Those who were scattered preached the Word wherever they went. Acts 8:4

Home to lush foothills and valleys, subtropical forests, and the highest mountain peak in the world, Nepal is also home to over 28 million people who have limited or no exposure to the Gospel. Extreme weather, landslides, flooding, earthquakes, mountainous terrain, and poverty make evangelism throughout Nepal difficult, but Phillip, Global Teams’ Country Coordinator has faced additional challenges.

Ethnically Nepali, Philip was born in Bhutan. For centuries, Bhutan welcomed Nepali artisans and construction workers but by the 1980s, Nepalis formed the largest minority in Bhutan — almost 30% of the population. Once valued as artisans, they were now perceived as a threat. Over 100,000 became refugees and were forced back into Nepal, where they lived in temporary refugee camps. Some longed to return home to Bhutan; many migrated to the United States and other developed countries. Philip, because of his love for the Nepali people and his strong desire to reach them with the Good News, chose to remain in Nepal. His living situation and legal status, however, were temporary, and Philip had difficulty renewing his Nepalese visa. It seemed as if his work as Global Team’s Country Coordinator for Nepal would now be impossible.

What appeared to be a barrier to Philip’s work turned out to be a larger opportunity. Philip now lives in Siliguri, an area of India that has been a cultural crossroads for centuries and is currently a thoroughfare for several highly unreached people groups from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China. From this new base, Philip has been training and sending Nepalis to over a dozen unreached people groups who claim Nepalese as their native language.

Despite political and cultural persecution and legal difficulties, God has continued to work behind the scenes to redeem impossible circumstances and open new doors for the Gospel.

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