Nepal Roof of the World

Map of Nepal Bordered on north by China; bordered by India on the south, east and west About the size and shape of the state of Tennessee

Geography Three major land areas: flatlands, hills and mountains Home to 8 of the world’s 10 highest mountain peaks Mount Everest, tallest mountain in world, is in Nepal

Seasons in Nepal Nepal has five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. Monsoon season is from June to September. It rains every day during these months.

Population 30 million people 10.4 million children 17% live in cities Kathmandu is capital and largest city

Driving in Nepal Traffic is terrible in the capital city of Kathmandu.There are no stop lights or stop signs or lanes. People honk their horns all the time. Cows and goats are often seen walking in the road. (Can you find the cow in the picture?)

Economy in Nepal Nepal is a very poor country. Many people live on less than $2 per day

What time is it in Nepal? Nepal is 10 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Nepali Calendar The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months: Baisakh, Jestha, Asadh, Shrawan, Shadra, Aswin, Kartik, Marga, Poush, Phalgun, and Chaitra.

Religions in Nepal Nepal is the only official Hindu country in the world. About 9 out of 10 people are Hindus and they worship about 330 millions different gods! The largest Hindu temple in the world is in Nepal. People come from all around the world to go to Pashupatinath Temple.

Religions in Nepal There are some people called Buddhists living in Nepal. The Swayambhunath Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Kathmandu. Many tourists come to visit this Temple. Tourists call this shrine the “Monkey Temple” because hundreds of monkeys live on the temple grounds.

Christianity in Nepal Fifty to sixty years ago there were only 5 to 10 Christians living in Nepal. For forty years, Christians needed to meet in secret because people wanted to throw them in jail for their faith. Today most Christians meet in house churches. Saturday is the day of worship for Christians in Nepal.

National Director for Nepal Gajendra Tamang is the National Director for Nepal. He was born into a Hindu family in East Nepal but became a Christian in He came to Nepal in 1999 with his wife Manju to start Awana. He works with six other missionary couples. Gajendra and his children (Rachel and Timothy) like to eat at the new Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kathmandu.

Awana in Nepal Today 1 out of every 4 evangelical churches in Nepal has an Awana program. Over 800 churches have clubs to teach the Gospel to almost 20,000 boys and girls. Awana is often used for Sunday School. One of the clubs is located at Stuti Prashansa Church and has about 50 kids.

Awana is changing lives An Awana Commander from Stuti Prashansa Church shared the following story: A young boy started to come to club. He listened to Bible stories for several weeks. One day he started to cry in club. The Awana leader asked why he was crying. He said he needed to tell his mother he loved her. His mother’s face was disfigured and he thought his mom was ugly so he never told her he loved her. But, he realized that Jesus loved him and he needed to love his mom. He went home and told his mom he loved her. Then he asked why her face was scarred so badly. She told him she got the scars when she rescued him from a fire when he was a baby. The fire had burned her face.

Saying “Hello” to Christians When you greet another Christian, you join your hands in prayer position, bow your head and say “Jaiamashi” which means “Christ is Victor” Churches don’t have pews to sit on. People sit on rugs on the floors.

Reaching Children-at-Risk One of the newest clubs was started in the slum area of Thapathali in Kathmandu at Jagaran Church. This church has bamboo walls. The children sit on wooden benches.

Future of Awana in Nepal Over the next five years Awana wants to start 350 clubs each year to reach another 10,000 boys and girls for Christ.