Category Archives: Himalayas

Dawa Singye Bhutia: Helping Children Trapped in the Red Light District’s Sex Trafficking in North-Eastern India

Rev. Dawa distributing the stationaries to the children

Dear Brothers and Sisters:
It is with immense joy and a heart filled with gratitude that I share with you the encouraging developments from the Red Light District of Khalpara, Siliguri. In the midst of challenging circumstances, on September 4, our Love Your Neighbor Initiative took a significant step forward by establishing The Child Learning and Social Centre for the children in the heart of Khalpara. This momentous occasion marked the beginning of a new era, one that is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children in our community, especially those living in the red-light district. The Child learning and Social Centre serves total 52 children comprising of 24 girls and 28 boys between the age group of 6- 18 years.

Stop Child Trafficking

Khalpara’s red light district, a place known for its harsh realities and social stigma, there exists a group of children with a history marred by adversity and hardship. These young souls are brought in from distant towns like Malda, Balurghat, Assam, Meghalaya, and a few were even born and raised within the boundaries of Khalpara itself. Their lives are intertwined with the shadows of poverty casting long and unforgiving shadows over their families. For many of these children, their parents found themselves reluctantly drawn into the unforgiving world of the sex trade. It was not a choice born of desire, but a desperate attempt to survive in a world that offered them few alternatives.

Children activities in the Centre

Living in the red light district brings forth a multitude of challenges. The children, with their innocent eyes and dreams yet to be unfurled, struggle to find access to quality education and healthcare services. The warmth of a stable home environment, so vital for their well-being, is often elusive, as they navigate through the tumultuous life of their upbringing. Perhaps the most disheartening is how society treats them.  They are singled out and subjected to discrimination, simply because they live in a place scorned by society, but to them is home.

The world around them often refuse to see the potential within these children, overshadowed by the prejudices and biases that cling like a dark cloud over them. However, amidst this sea of challenges, the children of Khalpara’s red light district remain resilient. They carry within them dreams that shine like beacons of hope; talents waiting to be unearthed, and untapped potential yearning to break free from the chains of their circumstances. With the right support and opportunities, these young souls can defy the odds stacked against them. They possess the strength to rise above the darkness and carve out a brighter future for themselves, one where their past history is but a chapter, not the whole story.

Children from the Red Light District.

The inauguration of The Child Learning and Social Centre in the heart of Khalpara marks the beginning of a new era, one that is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment for the children in our community, especially those living in the red-light district.. Our center is designed to be a child-friendly environment, a space where children can learn, play,and grow in a supportive, caring atmosphere, that every child will thrive and realize their full God-given potential.

During the inauguration, as part of our commitment to the well-being of these children, we distributed essential hygiene supplies and stationery to kickstart their journey towards education and personal cleanliness. Reverend Dawa graced the occasion with an inspiring message on the importance of moral living within our society. His words resonated deeply with all attendees, emphasizing the need for compassion and understanding. The highlight of the event was a cultural program featuring performances by our talented students. Their talents shone brightly, showcasing their potential and creativity.

Children doing Varies Activities.

We have taken a significant step towards ensuring a brighter future for the children in our community. However, this is just the beginning of our journey. The overall goal is to empower the children of Khalpara’s red light district by providing them with education, emotional support, and skills to break the cycle of poverty and prevent second generation prostitution and sexual slavery.  Our commitment to bringing about positive change extends beyond education, alone. We are dedicated to holistic community development, addressing the various needs and challenges faced by the residents of Khalpara. Through the Love Your Neighbor Initiative, we aim to transform perceptions and uplift spirits, demonstrating the boundless love and compassion of Christ, that they may come to know Him!

Our Goals

Education:

  • To ensure that all children in the red light district have the opportunity to receive a quality education.
  • To work towards enrolling children in schools, providing necessary school supplies, and offering tutoring or after-school programs to support their learning.

Emotional Support:

  • To recognize the emotional challenges faced by children in the red light district.
  • To provide counseling and create safe spaces where children can express themselves, share their experiences, and receive emotional support.
  • To organize recreational activities and workshops to foster their overall development.

