Welcome to the Harvest Bridge podcast. A part of our work here at Harvest Bridge is connecting local leaders in South Asia with people like you, here in the United States. Through our podcast we want to provide a place where you can hear their voices and listen to their stories in their own words. There is a transcription available for those who prefer to read these stories. In today’s episode, we will hear the testimonies of several men and women in Nepal and Bhutan. But first, let’s talk about the United States.
In the United States, about two thirds of the population identifies as Christian. American Christians who would like a Bible can find them priced as cheaply as one dollar. You can buy them in the store or order them online, and they are available in different languages and reading levels. A simple search on Amazon will reveal thousands of options for Bibles that can be shipped to your home by tomorrow. Christians in South Asia face a very different reality. Today we would like to highlight the stories of Christians in Nepal and Bhutan from recent Bible distributions through Harvest Bridge.
In Bhutan, just 1% of the population is Christian, and the government discourages the spread of the Christian faith. Many Christians keep their faith a secret to avoid repercussions, like losing their jobs. The government also restricts the number of Bible available, making it difficult for Christians to find a Bible unless they or someone they know travels outside of the country. Despite these obstacles, over 2,000 Bibles were distributed by Harvest Bridge through the ministry leaders in Bhutan just last year. The recipients wanted to share their gratitude with you. First let’s hear from Pema:
“My name is Pema*, and I am 27-years-old. My family were animists, so we served the spirits and had never heard about Jesus. My friend told me the Good News, and I went to church with her. The pastor gave me a Bible and I brought it home, but my father was the village leader so he didn’t let me read the Bible. But I started reading the Bible secretly and the Lord has touched my life and taught His ways. Now my whole family has accepted the LORD and my father permits me happily to attend fellowships that take place in any place of the country. Thank you for the wonderful Bibles you freely gave us. I thank you and ask the Lord to richly bless you!”
Another Bible recipient, Mangal*, shared his story:
“Hello, my name is Mangal and I am 35-years-old. Today was the happiest and most blessed day for me and our people, because God has answered our prayers for His Holy Word. It is what we have long hungered for the most. I wanted to have a full Bible for myself and everyone in my family. We used to be able to buy Bibles from a book center located at a border town in India, or else when we traveled to India or Nepal. With two and a half years of total lockdown in Bhutan, we could not travel. When the gates were finally opened in the month of September 2022 I happened to visit for getting a Bible for myself and my family. The prices of the Bible has gone up two times higher than before. As I lost my job during the pandemic, although I wanted to get the Bibles, due to the lack of money I could not buy as I desired. I came back to my town and told my parents about it and we started praying for God’s provision to get our Bibles. Indeed our God is a prayer answering God and he opened up the window when Pastor Jagan* visited our fellowship and told us that someone is willing to donate Bibles and it’s in the process and that once he receives, he will send. We started praying more earnestly for the Bibles to reach faster. Finally, through our church pastor our family and many others in the fellowship received our copies of the Bible freely. I can’t express the joy when we received the Bibles. People everywhere are very excited, and I would just like to say ‘thank you very much’ to everyone who donated so that we could have free Bibles. May the Lord bless you and we pray you will continue to be concerned for the persecuted church in Bhutan.”
Something we take for granted here in the United States, how simple it is to find a Bible, has brought overwhelming joy and gratitude for these recipients in Bhutan. Now let’s hear from two Bible recipients in Nepal. In Nepal, Christianity is legal as the constitution protects religious freedom, but in 2018, an anti-conversion law made it illegal to encourage someone to change their faith, so Christians are now more heavily persecuted. Even so, Christianity is still growing. Over the past two years, the pastors and missionaries supported by Harvest Bridge have baptized 860 new believers. Bibles in Nepal are legal but are often very expensive. Many Christians cannot afford to buy their own. It is also difficult to distribute Bibles in Nepal due to the mountainous terrain and remote, isolated villages. In the most recent Bible distribution, in addition to Bibles for new believers, study Bibles were made available through Harvest Bridge in Nepal to Christian leaders there. We highlighted several of their testimonies in our August 2024 newsletter, but we’d like to share two more with you. First, let’s hear from Ruby. Ruby received a study Bible in our most recent Bible distribution in Nepal.
“My name is Ruby and I am a 54-year-old mother of three grown children—two boys and a girl—all happily married. I received Jesus 36 years ago when I was 18. I’m originally from India and I’ve found my calling in pastoral ministry along the rural Nepal-India border, where I’ve been working for the past three years. Serving diverse communities in Nepal has been both challenging and rewarding. My family was extremely orthodox Hindus when I was born. Seeking for peace, I believed in Jesus. In my hometown’s seven villages, I was the only Christian. My family persecuted me a lot. I was kicked out of the village after all the villagers shaved my head and covered my face in black paint and performed my funeral. That was when I challenged them, promising that the entire village would join me in worshiping the Lord when I return. I lived with others, cleaning houses to support myself while I continued my education. It was there I began a journey of service and my devotion to the Lord. My husband and I met along the way, and we committed our lives to ministry. Despite all of the difficulties and trials I face now, I faithfully serve the Lord. Even though my husband is no longer with me, I am kept going by his spirit and our shared mission. My heart is firm in its resolve to share Jesus’ love and message with everyone I meet.”
Ruby’s ministry is a difficult one. But now she has her own study Bible to encourage her in her work. Another Bible recipient, Padma, shares about her ministry:
“My name is Padma and I’m from Nepal. My husband and I lead a ministry here where he serves as the elder of our church. We found Jesus 11 years ago when my husband was very sick and receiving treatments from the hospital. We learned about Jesus through our neighbor, who is also a Pastor, and he invited us to the church. There, we discovered how God can heal pain and offer salvation. As my husband’s treatment progressed, we became curious about how Jesus could bring us eternal peace and love. Since then, we’ve been dedicated to God, sharing the Gospel with everyone we meet. Currently, we’re doing ministry in Nepal, where our church is diverse with people from different communities. I’ve been involved in ministry for the past 7 years, and we started a new church two years ago. Our goal is to bring as many people to the Lord as possible.”
Like Ruby, Padma has dedicated her life to sharing her faith with others. These two testimonies are just a couple of examples of the kind of leaders who were equipped with a study Bible to strengthen their faith and their work in Nepal.
Your support for Harvest Bridge made all of this possible. You partnered with people like Pema and Mangal, Ruby and Padma, and others throughout South Asia in providing Bibles to them, translated into their own language. We hope these stories give you a glimpse of the impact of your support.
Thank you for listening to the Harvest Bridge podcast. Follow us on social media, or subscribe to our email list to learn more about the ministry of leaders throughout South Asia who are doing much, with little.