It was Buddhiman’s smile that made him stand out in the crowded streets of Kathmandu. We had recently moved to Nepal, and when we saw this man radiating the love of Jesus, we just had to meet him. Amazingly, Buddhiman wanted to meet us, too! We stood out like sore thumbs, and he was happy to welcome us to his homeland. Needless to say, we became fast friends.

Buddhiman was a non-denominational pastor and spoke English well. All churches meet on Saturday in Nepal, so we often frequented his congregation since the nearest Adventist body of believers was more than an hour away. He was a breath of godly fresh air in a country awash in millions of false gods. The Lord knew we needed such a brother to assist us in navigating Nepali culture. What a blessing he was and continues to be to us.

Buddhiman taught us the Christian Nepali greeting, which loosely translates to “God’s grace.” You fold your hands together like when saying the normal greeting of “Namaste,” but instead you say, “Jay Masih.” Anytime we met Nepali Christians, we would greet them this way, and an instant bond would form as fellow siblings in faith.

Our brother Buddhiman was also instrumental in privately translating the addictions GLOW tract into Nepali. He also gave us great insight into where some of the greatest needs were after the 2015 earthquake. He even facilitated our travel as we distributed the funds donated by many of you.

We praise God for this precious brother’s friendship, which continues to this day. During a recent morning prayer, we thought of Buddhiman, and afterwards we texted to say Jay Masih. He instantly responded and said he missed us both. We felt the same.

Currently Buddhiman runs an orphanage and a church. He is an inspiration to us in so many ways as he lets the light of Jesus shine through all he does. He is truly a living epistle for the Lord.

We praise the Lord for His lights in the world, including each of you. Keep shining for Jesus. He is coming very soon!

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