Skill Development:

  • To equip children with skills that can enhance their future opportunities.
  • To offer vocational training, workshops, and mentorship programs that help children develop practical skills, such as computer literacy, arts and crafts, or other relevant skills based on their interests and talents.

Advocacy and Awareness:

  • To raise awareness about the rights and needs of children in the red light district.
  • To advocate for the elimination of stigma and discrimination and promote a more inclusive and supportive environment for these children.

 

Team HGNM along with the staff members and volunteers

From R.K.’s Corner

In the last few months, there have been increasing public media attention given to one of the fastest growing criminal syndicates in the world: the murky underworld of sex trafficking, especially among children.

The main focus of Dawa Singye Bhutia’s  Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry (GNNM) has always been on bringing the Gospel to the unreached in the nations of India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Himalayan hinterlands towards Tibet.  Then help train, educate and mentor the indigenous believers to become evangelists, pastors and teachers to plant churches whose members are actively reaching out to their communities by demonstrating the boundless love and compassion of Christ through various mercy ministries.

In this issue, Dawa presents their newest outreach: the establishment of a Child Learning and Social Centre which will help children trapped in their city’s red light district as sex slaves, be liberated and find a new, bright start in life.

Dawa Singye Bhutia: 2022 Ministry Report From the Himalayas

Dear Steve, R.K. and our Bridge Sponsors,

Warm greetings to you in the matchless name of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  I am delighted to share with you what the Lord has done in and through my life and ministry in the year 2022 for His glory and the extension of His Kingdom. I thank God for using this earthen vessel for His divine purpose in the Himalayas in India, Nepal and many other nations.

I also take this opportunity to thank you and express my heartfelt gratitude for your constant prayers, encouragement and financial support for my family and ministry. Without your precious partnership and support, it would not have been possible for me to reach the unreached and the lost with the message of hope and life eternal in Christ Jesus.

Thank you again for all your love and support for what we have been doing in this part of the globe for God’s Kingdom. My sincere prayer is that the Lord Almighty will continue to bless you and make you a channel of blessings for His Kingdom. I pray and believe that God will give us a bountiful harvest of souls in the days to come.

Yours sincerely in Christ, Dawa Singye Bhutia

Personal Evangelism

We keep on reaching the unreached and the lost people with the Good News of Jesus Christ through personal evangelism. Many people have heard the Gospel message and some of them have made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Pastoral Ministry, Church Planting and Leadership Training

I have been shepherding New Creation Fellowship in Siliguri as the Senior Pastor and extending the church planting movement with our church members and leaders.

In the churches in Nepal, Bhutan, India and other places we train young men and women in various types of ministries and leadership roles, like evangelism, church planting, mission work and second level leadership. So far, hundreds of young men and women have been trained and then sent to the remoter and unreached areas with the Gospel and planting of churches.

Social Concerns

We met the needs of the poor, elderly and sick with the love of Christ. During Covid-19 and lockdowns we brought and distributed provision into a variety of communities among those who had lost their jobs, resulting in lack of food and basic needs. We especially brought basic relief aid into the Tea Gardens which were shut down by the company for a long time, and distributed school stationeries and toiletries to the needy children in the slums.

Reaching the Children with the Love of Christ

We gave daily free private tuition and daily meals for the poor and underprivileged children in the areas where parents can not afford to send them to regular school.

Rural Evangelists Training in Solukhumbu, Nepal

We have been working and training rural evangelists in one of the most remote and least reached regions of the Himalayas in Nepal. Many rural evangelists have been trained for the work of mission to reach the unreached and the lost souls for Christ. Every year we conduct this kind of training to train and equip the local believers and leaders to reach their unreached in their communities and neighbors, friends and families.

Praying for and Counseling People

During my travels, I visit and meet many people suffering from various kinds of sicknesses and diseases and facing all different kinds of problems and issues in their lives. I pray for them and give them the message of hope, unconditional love and new life in Christ Jesus our Savior.

