This interview was conducted a few months back by a visiting volunteer worker. It is part of an ongoing attempt to raise awareness of Christianiaty in Nepal to the glory of our Lord and betterment of our land and people:
Dev is the newly elected president of Glorious Ministries Nepal; he lives in Kathmandu with his wife and 21 children. I interviewed Dev to discover how God has led him through life to become responsible for a nationwide ministry whilst raising 21 children! Although only two of the children are their own, Dev and his wife Maya look after 19 orphaned children like their own.
Considering his workload Dev has a remarkably relaxed and joyful manner as he reclines on the chair opposite me. He tells me of his childhood; born into a Hindu family and raised in a remote village Dev’s story here begins with his brother running away from home.
When Dev’s brother ran away from home he ended up living in a Christian hostel. Finding Christ at the hostel, Dev’s brother returned to bring his brothers back to the hostel with him so they could also discover a life with Christ. Dev lived in that hostel with 300-350 other children for almost 9 years and it was there that he too found Christ and let Him into his heart just as his brother had. After growing up at the hostel, a young Dev moved on to Kathmandu inspired to study Christian theology at Nepal Bible College in Kathmandu. It was during his time at the Bible College that he was inspired by God to do ministry work, to spread the gospel in Nepal and to love those in need.
In the following years Dev devoted himself to work for the Kingdom; he first worked for a church in Kathmandu earning 500 NPR ($7 USD) a month, he and his brother then planted a church in Hetauda renting a building for the congregation. Following a close friend Dev moved to the U.K. for 11 months at the invitation of Lee Abbey International learning more about serving others through hospitality and learning how to cook. Returning to Hetauda Dev helped in purchasing land and constructing a new building for the church there to free them from the struggle of meeting rent. After completing the Hetauda church building Dev moved to Pokhara to plant a new church there. However, during a time of severe political instability the church plant turned into something more…
Conflict with Maoist rebels left many children without parents in Nepal. Seeing children orphaned because of bloodshed Dev took in some of the local children in hopes of meeting their daily needs and continuing their education. However, life in Pokhara, a major tourist destination, proved to be quite expensive. With 5 adults and 8 children in one flat; Dev saw that the living conditions could be improved by moving back to Kathmandu.
Dev and his children joined up with an orphanage started by Philip. In 2009 Philip moved on to other projects for Glorious Ministries Nepal (GMN) leaving Dev in charge of the orphanage in Phutung, Kathmandu. What started as 8 children rapidly grew to 19, and again housing became a problem.
Burdened by poverty and poor living conditions, Dev worked hard, praying for the children and their needs and searching for sponsors to support the orphanage. Compassion Nepal moved the children into far superior accommodation. Now the children, wrought with hardship in life, have reached a destination of greater safety and comfort through the help of Dev’s hard work and God’s faithful love.
In future work for God’s kingdom, Dev has plans for constructing a church meeting place in Gorkha which is currently in great need, and hopes for greater stability for the children by purchasing land for the orphanage.