We bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
​
What a crazy time we are all going through right now! We have seen via social media, emails, and other forms of communication how much fear, confusion, and division this pandemic is causing - even among some of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world!

​Let us not forget that even in the midst of crisis, God is still faithful, He is still in control, and He is sovereign!!

Instead of putting our trust in rumors and conspiracy theories, we pray that we will seek the Lord diligently, and put our trust in our Jehovah Nissi (the Lord my banner), Jehovah Rapha (the Lord that heals), Jehovah Shalom (the Lord is Peace). 

Let us continually lift up each other in our prayers and pray that in all of this, that God will ultimately be glorified, His gospel will go further, and that revival will come to the world! ​

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. " - Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

"...Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed,
for the Lord God—my God--will be with you. 
He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished
all the work for the service of the house of the Lord." - 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NKJV)
​
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you,
​He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” - Deuteronomy 31:8 (NKJV)

Nepal has been in a strict lockdown since March 24th. Lockdown in Nepal looks much different that it does in America. All shops are closed except for food shops and hospitals/doctor offices. The shops that are allowed to be open are only allotted a few hours in the day to operate (normally only the early morning). Vehicles are being confiscated if caught driving on the roads without a permit to be out. People are being beat, detained, and even arrested in certain parts of the country for just going outside their homes. 

We are fortunate to live in an area of the city that is not as strict. Local grocery and dairy shops are open in the mornings and evenings on our street. We have been able to go out of the house for short family walks a few times but most of the time we have stayed within the premises of our house. Pankaj does most of the shopping (within walking distance) while Tonielle stays home with the kids. Police have been patrolling the streets and making sure people are wearing masks and keeping a distance from each other. Fortunately, they are not beating or arresting people where we live! 

The COVID-19 numbers had been staying very low for the first part of our lockdown and things were actually going to start easing up - the government had planned a 3-step process to open the country again. On May 7, the number of known cases was only 99 people. As of today, May 18, the number has spiked to 357 infected and 2 deaths. As they continue testing every day, we know the number will continue to climb.

This huge increase has stopped any plans of opening up the country again. The lockdown is now strict as ever. There is panic among the people here. Many people have lost their jobs and are struggling to survive as they do not have any income to pay for food or rent. 

There are several families in our congregation and a few other churches that have expressed a need for help. Through the help of Anchored Relief, our church has already been able to purchase a month's worth of food for 10 families. Promise Child has also committed to contributing funds to help feed around 50-60 families in need, over the next two months. In addition to all the outside help, the CC Kathmandu staff was able to contribute some of their personal funds to help a family from our congregation that was in desperate need of food and rent. For the safety of our staff and those we are helping, we will be distributing supplies family-to-family and not doing any large food distribution events at this time. ​

Please pray that God would give us wisdom when choosing which families to help in the coming weeks and that He would be glorified in all that we do. ​

Classes for CCBC and the School of Worship will continue to be on hold until we are cleared to meet in group settings again. Please pray for each of the students - that God would keep them healthy and that they would continue to grow in their walks with the Lord. ​

The Salvation guys are continuing their weekly Bible study and discipleship meetings through Zoom. It has been a blessing to study the Word with them and see their faithfulness even during this difficult time. 

Our music school (Salvation Music Center) has been closed since the lockdown began. Due to the closure, we have not had any income from student fees and we are starting to see a deficit in our funds. In hopes to save funds for building rent and other needs, the teachers have agreed to lower their payroll by more than half of what they are normally paid. It is very important that this school does not close since Tonielle and the kid's Nepali visa is through this business. 

Please pray that God would provide funds to keep the school open and that when the lockdown is lifted, we will have more students come to learn. ​

Life with young kids is already crazy (at times)...add a nationwide lockdown and things can get very interesting!! We have been trying to keep both kids busy as much as possible. Levi's school has been sending worksheets and craft ideas for us to do with him throughout the week. Unfortunately, we were not very prepared for something like this so our craft supplies are pretty non-existent at the moment (oops!).

We are definitely grateful for our roof and small alleyway (shared between us and our neighbors)! The kids have enjoyed running back and forth in the alley and we have been able to have some water play on the roof now that it is getting hot. 