Present Outreach

It gives me great joy and pleasure to share the excitements of the Short Term Mobile Bible Training all the way from the Tanahu District of West Nepal. The participants were the Pastors and Leaders from the different districts of Nepal.  The 4th Batch of the Mobile Training program was conducted from the 26th of January to 12th of February 2023. 29 leaders participated in the training from various districts consisting from Gorkha, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Sarlahi to different areas of Tanahu.

We were so pleased to see the transformation of lives and hear the testimonies by the participants, full of zeal and passion expressing they will continue to joyfully serve in the Kingdom of God!

Prayer Points

  1. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection in my family and ministry.
  2. Pray for us as we continue to reach the unreached and the lost people groups with the glorious message of the Gospel in the most remote and spiritually dark places of the Himalayas.
  3. Pray that our ministry will be more effective and fruitful in the days to come.

    FROM R.K.’S CORNER

    Some of you who have been with us for a while are familiar with Dawa Singye Bhutia and his ministry in the Himalayas from India, Bhutan, Nepal to the rural mountainous hinterland between India and Tibet, populated with a variety of small, ethnic minorities.

    For background information on Dawa, his family and ministry Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry, you will find the three prior stories on our The Bridge website banner above under  COUNTRIES—ASIA—HIMALAYAS

    In a world full of despair and darkness, in spite of much resistance,  Dawa and his team are fully committed to keep bringing the Light and Hope of Jesus Christ, our living Savior, to those who are hungry for truth and righteousness!  He and his team are a great investment of your finances and prayers for the Kingdom of God!

India & Nepal—Helping Victims of Covid-19 Pandemic via HGNM’s Love Your Neighbor Initiative

By Dawa Buthia—Founder and Director of
Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry (GNNM)

God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” Billy Graham

I am thankful to our hardworking teams who are continuously and selflessly laboring as leaders and team members in the  Covid-19 Response action called LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR INITIATIVE by the NGO Branch of  HGNM, during these hard times we all are going through as we respond to the needy families who are starving  due to the shut-downs.  In addition to  dealing with our own personal challenges and lacks, we have the joy of reaching out with love and sacrificially serving others in our neighborhoods and communities who are in serious need, as we are all human beings created by God in our communities where we dwell.

Since April 14, we have visited countless communities and met the basic needs of thousands of families, many living in remote communities.  We are privileged to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in cooperation with, and under, the central and state government supervision.  We are motivated by the  many scriptures (more than 300) in the Bible which command us as believers to care for the poor and the least in society.

Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.  The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth…” Psalm 41:1
“Is this not the fast I have chosen… to share your bread with the hungry, and bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him…” Isaiah 58:6-7
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17-18.

APRIL 12 Today we are able to help  very poor villagers who work daily for their basic food in a tea garden in Atal.  We also helped some brothers and sisters stuck in Siliguri and living in empty school class rooms.  For them it is difficult to even find enough food for one meal a day.  We provided cooking utensils, gas burners, and various food items.   I encourage each one of you to become partners with us in helping the really needy people like these who are struggling for survival!

APRIL 17  With the help of Siliguri traffic police, provided food items for around 90 families in two different locations.  During the next week, we provided liquid sanitizers, safety gloves, and masks to the local police, as well as to the general public.  Our NGO HGNM works under the instruction of, and in coordination with the government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs.  We work well together.

APRIL 24   Distributed  food items to 200 of the most poverty stricken families in Mangpong Busty, Cha Aikar village, and in Rangdan, and Siliguri locations.  We will continue to provide food for the people who have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 lockdown till the closing of workplaces again open up.  We thankfully appreciate your prayer support and participation!  May God bless you richly and abundantly!

MAY 2    Praises be to God that by His provision we could respond to 79 underprivileged and needy families of Bhuttabari. Thank you to team “Compassionate Care” for your participation and contribution to make this distribution possible.

MAY 12   I learned that a woman was serving people in this pandemic with no distinction among the needy poor people of Daang midwestern Nepal and I felt immediately that I should extend my little weak arms to strengthen her and share what I have. She faithfully reached 106 families of Ward number 5/6 with food distributions for a month.

