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SMC Relief Work in Nepal in May
By Elder Jimmy Lim
Jun 2020

Once again, we see our God Almighty leading us as the General and Commander for our ministry in Nepal, since the major earthquake there in April 2015. The earthquake that happened back then left about 8,700 people dead, and about 2.8 million people homeless. Our God Almighty, through The Presbyterian Church in Singapore (PCS), raised $356,000 from April to July 2015 for us to do relief work in Kathmandu. Through Uddhar Nepal, the community arm of Singapore Life Church, we managed to provide basic relief for 800 families, repaired and rebuilt 8 schools and 100 shelters. Sponsorship was given to 150 children who were affected by the earthquake, for their livelihood. The funding also provided education aid to 600 earthquake affected children.

This relief work resulted in the formation of Nepal Focus Group on 27 July 2016 under the umbrella of Synod Mission Council (SMC) to explore the possibility of mission work in Nepal. The Nepal Focus Group's first task was to rebuild the churches that were damaged by the earthquake. Through the generosity of nine churches under PCS and Gereja Presbyterian Malaysia (GPM), about $80,000 was raised and 8 of the damaged churches were rebuilt successfully. Thereafter, the Nepal Focus Group sent one medical mission team per year, over a 3-year period, to set up a medical camp for the villagers in these damaged churches. As we are not allowed to share the gospel as foreigners, the medical camp opens doors for local pastors to reach out to the villagers, as they come for medical and dental treatment. Last year in November, we also did a spiritual retreat for about 50 pastors in Kathmandu. We are thankful to have had Rev Dr Jimmy Tan from Trinity Theological College (TTC), who conducted the retreat for the pastors in Kathmandu.

This year in April 2020, we were supposed to send another medical team to one of the rebuilt churches for medical mission. However due to the Covid-19 situation, the trip was cancelled, as the government decided to lock down the country to prevent the spread of the disease. There are many daily rated workers in the capital of Kathmandu, and their livelihoods are affected due to the lockdown. Many of them are brick workers, earning their keeps based on daily wages. With no income from their daily rated work, they have no money to feed their families. When we heard of their plight, we decided to take action to help these needy families. SMC contributed $4,000 and some of the committee members of SMC and Nepal Focus Group also contributed to this cause. Altogether, $9,700 was raised and the money was used to purchase food supplies for 368 needy families. These families include daily rated brick workers, blind and handicapped. Our partners in Nepal worked through early morning till evening over a period of 5 days to deliver these supplies to the needy families. Permit is needed from the government to do the distribution, due to the lockdown situation in Nepal. We thank God for this arrangement as the government officials provided the security, transportation and access to these places for these distributions.

Through our prayers by all those involved and God’s favour, the distributions were completed successfully with no hiccups. We want to thank God for those who have contributed, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these needy families.

In midst of these distributions, we also came to know that one orphanage with about 70 plus children were affected by the lockdown. Thank God for 16 brothers and sisters in Christ who responded, and a total of $10,550 was raised for this cause. Once again, we see God Jehovah Jireh providing the resources that is needed for these children. We thank God for the compassion, kindness and generosity of these brothers and sisters in Christ for their love offering.

Moving forward, we pray that the doors will remain open for us to do more medical mission trips and spiritual retreat for the pastors, leaders and our brothers and sisters in Christ in Kathmandu, to help them grow in spiritual maturity. To build a healthy church, we need the members to be nourished with the Truth found in the study of the Holy Scripture. In the long term, we hope to start engaging a local pastor to start a church in Kathmandu, and at the same time use the place to start a Synod Office with Kathmandu as our base. The task of the local pastor whom we seek to engage will run the church as well as the Synod Office. We will provide this local enabler with the necessary manpower and resources to run the church and Synod Office. We also wish to identify and train more potential pastors by sending them to seminaries for theological studies. With these trained pastors, we hope to plant more churches in the hilly terrain surrounding Kathmandu, where there are still many unreached groups of people with no viable churches. The idea of having our presence there is so that there is polity and corporate governance for the many independent churches in Kathmandu, without which it can be chaotic and unhealthy in years to come.

We ask that you continue to pray for this mission field and that God will provide the labourers for this vast mission field for the furtherance of His Kingdom in this land. Should you or your church be interested to see and witness God at work in this mission field, or wish to partner Him together with us, please do contact Elder Jimmy Lim (Singapore Life Church) who is currently heading the Nepal Focus Group under the umbrella of Synod Mission Council. You may contact Synod Office for his contact and details.

Nepal Focus Group
Synod Mission Council

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain"

1 Cor 15:58