2020
November 10, 2020 | Todd Ohlmann
Missionary Ohlmann’s annual visit to Nepal in March was postponed and has now been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Classes at the Himalayan Bible Institute were canceled for the year. They hope to begin classes again in early 2021
Graduation and Ordination for nine men who have successfully completed their HBI training have been postponed to early 2021 due to the pandemic.
Construction on the new HBI building has been delayed due to the pandemic. Plans are to begin construction in mid-to-late November. http://missionaryohlmann.blogspot.com/2020/12/progress-in-nepal.html
March 2019
March 20, 2019 | Todd Ohlmann
Missionary Ohlmann was accompanied by CLC Bd of Missions Chairman, Joel Krafft for a two-week visit to Nepal. While in Nepal they met for a three-day pastoral training seminar for pastors and Himalayan Bible Institute students of the HCLCN. They also met for a two-day seminar with the pastors/students of the HCLCN Dang District along with visiting and preaching at several congregations of the HCLC-Nepal.
After searching for more than two years for affordable land or a building to purchase in the Kathmandu Valley to serve as a church building, HBI classrooms, office, and dormitory, and a residence for Pastor Raju, a decision was made to look for land in the Chitwan district. The Lord provided and an affordable piece of land became available and was purchased with funds that had been raised in Nepal. The HCLCN applied to the CLC Board of Missions for a Mission Development Fund grant to assist with construction costs. The grant was approved and plans are underway to begin construction in early 2020.
March 2018
March 25, 2018 | Todd Ohlmann
Missionary Ohlmann spent three weeks in Nepal in March. He conducted pastoral training for pastors and students in the Kathmandu Valley and in the Dang District. He was also on hand for the graduation and ordination of four men who completed their pastoral training at the Himalayan Bible Institute. Ten new students/pastors will begin classes at the HBI beginning in April. Ten additional students in the Dang District will begin distance learning later this year.
July 2017
July 30, 2017 | Todd Ohlmann
CLC Mission Helpers spent three weeks in Nepal proclaiming the Gospel to more than 1500 children in HCLCN congregations and villages.
https://2017clcmhtnepal.blogspot.com/
https://missionaryohlmann.blogspot.com/2017/07/from-nepal2017-mission-helper-trip.html
https://missionaryohlmann.blogspot.com/2017/08/from-nepal-2017-mission-helper-trip.html
January 2016
May 18, 2016 | Todd Ohlmann
At the end of January the chairman of the Board of Missions made a visit to Nepal. While in Nepal he visited several earthquake affects villages where the CLC and HCLCN have been working together to provide three phases of relief following the April 25, 2015 earthquake. Ten days into the visitation he was joined by Pastor Rob Sauers (seminary classmate of Raju) and his wife Kate along with Missionary Peter Evensen from India who came for the ordination of five HCLCN pastors and the dedication/opening of the Himalayan Bible Institute of the HCLCN. They were also on hand for the wedding ceremony of Raju and Sanju with Pastor Ohlmann conducting the wedding and Pastor Sauers preaching the wedding sermon.
2014 Mission Helper Trip
January 15, 2016 | Todd Ohlmann
CLC Mission Helpers: Sam Rodebaugh, Raven Haight, Michaela Naumann, Tom Naumann, Alyssa Krause, Rob Sauers, Lucas Brown, Neal Wietgrefe, Erica Wietgrefe, Ashley Elliott, and Pastor Todd Ohlmann spent three and half weeks in Nepal traveling with Raju and Rajan Bhitrakoti and other pastors of the HCLCN as they carried out child evangelism in several current or prospective congregations of the HCLC-Nepal. Hundreds of children were taught by the mission helpers. Pastor Ohlmann and seminary student Rob Sauers also met with 19 pastors for one day pastoral training seminar.
2012-2015
| Todd Ohlmann
Raju Bhitrakoti attended Immanuel Lutheran Seminary in preparation for starting the Himalayan Bible Institute in Kathamandu. He graduated three weeks early in the spring of 2015 so he could return to Nepal to provide assistance and leadership in administering the earthquake relief funds from the CLC following the devastating earthquake on April 25th, 2015.
July 2011
July 4, 2011 | Todd Ohlmann
CLC Mission Helpers spent three and half weeks in Nepal traveling with Raju and Rajan as they carried out child evangelism in eleven current or prospective congregations of the HCLC-Nepal. Nearly 1500 children were taught and received gifts from the mission helpers.
June 2010
June 4, 2010 | Matthew Ude
The CLC Convention voted to accept the HCLC-Nepal into fellowship. Pastor Raju and Pastor Ohlmann continue email correspondence courses as they study through “Go and Teach.”
March 2010
March 4, 2010 | Matthew Ude
Pastor Raju and Pastor Ohlmann completed a Christian Doctrine correspondence course (via email) spanning several months using study sheets, the Scriptures, Luther’s Small Catechism, “My Church and Others”, and “A Summary of Christian Doctrine. The answers that Pastor Raju provided were forwarded to the CLC Board of Doctrine for review as they consider the request for fellowship from HCLC-Nepal.
