She witnessed a woman, whose husband had recently passed away, wailing and sobbing, crying out, “Who is going to look after me and my two daughters? Who will protect me?” When Sita was a young girl, she had an experience that left an indelible impression on her impressionable mind. Many of those have been members of higher castes within the Nepalese society who could read and write, from among whom come many of the country’s leaders (teachers, government workers, etc.) Today, more than 550,000 people have enrolled in this course.
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She was afraid that after he moved on they might forget the teachings that he brought. As she received names, she began writing to people and in 1984 began a Bible correspondence course. Because Resham was gone for so long at a time reaching tribes in the remote mountain areas and jungles, Sita encouraged him to begin collecting the names and addresses of people he had visited along the way. Resham married his wife Sita who has her own testimony for suffering persecution, having escaped from her own home and lived for a time on the streets because of the shame to her family due to her conversion. He was imprisoned, tortured, beaten, and had his leg broken, but as Resham recalls, “those times in prison, even though difficult, were most precious because Jesus was so near.” Through 1988 persecution remained very severe in Nepal. Undaunted, Resham began traveling by foot to district after district in Nepal, personally visiting 72 of the country’s 75 districts, preaching the gospel. The only foreigners and the few Christians that were allowed in were involved in social work, and were required to sign a declaration-under penalty of jail time or expulsion-that they would not propagate their religion. At the time there were fewer than 100 Nepali Christians in this small, landlocked country that did not allow gospel-preaching Christians in. Resham Raj Poudel was a member of the highest Hindu caste (Brahman) and a Hindu priest when he committed his life to Christ in the 1960s after reading a copy of the New Testament which sovereignly came into his possession. A couple that has been involved on the forefront of ministry, witnessed this remarkable growth of the church, and considered to be among the top senior leaders in the country are Resham and Sita Poudel. Today conservative estimates put the number of believers between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000. By 1991 there were approximately 30,000 believers, and by 2001, approximately 600,000.
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Prior to 1950, there were virtually no Christians in the Hindu kingdom of Nepal but since that time, and under considerable persecution, that number started to grow. Project Overview: Provide support and vocational training for widows, support and educational opportunities for orphans, and help the poor. Name of Ministry: GLOW (God Loves Orphans & Widows) Name of Partnership: Support for Widows and Orphans in Nepal