Preaching the good news and healing the sick
in New Zealand, Nepal and the world
Jiri Report, Nepal, Easter 2010
Jiri is the Switzerland of Nepal, we were told. They were only half-right. Our route took us through the Kathmandu Valley, congested with diesel engines, effluent and bricks. We turned up hill leaving broad and braided rivers far below. The endless villages were slowly separated first by tiers of terraced fields sprouting the first potatoes and maize of spring, or bristling with turning wheat, then by sparse vegetation dominated, rhododendron, buddlea, pieris, hypericum and more.
The road narrowed to a single track, and opposing trucks brought us to an abrupt halt. Once we had to reverse, our wheels teetering on an overhang a thousand feet above the river, while the truck lumbered past just inches from bumping us off the cliff. We prayed. High in the hills we twisted through jungle and remote villages past waving children and scurvy dogs. Our lunch stop overlooked pine forest coloured by rhododendrons in flower, to the sound of a long saw in the woods below.
Then our clutch died. We piled into one van, prayed over the victim, and lurched on in faith. By God’s miraculous grace we arrived in Jiri at sunset to a warm and relieved greeting! Were we glad to be here!
Dawn revealed the stature of the surrounding hills, blue in the mist, dwarfing the settlement by their grandeur. Swiss-style houses perch high among the pines like cuckoo-clocks. But there Switzerland ended. The people, the poverty, the culture were very much Nepal. The main street is ablaze with coloured blankets, bedding, fabrics, plastic pots, fruit stalls and brightly clad women.
The event was held in the local school ground next to a large Buddhist stupa, and overlooking the village, so everyone heard the Good News! Miracles began immediately, and many came forward willingly to testify. There were fewer decisions here, but divine seed was sown, and divine seed does not fail. Anand Tamang, of Himalayan Christian fellowship wrote:
“It was my honor to co-ordinate the event in such a place as Jiri where most of the people really do not want to hear the Gospel. But it was a miracle in itself that more than 1700 people heard the gospel in a very small amount of time. Although the people in the town [formerly] had a bad impression, now they have changed their views on Christians. We did the program to win the souls back to Jesus but they think that it was a good humanitarian effort for the society. On the first day, local people were just the few, but the second day more than 50% of the attendees were local. Praise God. Thank you for making such big effort to make the campaign happen in this town which is the biggest open outreach in the Himalayas. One day we will see the fruits coming out from the event.
“I want to say thanks for coming to Jiri with a big team who had been a real blessing. Your presence meant a lot for us. Thank you for your love, passion and compassion for the people.”
Top - hills of Jiri.
Above - rhododendron, national flower
Below - Kathryn preaching
Kathryn & Anand, our organiser
“The biggest open outreach in the Himalayas,” says Anand Tamang, our Jiri organiser