Blind Children

One of Our Girls

Difficult Life in Jumla

...and now these three things remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love..

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

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The Karnali River Valley - Western Nepal

Just a little over a year ago, I flew in a small prop plane from our ministry base in southern Nepal to the little mountain town of Jumla. High in the southern ranges of the Himalayas, the only way in or out of Jumla is to walk or fly. The flight is one of those thrills that people like me live for. From the dusty little airstrip, I walked ten hours with two of our Nepali leaders to a small village where Pastor Dipnath, one of our village leaders, has a home. In the valley near his house we have four churches, all within a one-day walk.

We stayed ten days in the upper Karnali River Valley, hiking to villages and ministering to  congregations we’ve planted there in the past two years. On the fourth day we visited a hostel which houses approximately twenty-five blind children. They ranged in age from about six to twenty years old and they attended a nearby public school. One of the older students came to the Lord two years ago through the ministry of Pastor Dipnath, who was formerly a Hindu priest. At the time I visited, there were seventeen of those blind students who had become believers because of Pastor Dipnath’s ministry. The children were supported by a European philanthropy that was managed from Katmandu, but something just didn’t feel right. The conditions the children lived in were deplorable. Dirt floors, simple mud buildings, dark claustrophobic rooms and a musty smell combined to make it a dreary place. As we shared a simple meal of boiled potatoes with the children, I wondered if all of the funds designated to these kids were being used for their intended purposes. In my heart I said to the Lord, “If you ever open the door for me to help these kids, I will do it.” I considered doing a little investigation but decided against it and left it to the Lord.

The first week of March, I received an email from pastor K.B., our key leader in Nepalgunj.  The European aid organization had suddenly cut all their funding and the children had been given the news that they would need to leave immediately.  He shared that the children were wailing and broken hearted.  I found out a few days later that for two months they had not had enough food to eat.

I was deeply moved when I read his report and I remembered my promise to the Lord.  Within hours, Bev and I responded to K.B. and committed to helping those kids.  By faith, we are taking over the care of fifteen young blind students.  Thirteen of them are believers and two are Hindus.  For now they will stay where they are but we are considering moving them to Nepalgunj where we can provide better care for them and where they can attend a good school.  I’ve committed myself to a budget of $1,500 a month and we immediately sent $2,000 to Nepal.  Two of our leaders flew to Jumla the next day and they are working now on the details.  It goes without saying that there is great rejoicing in the camp!

Our commitment to help these children is already reaping benefits for our church planting work in the Karnali River Valley. Though we have not faced violent persecution there has been some hostility toward the Gospel and suspicion as to our intentions. That’s all stopped and we now have the respect and attention of the leaders in the area. It’s clear that our four churches, the only churches in the region, will experience an immediate surge of growth.

Once I have the individual details on each child, I will post their photos and personal information on our website for sponsorship. Bev and I feel a strong compelling from the Lord to care for these children and we know that He will provide. This is a step of faith for us, but we have a full assurance from the Lord that He will help us serve these precious kids. Pray about it. Give it some thought. Do what the Lord tells you to do. For our part, we will wisely use the resources the Lord gives to us.

Rick

rick@rickzachary.com - bev.zachary@gmail.com - shane.zachary@gmail.com

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