We have also been privileged to be a part of a weekly missions prayer group through CC San Juan Capistrano. It has been a great time of fellowship and has been so encouraging to talk and pray with other missionaries all around the world. 

Thank you for your continuous love and support. Please continue to lift our family and ministries in your prayers. We would love to hear from you and what the Lord is doing in your lives during this time.

May God bless you and keep you safe. 

Love in Him, 
​Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Eden

We are back in Nepal and settling back into life here. We are finally adjusted to the time difference and we are having fun re-connecting with everyone. 

It seems as though we left America just in time before the COVID-19 craziness started up! We are praying for all that are effected by this virus and pray the spreading of it will slow down and stop very soon.

We are grateful to report that the situation out here is no where close to what it is like in other countries around the world! They have just begun testing in all regions of Nepal. So far, there have been over 1,000 people tested  and there are now 6 confirmed COVID-19 cases here in Nepal - 5 active and 1 recovered. The first case was at the beginning of January and he is fully recovered now. All of these cases were Nepalis coming back from overseas. 

The Nepali government is doing it's best to help protect this country and its people from being effected by this virus. As of March 22nd, the border is closed, public transportation has been shut down, schools and large events have been cancelled. There is a nationwide lockdown in effect from March 24th to April 6th but there are rumors of it being extended until at least April 14. We are grateful for the efforts being made to keep us all safe and healthy and pray it will be enough. 

Now that the lockdown is going on, we are staying home. Classes for CCBC and School of Worship have been cancelled until the lockdown is finished. All of the students have gone back to their homes for the time being. Church services at CC Kathmandu are being held online through our Facebook page.

​The only time anyone is allowed to go out is to buy food, go to the doctors, or get money from the banks/ATMs. All restaurants and non-food related shops are closed. We had to go into the city a a few days ago for a doctors appointment for Eden (vaccinations) and it was crazy to see the normally busy streets completely empty. We were even stoped by a police officer to make sure we weren't just out for a joy ride!

We are amazed to see God's hand and guidance in our entire trip and the timing of our trip! If we had waited just a few days more to leave America, we would have risked being stuck Stateside and not able to get back to our Nepali friends and family. Although we would have loved to extend our time with Tonielle's family, we felt the urgency to get back with everyone here. On the flip side, if we had waited to come to America a little later, we would not have had such a fruitful visit due to church buildings closing, quarantines, social distancing, etc.

God's timing is truly perfect!

We had a blessed and very busy time in America! We landed in CA on December 14, 2019. We purposely did not plan to do much for the first week or two so that we could have some family time and recover from jet-lag. 

Christmas with Tonielle's family was special to us all. It was Eden's first Christmas and Levi's second American Christmas. We loved watching both of them experience the joys of seeing Christmas lights, eating Christmas goodies, and getting spoiled by their grandparents and others with lots and lots of presents. 

With the help of our home church, CC WestGrove, we were able to attend the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrieta at the beginning of January. The theme of the conference was "The Church that God Plants". It was a great time of rest and encouragement. We love going to missions conferences as it is a way to connect with other missionaries and hear what God is doing in their lives and ministries. 

The very next day, after the conference, we got on an airplane and headed up to visit our friends at CC Poulsbo (the same team who were stuck in Nepal with us for some time). We flew into Seattle and then took a ferry over to the peninsula that Poulsbo is located on - the view of the Seattle skyline was incredible!

​We loved our time there! It was great to see friends who had come on past trips to Nepal and to make new friends. During our time there, we were able to meet with the team that was coming. We had dinner at one of the team member's homes and then had a brief question and answer time. The next day was Sunday and Pankaj had the privilege of not only presenting a ministry update but also shared a short message with the CC Poulsbo congregation for both of their services. After church, we toured around the city of Poulsbo for some time before heading back to our host family's house.

That evening, we had a big surprise - SNOW! This was our first experience as a family in snow. Levi was so excited when he woke up and saw all the snow on the ground. Naturally - we had to go out and play in it! Pastor Joel invited us over to play in the snow with his kids in the morning, then in the evening, we met up with our good friend, Pastor David for lunch and then drove around with our host seeing other parts of the peninsula. It was a sweet visit and we are so glad we were able to go there!

