In April of 2005, Mike and Anne Barton traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal. This was in response to an invitation from an organisation in Nepal, the Himalayan Evangelists. This is a loosely-connected group of around 250 churches who are dedicated to evangelism and church planting among the unreached peoples of the Himalayan mountains.

This organisation had already translated the first issue of "Light for Life" into Nepali, so the Bartons went to meet with their leaders to discuss how the magazine would be printed and distributed. While they were there, a dedication service for the Nepalese translation of the magazine was held. 5000 issues were then distributed throughout Nepal, Bhutan, parts of India, and parts of Myanmar.

Mike Barton speaks through a Nepalese translator in a church in Kathmandu.

While in Kathmandu, the Bartons also were able to meet with some small house churches and make contact with other church leaders.

Hindu worshipers march around the Stupa (Hindu temple) in Kathmandu as part of their ritual activity.

Recently Searchlight received word that our contacts there are hoping to start work that would lead to a church being established in Tibet. Presently contacts are being made along the Nepal-Tibet border, and tracts and Bibles are being distributed in the Tibetan city of Zhangmu. Tibet is a very restricted country, so this is a huge step of faith.

Nepal is a country that suffers great spiritual oppression. It is the only declared Hindu kingdom in the world. That fact, along with the increased activity of Maoist rebels, means that the Christian community faces many difficulties and often oppressive conditions. Searchlight’s desire is to be of service to the body of Christ in that troubled land.

» donate specifically to Searchlight's work in Nepal

» read more about Searchlight magazines in Nepal