Sunday, December 29, 2013

Thank You!!

Christmas at Mercy Mission was celebrated with paper snowflakes and colorful chains, a Christmas tree, hot cocoa, gifts, games, plenty of songs and remembrance and rejoicing over the gift of grace sent to us in the form of Jesus Christ.























This Christmas celebration, with the food and the presents and the lights and the toys, was only possible because of the generous and kind support you provide. We are so thankful for the sponsors who allow us to care for these children every month. This month, especially, we are grateful for the special gifts which made our Christmas party possible.

Thank you for loving this family of believers well!!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Because a Child was born...
                   Because a Son was given...
Because His name is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, He Who Provides, He Who Loves, Shepherd, King, Yawhew, Deliverer, Redeemer, I AM, Friend, the Way, the Truth, the Life.
BECAUSE HIS NAME  IS SAVIOR.
Because He came to find us...
              We have been given HOPE...
                        We have been given JOY...
WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN LIFE.



Praying God's greatest gift will be your greatest hope and joy as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM VISION NATIONALS-NEPAL.
___________________
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given ... 
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6


Monday, November 25, 2013

Go Down to the River


“In the early days of the church, baptism was a declaration that the believer was definitely identifying himself with that group of people who were called Christians and were despised and hated. 
To be a Christian meant something. 
To identify yourself with those who were called Christians meant persecution, maybe death; it meant being ostracized from your family, shunned by friends. 
And the one act which was the final declaration of this identification was baptism.
 As long as a man gathered with Christians, he was tolerated, but when once he submitted to baptism, 
he declared to all the world, ‘I belong to this despised group,’ and immediately he was persecuted, hated, and despised. In baptism, therefore, the believer entered into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. A person might be a believer and keep it strictly a secret and thus avoid unpleasantness and suffering, 
but once he submitted to public baptism he had burned his bridges behind him.” 
Dr. M.R. DeHaan

The walk to the river

It's not a long walk, from the church to the river. Perhaps five minutes. Down the dirt road, take a left. Step quickly across the wooden bridge, rickety from age. Follow the dirt trail, packed hard from the tread of a thousand footsteps. 
It is a path she's walked before and a river she knows well. 
But today is different. 
Today the trail leads to a place of declaration. 
Today, to step into the water is to declare she is a Christ follower
Today she leaves the old behind.

"I am baptized so others know I met Jesus. I know the Good News."
Bibha

Baptism in Nepal is the great line of demarcation.

Simply attending church or declaring oneself to be a Christian is not nearly as important as stepping out in front of your community and following the Lord in believer's baptism. Many Hindus will accept a family member's church attendance or interest in the Bible, or even a statement of acceptance of Jesus Christ, but once a believer has been baptized, he or she has truly separated from culture, family and the remnants of the old life. Often, persecution follows baptism, and Nepali believers know the significance of a public walk to the river.

They know to be a Christian means something.
And they know to be a Christian often means suffering.


"I know Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. 
So far I have been walking in darkness but now I know the real light is Jesus Christ. 
I decided to take baptism so others will know I know Jesus' name."
Bishooraj

But they also know the Word is Truth.
They know the joy which comes from following the Lord.
They know the One True God.

And because they know the Truth, they are willing to walk to the river and sink beneath the water to proclaim their dedication to the One who made them, the One who called them and the One who saved them.


"I decided to take baptism to show I have a close relationship with Jesus Christ
and to have a chance to grow more in my faith in the Lord."
Renu
________________________

Vision Nationals-Nepal's pastor training program exists to equip leaders to shepherd followers of Christ in local villages and communities. These men stand shoulder to shoulder with their congregations, encouraging believers to follow the Lord regardless of cost or consequence. When a new believer stands on the banks of a river, preparing for baptism, the pastor is there as well.
Nepali Christians never stand alone. 
They are encouraged and guided and loved well by men of faith who are dedicated to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and the feeding and care of God's people. 


If you would like to invest with us in equipping the local church in Nepal for the Kingdom of God, please contact us.

To give by mail:

Vision Nationals
191-B Palomino Trail
Ridgway, CO 81432
970-318-1147

If you choose to give by check, please designate your gift in the memo line as "Nepal Church Planter Support."

To give online, click here

Please select "Nepal Church Planter Support" under "Purpose of Gift."

Monday, November 4, 2013

Visitors





One of the great joys on Vision Nationals-Nepal's ministry campus in Kathmandu is receiving guests. In October, we enjoyed a visit with a team from Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothell, Wash. Nancy, Megan, Steve, Diane and Julie came to Kathmandu intent on showering the children of Mercy Mission Children's Home with the blessing of time and love.






Each day the group spent on campus brought new moments of excitement for the children who call this place home. From fun crafts and silly songs to Bible lessons and new games, the group brought additional laughter and life to campus and made each child feel special and treasured.







The primary focus of the trip was a Bible club held on two consecutive days on campus. Each session opened with songs and dancing, followed by a Bible lesson and follow-up game. The children listened intently to the lessons, learning stories about Paul and Jesus and lessons of love and truth.



The favorite activity by far involved a large, colorful parachute which made the journey from the Pacific Northwest to Kathmandu. The children had so much fun throwing the parachute up in the air and sitting beneath it as it fell, running under the fabric, from one side to the next, and playing cat-and-mouse. 













Thank you, Nancy, Megan, Steve, Diane and Julie for showing the love of Christ to the children of Mercy Mission Children's Home. 







Thank you for your time and energy. We miss you already!!





Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Bristi


"I believe God chose me to be a child of blessing."




For the newest resident of Vision Nationals' campus in Kathmandu, Nepal, life is about perspective more than experience and the knowledge that joy, despite circumstance, can be found through life in Jesus Christ.