After we returned from Washington, Tonielle's brother and sister-in-law came to visit for a week. It was the first time seeing them in 3 years and the first time they were meeting Eden. Although it was a tight fit for all of us to fit into our parent's 3 bedroom house, it was amazing! We loved having the whole family together and loved having our kids be able to meet their Uncle Robbie & Aunt Kelsie. Levi and Robbie even got to bond over their love for Pokemon! 

The following week, we packed the kids into the car and drove up north to visit our friends at CC Walnut Creek. The kids did great on the drive up there! Instead of driving the whole 8 hours straight, we broke it into 2 days. We were able to visit our friend in Santa Maria and stay at her house before we got back on the road the next day. 

Our time in Walnut Creek was blessed. We stayed with a sweet family while we were there. One of their 5 kids was named Levi so our Levi was excited about that!

On Sunday, we led worship and shared about our ministries and then Pankaj taught a great message from 2 Corinthians 4:5-12. After service they had a baptism and fellowship time at our host family's house. It was fun to be able to watch the baptisms and also have a chance to hang out with the congregation. 

The next day, we drove around San Fransisco, got some ice cream at Ghirardelli Square, and then started our drive back down to Southern California. We broke it into two days again and was able to visit one of Tonielle's School of Worship friends and his family for the night.  

The following weekend, we spoke at Temecula Christian Fellowship. We shared an update and Pankaj taught an encouraging message with the congregation. After service, they had a potluck where we were able to meet and talk with everyone from the church. It was a nice time of fellowship and we loved meeting everyone from the church.

After the potluck, we drove down to Oceanside were we had a big surprise planned for Levi the next day!  Tonielle's parents had bought tickets to Legoland for Christmas and we were finally going to take him there! We waited until we were pulling into the parking lot before we told him. It was a special day for the whole family. We loved experiencing it through the eyes of our very excited 4 year old.

On Sunday, February 9, Eden was dedicated to the Lord at CC WestGrove! This was a special occasion since Levi was also dedicated at CC WestGrove years back. We pray that they with grow up to love the Lord with all of their hearts and that He will use both of them to glorify Him!

On Valentine's Day, we loaded up the car again and headed over to CC St. George, Utah, where we attended and shared at the "Just Go" Youth Missions Conference! It was incredible to see the hearts of so many young people stirred up for missions! There was a special breakout session where the kids chose different missionaries to speak with and learn more about the ministries and serving opportunities. We had about 20 kids between the ages of 14 to mid-20s come to learn more about what we do and how they can get involved. 

On Sunday, we were asked to teach/share at the children's church for two services! It was a stretch for both of us as neither one of us have much experience teaching 3rd - 6th graders. Despite our fears, it went really well. The kids seemed to be genuinely interested in what were shared and many of them had great questions about Nepal and our different ministries there. 

Since we were out of town for Eden's real birthday, we had a party for her a week later with a few of our friends and family members. We loved being able to celebrate her 1st birthday with Tonielle's parents and with our friends. Looking back at the year, it is hard to believe how fast it went. We praise God for this little firecracker of a girl He has given us and we cannot wait to see her personality continue to grow and develop through the coming years!

Our last week in America was just as busy as all the other weeks and we wouldn't have had it any other way! We normally start to slow down a bit at the end of our trips and focus on buying last minute items and packing. Clearly, God had other things in mind and He knew the importance of us fitting as much into this trip! 

With the help of some dear friends of ours, we were able to be signed into both parks at Disneyland!! We had gone to Disneyland before with Levi when he was around Eden's age but we knew this would be the trip he would remember! Just like our time at Legoland, we loved seeing the excitement in his eyes with all of the rides and meeting all of his favorite characters! 

Just three days before we headed back to Nepal, we squeezed in one more road trip down to San Diego where we had the opportunity to share at a church fellowship down there. It was a small and intimate group and we loved it. It was the perfect way to end our sharing tour. 

​Although it is always difficult to leave Tonielle's parents, we were anxious to get back to our lives in Nepal. On March 1st, we started our long trip back! The virus was just starting to spread more  throughout the world by that time and there was a heightened amount of questions and precautions made by the airlines and airports we visited. We were questioned on where we were coming from and had our temperatures taken more times than we can ever remember! 