MAY 14  The love of God has no boundaries, no caste, colors and creed, it simply expresses His heart.  The Musahar are considered one of the lowest of the Dalit groups within Nepal and suffer tremendously from their low status in society. Their name is derived from two words meaning “rat catcher” which is attributed to them for their tendency to eat rodents. My friend Indra Shrestha, thanks for distributing food to them in Janakpur Tarai region of the flatland in Nepal bordering to India.

MAY 17  Our friends were feeding people and cleaning the temporary shelter,  home to those who have been held up during this lockdown in Nakpur Tarai areas of the flatland in Nepal bordering to India.  This was done with the  utmost dedication and service,  which reminds me of Jesus’ washing of His disciples feet.  Through that, He was teaching us humility and  service towards our fellow man.

MAY 18  Two outreaches today, one in Eastern Nepal and another in a district of Siliguri.  We met the immediate needs of the poor daily wage laborers who are without any food left in their kitchen.  We tried to make them smile and have a hope for tomorrow, trusting that God will deploy a good Samaritan to provide a little something more which will sustain them to see another tomorrow.


MAY 21
Today we initiated a successful outreach by feeding our neighbors at Kamlabagan Tea Estate. Praises be to the Almighty that we could shower compassion on this less privileged group in the midst of their traumatic situation while the tea plantation has been closed down.  I thank all our volunteers and partners of the ‘Compassionate Care’. without you this wouldn’t be possible. Thanks for your sacrifices and love for the people.

MAY 31
Yesterday, our team visited two small, very remote villages, Maisirang and Kutsing in the Chepang community with total of 48 homes. Some of them had walked nearly 3 hours to collect the food  we had for them.  Their food shortage is so desperate, they hardly have any rice to eat, let alone the variety of food we normally eat in abundance  daily.


JUNE
7   From T.E. Mirik Kharbari:  We feel so privileged to have served these needy families during the hardest time of their lives.  The pandemic has taken away their daily work which was the only means by which they were able to bring home food to their spouses and kids.  We were looking for someone who could help us reach them and help provide their daily needs.  So, we teamed up with HGNM.  Through their provision, we brought small packets with big love to the people which they accepted with great smiles on their fearful faces.Community service gives me a valuable opportunity to enter different communities which are less familiar to me, but they are just as colorful and valuable, and most importantly… they are in great need!

“When you’re giving to charity picture yourself helping Christ because by serving others you are serving Jesus”.

From R.K.’s Corner

Four years ago, I met Dawa S. Bhutia at a mission conference in Norway.  Dawa is an ethnic Tibetan and former Buddhist from Bhutan, who is founder and leader of Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry, India having raised up and trained scores of leaders serving the Lord in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet, and in some of the most remote  places in the Himalayan mountains. You can find his fascinating testimony and ministry information at

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2016/09/

                 The Covid-19 is ravaging the globe with its  deadly disease; not a single country in the world has been able to avoid its devastating effect on their people’s very way of life.  Nowhere has it had a worse impact than among the poor. In wealthier Western countries, governments are assisting their population with medical and financial help, but in the third world, people have to fend for themselves. Before the pandemic, among India’s 1.4 bill. people, 300 million lived under the poverty level.  Imagine how many there are today!!
Dawa and his team are making a difference among the most needy.  They risk their own health by reaching out to those suffering from the shut down, but they follow Jesus’ command to feed the poor! Here you will find a few samples of the many places they visited with love, hope, and provision during April and May, and into June, when India opened up the country.

If you want to become a partner with Dawa and his team in serving Bhutan,
India, Nepal, and Tibet with the Gospel, please mark your donation: “Himalayas”.
THANK YOU!

Reaching the Himalayas for Jesus Christ – by Dawa Singye Bhutia

Note! The introduction to this story is at the end of  under the headline R.K.’s CORNER, where you also will find many more pictures from Dawa’s ministry.

Dawa with his wife and two sons

Dawa with his wife and two sons

map-of-himalayasI was born into a middle class family in a small town in Bhutan.  My family is Tibetan, and staunch followers of Tibetan Buddhism, which is a pantheistic religion promoting non-violence, family honor with a strong emphasis on preserving national religion and culture.

