In the Midst of Crisis, He is Still Sovereign!

** For our safety and the safety of all that work with us, 
​​please do not share any of this on Social Media.**

We bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
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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! ​

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"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)
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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)

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Lockdown in Nepal

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. ​

Calvary Chapel Kathmandu, CCBC Nepal, and School of Worship

Due to the lockdown, we are not able to meet at our church building. Instead, we have been continuing our church services through Facebook live. We have also been able to keep in contact with everyone through phone calls and Zoom Bible studies. We are grateful for the gift of technology during this time! 

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. ​

Salvation Worship Ministries

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. ​

Home Life

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. 

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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