Sunday, April 22, 2012

Day 2 - Nepal Creation Conference (20 April)

At the close of the Nepal Creation Conference, we were pleasantly surprised to receive a traditional gift from the host church (Covenant Christian Fellowship) - a Nepali topi for the men and a scarf for the ladies. For the second day, my presentation focused on dinosaurs and so far, I find that the fascination with dinosaurs is a global phenomena and a wonderful bridge to start talking about just how relevant Biblical history is. Praise the Lord for this amazing opportunity!
We are grateful to the leadership of Dr.Joseph Paturi and his wife, Shoba. Although there were some administrative challenges, he stepped up to provide leadership and worked closely with Pastor Ram in getting the conference to a great start. Quite possibly - as the Lord leads - we may do the next conference in New Delhi, India.
The Nepal Creation Conference would not have been successful without dedicated pastors who helped us with the translation. Pastor Silas and his wife traveled for almost a day to the conference and he was my translator for the first day of the conference. One of the youth leaders commented - "We've always have questions about dinosaurs, the Big Bang, etc but our pastors could not provide answers; instead they just ask us to trust in Jesus. Now, after the conference, we know that the Bible do provide answers!"
While, the conference was going on in the church auditorium, Eunice was busy having her own "ministry" - playing and making friends with the children from the orphanage. She now know more Nepali words than me!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Day 1 - Nepal Creation Conference (19 April)

Finally, the day is here for the first-ever Nepal Creation Conference! The above are the speakers - Dr.Joseph Paturi, Tom Reese, Dr.Pradhan and myself. We are appreciative of Pastor Ram, Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Fellowship who offered the use of his fine church facility - comfortable enough to house the 300 people who came.
Those who came were mainly young people, students and pastors. Judging by their eagerness in taking notes, we are encouraged by their hunger to grow deeper in the history of Genesis. I spoke on the topic - "Building Strong Foundations in the Next Generation". Working with a translator is quite interesting - I would tell a joke - and then get a delayed response!
While the adult sessions were going on, Eunice certainly made herself at home playing with the local children! She certainly did not need a translator - in fact, she learnt a few Nepalese words by her own initiative. The words of Jesus rings true - Let the little children come...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Journey to Bharatpur

We had a real taste of Nepalese road travel today in going from Khatmandu to Bharatpur. The two-lane hillside travel gave us a harrowing experience as we had to encounter not only aggressive drivers but also a few vehicle accidents as well. Praise God for His journey protection!
The other speaker for the  Creation Conference (Apr 19-20) is Tom Reese from the US who came with his wife, Marilyn. We last met during the All-Asian Creation Conference in Subang last year. On the far right is Pastor Kirin - who pastors a growing church called Bharatpur Gospel Center.
This is the entrance to Bharatpur Gospel Center - standing next to Pastor Kirin on the left is Pastor Simon Ram - the person responsible for discipling Pastor Kirin. It is in Pastor Ram's church - Covenant Christian Fellowship - that the first ever Nepal Creation Conference will be held from 19-20 April. We certainly look forward to this event.
 In addition to Pastor Kirin, a few pastors from nearby churches also came to fellowship with us. The group look pretty "mild" but when it was time to pray - Wow! they raised their voice with such vigor, enthusiasm and energy that it puts me to shame. Such simple faith and courageous attitude!
Eliza and Eunice with their new found friends. Was pleasantly surprised that they have Facebook accounts as well - so, that become our instant connection points! Tomorrow will be our final day of preparation (and rest) before the start of the conference. May the Lord be gracious and move in a powerful way!


Monday, April 16, 2012

Our First Overseas Mission Project

 
After months of anticipation, the moment finally arrived for our first overseas mission trip together as a family - participating in the first ever Creation Conference in Nepal, organized by the Covenant Christian Fellowship located in Kathmandu. We took the opportunity to travel earlier and gain some early fellowship time with the church leaders before the two-day conference begins on April 19.

There is much joy and deep satisfaction when my wife and children become a part of the Creation Ministry and how this not only draws us closer to our Creator but also to one another. May the next generation be motivated to "remember thy Creator in the days of your youth".

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Character-Wise Parenting @All Nations Church (14 April)

 As part of All Nations Church (ANC) outreach to the community in Ara Damansara, I was invited to conduct a one-day Character-Wise Parenting workshop yesterday. We had a wonderful time as we unravel the leadership role of parents in addressing the "generation gap". This "gap" exists because we parents are not courageous enough to stand up for Biblical values and go counter-culture by taking personal responsibility for our child's character rather than "outsourcing" it other care-providers.

Friday, April 6, 2012

First Ministry Opportunity in China! (2 April)




As an extension of my business trip in Shanghai, the Lord provided an opportunity to link up with the young adults of a local house church group for a 3-hour Creation Seminar. As an added blessing - my good friend and fellow team member, Jimmy Chen - was also on business in China as well - so, we had the divine appointment of being able to connect with the Shanghai house church as a team.

With the last 30 minutes of the seminar being allotted for questions, I was surprised with the wave of questions that follow - covering a wide range of subjects covering Theology, Science and Philosophy! We were informed by our host that in China - evangelism is easy but the challenge is in discipleship, grounding Believers in basic doctrines and fundamental concepts based on Scripture. Indeed there is no better place to start than with the very first verse of the Bible!