This past week, I met a couple in eastern Nepal who has a tragic story. They are a married couple named Biltu and Tertari Mahara. They have a cute little 6-year-old boy named Ghanshyam (we called him Sam). They are a part of the “Untouchables” caste, meaning they are the poorest class in Nepal. They just moved to Sarsa, the village where I was serving alongside Kevin Wood from the US and Tika Baral from Nepal. They live about 200 yards from the church itself. The pastor of that church, Pastor Amit, was able to share the gospel with them and lead them to Jesus and they are now believers. But life for Biltu, Tertari, and Sam has been very hard.

Prior to moving to Sarsa, they had a 10-year-old son named Santosh who drowned. According to Biltu and Tertari, the drowning was intentionally done by a neighbor who looked down on them for their status as Untouchables.  Apparently this kind of cruelty to Untouchables happens often in Nepal. Biltu and Tertari are “day laborers” meaning they go out and work in the fields every day from very early to after sunset. When they came home from work that day, 6-year-old Sam told them “brother is still in the pond.” They left and found their son in the pond and pulled his body out.

They approached local authorities but received no help. Ultimately they decided to move away and ended up in Sarsa right next to the church. A family member offered to help them build a new home and get settled. But after completing the walls, that family member left with the remaining money and never returned. Amit took us to visit them while we were there late one evening. Biltu and Tertari got home after dark from their work so our visit was in total darkness as you will see in the photos. That is how they live every night – staring up through an open roof at the stars, exposed to the elements. Their home needs some masonry work done to make it ready for a simple roof.  We would like to provide that for them – finish the wall and put on a simple but durable roof. The cost of the project is going to be between $4,000-$5,000 US dollars according to a local builder who is connected to the church.

This poor family needs a roof over their head and a chance to get their lives moving forward again. Would you consider helping us do that this Giving Tuesday? Every gift given between now and Tuesday, November 29th will go toward completing the upper wall and roof for Biltu, Tertari, and Sam. As always, 100% of your gift goes directly to this family. None of it goes to cover administrative costs.

Thank you for your generosity to this family and may God bless you!

Ian Thomson