Equipping Leaders in Bhutan
When the pandemic hit, the Buddhist hermit kingdom of Bhutan shut its borders—and they remained closed for three long years. But recently, to the great surpise of our team, one of our Bhutanese graduates showed up in Sikkim, India with some exciting news: the border was open!
This leader, Neten*, has been hard at work since the last time we saw him. He is shepherding two house churches in Bhutan with more than 30 new believers in Christ! He arrived in Sikkim on a mission. He had a group of 25 leaders that were eager to go through our training—and they wanted to get started immediately!
We had not anticipated the reopening of the border, so our budget did not include plans for a class in Sikkim in 2023. But God faithfully provided through local Indian believers!
A local church and ministry stepped up to cover all the food and lodging costs for all of the students. Because of the generosity of these brothers and sisters, we have been able to successfully launch this new class! Now a new generation of workers is being equipped for the harvest in Bhutan.
*Name changed for security
Neten was a bodyguard to the king of Bhutan before coming to Christ. He has dedicated his life to serving the King of Kings ever since.
The state religion of Bhutan is Buddhism, and it is illegal to preach the gospel there. There are no foreign missionaries allowed, and there is not a single Bible college.
Located high in the Himalayan Mountains, Bhutan is one of the most geographically isolated countries in the world. Adding to the isolation, it banned foreigners entirely until the 1900’s and continues to maintain very tight borders today.
Prayer wheels like the ones pictured here are used by Buddhists in Bhutan in an effort to increase their merit and purify their karma. Because of Bhutanese evangelists like Neten, more people are turning to Christ!
25 Bhutanese pastors and leaders are crossing the border legally from Bhutan into neighboring Sikkim, India to participate in Global Action’s Foundations programme. Then they return to their own country to spread the gospel and lead underground house churches.
The State of Sikkim in the Himalayan region of northeastern India is almost entirely mountainous. This small but strategic state shares a border with Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal.
About one quarter of Sikkim’s population is Buddhist. This 40m statue of the Buddha (pictured above) is located in Sikkim.