"I was six when I came to Kathmandu," said Bristi, a beautiful 17-year-old with a shy smile. "I moved into a children's hostel and I have lived here for 11 years - most of my life."

Bristi's life in Kathmandu began when her parents decided they wanted more for their daughter than the life offered by their rural Nepali village. Born in Humla, a rural, isolated district in the northwest corner of Nepal, Bristi did not have opportunities for education and health care in her home village.

"I am from a very remote place of Nepal. My parents decided to bring me here to study," Bristi said. "My village is undeveloped with no facilities and no electricity and no good schools."

With an older brother already living Kathmandu, Bristi's father made the decision to offer his daughter the opportunity to be educated in the nation's capital. The pair traveled for days from their village to reach Kathmandu, a journey that included many hours of hiking, multiple bus rides and a plane ride.

"It was scary, but I was thinking about where I was going and what it would mean, and I was excited," Bristi said.

For the past 11 years, Bristi has been a resident of a children's hostel in Kathmandu. Her life in Kathmandu has offered her the education she, and her parents, desperately wanted. She has thrived in her academic studies, never placing below 5th in her class. In her last placement test she scored exceptionally high, claiming second place in her class.

"I really love studying," she said, her face breaking into a huge smile. "From the time I was small I have been eager to study. I love doing math and accounts and I love English."

Though the change in location allowed Bristi to pursue education, it did not necessarily make life easier. There were many difficult days and hardships in her life at the hostel. Moments and days she wishes she could forget. But it was also at the hostel that Bristi first heard the Word of God. And it was at the hostel where she learned about Jesus Christ.

"There were many sufferings and problems (at the hostel)," Bristi said. "But I learned about Jesus there. I learned about the Bible and I became a Christian there."

For Bristi, the decision to follow Christ has come at great personal sacrifice. 

"I am the only Christian in my family," she said, suddenly quiet. "My family is Hindu and they do not believe in Jesus. I tell my mother about the Bible, I have told her many things. But my father is against Christians and the Bible."

Her relationship with Christ and her decision to be baptized last year has set Bristi apart from her family and made a return to her village impossible.

"Right now I cannot go home," she said. "I desire to visit my village, but I cannot."

Upon entering 11th grade recently, Bristi was in need of a new living situation. The hostel she had lived at since she was six only allowed residency through the 10th grade. Desperately wanting to continue her studies, Bristi needed a new home. 

She has found that home with Vision Nationals and has found joy in her new circumstances.

"Living here, I forget past days," she said. "Sometimes I remember and it hurts, but the people and children living here are loving and caring and kind and helpful and they are so encouraging." I have many chances to hear the Word of God. I didn't have many chances for that before. I have learned much more about the Bible and Jesus."

Bristi says throughout her life she can see the threads of God's grace and mercy have sustained her and brought her to a place of joy.

"I am amazed at how God is always carrying me," she said. I believe God chose me to be a child of blessing and He gives me happiness even when life is hard."

Bristi knows her future is bright because her days are in the hands of God. She points to her favorite verse of Scripture as proof trust in the Lord is never misplaced.


"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

"This verse suits me," Bristi said. "I feel God made that verse for me, to tell me no matter what I live through He holds me, forever."


 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Bristi's story is just one of many testaments to God's grace and mercy in the lives of those who are part of Vision Nationals-Nepal. Each life has been impacted by the support of those who believe in the ministry of Vision Nationals-Nepal.


If you feel led to invest in the work of Vision Nationals-Nepal, we welcome your partnership with joy and gratefulness.

To give by mail:

Vision Nationals
191-B Palomino Trail
Ridgway, CO 81432
970-318-1147

If you choose to give by check, please designate your gift in the memo line as "Nepal General Fund."

To give online, click here

Please select "Nepal General Fund" under "Purpose of Gift."







Friday, October 4, 2013

Global Hospital

A vital component of caring for the children God has brought to Mercy Mission Children's Home is monitoring their physical health. Annual wellness exams are a requirement for all children's homes in Nepal and this year we were fortunate to have doctors from Global Hospital in Kathmandu provide exams for our children and staff free of charge.


A doctor checks Manish's throat.



The children were thrilled to have a change in their routine and enjoyed watching the physicians do their work, playing on the scale and examining all the medications carefully arranged by the nurses.



                                                     
Each child underwent a full physical. Lingering health issues, such as congestion or sore throats, were addressed and clean bills of health were awarded.


















The residents of Mercy Mission Children's Home and the physicians from Global Hospital

We are so grateful for faithful sponsors who enable us to provide for the health and comfort of the children of Mercy Mission Children's Home. We are also grateful for the willingness of the physicians of Global Hospital to donate their time and resources to ensure our children remain healthy.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Cuffs, Cards, Manicures and Relationships

How do you build relationships with 63 kids who need love and care and joy?

You spend time with them. 
You invest in their lives. 
You paint their nails.
You love them.


It is as simple as that. 
You show love. 

Love is shown to the residents of the children's home in Kathmandu in a variety of ways, most of which are interactive. The children recently had some time off school and that time was filled with fun activities!














For the boys, an afternoon of making leather cuffs, most of which proclaimed their love for Jesus!

The boys loved crafting their treasures, and took extra time to be sure they were perfect.




 


The younger girls spent a day making cards with art supplies. The cards turned out beautifully! Once the cards were finished the girls discovered another use for the art supplies - face paint!!






The older girls had the opportunity to leave campus and spend an afternoon enjoying snacks, laughter and nail polish. The day was full of the blessing of friendship.


Cuffs and cards, face paint and painted fingernails. 
It seems so simple. 
But these are relationships in progress and love in action.