Baptisms in the Remote Himalayas
- Posted: 2020-10-14
What started in 2018 in Nepal resulted in Baptisms 2 years later! In April of 2018, we reported that our missionary friends in Nepal had shared The Nepali HOPE with several Bankariya people in a small village in a remote part of Nepal. From this encounter, a father and daughter gave their lives to Jesus, possibly being the very first Believers in this people group.
The latest report from Reach Himalayas Ministry International is an inspiring follow-up, dated October 14, 2020:
After many years of contact, RHMI has established a RHMI family in a small group of tribal people (the Bankariya) who live in an isolated region of central Nepal. They were traditionally hunter-gatherers of the forest. This ethnic tribe is one of the most endangered communities in Nepal and owns no land. Until two decades ago, they were nomadic, however, gradually, most tribal members came to prefer the settled life in a village. But even today, their villages are remote and inaccessible.
Even though they have been persecuted and rejected, our missionaries faithfully maintained contact with these people. Two years ago, we helped them with food, clothing, and temporary shelter when they lost everything due to floods. We built toilets for them in their camp to help prevent disease. We were very grateful to our Lord when we saw 18 new believers take water baptism recently. New believers are increasing and there are many children here, among which we can establish a good children's ministry. We also would like to start multiple community development projects.
We are very grateful to our Lord who loves His children and has used us to reach these ethnic groups. We are also grateful to all our partners for loving our tribal groups of the Himalayas. Kindly pray for these lost nomads who are now new souls in the kingdom of Heaven.
What is “Roma” and how does this version differ from the previously released Hungarian version? Roma or Romani is the language and people group living in Hungary that most likely originated from the northwestern Indian regions of Rajasthan and Punjab. Over time, the Romani have incorporated the Hungarian language into their culture, yet they still maintain a separate cultural identity. Thus, the Hungarian Roma HOPE was created with a new Intro and Outro of modern-day Roma life and Hungarian language particular to the Roma to make The HOPE inviting and relatable to a Roma audience.
Kenya is also one of 13+ countries that speak Swahili. Earlier this year, a women's mission trip from Sagement Church in Houston, TX took The Swahili HOPE as one of the tools they would use to share the love of Jesus with some of the neediest in Kenya. For many of the women they encountered, it was their first time seeing a movie (and their first time eating popcorn, too!) And so special that many were also introduced to God's love and salvation for them for the first time!
School to the Nations, STTN, has become such a significant ally for The HOPE. They are a missions mobilizing and missionary training ministry based on a 20-acre campus near Springfield, Missouri. In 2018, the Director of STTN, Randy Copeland, contacted us about partnering to create new translations of The HOPE. Since then, STTN has completed the Laotian HOPE (see previous story), and has initiated work on other new translations. They have recruited a man, Austin Baker, as their Director of Video Operations, and have built a studio on their campus for the primary purpose of creating translations of The HOPE. The goal is to replicate the work of Mars Hill with The HOPE in their newly constructed, “Studio One Seed.”