(April 19, 2013 - by Harold Goerzen) When Mahima gave her life to Christ a few years ago, she knew there would be ramifications in her staunchly Hindu village in a remote corner of the Himalayan country of Nepal. But she never expected that her life would turn upside down because of that decision.

"Her story touched all of our hearts," Joey Mayfield said of Mahima*, a Nepali woman in her 40s who helped host an HCJB Global work team in Nepal March 4-16. "She is a local believer whose husband and adult son disowned her because of her faith. She is living at another believer's house with her younger son."

"One morning I could tell that Mahima was distressed about something, and through a translator I was able to ask her why she seemed upset," continued Mayfield, part of a six-person work team sent by Bethel Church in Crown Point, Ind. The team joined five staff members from HCJB Global.

"Mahima only asked that I would pray for her family to receive Christ. She made no mention of her struggles in this situation. I was able to pray with her, asking for her family's salvation and praying that God would grant her mercy during this time of persecution," he related.

Members of the work team join with Nepali builders to lay the foundation of the birthing clinic-an addition to the existing medical clinic.

Mahima spent nearly every waking moment with the team while the workers were in Nepal, March 4-16. She washed dishes, fetched firewood and cleaned up so team members could concentrate on building a much-needed birthing clinic-an addition to the existing medical clinic-in response to a request from community leaders.

"She joined us every morning for devotions as there was translation," added Cara Zimmerman, a former HCJB Global summer intern in Ecuador. In addition to helping with the construction, she documented the event via video. "Mahima was always there listening and singing worship songs with us. So many people she knows had rejected her because of her faith in Jesus Christ, so this was a real encouragement to her."

Nate Dell in front of the partially constructed birthing clinic.

HCJB Global's Nate Dell, who co-led the team with Mayfield, said that such alienation confronts many Nepalese who have placed faith in Jesus, even after the country's public policy on non-Hindu religions has changed. Formerly a Hindu kingdom headed by a monarchy, a coup in 2008 led to the establishment of a multiparty constitutional republic.

The mission's local partner, said that in the village where he hosted the work team, his father had professed faith in Christ many years ago and was subsequently smeared with black ash and told to leave. Amid this environment, Dell feels that the team's visit emboldened local Christians. "It gave more opportunities for our team to share the gospel, and we encouraged the believers," he said. "Mahima was crying when we left because she had bonded with us in a spiritual way."

"The community is very primitive. They have no vehicles-not even bicycles-and limited electricity, said Adrian Kuypers, an Indiana steel worker. "Their housing reminded me what it might have been like in the time of Christ. Many have a stable attached to their home or a bedroom above their stable. The only other indoor room is generally used for cooking. No gas stoves-just open fires to boil water and make tea. I was awed by the people's contentment, their community work ethic and their ability to get by without modern-day devices."

Invited by a Nepalese co-worker, Kuypers accompanied the man to his home and received Nepalese hospitality. "I found out that he went out back to milk his water buffalo, and that evening he boiled the milk and served Lorna Doone (shortbread) cookies," offered Kuypers. "I couldn't speak a word of Nepali other than hello and thank you, and he couldn't speak any English. But we sat down together, and I showed him pictures of my family."

The team's presence prompted such questions as, "Why are you here? Are you being paid?" These in turn opened the way for explanations on how Jesus Christ left the comforts of heaven to come to earth, and He set an example, Kuypers explained.

"There was a wholesomeness about it. We had great interaction with the young men-especially one of the masons. For them, it wasn't a huge leap to go from the concept of mega-gods to worshiping the one true God," he said. "Our hope was to sprinkle enough seeds of the gospel to take root so that some of the people would come to Christ."

Welcoming ceremony.

The team's presence at community events, including three ceremonies and two birthday parties, also offered opportunities to share Christ in the local context. The birthday party for a 13-year-old boy prompted the team's opportunity to tell of praying for the feted celebrant. "It was an opportunity to share that in our country we say a special prayer for the birthday boy, so we were able to pray over him in front of his family," said Mayfield. "What a great seed to sow!"

The team also attended the dedication of the community's new hydroelectric plant that was partially funded by HCJB Global, providing reliable power for the local radio station that the mission helped establish in 2010. After upgrades are made to the hydro plant, which went online during the group's visit, it could also power the medical clinic. Churches in the area provide some of the programming for the radio station-just blocks from the clinic-that is owned by local farmers, forestry workers and a women's group.

"It was great to eat their food, dance with them and be a genuine part of their community," Mayfield said. "Our favorite time was on International Women's Day. A large group of women came to the house where we were staying and put on a ceremony to celebrate the role of women. It provided our group the opportunity to share with them that God created women in His image and to thank them for their service to the community. We shared the gospel message with the whole group. The event lasted late into the night."

In addition to helping with the construction, taking the birthing clinic from the foundation to laying bricks to roof level, the women had the opportunity to teach English in the local school. The entire group also visited a ministry in which our partner is involved that battles human trafficking, preventing some 18,000 Nepali women from entering the sex-trafficking trade in 2012 alone.

Ty, executive director of HCJB Global's Asia Pacific Region, found it especially rewarding to attend two community events where residents employed their tradition of singing a well-known song, instantly creating new lyrics to express their appreciation to the work team and the mission's partners.

"Several of the verses talked about how it was dark day when our partner's family left the village, and they really wanted them to live there again," Ty said. "They also sang about being grateful for the radio station and the changes we have made in their community. The community is more open to the gospel now than they have ever been."

Sheila Leech passes on stones for masons to use in the construction of the birthing clinic.

Sheila Leech, vice president of global healthcare, described the outreach as "beautiful, incredible. I was very impressed with our partner. He is a great man of vision and integrity." Leech, who is educated in nursing, now is gathering equipment and medicines to supply the new birthing clinic when it is completed and ready to open. She is also preparing to hold a training session for the community midwife in November.

"Even though we couldn't talk to each other in a common language, we were unified over a common task," Dell concluded. "There was a unity on the crew even though we weren't able to share like we would like to. But it was really exciting to worship with the Nepali Christians and plant seeds where the gospel may never have been heard before."

*Mahima, a Nepali name that means "glorious," is a pseudonym used for security reasons.

Source: HCJB Global