the Lord and 

-->is dedicated to transforming the lives of children. His goal --> is to raise up a generation of children who will transform the communities and tribes of Nepal for the Kingdom of God. I had the opportunity to visit him and hear all that the Lord is doing. He told me the spectacular and inspiring story of how his father, Shiva Tamang and his family came to know the Lord Jesus Christ.

1968 

Sher Lama's father, Shiva, lived in a remote village in Nepal. His older brother, Suk had been working as a porter in Pokhara where he received a Gospel track and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Around this time his seven year old son, Dal became ill. Unknown to him, his family had taken Dal to a Buddhist Lama (holy man) who performed rituals to try and heal him. They also took him to a witchdoctor who sacrificed goats, chickens, and roosters to appease the gods, yet he remained ill. When Suk heard his son was sick, he instantly knew that Jesus could heal him. He went into his house and closed all the windows and prayed for his son to be healed in Jesus name. The next morning Dal was healed. The relatives in the village saw this miracle, including his brother Shiva. After some time they started a fellowship inside a mud hut with a small kerosene lamp that barely lit the room and an torn New Testament Bible that Suk had brought from Pokara. Slowly, the number of the believers increased. 

1971

After three years  there was a severe persecution. All the village leaders along with many Buddhist Lama’s came from the surrounding area and tied up 13 leaders of this church. They beat them with their hands and told them to leave the village. Many of the believers fled to the surrounding areas of Nepal. God used this time of suffering to spread to Gospel.

While this persecution was taking place Shiva's wife died from Tuberculosis. She left three small boys behind all under the age of 6, Sher Lama, being one of them.

Because of the persecution Shiva and his youngest brother, Rana Bahadur, fled to a nearby forest and found some caves to live in. During the night they would return to the village to have fellowship with the other believers who were living in secret. Shiva had been living in the caves for three years when Jesus came to him to him in a vision. Jesus showed Shiva all the villages and the leaders of these villages who had previously persecuted him. Jesus told him, Do not think you are all alone, I will make all these villages your friend. After six months a lady named Miriam, from a nearby village became deathly ill. She was taken to a witchdoctor and many Lama’s (Buddhist holy men), but still she was not healed. The villagers knew that Shiva and Rana lived in the forest. They brought them to the Miriam and said, "If she is healed we will believe in Jesus, but if she is not healed we will beat you." Shiva and Rana prayed in Jesus Name for healing while all the village people waited outside the house. To the villager's shock and unbelief the Miriam woke up the next morning completely healed!

All the leaders of the villages came and asked Shiva and Rana for forgiveness and accepted Jesus. Shiva and Rana returned to live in their village. Many of their friends and family accepted Christ. The story of God's miracles spread to the surrounding villages along with the Gospel and many people came to Christ. Now thousands of people have become Believers!

A church was built in the very place where the 13 Christian leaders had been tied up and beaten. Shiva became the pastor of that church even though he had never gone to school. Jesus used an uneducated villager to bring his Kingdom to an unreached group and he can use you mightily if you only step out in faith!

Jesus LOVES the little children......

Introduction

Mercy Children’s Ministry is a Christian, faith-based, non-profit organization. It is registered under the act of Social Welfare of Nepal. Mercy Children’s Ministry is dedicated to transforming the lives of children.

Mercy Children’s Ministry believes that children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalms 127:3). Lamentations 2:19 urges God’s people to “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.” Countless Nepali children have become victims of prostitution, child labor and abandonment. Mercy Children’s Ministry is devoted to offer these children a lifeline of hope. Some of the children are orphans, some are from impoverished tribal mountain villages, and others have been rescued off the streets. Through the love of Christ, these children are filled with hope to live a life of purpose. 

Background

Sher Lama worked with Youth For Christ for a few years in the late 90’s and as his ministry was coming to an end he began praying for God's calling on his life. He asked God what he should do and as he was praying, he saw a big field filled with many banana trees that were cut off but from those cut off banana trees, tiny new banana plants with two or three leaves were coming up. He asked God in his prayer, what is this? Then he heard a voice within his heart say, “This is your ministry.” He new God was telling him to start a children’s home.

  

In 2001, Sher Lama met a man from the USA who began to support his street children’s program. In 2003, by God’s grace, Sher Lama and his wife Kalpana opened Mercy Children’s Home in Pokhara, Nepal. They went through many struggles and challenges but God was faithful to provided their every need. In 2008, Sher Lama registered Mercy Children’s Home in the government of Nepal. Now, they have 18 children in Pokhara and 13 in Kathmandu.

Mission

MCM exists as supportive Christian home’s that offer a lifeline of hope to Nepali children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and equips them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Goal

MCM’s goal is to raise up a generation of children who will transform the communities and tribes of Nepal for the Kingdom of God.

Vision

MCM’s vision is to reach fifty of the most unreached people groups of Nepal by establishing five children homes around the country. 

Support MCM

Write "MCM" or "Sher Lama" in the memo field. 100% of any donations by check will be sent directly to Mercy Children's Ministry.

Mailing address:

Holly Liedstrand MCM

1008 Biltmore Ave.

Lynchburg, VA 24502

email: holly.liedstrand@gmail.com if you have any questions