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 1993. 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.