In 2015, Pastor Jash completed 3 months of training with ServLife and then began his ministry in his home village in eastern Nepal. Since returning to his village, he has been working as a missionary there and sharing the gospel. Nepal has over 120 different languages, and Jash’s hometown villagers are among the 20,000 that speak Yakkha. Unlike many of the other languages and dialects in Nepal, the Yakkha language is written, but there are not many publications like the Bible or gospel booklets that have been translated to this particular language.

In villages with a strong attachment and adherence to speaking in their native tongue, being a Christian and sharing about your faith is alleged as a betrayal to the nation and community because there is a perception that Christians do not care about the culture of the community at all. Furthermore, without the resource of a written account of the Bible in Yakkha, Pastor Jash has faced persecution and an unwillingness to listen when he shares about his faith.

To combat this perception, Jash and his wife have been working with a team in Kathmandu to translate the Bible into his native language. He is a key member of this project and helps with word correction, proofreading, and assures the accuracy of the words used in conjunction with the context and meaning of the particular Bible passage they are working on.

Jash shared, “There are many people, especially elderly people, who do not understand the Nepali language. Therefore, gospel messages in (their) mother tongue have a great impact, and (I have) seen many lives saved.” When non-believers have seen the efforts Christians are making to honor their culture and community by preserving their mother tongue, they have been more open to listening and some have even started their journey of faith. Jash has learned that by conducting fellowship in his native language and translating the Bible and gospel booklets, he has been able to have a much greater impact in his village.

Pray for Jash and his wife as they continue this important work, especially since his wife stays in Kathmandu to complete this work while Jash travels back and forth to his home village in eastern Nepal.