After the service last Sunday, a few members of the praise team and I visited Elder Anil’s home. He had invited us for a meal to express his gratitude for leading the evening worship sessions at the Nepalese youth retreat last July. He served food similar to Korean dumplings along with traditional Nepalese dishes, and everything suited our taste perfectly. Over the meal, we shared and talked about different ministry experiences with him.
Elder Anil came to believe in Jesus in 1998, and because of that he was rejected by his family and friends for two and a half years. In 2006, he began preaching the gospel in his hometown, and even from 2009 to 2012, when he worked in Korea as a laborer, he continued to minister to Nepalese people there. In 2013, he returned to his hometown and established a church, continuing his mission work to this day.
He came to the UK in 2017 after getting married. When he left Nepal, a Korean missionary who had guided him spiritually recommended that he visit our church once he arrived in the UK, though it’s unclear how that missionary knew about us. He tried to find the church but had difficulty and gave up. One day, while he happened to be in central London, he was walking down the street when he heard familiar worship songs. He followed the sound and found himself at our church. He received great grace that day and has been attending ever since.
He shared that he had once been very spiritually dry, but since coming to our church he has found himself often moved to tears. He said that during the time of fervent corporate prayer after the sermon, when we cry out “Lord,” he experiences the filling of the Holy Spirit. Just like this year, they asked us to come again next year to lead the youth retreat and also to teach various specialized sessions related to worship music.
Since September of this year, Elder Anil has begun planting a church in Birmingham, where many Nepalese university students live. They hold in-person worship services on the first and fourth Sundays each month, and gather online for the other two. When they meet in person, they even prepare food, and by the time he returns home it is already one or two in the morning. Currently, 40 to 50 Nepalese people gather, and new people come each time. A member of the English church whose building they rent even said the Nepalese worship service is more grace-filled and attends despite not understanding the language. He mentioned he would like to purchase interpreters like the ones our church uses. In many ways, their ministry is unfolding very similarly to ours.
He is preparing in prayer, since he will likely need to move to Birmingham to fully commit to the ministry. They are hoping to relocate early next year, but considering his theological studies and caring for his daughter with disabilities while settling in a new city, there is much on his mind. When the church is officially launched next year, we hope our congregation can support them in many ways.
Jesus said, “The Father loves the Son and shows him all he does,” so that the Son may take part in it (John 5:19–20). In the same way, God is showing us faithful Nepalese ministers and churches within London, fitting with the mission of our church to help diverse ethnic congregations here.
“Father, continue to show us the work You are doing, so that we may obey and follow You in it.”
