ICC Note:
In spite of earthquakes, increased persecution, and an economic downturn, Christian in Nepal continue to strand strong for what they believe in. Last year, Nepal passed a new constitution that declared the country a secular state. Despite this victory, the constitution also included a section that made it illegal for people to convert others from one religion to another. Many Christians still fear that this could be used against them. Still, in spite of this, Christians remain an important and growing part of Nepal’s community. 
02/27/2017 Nepal (Mission Network News) – India might have finally lifted a four-month-long border blockade against Nepal, but between earthquakes, protests, and a controversy surrounding their new constitution, the people of Nepal still have plenty of problems to deal with.
Joe Handley of Asian Access says the good news is the Church is making a huge impact on Nepalese communities. “The Church has reached out and loved on the community, provided relief and goods.”
Although “God is doing stunning work,” Handley says believers still have plenty left to do. In particular, communities are concerned about reaching lonely villages that pepper the mountain ranges, and about battling the atrocities of human trafficking.
“Traffickers are coming in and paying off families that can’t afford all their children and trafficking them into other countries,” says Handley. That’s why Asian Access establishes rescue homes where trafficking victims can get their feet back underneath them.
This is no new ministry, but the impact is still just as strong. Handley recently visited a home with “about 20 little girls from five-years-old to 20-years-old.” Of others, he says, “Some of the girls have now graduated, they’ve gotten jobs, and several of them, I think I heard that 20 of them, are now married and have their own families,” says Handley.
Across Nepal, believers are encountering unlikely allies who have been moved by seeing the love of Christ in action.
Handley said one local leader was at a loss after the earthquakes hit in 2015. “He didn’t know how to mobilize help and nobody was coming in to help him out.”
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