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Anabaptists stand down persecution in Nepal

NEPAL - “It's a great joy in the Lord to introduce myself to you. I was born on 1955 in a Buddhist family. I grew up with a strong faith in many gods and goddesses. Though I was devoted to worship them, there was no peace in my heart. I thought I must be sick, so I visited many witch doctors but only became worse. I lost faith in my gods and only longed for peace and healing.

When I was twenty years old I heard about the living God, Jesus, and eternal peace in him. I had a strong desire to know more about him and to get peace in my heart. When I received Jesus in 1967 he changed my life. I got rid of my sickness and the unknown fear that had haunted me.

As I started to grow in the Lord, persecution started in my life. All of my neighbors stood against me, saying that this was a foreign religion. They charged me with violating their tradition and culture. I was shunned and arrested by the police. At that time there were few churches in Nepal and no Bible schools.

They took our Bibles from us and commanded us not to even spell the name of Jesus.
Between 1968 and 1972 our family was expelled from the village, taken into the police custody, and beaten cruelly. They took our Bibles from us and commanded us not to even spell the name of Jesus. But the Lord never left us. We held fellowships out in the jungle where we studied the Scriptures and prayed. Many times the Lord spoke to us and encouraged us.

God inspired us to build a small church and start worship services. The police and the villagers destroyed the church, but again we persisted with prayer and fasting. After continuous prayer the Lord encouraged us to build another church. The Lord had multiplied our numbers. As we gathered and worshiped there we felt great joy because we knew the living God. The church grew bigger every day. But once again we were attacked by the villagers with the help of the police. They again destroyed the church. Many believers were taken into custody and beaten. Eighteen were imprisoned for two years.

The more we were persecuted, the stronger our faith became. The number of the believers continued to grow. The Lord helped us remain firm in the midst of the difficulties. My family were the first believers in our village. At first we were alone but now there are forty churches in one district, eight in another region, and more than ten in another district. The Lord has given me a burden to establish churches all over the country!”

*The pastor cannot be named due to sensitivities in the region.