Now we are back in Nepal and like we said at the beginning of this update, we are grateful that we got back when we did! 

Thank you to each of you who made our trip as awesome as it was! Thank you for inviting us over to your homes and/or churches, taking us out for a meal or coffee, giving financial  gifts or just coming over to hang out and talk with us. We are blessed to have your love and support for our family. We treasure the time we had with each of you and look forward to our next visit in 2021! 

Love, 
Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Eden Sarkar

2019 Highlights: 

• We were blessed to have Tonielle’s parents come to visit us at the beginning of the year. Her mom was able to come out for a few weeks right after Eden was born and her dad came for a week as well. It was great to have them with us again and a huge help while adjusting to being parents of two! We even had a chance to squeeze in a trip to Pokhara (8 hour drive west from Kathmandu). 

Please pray for all of the seeds that have been sown through these outreaches. 

• Our good friend and ministry partner came in the middle of the year and was able to travel to West Nepal and host a pastor and leaders training conference. It was a 4 day conference and the classes included Inductive Bible Study, How to Identify a Cult, and the Biblical Prospective of Worship. It was a great privilege to have the leaders and their wives come. There were over 90 people who came! We hope to turn this into a 2-year training program where we meet 3 times a year for one week training. We hope that we would be able to cover 12 subjects in the course of the 2 years. Please join us in praying for God to provide visiting teachers and materials needed for this program. 

There were many other things that happened over the past year but these are just a few of our highlights! 

Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and financial support for our ministries and our family. We know that none of these things would have been possible without God and without your prayers and support. 

We look forward to updating you on all that happened on our trip to America after we return to Nepal in March! Keep an eye out for our next newsletter next month!! 
​
We love you and hope you had a blessed Christmas and have a very good 2020! 
​
In Him, 
The Sarkar Family

What a whirlwind the past few months have been! The transition of having one child to having two is not for the faint of heart. Between the birth of Eden, various visitors, outreach trips, helping at the Bible College, Pankaj pastoring CC Kathmandu, and the preparation and start of the School of Worship we have had our hands full. We are blessed to be so busy!
​
Eden is now 6 months old and we are all having fun watching her grow and learn new skills. Levi is absolutely in love with his little sister and he is slowly getting used to sharing his mommy and daddy with her.

Calvary Chapel Kathmandu is continuing to grow in the Lord. Since most of the families attending our church are new(er) believers, we have continued to go through Pastor Brad Young’s discipleship books in a class that meets one hour before our weekend church service. It is so encouraging to see most of our congregation coming early to attend this class every week. We are currently studying the Gospel of Mark on our weekend service and 1 Corinthians in our midweek service. We are also praying to start home fellowships/small groups so that families can get together and ask any questions they might have about the sermons taught the weekend before. Please keep Pankaj and the church leadership in your prayers as they lead this precious group of people in our church family. Also pray for our two church plants – one in east Nepal and the other in the mid-west. Pray that the Lord would use these two church plants as well as CC Kathmandu to further His Kingdom throughout the country of Nepal. 
​
We are extremely excited to announce that our School of Worship has FINALLY started! The first class began on August 12 – the same day as the new CCBC Nepal semester. After 6+ years of praying for the right time, God has finally opened the door for this school to start. New student applications have been submitted and we had 8 students in attendance the first day but expect a few more to arrive this week. We cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for this school and the students that attend. With this new school, there will be new expenses that we will be faced with such as payroll for teachers, student food, book and classroom supplies, etc. If you feel led to help us financially, please visit the School of Worship website and click on the donate button: schoolofworshipnepal.com​​. ​

Our music school (different from the School of Worship) is continuing to go well. We currently have 60 students from various churches and also a few non-believers. This school is a great ministry to all the churches in the Kathmandu Valley. It is also a great opportunity to share the gospel one-on-one with non-believing students. Please pray for this music school to continue to be a blessing to all that attend. 
​
Tonielle has been helping Hannah with a Mommy and Me group for moms with children 0-5 years old. The group meets once a week and is open to Nepali and foreigner families. We have a short singing time, Bible story, and sometimes do crafts and other times just sit and talk with the other parents while the kids play. Since Levi is in pre-school, most days, it is a fun thing for Eden and Tonielle to do together. It has been a great time of fellowship for Tonielle and a great way to meet other moms and children in the area. 

