One of the major parts of our mission trip to Nepal was to experience first-hand the work of Christians who are serving the children of Nepal.
From start to finish, we were highly impressed with their work and the passion with which they did it. While in Nepal, we mainly focused on the children’s home piece of their work. We would visit homes in various cities, meeting the house parents and children, and interacting with the children through songs, games, and more. The kids were simply adorable.
Each of the homes is staffed by Christian houseparents who assume responsibilities for the emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of the kids. With one or two kids, this is no small task — much less with ten to fifteen kids. It was a pleasure to interact with these Christian adults and to hear of their commitment to the kids, not to a job.
As I interacted with adult believers in Nepal, I noticed that several of them were raised in a Christian orphanage or children’s home. The impact of this ministry cannot be overstated. Several of the pastors I met were raised in a similar environment, crediting their foster parents with leading them to Jesus.
As in many developing countries, Nepal has a high number of needy children. The need often exceeds the ability to meet that need. The government is not equipped to deal effectively with the situation; this provides the church a great opportunity to impact the next generation of Nepali leaders.
The Gospel will penetrate Nepali culture when a generation of business leaders, teachers, nurses, shop owners, and others are raised with a Christian worldview and a vision for how to change their country.
This is why I believe the most effective work of the Gospel in Nepal will be among the children.