First Nepali Baptist Church
Santosh Ramdam started First Nepali Baptist Church in January of 2009 as a way of reaching the thousands of Bhutanese refugees who are coming to the United States. You may be surprised to learn that there are currently approximately 8,000 Bhutanese refugees from Nepal in Atlanta and based on immigration information, that number is expected to jump to 19,000 in Atlanta and 60,000 in the United States. First Nepali Baptist wants to reach each and every one in the Atlanta area with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
First Nepali Baptist started with just two families, but today the church is overflowing with Bhutanese refugees wanting to hear the Word of God. We meet weekly for worship and have two Bible studies during the week, one for regular attendees and one for newcomers.
While many of these Bhutanese refugees are very open to hearing the gospel, it is difficult to reach out to all of them because of our limited finances and resources. We are continuing to pray for many financial and resource needs including a 15-passenger vehicle for transporting people. The refugees come to the United States with nothing so most do not have a means of transportation. We try to provide transportation for them to church, doctor visits, and stores.
We would be able to use church partnerships and mission teams to help with evangelism, visiting people in homes, and providing health programs and the basic needs that so many refugees are without—clothing, furniture, and medical supplies. First Nepali Baptist is currently meeting at North Peachtree Baptist Church, but would one day like to have our own building so that we can accommodate the number of people we are hoping to reach. We are also hoping to start another church in Perry, Georgia by the end of 2011 because there are a growing number of Bhutanese refugees in that area as well.
First Nepali Baptist is partnering with other ministries to provide a three-day convention for all of the Bhutanese refugees in Atlanta. We are planning on 3,000 for this event and are excited about using this opportunity to share the gospel.
|
Santosh Ramdam
Growing up in the midst of great political unrest in Bhutan, Santosh Ramdam joined an anti-national rebel group after being threatened with his life at the age of fourteen. After falling ill, Santosh managed to escape and go home. Government soldiers soon found Santosh and took him to prison where he was interrogated and brutally beaten for eleven months. During this time, Santosh began asking his fellow prisoners, “Who has the best god? Should I turn to the north or east to pray? Tell me which god will help me!” One of Santosh’s fellow inmates had stolen a Bible which he kept hidden in his pillow so he could use the pages for rolling cigarettes. Santosh was eager for any reading material and bribed a little boy to get him the book. As Santosh began to devour the words of the Bible, he became more interested in Jesus and one day he prayed to Jesus saying, “If you are God, like it says in the book, then please take me from this prison in seven days.” God answered Santosh’s prayer and on the seventh day, he was released from prison. Within six months, Santosh led everyone in his family to the Lord. Because of their faith, they were evicted from Bhutan and sent to live in the refugee camp on the border of India and Bhutan. Santosh credits the prayers of the Bhutanese people for their resettlement in America. Santosh and his family arrived in the United States in July of 2008.
|
