Troy & Faith Bierma
Nepal
If the word Nepal conjures up anything at all for most of us, it’s probably things like Mt Everest, the tallest mountain in the world (known locally as the ‘world’s head’). Or for those of you with a few more years under your belts, perhaps Nepal makes you think of singer Cat Stevens, a hippie destination, buddhas, spiritual enlightenment, and of course Bob Seger’s ‘Kathmandu.’
For the Biermas, Nepal is a place of long-time connection and prayer. Their friendship with Arbin and Bimala Pokharel, a Nepali couple, and almost 15 years of praying for Nepal have made the country close to their hearts.
Nepal is a small landlocked country between China and India. It’s the 17th economically poorest country in the world; most Nepalese make or produce just enough money or food to live day to day. It’s also a place where few people know Christ. Most of Nepal’s 30 million people are Hindu or Buddhist.
But the Holy Spirit has been working massively in Nepal. In spite of poverty and a lack of material resources, in spite of intense spiritual opposition and devotion to traditional religions, in spite of the incredible logistical challenges of evangelizing people from 70 different languages from the southern plains to the remote reaches of the Himalaya mountains, and in spite of the corruption and political volatility and upheaval of recent years, God’s Word is spreading. Christ has been building His church in Nepal and the gates of hell are not prevailing against it.
Vision
The church in Nepal has been growing rapidly for several years, faster than leaders have been trained to lead it. We want to see this evangelistic church thriving with theologically strong and godly Nepali leaders.
- Theologically strong leaders are those who can adeptly handle the basic aspects of pastoral ministry. They are extending Christ’s reign by applying the gospel in their communities with an increasingly biblical worldview.
- Godly leaders are people of integrity whose example and integrity is Christlike and worth following. They “correctly handle the word of truth.”
Ministry in Nepal
Christian Reformed World Missions’ (CRWM) focuses on basic pastoral leadership training and ministry skills development to encourage the growth of the Nepali church. We do this through a few partnership venues:
- with Arbin and Bimala Pokharel
- with local seminary Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary (EPTS)
- with church planters from India’s Mizoram Presbyterian Church who serve in Nepal
Arbin and Bimala Pokharel are Nepalis with a long-time connection to the Christian Reformed Church and Troy and Faith. They have been requesting help from CRWM with their ministries for some time. Bimala has started three micro-enterprises in Kathmandu. Arbin has planted Cross Way Church in Kathmandu and currently serves as EPTS’s principal. Cross Way is a home church for many new believers; several of them have come to Christ through Cross Way’s development work in micro-enterprises and rescuing young women from the sex trade. Troy and Faith support and encourage the Pokharels in their work.
Troy also focuses on strengthening ETPS. EPTS runs a three-year accredited Bachelor of Theology program for preparing 50+ Nepali leaders from various parts of Nepal. Troy teaches at EPTS, helps with faculty development, and assists in integrating the curriculum (‘integrated curriculum’ means a curriculum of courses tied to and built upon each other instead of a collection of various theology courses. It also implies a continued focus on a culturally and ecclesiastically nuanced curriculum specialized for the Nepali context).
In addition to his work at EPTS, Troy facilitates CRWM’s partnership with the Mizoram Presbyterian Church in sending four missionary nurses to Nepal. These nurses are involved in church planting in extremely poor areas of Nepal. Troy and Faith offer them encouragement and training in church leadership. As a registered nurse, Faith has a special capacity for helping with this partnership. Vast medical needs in Nepal provide a useful venue for a church-planting ministry and the nurses have joined evangelists in planting churches in their areas of ministry.
About Troy & Faith
For a number of years, we have recognized God’s call on our lives for ministry in Asia. Faith spent most of her life in the Philippines where her parents were missionaries, and heard God’s call to return to Asia. Troy’s call to Asia grew through the late 1990s and became increasingly apparent through his close contact with Nepali friends and a year internship with CRWM in the Philippines.
Thank You
We praise God for his work around the world and the privilege of serving him. Thank you for your prayers (I think it’s true to say we live by them!), generosity and support for our ministry with Christian Reformed World Missions. Together, by the grace of God, our efforts are transforming lives and communities in Nepal. Thank you!
Contact Information
Email: tbierma@crcna.org
EPTS Website: http://www.eptsnepal.org/
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