Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Jehovah Provides His People a Resting-Place

A SHADED resting-place on a mountain path is a most welcome sight to a weary traveler. In Nepal, such resting-places are called chautara. A typical chautara may be located next to a luxuriant banyan tree, a shady place to sit and rest. Setting up a chautara is an act of kindness, and most of the benefactors remain anonymous.

Experiences from Nepal show how Jehovah God has become a Source of joy and spiritual refreshment to many weary “travelers” in this system of things.​—Psalm 23:2.

• Lil Kumari lives in the beautiful city of Pokhara, with a magnificent view of the snowcapped Himalaya Mountains. But worried about family finances, Lil Kumari felt that there was little to look forward to. When one of Jehovah’s Witnesses visited her, she was moved by the Bible’s bright hope and immediately requested a home Bible study.

Although Lil Kumari enjoyed the study, it was not easy to continue because of strong family opposition. But she did not give up. She attended Christian meetings regularly and applied what she was learning, especially on the matter of wifely subjection. As a result, her husband and her mother came to realize that Lil Kumari’s Bible study was benefiting the entire family.

Her husband and a number of relatives are now studying God’s Word. At a recent assembly held in Pokhara, Lil Kumari enjoyed the program along with 15 of her relatives. She says: “My home has become a restful place because our family is now united in true worship, and I have found true peace of mind.”

• Although caste discrimination is illegal in Nepal, it still wields a powerful influence on the people’s way of life. Thus, many are interested in what the Bible has to say about equality and impartiality. Learning that “God is not partial” greatly changed the life of Surya Maya and her family.​—Acts 10:34.

Surya Maya was distressed by the injustice of caste discrimination and the burden of deep-rooted traditions and customs. Being a devout woman, for years Surya Maya asked her idol gods for help. But her prayers went unanswered. One day when she was crying out for help, her six-year-old granddaughter Babita approached her and asked: “Why are you crying for help before idols that can’t do anything?”

It turned out that Babita’s mother was studying the Bible with one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Babita enthusiastically invited her grandmother to a Christian meeting. When Surya Maya attended, she was surprised to see people of various castes enjoying one another’s company without any prejudice. Immediately she requested a home Bible study. Although this resulted in her being ostracized by her neighbors, she was not disheartened; neither did her limited ability to read and write prevent her from making spiritual progress.

Eight years have passed, and six members of her family, including her husband and three children, have become Jehovah’s Witnesses. Surya Maya is now a full-time minister, a regular pioneer, joyfully helping others to unload their heavy burdens at the real resting-place that only Jehovah can provide.