February 2009
February 4, 2009 | Matthew Ude
Pastor Raju reports that the translation of two booklets titled What the Bible and Lutherans Teach and My Church and Others has been completed and are now waited to be printed. Funding from the CLC-MDF has been approved for the printing of 1000 copies of each booklet at a cost of $650. These booklets will first be distributed to and studied by the pastors of the HCLC-Nepal and then by the members of congregations they serve. Translation work has also begun on Luther’s Small Catechism. This should be ready for printing by July or August of 2009.
January 2009
January 4, 2009 | Matthew Ude
Pastors Matt Ude and Todd Ohlmann arrived on January 19th and traveled to the Chitiwan area and conducted three days of pastoral training with the original nine pastors of the HCLC-Nepal. There were also 14 independent pastors in attendance who are interested in learning more about Lutheran doctrine. Since there were these new men in attendance and the CLC Statement of Faith and Purpose has now been translated into Nepali, the three days of seminars were spent reviewing and explaining the doctrinal positions set forth in the CLC Statement of Faith and Purpose as well as an introduction to Luther’s Catechism. The men in attendance all agreed with what was taught and are excited to continue monthly training seminars.
Seminars titled, Saved by the Grace of God, were taught in three congregations. A visitation was also made to an area of northern Nepal near the Tibet border where a young evangelist, who is associated with the HCLC-Nepal, has been working to spread the Gospel. This young man has no formal theological training. He has expressed his agreement with the CLC Statement of Faith and Purpose and has requested further training in the word that he may better serve the Lord and His people.
All the pastors of the HCLC-Nepal have continued to meet monthly as they study through the book Shadows and Substance in preparation for teaching it to the members of the congregations they serve. They will also be studying through the booklet My Church and Others and the 14 doctrinal essays that Missionary Koenig has prepared as soon as they have been translated and printed.
September 2008
September 4, 2008 | Matthew Ude
Pastor Raju completed the translation, publishing, and printing of 1,000 copies of the Shadows and Substance study workbook. The CLC Board of Missions approved monthly subsidy for training the nine pastors of the HCLCN to teach their congregations the lessons of Shadows and Substance.
May 2008
May 4, 2008 | Matthew Ude
With the approval of the CLC Mission Board, Pastor Ohlmann began looking into the possibility of combining a trip to Kathmandu with his already scheduled trip to India in May and June of 2008. It was also decided to ask Missionary Matt Ude to accompany him to Nepal. With the trip approved and scheduled, correspondence with Raju continued.
Missionary Matt Ude and Pastor Todd Ohlmann traveled to Nepal in May of 2008 and spent several days visiting congregations and conducted a seminar to teach the doctrines of the Lutheran church using the CLC Statement of Faith and Purpose. Nine pastors, in addition to Pastor Raju, his father JB and his brother Rajan accepted the teaching of the CLC.
Following the doctrinal discussions, an hour was set aside for Pastor JB and Raju to lead an organizational meeting with the other independent pastors who had gathered. A resolution to join together and form a Confessional Lutheran Church body in Nepal passed with a unanimous vote and enthusiastic clapping of hands and singing. They chose to call themselves the Himalayan Church of the Lutheran Confession of Nepal (HCLCN). Their first act was to elect Pastor Raju to serve as chairman. As chairman he was assigned the duties of continuing correspondence with the CLC, organizing and leading ongoing training of the pastors, and to begin the task of writing a doctrinal platform and constitution.
September 2007
September 4, 2007 | Matthew Ude
Pastor Raju Bhitrokoti, with his father’s blessing and advice, began searching the internet for Lutheran organizations that would be willing to offer pastoral training in Nepal. He “stumbled” upon the websites of a few CLC congregations. In reading and searching these sites he read reports concerning the CLC efforts to assist the CLCI and BELC in training pastors in India. Specifically he read reports from previous CLC Mission Helper Trips where mention was made of “pastoral training seminars.”
Raju began to send emails asking for assistance in training pastors in Nepal. Pastor Ohlmann and two other CLC pastors received inquiries from Raju. Pastor Ohlmann began corresponding with Raju in September of 2007. After the first few email exchanges it became evident that Raju was sincere in requests for training. He mentioned that his father had received a Lutheran catechism and a couple of other Lutheran books and was convinced that Lutheran doctrine was Scriptural. Over the next several months Pastor Ohlmann led Pastor Raju, by email, through the adult instruction manual written by Pastor John Schierenbeck, titled “Shadows and Substance.” Pastor Raju also shared the lessons with his father and his brother as together they compared the lessons, answers, and Pastor Ohlmann’s comments with Scripture. Through this process they learned more and more and became convinced that the CLC was indeed a true teaching church body with whom they would like to work. Following the completion of this correspondence course, Raju was sent a few other books such as a Sydow Lutheran Catechism and workbook along with Mueller’s Summary of Christian Doctrine, the Augsburg Confession, and other books.