I excelled in school and displayed leadership abilities, so after my 10th final, I was sent to attend a military defense academy.  One day, Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet in exile, came to visit the school.  While he was inspecting the students, he suddenly pointed me out, and said, “When you have finished your education here, I will send for you!”  I was stunned and deeply honored.  I studied and worked very hard, as I was good in academics, but also at sports and different kinds of martial arts.  After two years, I graduated from 12th grade.  Shortly thereafter, Dalai Lama did indeed send for me! 

In 1950, China invaded Tibet and by force incorporated the nation into the People’s Republic of China.  Nine years later, due to a number of death threats, Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of his people, fled Tibet, and was given residency by the Indian government in Dharamsala in the northern part of the country where he established a democratically based shadow Tibetan government, which includes an army. 

tibetan-government-in-exileThe travel cost from my home town to India was paid for by Dalai Lama, and he also gave me a free scholarship to train as his personal security guard.   While in the security department, my duty was more than just guarding him, but I also spent a lot of personal time with him.  It involved meetings and planning.  I traveled to 40 countries with Dalai Lama, and met many worldly dignitaries, and rich and famous people, especially among film stars in Hollywood, from whom Dalai Lama receives huge amounts of donations – in the billions!  I accompanied Richard Gere on some of his travels to Dalai Lama’s headquarters  in India, and stayed in his home several times when Dalai Lama visited Hollywood.  He is a well known film star who has embraced Buddhism and is an ardent spokesperson on behalf of Tibet’s freedom movement.

I found Dalia Lama a gentle, kind, and a sincere person who takes his religion seriously. He lives a simple, ascetic life, is not involved in politics, but spends much time meditating in high mountains.  In contrast, as military personnel, we had no restriction.  As head of security, I was a tough guy, a troublemaker who was proud of my fighting skills.  I respected nobody, but demanded that everybody respect me.  During my days off, my coworkers and I we were carousing, fighting, and gambling. I earned a bad reputation, which came to my family’s attention and made them ashamed of me.  None of us took the Buddhist religion seriously. The religious rituals were rote with no conviction, no satisfaction, no peace.  I was like a candle in the dark.

There was just one problem.  My roommate – he was different.  During the two years we roomed together, I never heard him say a bad word, or do a bad deed.  There was a purity in him, and a peace that exuded from him which I did not have, and I was drawn to that.  I admired him, but he irritated me immensely, so I began watching him carefully and testing him, just to see if what he had was real.  He never gave in to the temptations presented.

One day, embarrassed by my own life, I asked him, “You are a nice guy, you don’t drink, you don’t gamble – why are you different from me?  Why don’t you just enjoy life?”  “Because of Christ,” he replied. I was baffled, “What?” “Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has forgiven  my sins.  If you believe in Christ in your heart, confess Him with your mouth, you will be saved.”  I had never heard of Jesus Christ, had never seen a Bible, nor did I know anything about the Christian faith. “Your life has been talking to me all the time,” I confessed, “I see in you what I must follow.”  He then said, “I will bring you to my group.”

dawa-mountainsAfter a week of talking to him about these new ideas, he brought me to a secret group meeting of 5-6 young men, from different ethnic backgrounds; Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan.  One had been a high priest.

When they began singing, I was overwhelmed by a great sense of harmony and peace which I had never experienced before. After a cup of tea, the high priest guy shared his testimony; while I listened, I was struck by a great fear and began shivering.  The Lord was convicting my heart of my sin.  I had a flask of alcohol in my pocket, so I quietly went to the bathroom and emptied it into the toilet.  When I returned and sat down, I burst out, “I don’t know how to say this, but I am with the right people for the first time in my life. I want to become like my friend – I have never before had this kind of feeling of peace and harmony.  What must I do?”  The high priest guy said, “I will pray – it’s very simple.  Jesus Christ will come and stay unless you reject Him.  Simply give your heart, mind and body to Him; the Truth will set you free and you will stop being a man-pleaser.” With sincerity I prayed the sinner’s prayer.  After that, I went back to the camp. I was changed!

dawa-baptism-2I began longing for this kind of fellowship and for people who could teach me more from the Bible.  I wanted to live a different life; to go away and study the Book.  But I took some time to contemplate and filter through my thoughts and my life.  God is the caller and qualifier.  I hung onto the scripture verse in Hebrew 11 and kept it in my heart – God is the author and finisher of our faith, and – who can separate us from Christ?  I decided to leave my job, but gave no reason to Dalai Lama for my resignation, and he accepted that.  I decided to go home. I had a message.  I was the prodigal son!

