Believers in Butwal

Written by Britt Pennell

While hosting a World Race Gap Year team, some of the Iris Global Nepal members accepted an offer to visit a church in Butwal. This team consisted of Madhu (our Nepali outreach coordinator), three international long-termers, five of the Gap Year students, and two of our Iris Nepal Children's Home kids. We had actually received the invitation from a young couple, who are members of the church in Butwal. They received Jesus just seven months ago after Jesus appeared to their five-year-old daughter in their living room!
Our team spent three full days in Butwal, an eight hour drive from Kathmandu. In Butwal we visited house services and church services, where we sang, prayed for many people, and preached a lot!
During one of the home fellowship groups in a village just outside Butwal, we were all given the opportunity to share and preach. For the Gap Year students it was their first time ever preaching! It was a special moment to hear them preach for the first time outside of a thatch-roofed house in a small village in southern Nepal! After preaching, we prayed for the small gathering of believers and it turned into what we called "the Holy Spirit Party"! Multiple people began to yell and scream in tongues as they received prayer. This caused a small crowd to gather, wondering what the commotion was about. The story in Acts 2 of the Holy Spirit falling on the 120 came to our minds.
On the second day, while attending a weekday service at the church, we all preached again and prayed for many people. Two team members prayed for a Christian family that had been struggling to sleep because of nightmares. They prayed over the house and the family. The next day we heard that they had slept great that night! Another woman was prayed for who was deaf in one ear. The next day she said she could hear! Jesuko je hos! (Praise the Lord!)
We were so proud of the two kids from our children's home who joined us! Though being only 13- and 14-years old, they did an amazing job translating for us and also praying for people! The 14-year-old girl also voluntarily preached! Though we didn't necessarily understand what she was saying, we could feel the Holy Spirit moving as she spoke with passion and conviction.
Butwal is in the southern region of Nepal, called the Terai. The people of the Terai are so hungry for Jesus and we are so encouraged every time we have the chance to visit! Their worship and desire for more of Jesus is beautiful. Surely the Lord is working mightily in this nation!