It’s been almost two years since our last visit to America and we are getting very excited for our trip this winter! For those that do not know, we will be arriving in California on December 16. We hope to visit as many friends, family members, monthly supporters, and churches as possible during the 2 months that we are in-country. We’d love to share about all that is happening here. We are open to meeting one-on-one for a meal or coffee as well as share with church groups through videos, photos, and special testimonies. If you would like to share a meal or coffee with us or if you know anyone who runs a bible study or church group that might be interested in hearing about our ministries, please let us know so we can get it on our calendar. We are willing to travel depending on our scheduling and financial capabilities. 

Thank you for all that have been praying for us and our ministries. 
​
Blessings, 
Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Eden Sarkar

Thank you all for praying for Tonielle’s pregnancy and the birth of our daughter. We are very happy to announce that Eden Grace Sarkar was born, via emergency c-section, on February 16, 2019 at 11:40am. She weighed 3.42kg (7.5lb) and was 18.5 inches long. 

It has now been a month and a half with our sweet little girl and we are having a great time getting to know her. She now weighs 4.78kg (10.5lbs) and she is 21 inches long. 

This past month has been a month of rest and adjustment for Tonielle, while Pankaj has been busy hosting teams, teaching at church, and preparing for the opening of the School of Worship. 

Please continue to pray for our family – especially for Levi – as we all adjust and learn how to function as a family of 4. 
​
Love, Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Eden Sarkar

Looking back at the past year, we are in awe of all that God has brought us through. We went through a time of testing, a time of sorrow, a time of joy, and a time of restoration and we are still learning and growing in every aspect. 

In all of these times, God has always shown Himself faithful and has reminded us that He is not only the Savior of our souls but, when we trust in Him, He will guide and direct us through everything. 

We want to thank everyone that has partnered with us through your prayers and financial support. You are all an important part of our ministries and everything that the Lord is doing here in Nepal. 
May God bless you with the riches of His blessings! We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6
Love, 
Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Baby Girl Sarkar

​

Jaimashi (Nepali Christian Greeting meaning “Christ is Victor”)!!

We are thrilled to bring you an update of what the Lord is doing here in Nepal. Thank you again for your prayers and for your support.

It’s been a while since we last wrote but we will do the best to get you up-to-date on all that has happened so far.

Calvary Chapel Asia Missions Conference 
With the help of Calvary Chapel WestGrove, the entire staff of Calvary Chapel Kathmandu and CCBC Nepal (minus Jay) had the amazing opportunity to travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand to attend a mission conference for Calvary Chapel missionaries serving in Asia!!

It was a great time of refreshment for each of us. There was even a special children’s ministry available for the kids which allowed Tonielle and Hannah to attend all of the main sessions – child free!

This is one of our favorite conferences to attend. Everyone there has a heart but for missions in Asia. We love meeting new missionaries and catching up with those we have met before.
​
After the conference, we had all travelled back to Bangkok and had a few days to just relax and sightsee with each other. This trip was a huge blessing for each of us and we are grateful for the financial support that CCWG sent to allow us to take this refreshing trip as a staff.

Student Outreach/Pastors and Leaders Conference
During the first week in October, Pankaj and the rest of the CCBC staff and students had the privilege to travel to an area called Gorkha. It is located 140km (86 miles) west of Kathmandu in the Himalayan foothills.

Due to the tightening of government against open air preaching, we had to be a little more creative when it came to sharing the gospel with others. We found it best to reach out personally and through our actions to non-believers before we attempted to share anything with them.

The guys played soccer with the locals every day, and one of the days, the staff and students helped clean up a government school’s compound and surrounding areas. After we made a connection with them by helping and playing with them, we were able to invite some of them to the church where we did special songs and dances and shared the gospel with everyone who attended.

