I was privileged to once again go to the country of Nepal on a teaching mission with MTM. This time to the town of Jumla in the northwestern part of the country. Until several years ago this area was only reached by aircraft. Recently the government made a “road” that is very treacherous, they are allowed to travel only in daylight. Several busloads of 60-70 people have plunged to their deaths on this road. The area is very mountainous and subsistence farming is the main way of life. The people are a very rugged and hardy people as evidenced by their mountain trails that mostly go right up the side of the mountains. I doubt I would be able to walk those paths at all. There were around 50 expected at the conference but over 90 participated.
The Full Conference Group At Jumla, Nepal
Some of the people walked for up to a day and a half across then mountains. Many walked for several hours and then rode bus for a day. It was one of the best conferences I have been involved in from the standpoint of interaction with the people and also Christian maturity of the group. Many of these have been believers for years although there were a few that have recently come to Christ. I taught on the subject of “surrendering all to God” and Bro Raymond taught “servant leadership”. There were comments made by the participants of how much they appreciated the teaching and how needed it is for them.
The MTM Team L-R; Pastor Harold Carpenter, Pastor Keshab’s Father, Pastor Keshab (who was our native coordinator) & Raymond Burkholder. Pastor Keshab is an MTM alumni student of approx. 7 years of MTM teaching.
We met the first day in a 4th floor room of a house which was 11’ x 23’ with 75 people jammed in. The following day we met in the open air with the sun beating down until afternoon when rain forced us inside. The last day we again met in the same outdoor area by a house. I continue to be amazed by the intense interest these dear Christians have in reaching their own people with the gospel. One brother shared how he walked around 6 hours across the mountain to start a church around a year ago. Today there are 65 believers in that church. I am also challenged by their Bible knowledge in such a short time of being believers. One thing that continues to haunt me is the enormity of the need to carry the Gospel. As we were flying out of Jumla I counted at one point in time from our plane 20 different villages in the mountains. That was a very small area of the mountainside. This is multiplied many, many times over on the mountainsides of the Himalayas. “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift”. How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (Rom 10:14-15)
Editor’s Note; The above article was written by Pastor Harold Carpenter. Harold is from Sturgis, MI and serves as pastor at the Calvary Chapel church at Sturgis. Thank you Brother Harold for your heart of love for the Nepalese village people in equipping them to reach their own unreached people for Christ.
The MTM coordinator of this Jumla conference has attended many different MTM conferences over the different regions of Nepal in the past 7 years. Then in 2011 MTM ordained him and send him to evangelize and reach His own unreached people of the remote regions of Nepal. Today this pastor is changing his world by taking the Gospel to the remote regions of Nepal where the gospel afore time has not been preached.
