Banana Trees

Banana trees are a lot like children's ministry.  They  are beautiful.   They need care. They need time to grow and mature.  A few may fail along the way.  But the day comes, when they  return all of that investment.  Wonderful and delicious  bananas will grow, providing nutrition for the children and those in excess might provide some income for other good food.   Our college team  traveled to Nepal in   May  and planted 50  new banana trees  at  Maranatha  Children's  Home. The ground was hard and dry,  but the Lord sent  a burst of rain on the day after the planting.  What a blessing! They say it will  take about 18 months before the first fruits will come. We have  worked and funded and planted looking towards that day when the investment will return.

The  Maranatha  children are also an investment in the future. We want to build and bless each of their personal lives.   We are providing safety, good food,  education,   Bible training and ministry experience of all kinds.   We are looking towards the day when the Lord will use each  precious life for His work and His glory. We hope the children will spread out, returning to the villages, teaching the Word, leading worship and  following the  Lord as beautiful examples of lives dedicated to Him.    We want to add a second floor to  Maranatha to  complete the project, to accommodate the number of children originally envisioned and to  provide separate floors for boys and girls.  We are praying for this project and trusting the Lord to provide for it as He  has all things thus far.

Pastor Training in Nepal

 In  May 2013, we held our first pastor  training in the new Maranatha  Church building. What a blessing to see 40 pastors/leaders gather  for three days from several areas around the country of  Nepal. We have prayed and  hoped and worked towards this day for a long time. Not only the church,  but a little separate kitchen needed to be built and  still another separate building for toilets to prepare for this day and future training sessions.  We hope these leaders will be strengthened and encouraged  through the teaching  and that they will return to their people to share the training with others that  God's Word will multiply. We are praising the Lord for the many people who contributed money, time and prayer to this project. May the Lord use it for His glory.