When I arrived home, I was warmly welcomed.  My family had been ashamed of my bad lifestyle, but proud of my position with Dalai Lama. The entire community came together, and when they were gathered, I began speaking, “I want to say that I have not been a very good son, and I am sorry.  But from now on, I will be a son you can be proud of. I have a testimony to share – I am now a follower of Jesus Christ!

A long, stunned silence followed.  Then, my uncle exclaimed, “What are you doing?  You are a Tibetan, and as such you are a Buddhist.  A Tibetan must always be a Buddhist – Jesus is a foreign, Western God!”  I protested, “My home god never gave me peace and joy.  This God has given me peace and deliverance.  I am happy to tell you about this God.” 

Not in my wildest dreams would I have expected the chaos that followed.  I thought my family would be proud that I had changed for the better.  Instead, the negative, emotional reactions were profound, but I felt God’s word to me, “Stand firm.  Open up and speak from your heart with kindness and grace about your life– I will speak through you.”  So I stood firm, strong, and steady and continued sharing my testimony.  That evening, everybody was very upset, so the Elders decided we would talk collectively the next morning.

This time, the community leaders met with me.  My uncle began, “You are our son, our community will accept you, but we have our own gods and culture which we must follow very strictly.  If you continue to be aggressive with following this Western god, we will excommunicate you from our society.” I answered, “This Jesus gave me peace,  happiness and deliverance.  He is the only powerful god I have known.”  “Think twice, this is a matter affecting a whole generation,” they said.  I stood firm, “I am following Jesus!”  They gave an extra day to consider my options.

The third day as we gathered again, the elders asked me, “What is your final decision?” “I stand firm as yesterday,” I replied. “Do you know what the consequences are?” “No.”

“We will excommunicate you from our family, and from our entire community.  We will consider you as dead, like a broken egg.  You will have no part in our business, and you will not be given any inheritance from our family. If you leave now without anything, where would you go? Let the Christians take care of you!  But if you return, we will welcome you 24/7, but only as long as you come without your god.”  Since that day, I have never been permitted to return home to my family.

dawa-hanging-bridgeI was ordered to leave my home and community.  I was not even allowed to take my suitcase, so I walked away with only the clothes on my back and a few hundred rupees (approx. $15) in my wallet. I had learned that there was an Indian Bibleschool 12 hours away by bus further to the North, so I bought a ticket and arrived there.

I knocked on the door of the Principal’s office.  I shared my testimony with him, and told him I wanted to study the Bible.  “What church do you belong to?” the Principal asked.  “I do not have a church, and I do not have any money.”  “So, who will pay the $300.00 a year tuition for your studies?” he inquired. I admitted I had no one to support me.  But I was insistent, “Sir, please give me a chance!” Finally, I was permitted to enroll in the school with the condition that I would work in the school kitchen and do the gardening during weekends in return for tuition.

While I was in school I had no spending money, but I knew I was not to ask people for help – God was to be my provider!  I had one set of clothing, so every night I would wash my underwear and hang it in front of the fan to dry.  I would squeeze toothpaste from tubes the other students had discarded, and collect nearly used up bars of soap.  But I buried myself in the studies, deeply motivated to learn more about God!  In between semesters when the other students went home to their families, or took vacation, I stayed, as I had no money to go anywhere.

dawa-pioneer-churchAfter three years, I became part of a church.  One day, and older church member, a retired doctor, came up to me and said, “Will you be my son?”  She shook my hand, and invited me home.  There, I celebrated my first Christmas.  Eve, my new “mom” gave me 20 rupees (app. $1.00).  It was huge!

