On the Ground & In the Air


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How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news ...
~ Isaiah 52:7

GNN Trip Update ~ October 29, 2023

A Brief Update on GNN Board Members' Visit to Nepal

Five GNN board members are nearing the end of their two-week visit with our pastors and staff in Nepal. President & cofounder Dave Kapteyn, vice-president Tim Mekkes, and board trustees Harold Ploeg, Bev Zondervan, and Doug Zondervan arrived in Nepal on Wednesday the 18th and will depart this coming Thursday, arriving in Chicago Friday night.

As you can see from the map, spending time "on the ground" with pastors and churches in Nepal's most remote Himalayan villages also requires spending a fair amount of time in the air! More stories, photos, and details will be coming in a future letter (or two or three!), but meanwhile, here are a few highlights.

Training Center Graduation

Upon their arrival in Kathmandu Wednesday morning, the team took a small plane to GNN headquarters in Nepalgunj, where they spent several days getting to know staff and students at Good News Nepal's Bible Training Center.

Friday evening they had the honor and privilege of participating in the commencement ceremony of the school's tenth graduating class!

Sneak peek at the graduates. Principal Avishek Upadhaya is in front wearing a red scarf.

Trip to the Mountains!

Bright and early Saturday morning the group climbed aboard another small plane for a two-day visit to Humla, the northernmost of the country's 77 Districts. They were accompanied by GNN cofounder Prabajan "Philip" Shahi, a native of Humla, and his wife, Susila.

Saturday is the day Nepali Christians hold their church services, so after landing in Simikot, the group drove down the mountains to the Karnali River for a baptism and outdoor church service.

Their time in Humla also included a visit to the spot where, ten years ago, Dave and Philip met the first two people from that region to become Christians, and a meeting with 15 GNN pastors from all over the district.

Fun Fact: Nepal is 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of US Eastern Daylight Time. Not 10 hours or even 9-1/2 hours ... This humorous and informational article explains why Nepal is one of only 3 places in the world with a time zone offset of 45 (or 15) minutes from Universal Coordinated Time.

Back to Nepalgunj

The team returned to Nepalgunj Monday morning and spent several days having meetings and learning about various GNN ministries. Wednesday they visited the River Church, about 40 km (25 mi) outside the city, to meet with the pastor and some of the church families.

At River Church. Pastor Hansa is on the right in the blue shirt.

Another Trip to the Mountains

A week and a day after arriving in Nepal, the group made a second trip into the mountains, this time to Jumla District. Thursday through Sunday were packed with visits to various churches and families and meetings with pastors from many of Jumla's 18 GNN churches.

In front of one of Jumla's 18 GNN churches.

Fun Fact: Not all districts in Nepal end in "umla"--only the two visited by the group on this trip. :)

Winding Down & Heading Home

After returning from Jumla on October 30, the team is spending Monday and Tuesday in Nepalgunj. Please keep them in your prayers as they wind down the trip and travel home!

Dave Kapteyn (with Pastor Devendra from Jumla) | Bev & Doug Zondervan | Harold Ploeg & Tim Mekkes

If all goes as planned, they'll fly Wednesday to Kathmandu, where they'll spend the night. Thursday they'll board a plane to Istanbul, and after a long layover, they'll head home to the US, arriving in Chicago on Friday evening. Pray for safety as they travel and a smooth adjustment once back home!

Thank you for your interest in our mission to reach the unreached people of northwestern Nepal with the good news of Jesus Christ! If you would like to assist financially in our mission, you may donate using the button or mailing address below.

Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated!

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