COME WITH ME TO KATHMANDU:
12 powerful stories of women’s
courageous faith in Nepal
By Anna Townsend
Authentic. 224 pages. £14.00
ISBN 978 1 788 932 486
‘[The sun] rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat’ (Ps.19:6)
On the spectrum of remote locations, Nepal must be approaching the ‘ends of the earth’ from the UK perspective; yet this book of testimonies to the transforming power of the gospel conclusively demonstrates that nowhere is beyond the reach of the beneficial effects of the gospel.
Inspiring though it certainly is, this book is not an easy read. To those, like us, familiar with a culture saturated historically in Judaeo-Christian values of human dignity, compassion, justice and mercy, many of the stories told here are deeply shocking. Whether we accept the premise that wherever life is hard, a woman’s life is usually harder or not, the experiences of the women whose stories are shared contain elements of grinding poverty, cruelty, humiliation, exploitation and unremitting misery. This is a salutary perspective for anyone concerned about ‘glass ceilings’ in the workplace, however justified such a position may be. It confirms the unique place of Christianity at the top of the hierarchy of worldviews for promoting the good of individuals and society.
Thank God for this life-giving warmth of the gospel! The author is founder and co-worker in an outreach to Nepalese women called Women Without Roofs – Nepal. The mission provides refuge for vulnerable women made known to them through Christians in the region. While the gospel cannot change the norms of their society, one of which is putting a lower value on female life, it does give them dignity, a purpose in life and glorious hope in the life to come.
This book gives a taste of what it is like to live in Nepal; it stirs up compassion, sorrow, disbelief, anger and admiration, but above all else, thankfulness to God for His plan to bring redemption to a lost and broken world, defaced by human sinfulness.
