Andrew and Colleen B

 

Andrew:

Missions has been in the fabric of who I am for many years.   I never questioned becoming a missionary although the specific people and place was unclear.  Since I did not have relatives or close friends involved in overseas missions, my desire to go and serve was part of a plan bigger than myself and my upbringing.  Over the years I became more and more involved in overseas missions, including short term trips that gradually grew into longer and longer trips, up to the point that I was gone long enough to lose my Canadian residence status!  The last five years have been a blessing as I have participated in God's work overseas in Kenya, China and, for the last few years, Nepal.

Interwoven into the fabric of who I am runs not only the threads of missions but also of God's creation.  Since childhood I have been passionate about pursuing His creation and have marvelled at how God has worked that love and interest into opportunities to serve Him in nations around the world.  I recently finished a Master's degree in resource management and agriculture from a Norwegian University, which I chose because it would prepare me for working with creation to benefit others in physical and spiritual ways.  My research included working with Nepali apple farmers and beekeepers, which allowed me to explore opportunities for  future work in Nepal.

Now I find myself married and ready to return to Nepal to work with evangelists and pastors giving appropriate business training to equip them to support themselves and their families while they do ministry in remote areas.  The vast majority of Nepalis are farmers, which makes agriculture a wonderful way to become involved in the lives of those around us.  Furthermore, as Nepal is a closed country to missionaries, a farm is a great platform that is not only legitimate, but also valuable in the eyes of the government.  Looking back, I can see how God has woven together many interests and desires to accomplish His purpose in and through my life.  I can attest that "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines His steps".  I am excited about what God has been and will do through our lives as we set out to work for His glory in Nepal.   

 

 

Colleen:

I grew up in a genuine, mature Christian home.  My parents modeled intimacy with God and commitment to him and I quickly grew in the ways of God, though I often doubted God's ability or desire to extend his grace to me.  It was not until I was about 10 years old, that I came to believe that I must move from doubting God's promises to trusting him to forgive me in order to have life with him.  I made that decision, and have seen the evidence of his faithfulness and lovingkindness in my life time and time again.

From the time I was a young girl, I wanted to be a missionary.  Missionaries were frequently in our home and the napkin holder on our kitchen table doubled as a missionary prayer card holder,  so their lives and glimpses of God's work around the world were always before me.  During high school I was introduced to nursing while babysitting for a friend, and soon realized that nursing and missions were my dual calling in life.  At that point I decided to pursue both Bible and nursing in college to prepare for this life.

Completing my undergraduate degree took 8 years as God led me to various schools and allowed me to spend almost a year and a half in Bangladesh serving in a hospital there,  gaining a deeper understanding of God's love for all people, and seeing how he could use me overseas.  I returned from Bangladesh eager to pursue my masters degree in nursing in order to fill some specific needs in Bangladesh.

God had another direction for me.  Andrew-a friend and like-minded missions enthusiast-and I began to date and then got married!   Over the months we dated, we watched God join our paths and unite our hearts for joining his work in Nepal.  Now, as Andrew and I prepare to work in the northwest part of Nepal to assist in the national church-planting movement, I am eager to see how God will use us there.  He has promised to go with us, and we know that it is not our strength, but his, that will sustain and fill us there.

      

History and Vision

God's work in Nepal:

The church in Nepal has grown exponentially over the last 50 years.  The graph below shows that in 1962 there were only two churches in the entire country.  Now in 2006 there were almost 2800!!! 

 

God has been undoubtedly blessing His church in Nepal with rapid growth.  The growth of the church has not been uniform in Nepal and many areas are still completely unreached.  The northwest is still unreached with very few viable churches while the southern and eastern portions of the country have the vast majority of the churches.  In these areas, several Bible schools and evangelistic training centers have sprung up and people from areas which have churches are now looking to the last frontier- the unreached northwest of Nepal.  Many Bible school-trained Nepali Christians are eager to take on the challenges of church planting to reach the unreached.  As indicated by the map,  there are almost 2700 churches in the green portions of the map and only 29 churches in the remaining one third!  This is the area we, and Nepali Christians, are targeting.

Link to twice the news may 2010 

http://www.burks-burks.blogspot.com/

report of Brother Peters visit

 

Our Vision:

Our vision is to demonstrate the love and glory of God by meeting the needs of the physically needy and spiritually unreached people of northwest Nepal.  We realize that God has blessed us with spiritual, educational, and  financial resources that equip us, in His power, to partner with Him in the work He is doing in Nepal.   However, working as missionaries is illegal in Nepal as it is a "closed" and strongly Hindu nation.  In light of this, the widespread physical needs, and an obsession with growing things; Andrew's platform (excuse or reason to be there) and visa post will be in agriculture, most likely in apple and vegetable farming (although other interests like bees, fish and mushrooms will hopefully play a part).  After some language study, the plan is to start a farm in a remote, unreached, mountainous district called Jumla in the north western part of the country.  A large, if not central part of this project is the partnership with Nepali evangelists who can use this farm as their platform for ministry and as a place where they can receive training.  We are so thankful that a close Nepali friend named Sambhu and his family will likely live and work with us on this farm.  Sambhu and his wife's passion is evangelism, and we are excited that our gifts can complement one another's as we work together.   

The second goal for this project is meeting the physical needs of the community and surrounding villages.  For example, according to the UNDP report, 74% of the children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished in this district.  This farm will be a place where sustainable techniques of growing and new seeds or cultivars can be tested and demonstrated for the benefit of those in the area.  Working with farmers is a very tangible way of illustrating God's love and grace to Nepali people.  As most of the people are farmers and are poor, this will be a very relevant and important way of ministering to their needs. 

Colleen will work as a nurse.  Her focus will be building relationships with women and providing physical and spiritual teaching.  Healthcare is a great opportunity to reach women by showing love and compassion at times when they are vulnerable and uncertain.   The intensity of the physical environments makes them susceptiable to many diseases and infections that can be treated simply and inexpensively.  Training other women in basic community health and prenatal care may also be part of her role in Nepal after we move into the community and understand the needs more clearly.  We understand that things are constantly changing, so we dream and plan, yet hold the specifics loosely.  Our desire is to see God glorified and his kingdom spread through our investment in the lives of the Nepalis.

twice the news May 2010

Hi friends and family!

Just a quick note before we head off to Jumla—in just 2 weeks, Lord willing. 

The big news—we recently found out we are pregnant—with twins!  This came as a big surprise and we are excited by this new twist in our lives and learning anew the limits of our control and the blessed comfort of resting in His sovereignty. 

The babies are due in early December, and we have been strongly advised to return to North America for their birth.  We are excited about the chance to come home for a bit and to be able to spend the holidays with our families.  We are uncertain of exactly when we’ll be coming back, but it appears it will be sometime in the fall.  Please pry for wisdom and peace for us as our time in Jumla between now and when we come home will be less than six months—shorter than we expected for initial settling in and putting down roots.  However, that time is still very valuable and we are asking for strength to give 100% while we are there.  We’ve both been low on energy lately (Andrew says my hormones are sapping his strength J) so we hope the fresh air will perk us both up.

Please also pry for:

Wisdom in navigating immigration(in Canada and the US since neither of us have status in both countries) and insurance coverage, finding a doctor in North America, etc

Health for the babies and Colleen and that there would be a reliable way to get pre-natal care in Jumla

Our email access in Jumla will be poor, so please feel free to email us—we always are happy to hear from you—but our responses will probably be slower than normal.  The connection isn’t fast enough for pictures, attachments, etc, but text only emails should be fine.  Thanks so much for being part of this adventure with us!

In Him,

Andrew and Colleen and the “beans”