At the end of the trip, we hosted a 2-day conference for the church leaders in the area where we went through the book of 1 Peter. Although it was a small group, it was a fruitful time of learning and fellowship for all that attended.
​
This 5-day trip was a great encouragement for the students and a good opportunity for them to serve.

Youth Conference and Church Plant Visit
Pankaj and a few other leaders from Calvary Chapel Kathmandu and CCBC took a trip to the far East of Nepal. First they headed to a place called Ilam which is famous for it’s tea. They were able to stay with some local believers. The believers were so excited to have us stay with them and we were blessed by their hospitality. We had a time of worship with them and one of our visiting pastors, Brian Cambra from CCBC Italy, shared a short devotional with everyone.

The next day, we headed down the mountain to where we were requested to teach a 3-days youth conference for the churches in the area. Around 200 young people came and were able to learn from the lessons taught by each of the speakers. Pankaj taught on the subject of Worship as a Lifestyle, Pastor Sam taught on Living Holy as Young People, Pastor Brian taught Growing in Christ, Dane taught on Listening to God’s Voice, and Brandon taught on the Importance of Youth in the Church.

The feedback from the leaders was very positive and they loved how we used the Bible as our main text. We have already been asked to come back another time!
​
Before we headed back home to Kathmandu, we were able to visit Pastor Padam. He is the pastor of CC Kathmandu’s first church plant. He has been going through a rough season so it was great to be able to meet with him personally to pray with and encourage him.

CCBC Graduation 
On November 13th, we had our 4th graduation ceremony for the CCBC graduates. We thank God for the opportunity to pour into the lives of these students and look forward to all that God has in store for them.
​
We had 8 graduates this year. One of which has already started the process of starting a church in the Lamjung district and many of the others are serving in their churches. Please pray for these graduates and that God would use them mightily for His Kingdom and glory.

Prayer Requests
Pray for all of the conference attendees to retain and put into action the lessons that were taught at the past conferences.

Pray for the recent CCBC graduates as they return back to their every day lives in their home town. That God would energize them and use them for the gospel.

Pray for Tonielle and baby girl Sarkar. For a continued healthy pregnancy and safe delivery.

Pray for wisdom in how to continue living in Nepal with the visa problems we are having.
​
Pray for more monthly financial supporters for our family and ministries.


Thank you for all of your prayers!
In Him,
Pankaj, Tonielle, Levi, and Baby Girl Sarkar

We bring you greetings in the name of our Lord, all the way from Kathmandu, Nepal!

Its crazy to look back at the past few months and see all that God has done in this short amount of time. It reminds us to stay faithful and keep pressing forward even in difficult times. It humbles us to know that God’s faithfulness and love never changes toward us.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family and our ministries. We are grateful for all of you that have partnered with us.

Lamjung Trip
On May 14, the CCBC Nepal and Calvary Chapel Kathmandu staff headed to the Lamjung District to host a 2-day Pastors and Leaders Conference. We also hoped to visit some of our students that live in the area.
​
On the first day of the Pastors and Leaders Conference we had 43 attendees. The first half of the day, Sam taught from 1 Timothy and then the last part of the day Jay taught Inductive Bible Study. The following day, Pankaj taught the rest of 1 Timothy in the morning and Prakash and Jay closed out the afternoon with more Inductive Bible Study.

Our time with the pastors was blessed and an encouragement. They could not stop telling us how much they enjoyed the teaching and have asked us to return to continue our training with them and other churches in the area.
​
Unfortunately, due to rain and bad road conditions (in the villages), we were not able to go visit our other students on our free day so we ended up driving back to Kathmandu a day early.

Pokhara Outreach Trip 
We were extra blessed to have a team from our home church, Calvary Chapel WestGrove, come to visit and serve with us. During their time here, we travelled to Pokhara, where we were able to host a Gospel Outreach Concert with the Salvation Worship Team, a local Worship team from Pokhara, and the CCWG Worship Team. Tonielle was excited to be able to sing two songs with her dear friend and mission pastor’s wife, Nancy Kaser. Many people came and joined with us. After the first few worship sets, Dane Nelson shared a great gospel message and then the Salvation Worship Team closed out the evening.

