On December 13th, 1997, Silas West moved to Kathmandu, Nepal beginning Word Made Flesh’s presence in that city. In February of the next year he was joined by staff member, Seth and their first Servant Team (which included future Peru staff member, Howard Young).
In March of 1998 this small group moved into an apartment located in one of Kathmandu’s poorest neighborhoods notorious not only for its intense poverty but also for being a hub for drug activity. There they met Gautam and Rekha Rai, an impoverished Nepali couple who ran a struggling momo (steamed dumplings filled with buffalo meat) restaurant. The team began eating meals at the tiny restaurant—the five of them nearly filled it. They developed a close relationship with Gautam, Rekha and their two children which eventually led to the family becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.
This relationship became the cornerstone for the permanent establishment of the Word Made Flesh Nepal community.
Seth moved on to establish WMF’s presence in Kolkata but continued to support the work of leading teams to Kathmandu. In August of 1998 they were joined by Jared Landreth. For the first two years, due to visa restrictions, these three young men worked itinerantly leading servant teams between Kolkata, Kathmandu and Chennai. In 1999, Silas returned to the USA to marry his fiancé, Kimberly, who returned to Nepal with him later that same year.
By the time Silas returned to Kathmandu, the community discovered opportunities for longer term visas, which eliminated the need to travel between India and Nepal. Stuart and Christine Erny and their young son Wesley had also joined the community and would serve for the next two years. Silas and Kimberly moved into a small home with Gautam and Rekha where their lives became intricately intertwined. For the next eight years, these two families shared all of their major and minor life stages with each other; the births of children, joys, disappointments, and even conflicts. It was a life changing time for both families.
Meanwhile the community was finding its sense of vision and focus. The Ernys had developed a close relationship with local pastor Shiva Bhattarai and his wife Jyoti. They also moved into a home together and began dreaming about how they might serve their community. They became aware of a common situation in Nepal where elderly women—often widows—were neglected, abused and oftentimes abandoned by their impoverished families. Over cups of coffee and plates of rice, they focused on serving the needs of elderly widows—ammas (the Nepali word for mothers)—were nurtured into reality. In 2000, Jyoti quit her job as a teacher and became WMFN’s first Nepali staff member as the director of Prem Ghar (Home of Love), WMFN’s home for ammas in need.
This community focuses on first providing widows with the physical care that they need. Many come barely unable to get out of bed but often recover to where they are able to move around and do light work. After their physical needs are met, the staff help them heal emotionally. The ammas often feel that they are no longer of any use and carry a burden of depression and loss of role as a contributing member to their family and community. They are given roles in the home according to their abilities and skills. Some make handicrafts or tend the large garden surrounding the home. Others tend the various animals that are part of Prem Ghar like goats, dogs and rabbits. All of this is with the purpose of giving them a sense of value and worth. The community formed a local board of directors to oversee the outreach activities and establish themselves legally in Kathmandu.
In 2001, Gautam and Rekha began to experience a call for themselves. They were fully in support of the work with the ammas, however, they did not feel that their gifts and capacities were primarily to serve the elderly. With a minimal level of education, both felt hesitant about their next steps. However, through discussions with the community it became clear that they were being moved into a vocation of parenting girls who had lost or been abandoned by their parents. Within weeks of making this decision, they welcomed the first of many girls into Karuna Ghar (Home of Compassion), WMFN’s home for girls.
Karuna Ghar’s focus is to be family and not a formalized institution or orphanage. They are even uncomfortable with the use of “Children’s Home” or “Home for Girls” because Gautam and Rekha do not want the girls to be seen by anyone as anything but their own daughters. They are committed to helping the girls develop an identity of being a part of a family—a family that points each of them to an understanding that they are beloved daughters of God.
Some of the girls have been a part of Karuna Ghar for almost 10 years. Several of the older ones are already serving in their church as Sunday school teachers and youth leaders. Each of them have an understanding of being loved that is unique in the culture of Nepal where daughters are not treated well and women are very oppressed. This family shines as a light of hope in their church, community and city.
The next few years saw growth in staff both from North America and Nepal. The community welcomed Ben Oldham, Matt and Julie Neher, Lizzie Konkler, Rup Chalugain, Top Magar, Sumitra and Jamuna Rai who all served for various lengths of time.
With Prem Ghar and Karuna Ghar firmly established, the community began to focus on the extreme needs of the I.V. drug youth living on the streets. The intentional building of friendship and trust with these youth developed into a temporary treatment and discipleship home called Krippa Sadhan (Home of Grace). Through Krippa Sadhan the community saw transformation in the lives of many of the youth they had been in relationship with.
Other staff who have served with this community include Raju Thakari, Jesse Heirendt, Calvin Smothers, Brook Birch, Maggie Wachsmuth, and Andrew Ulasich.
There are currently no North American staff serving in the Nepal community. The Nepali staff, however, are committed to the ministries of Prem Ghar and Karuna Ghar. Their ongoing dedication and service continues to bring about transformation in the lives of the women and children they serve among while providing a light of hope in their communities.