News

February 2008

EquipNepal has an office assistant, Rosemary

What a blessing to have Rosemary in the office with me on Mondays for 5 hours! Rosemary is from Zimbabwe, and she is a prayer warrior, has a great sense of humor, and is one of my best friends. I’m so thankful for her help. Since just before the transplant, I have been going the proverbial “two steps forward, one step back.” With Rosemary’s help, we have developed a working philosophy: in Zimbabwean, it is “Zvishomanana” (English for “little by little). And so it goes. About two thirds of her monthly wage has been covered by a donor, and we are praying for the remaining $100, plus an additional day per week, as the Lord allows ($250 more a month).

December 5, 2007

Aasha Tree (Tree of Hope) Christmas Box Project

I am thrilled and thankful to report that we received all the funds we needed for our Christmas Box project - and (part of the story...) clearly more than I thought we needed! First of all, I estimated the amount, going by what we wired last year and adding a little more. It turns out - as "God Things" do, many times - that I estimated very low but God came in just right and MORE! We needed about $7000 in order to take care of all the children's, staff, and others’ gifts - and the Lord brought in just over that at $7480.24. There were over 100 contributors, including a children's church, two youth groups, two classes from a Christian school, and several companies. If the faucet hasn't stopped flowing yet, please know that these extra funds will all go to Nepal in the next wires. Our givers - YOU - were so generous. I know for many of you it was sacrificial, and many of you took the time to write notes of encouragement. Many of you prayed, and I thank you for that also! You are all truly great, long-reaching branches in the Tree of Hope.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-22)

Because of your generosity and faithfulness, we were able to give $15 (instead of $12) to 260 children, with which clothing and other gifts will be purchased in the next couple of weeks. We were also able to give monetary gifts ranging from $15 to $25 to 86 staff, and 62 others (including women, elderly, Bible students, teachers, widows, and some special ministry projects for the poor that were on the hearts of some of our partners). Aasha Tree has contributed to Christmas gifts for 6 children's homes, an elderly home, 12 churches, a Bible school, two Christian schools, Studio TEN, Rainbow Films Nepal, Guardian Village Homes, The SEED Project, our nursing scholarship recipient, and Nepal Campus Crusade for Christ, as well as several individual missionaries. Lord, You are amazing!

From all of our partners in ministry, I thank you for making their Christmas brighter! You have given toward gifts to those who serve the Lord in Nepal, and the poor and needy - and these gifts represent the greater gift we have all received and celebrate in this season of joy - the gift of Jesus Christ and eternal life with Him.

Thank you so much for contributing and praying!

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Sponsor Packets and Donation Reports

I am starting to work on the sponsor packets, which I hope to send out by January first.

Anyone who gave a donation to EquipNepal in 2007 will receive a donation receipt by mid-January. Thank you so much for your support in our work in Nepal!

April 25, 2007

A teenage boy was injured when a bomb exploded at the Grace English Boarding School in Birganj, Nepal on April 25. Mukesh Karki (15) sustained leg injuries and required hospitalization. An activist group known as the Nepal Defence Army (NDA) has claimed responsibility for the bombing. They also attempted to destroy a bus on the property. The boy required surgery and has recovered. Thank you for your prayers! More information

March 5, 2007

Janis Viren, President/Executive Director of EquipNepal, had a successful kidney transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She has had kidney disease for 34 years, and required hemodialysis for only 3 weeks, thanks to her sister, Christy, of Bellevue, WA, who donated a kidney to her. What an amazing gift of life! Jan and Christy are both doing very well. Thank you all for your prayers!

More information:
KidneySisters Yahoo! group (Jan and Christy’s transplant journey)
Northwest Airlines’ WorldTraveler inflight magazine article
Cook County News Herald (our hometown paper)

For information on living kidney donation, check out:
National Kidney Foundation
The Mayo Clinic

January 2007

EquipNepal is now a registered corporation in the State of Montana!

October 2006

EquipNepal has moved from Carlile, Wyoming, to Billings, Montana! Bud was offered an engineering position with Bull Mountain Coal Company, with opportunity to join a team building the first underground longwall coal mine in Montana (in Roundup, just north of Billings). He lived in Billings at a residence hotel from January until recently, when they purchased a home there. While their house was for sale in Wyoming, a huge fire (started by lightning) burned 16,000 acres of Ponderosa pine forest, including their 5 acres…but NOT the house! And the Lord provided a buyer for their home AFTER the fire! God is so amazing! The Virens trust that the Lord has a plan for EquipNepal in their move to Montana. They look forward to what the Lord is going to do in Nepal through the people they meet in the Billings area and the continued support of current supporters all over the United States and Canada.

May 2005

The imprisoned couple - see below - was released after 13 days in jail, due to lack of evidence. Praise God!
Thank you for your prayers! Special thanks to Voice of the Martyrs (Canada and USA), Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas, the U.S. State Department, Mission Network News, Jubilee Campaign, Open Doors USA, and all other organizations who have helped in some way.

4/28/2005

A married couple that runs two children’s homes was imprisoned on April 27, charged with forced conversion. We don’t know how long the imprisonment will be (we have heard from 3 days to 3 years) but we know that their faith in Christ is strong and that they are in His hands. Pray for them and also for the 77 children that are very worried about their auntie and uncle – especially their two boys and an infant who only knows them as her parents. Pray also for the staff that is left behind to take care of all the duties associated with this situation, and their church family who miss them. Pray also that they will be given favor and released very soon.

4/25/2005

Because of Maoists threats, private schools have been unable to open for the spring term in Nepal. Schools that have dared to open have been bombed or burned. Pray that the Maoists cease their threats to schools and school children, that the enemy will lose its hold over people, that the kingdom of Nepal will gain equilibrium, and that peace will prevail. Pray also for wisdom for the king, who basically fired the parliament and suspended most civil rights as of February 1, 2005.

Answers to a prayer: January 2005

Land purchased for a new school building for Grace School, Biranj

Prayer: Please pray for the Lord's provision for funds to purchase adjacent land next to the children's home in southern Nepal.  $12,500 is still needed.  The land owners are giving the pastor first chance on purchasing the land for a set price but only if the entire amount is available.  The pastor was told that if he can't purchase the land soon, it will go to another who will pay a higher price.  This land is greatly needed for a school, church, and vocational operation.

Answered Prayer: Babu was recently able to purchase a 10-catta plot of land for a new school building! Thank you for your prayers and funds for this project. If you'd like to donate towards the new school building, please contact Jan Viren.