The next three days, the team hosted a Pastors and Leaders Conference at a local church. Various teachers from the CCWG team taught from the book of 1 Peter and the Salvation Worship Team members helped lead worship. It was a sweet time of fellowship with the leaders and pastors who attended.
​
This was the first time we introduced the concept of verse-by-verse teaching to many of the churches out there. We have already seen the impact of this conference in some of the lives and teaching style of those that attended.

CCBC Fall Semester 
On July 30, we welcomed back some returning students as well as a bunch of new students for our Fall semester. It was great to see familiar faces and to welcome the newcomers as well.

We are excited to see what God will do with these young men and women. We have a total of 20 students this semester – some staying on campus and others commuting every day.

Classes are already in full swing. We have a very full schedule with visiting teachers as well as full time staff members teaching each class. We also have several guest teachers scheduled to come teach throughout the semester.
​
Please keep this Bible College, the students, and teachers in your prayers.

Pastors & Leaders Retreat
Another thing we have started to do is to bring pastors and leaders to come to the Calvary Chapel campus. Pankaj, Sam, and Jay’s heart is to disciple and equip them for the ministry. During their time on campus, we host a mini conference where we are able to teach them about leadership accountability, worship service order, what the bible says about the use of tongues and prophesy, who the Holy Spirit is, and much more.
​
We had our first mini conference August 1-2 and plan to do at least two a year from now on.

Our Family is Growing!
​We are beyond excited to announce that Baby #2 is on the way!! Please pray for this pregnancy to go smooth and for Tonielle’s health during it all.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2

When we returned to Nepal in late January, we had some new ministry plans set in place. Instead, God changed those plans and has given us a clear new vision and excitement for the ministries He has entrusted us with.

Now, within the past three months of being back in Nepal, we have already been able to do and see so many exciting things!

Please continue to keep our family and everyone involved in the ministries in your prayers.

Children’s Outreach
We had a visitor from the Ukraine stay with us for the month of March and help with various things at the bible college and church. One of the major events that she helped run was a four day children’s gospel outreach event.

It was so neat to see the children in our community as well as some of our partnering ministries come to sing, dance, make crafts, and – most importantly – have a chance to hear the gospel.
On the last day of the outreach, we handed out invitations to all of the children to invite their family to share a meal with us after church.
​
We praise God that there is already some fruit that has come from this outreach. One of the ladies in our area sent her daughter to the event and later she and her two daughters started coming to church and has made a personal confession of faith.

Calvary Chapel Kathmandu
Our two church services are going great. We recently switched from evening services to morning services on Saturdays (Nepali church days). At first, we weren’t sure how switching church times would affect the attendance but we are delighted to see a steady flow of regular and new people coming every week.

Pankaj has been going through the book of Acts on Saturdays and we recently started Philippians for our midweek service.
​
We are also excited to share about the very first wedding that took place at Calvary Chapel Kathmandu on April 15! Not only was it exciting that it was the first wedding ceremony, it was even more exciting because it was for Pankaj’s brother, Samir, and his beautiful bride, Pabitra!! We had a great time celebrating with them and are thrilled to welcome Pabitra into our family!

Discipleship Classes
Due to the increase in new believers in our church, Pankaj felt it was important to have a time to go through the CCWG discipleship books. He asked our friend and ministry partner, Rajiv, to lead a class every Saturday, one hour before morning service begins, for whoever wants to come and learn. We currently have around 10 people attending these classes and we can see their growth already. Please keep this class and all of the new believers in your prayers.

Calvary Chapel School of Worship Nepal
It is hard to believe the School of Worship is almost ready to begin (finally)!! We are in full gear of planning and starting to spread the word and take applications for the upcoming semester (starting September 2018).

There are many people from outside the Kathmandu Valley that are interested in attending, but we are trying to figure out how and where to house them. As of right now, Pankaj has decided to only allow up to 5 people from outside the Valley to attend and then the rest will have to commute to and from their homes every day.

There are many financial needs that come with starting a new work and housing students. Please keep the upcoming semester and all of the needs in your prayers.

Salvation Worship Ministries / Music Center
Our worship team recently took part in a large gospel concert where almost 5000 people attended. We played all of our new songs from our CD and the crowd loved singing and dancing along with us. It was a blessing to be able to share the stage with several different bands.

