Four years ago, The Compass Church teamed with ReachGlobal to launch what was called “The 50/5 initiative”. The goal was to launch 50 new churches in five years in Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines. That goal has been met…and exceeded! From this original group of 12 church planters in Nepal, there are now over 15 churches with over 100 new believers. It hasn’t been easy, but God has been faithful.

When Ambika, pictured below on the left, started a church in a new area far from her home, many challenges confronted her. The mainly Hindu people did not want a Christian presence in their village. They even tried to poison her at one point. There are now 9 home church groups with over 25 people in attendance. Pictured with her is Balkumari, an early convert.

Pastor Minh and his wife, below, shared in his report that his initial days were met with extreme loneliness and discouragement. I spoke at his church three years ago. At that time he was meeting in a rented garage…which he could use for two hours per week. Once his church began to grow, he was able to secure a tract of land and build a modest bamboo structure for the church. Then the earthquake hit on April 25. Many people lost their homes, but the church was still standing. His church became a place of refuge and brought goodwill to the village. He received a commendation from local officials. The faith of the believers there is getting noticed.

The 10 new church planters gave reports. After beginning their work in March 2015, twenty-four people have already given their lives to Christ! Among the new converts is a former Maoist – a militant atheist wanting nothing to do with God. God determined otherwise.

I gave the commissioning address, reminding them to hold fast to their calling. Stephen Chandra, International Asia Director for ReachGlobal, said the prayer of dedication over them.

Ambika (on left) and Balkumari	Pastor Minh and his wife
Prayer of Dedication	The 10 new church planters
Church Chairman, Doug Shuptar with three of them	Doug shared a devotional as we began the day.
Combined with the entire group! Just think-five years ago, none of this existed!