After the graduation from the school, I started out as evangelist from my church. During this time, I met my future wife.  I did not even have a ring for my wedding, but a friend bought it for me.  There were lots of ups and down and struggles during this time, but my Heavenly Father never left me!  In 1994, Campus Crusade came to India, and I worked with them for three years before I received a salary, but it was a good time when I received international training.

Ministry Center and The Leadership Bible Training School of Himalayan Good News Network Ministry

Ministry Center and The Leadership Bible Training School of Himalayan Good News Network Ministry

In 2002, I left Campus Crusade and founded Himalayan Good News Network Ministry.  At an international conference, I had met Kaj Holte, a Norwegian minister.  In 2004, Kaj and his friend, Ole came to the Himalayas to pursue the story of eight young Finnish women who in the late 1800 traveled to these mountains as missionaries. They were totally rejected by the local people who locked them out of their lives, so they ended up starving and freezing to death.  Kaj and Ole found one of their graves, and worked on erecting a stone in their memory.  The Free Church of Finland Mission has now 200 home churches throughout the Himalayas.  Kaj and I became good friends, and Kaj recently helped finance the building for our ministry’s Leadership Bible Training school.  We are also partnering with  Troens Bevis who are sponsoring  a number of our pioneer church planters.

dawa-graduating-classToday, our ministry has 260 graduates from our Bible Training School who have been sent out to remote and rural areas in the Himalayas to evangelize and plant home churches.   We have just started a new semester at the Leadership Bible Training School with 50 attending students, both men and women.  When they graduate, like the others, they are ordained as Ministers of the Gospel and are then sent as ministry partners all throughout the Himalayas, to do pioneer church planting mostly in rural areas.  There will then be  will 310 of them.  There are regional leaders to whom the missionaries are accountable, and twice a year, HGNNM brings them together for Alumni Ministry Partners Retreats.

We encourage the missionaries to be tent-makers, that is, they keep their jobs, so that they can support their families.  The medium expense for a family of four in the city is $300 per month, and in rural areas $150 per month.  We add $60 per month to cover some of their ministry expenses.

dawa-mail-graduatedawa-woman-graduate
dawa-speaking-at-graduationdawa-women-graduating 

dawa-men-graduating

dawa-mercy-ministry

dawa-hearing-the-gospel

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FROM R.K.’S CORNER

dawa-steve-and-rkLast month, I reported from my July trip to Norway, where, among other things, I attending the annual Summer Festival at Troens Bevis, one of the largest and most effective mission organizations in Europe, with whom we have partnered for over thirty years.  They sponsor over 1000 indigenous missionaries around the world.  In the last issue, I focused on their ministry, the Festival, and Rune Edvardsen’s gift in bringing the Gospel afresh to a new generation, both at home and abroad.

During the Festival, there is always an appeal for missions funds for their indigenous missionaries. This year, the focus was on the Himalayas. The guest speaker, Dawa S. Bhutia, is an ethnic Tibetan and former Buddhist from Bhutan, who is  founder and leader of  Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry with hundreds of pioneer evangelists and church planters.  They serve the Lord in  some of the most remote and inaccessible places in the Himalayan mountains among Bhutanese, Indians, Nepalese, Tibetans, and more obscure tribes.

Dawa shared his testimony — a vivid demonstration of the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in a Buddhist society.  I sat down with Dawa, confident he had been well vetted by the leaders at Troens Bevis, and interviewed him for the following story.  It is a stirring account of the loss of all things for the gain of the Peace that passes all understanding!

Guess my surprise when, at the end of August, I received a phone call from Dawa, who was in the States!  He was visiting Nepalese believers he had mentored in refugee camps in India. Steve and I flew him down to Florida where he stayed in our home for a few delightful days!  We came to know him better. Dawa, and Steve with kindred hearts for the world, became friends. The  Bridge gave a generous gift toward his Leadership Bible Training School.  We believe support of his ministry and pioneer missionaries are a valuable contribution to the Kingdom of God!

Please look to the top right to find ways by which you can sponsor his church planters!