Yesterday we had a meeting of eight local church leaders at my apartment. There were three main topics for that meeting.
Lectureship at the Nepal Center For Biblical Studies March 8-11. We are expecting about 60 visiting church leaders from many areas of Nepal and also some from India. Arrangements are being made for their transportation, lodging, and food. We discussed the class schedule, centered on the Book of Acts, and the teachers. Friday afternoon we will distribute money to the various areas for rebuilding homes destroyed by the earthquakes in April and May.
Earthquake Fund:
We have some funds that are at our discretion regarding their use, about $102,040.
We have other funds with loose directions for their use, about $30,000.
We have other funds where we have to follow strict directions, about $120,000.
This latter is from a non-Christian organization that trusts us to distribute their money as directed.
Christians and non-Christians in the high mountains will benefit from these funds.
On Friday we will distribute the following funds:
Our Money: $80,000: $22,000 will be held for future distribution. Hopefully it will also grow.
$29,000 will go to Rashuwa District
$29,000 will go to Makawanpur District
$13,000 will go to Thanhun District
$9,000 will go to Chitwan District
Limitations: $30,000 This will be given to church leaders from 8 villages in the high mountains.
Discussions with them will determine the wise and fair use of these funds.
Strict Directions: We have already assisted with the first distribution of $10,000 in November.
I spoke with the Director of this group on the phone last night. I will receive directions before our lectureship begins. They have adopted one mountain village, so all this money will go to those 160 families. This village won the lottery.
New Building for Nepal Center For Biblical Study:
Gajendra’s family donated the property. Our original estimate for our new school building was $50,000. We now have $50,720 in the bank. Another $7-10,000 have been promised.
City officials are making new standards for construction. The architect and builder now give a new estimate of about $90,000.
That means we need another $30,000.
We also discussed our monthly Kathmandu Valley Fellowship meetings. Next Saturday, it will be at the Putali Sadak congregation.
It is encouraging to us and to many others to see all the good that is being done. It is daunting to know how much more is needed in the immediate and near future. We are extremely grateful for the support in prayers, suggestions, and financial aid from our foreign brothers and sisters. We are also thankful for the work of many Nepali leaders, both men and women. Our prayer is that God will supply the needs of so many impoverished and displaced families, and that we can use our time and resources wisely to help meet these needs.
We should have more information after our March 8-11 meeting. Many of these villages are difficult to reach from Kathmandu which means pictures are not plentiful. Hopefully we will also get pictures from our visitors.
In service to our loving and generous God,
Jerry