CHILD-LIKE FAITH

Tuesday, November 15^th, 2011

At the House, at 6:57 PM

Religion is a big part of Nepalese life. One is usually either a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Christian. Most people are Hindu, or an interesting hybrid of Hinduism and Buddhism. I have been living in community with Christian Nepalese people. From what I have seen, their religion seems largely of the Pentecostal kind, a bit charismatic. But it's not as “crazy” as some of the other more charismatic church “brands” I have attended at occasional points in my life. It's sort of a tempered charisma. I wouldn't say it's tempered by a skepticism often seen in the States. I might say their charisma is tempered by their faith. It's very child-like. It's very genuine. After spending time in the States, where everything is questioned to death, it's refreshing to see faith through the eyes of these people. I'm not saying that the Nepalese Christians are without flaws. Sometimes, a good dose of questioning is needed. Sometimes the jumps they make in their spiritual reasoning seem a little too extreme for me. Overall however, seeing their faith has been encouraging to me.

Let me give an example of what I mean. Today, I attended a prayer meeting at a house in the city. There was a good mix of foreigners and Nepalese. Most of the people there were Christian. The point of this weekly prayer meeting is to pray as a community for those girls and children who are trafficked. Most of the people there are involved in some kind of work that helps to either rescue, rehabilitate, or prevent trafficking. Most were females too, which, as a man is sometimes a little awkward. Not that I don't feel welcomed (it's actually the opposite, the women there want more men to attend), it's just that being male there are different concerns and struggles sometimes. Of course I will never be able to understand the woman. She moves in mysterious ways to me. What I liked about the meeting is how open it is, how both sexes are necessary for a more complete story.

Anyway, when the people in the room started praying and singing there was a genuineness to it that was moving. Then some of them brought up prayer requests. One was about a 15 year old girl who had been forced to “marry” an 18 year old man, who promised her a better life. When he took her from her home and out of her village, he locked her in a room with a small window and would not let her out, despite her pleas to get out. She wanted to leave the man, who clearly was denying her basic rights. He was staying in a village in Nepal for a few days and told her he would soon take her to India for a better life. Apparently this man thought that being forced into prostitution was a “better life.” Why didn't he just force himself into prostitution then? Word somehow got out, and the courageous woman telling the story said she was able to go to the village, work with the police and the villagers, and they eventually rescued the girl and caught the perpetrator. He is now in jail awaiting some kind of judgment. He may get 22 years in prison, as long as the system is followed appropriately. Some of the other people there were talking about following up with the case. The jailed man promised the girl that if he got the chance he would kill both her and her family. Though she is now free and getting help, she still has moments of fear. We prayed for the girl. We actually prayed for her perpetrator too. There was another prayer request about 100 women who had been rescued from trafficking and prostitution, but had somehow been forced back into the work. This is no game. It's a faith I see that's alive in real and serious situations like these that makes the prayers of the Nepali Christian church bona fide.

I have to go now, I have to attend what has become a nightly ritual. Don't worry, I'm not going to go bow down to a statue. I'm just going to go have some chia with the guys.

But I might then consider praying to a Living God.