The Saturday afternoon bible study is a blessing for all of the Salvation team members. We are going through 1 Corinthians, right now. Pankaj has already seen the growth of each team member from their studying and sharing with each other. This bible study gives them the opportunity to teach from the pulpit and practice with each other. We have seen the guys taking the same form of verse-by-verse bible study to their churches. Some of their pastors have also seen their gift of teaching and have been using them in their churches as well. We praise God for His Word which is living and life changing.

The music school attendance is high right now. Local schools are on break right now which gives the students a chance to come and learn music at our school.

Work Projects and Improvements on Campus
The staff and students of CCBC and CC Kathmandu have been very busy with different work projects! We are slowly but surely making some much needed improvements to the campus.
​
In the past month (with the help of professional contractors), we have already expanded the main gate by an additional 3 feet. This makes it easier to get our ministry vehicles in and out of the campus. We have also been able to build a rain and sun cover outside our sanctuary. Then last week, we were able to clear out some old sheet metal, wood, etc from storage and also painted the gates and some other things around campus.

Happy new year!!

It is hard to believe that 2017 is already over! We praise God for all that He did in this past year and eagerly await to see what is in store for us and our ministries for the upcoming year.

CCBC Graduation
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)

On November 17th, we celebrated another group of graduates! Seven students (2 from the Spring 2017 and 5 from the Fall 2017 semester) graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College – Nepal. We had special music performed by the current Bible College students, a short message given by Pastor Aaron Garcia, a certificate ceremony given by all of the pastors and teachers at the college and then a time of food and fellowship with all of the graduates and attendees.

Graduation is always a bittersweet event. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the lives of our students but are sad to say goodbye to them after we grew so close to each person.
Tonielle is particularly going to miss one of the girls named Selena. Selena has shown so much growth even in the midst of difficult times during the past semesters. Despite the persecution and problems she faced, she always had a joy about her that was contagious.
​
We want to thank you for praying and even supporting the Bible College and the students. We know that none of this is happening without God using you to partner with each of us.

2nd  Baptism Ceremony
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV)

Before we travelled to America, Pankaj was asked to baptize another new believer in our church. Sagar is a new believer who was witnessed to by one of our good friends and church attendees, Ajay Ghalan. Despite the very difficult times Sagar is going through, we were so encouraged to see his heart and his desire to publicly profess his faith and love for the Lord.
​
We praise God that even though the government has deemed it illegal to convert, the Spirit is still moving and God is still using the church and His people to bring the true knowledge of Salvation.

Christmas Concert & Gospel Outreach
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NKJV)

On December 9th, our church partnered with our music school to put on a Christmas concert and gospel outreach. There were many special songs performed by the music school students, worship was led by the Salvation Worship team, and a powerful yet simple gospel message was presented by our music school’s principal, Hari Kharge.

Although we were in America at the time, we were able to watch the program on Facebook livestream and received exciting updates and pictures from our ministry team that was there. Many of our neighbors from the community as well as family members and friends of the music school students came and heard the true meaning of Christmas and gospel message.
​
Here is a video of one of the songs from the event. We hope you enjoy it: Christmas Celebration Program – Dherai Samaya -Nepali Christmas Song

Additional Funds Needed
We can not begin to thank each one of you that has chosen to partner with us by financially supporting our family and our ministries. As our family has now grown and our ministry continues to expand, as you might expect, we are in need of more monthly supporters to help us continue the work God has called us to do in Nepal.

Many people ask us where we stand in our fundraising and monthly support. After reviewing our monthly expenses (including health insurance, house rent, utilities, groceries, etc), we found that the donations we currently receive cover about 85% of our personal expenses, but only around 25% for our ministry costs.

Any additional personal funds will help us with Levi’s schooling, house upkeep, fuel expenses, and other normal monthly needs. The ministry funds will go toward running and maintaining the School of Worship and Music School, monthly financial support for our ministry leaders, discipleship materials, outreach concerts, leadership training, conferences, church needs, and much more.

We humbly ask that you would join us in praying for these needs. If you feel called to help us financially, please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.
​
Love,
Pankaj, Tonielle, and Levi