Hope City Church Bismarck Nepal Trip
Hope City Church Bismarck was able to take a trip to Nepal in the month of October, from October 14-26. Hope City was part of a strategic training emphasis organized for churches and leaders interested in partnering with IMB workers in S Asia. Team members first met with South Asia regional leaders in an urban setting where they spent time in the Scriptures and studying the core missionary task and strategy. The team was then able to join hands-on mission outreach such as helping with training for local leaders, visiting other areas. Hope City Church was able to build a partnership with James and Leslie,* who work with Tibetan Buddhists.
James and Leslie visit villages and assess people groups and ongoing work with a goal of evangelism and church planting. One part of strategic ministry in South Asia is training believers to create an “oikos map.” This map making strategy simply encourages believers to consider what friends, coworkers, and neighbors fall under their spheres of influence, think about which of those neighbors or co-workers might be nonbelievers, and consider the best ways to pour into their lives and share the Gospel with them. Chris Wallace, pastor of Hope City Church, shared that some of the team members began implementing this strategy immediately when they returned home from the trip, sharing the Gospel with their own neighbors in South Dakota.
Chris shared another meaningful experience while out in the community during their Nepal trip. One day, the team was taking a tour of a local temple, and as they listened to their tour guide, they could sense that the guide didn’t necessarily believe what he has telling them but was giving more of a historical report on the area. The team started asking him questions that turned into a 2-hour long, deep Gospel conversation. Chris says, “It really helped us realize that there was a lack of knowledge about the Gospel, but people are really open to speak about spirituality and their beliefs.” Chris is excited about their first trip and hopes to take more trips in partnership with the missionaries on the ground. He would love to share more about the experience and partnerships with any other Dakota churches who are interested.
*Names are changed for security reasons