In 2007, our team set out to begin bringing the Gospel to a new region of South Asia - The Himalaya.

The Region

The Himalayan mountain range extends across 5 countries that border each other in South Asia. Beginning from Pakistan in the west, it runs along India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. The region is comprised of rough terrain and fertile plains that extend from Kashmir all the way through parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Huge concentrations of populations live in these plains as well.

Pastor Thapa

When we began this new adventure, we knew we would need the right person to lead the charge. God faithfully brought us Ram Bahadur Thapa. He became the coordinator of our church planting efforts.

Under Pastor Thapa’s leadership, we have planted 8 Churches in the Eastern part of the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, and North Bengal) and 20 churches in the Western part (Nepal).

Additionally, this past July, we cast a vision to reach 25 prospective church planting areas that Pastor Thapa had identified. Each of these regions was chosen because of its incredibly limited access to the Gospel.

Sadly, two months ago, Thapa was tragically killed in a roadside accident and went on to be with the Lord. Thapa was a devoted husband and father to two sons. He worked diligently within our organization for 13 years and we simply wouldn’t be where we are today without him.

In his honor, we wanted to continue to move forward with the plans that God had put on his heart and we wanted to honor Thapa's vision that he had cast.

With that said, we are thrilled to announce that in January of this upcoming year, we will be sending out the fourth batch of church planters in the Himalayan region.

Not only would this not be possible without the faithful service of Pastor Thapa, but also his incredible wife, Rachel. Even after his passing, she has faithfully served and taken care of these church planters, making sure all operations happened from day to day, cooking for them, and providing support.

We mourn the loss of our good friend and the Lord's servant, Thapa. But, we could not be more grateful for the incredible legacy that Pastor Thapa leaves behind and we cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones. - Psalm 116:15

How You Can Pray

Prayer Points:

• For the 4th batch deployment: Wisdom and the needed resources to plant churches.

• For Thapa’s family: Pray for his widow Mrs. Rachel Thapa, his sons Rocky (27 years) and Roshan (22 years).

• A new Co-ordinator: Pray that the Lord would help us identify the right replacement to fill in the shoes of Pastor Thapa.

• For the Nepali people: There are hundreds of villages without a single church.

You can also download our prayer guide right here.