Bucky and Carole serve in Nepal with the Nepal Baptist Church Council. Bucky works as the international relations coordinator for Human Development and Community Service (HDCS), a non-governmental Christian organization committed to holistic mission in Nepal, and focuses on the great need for social ministries such as health, education, and community development. Carole also works with HDCS, helping to coordinate language and orientation of the international staff who come to work with HDCS. Bucky and Carole relate informally with individuals and churches in the rapidly growing Nepal Baptist Church Council, in areas of discipleship and leadership development.

Carole writes: “Are all these story books for us to read?” asked 12-year-old wide-eyed Nirmala when we entered the children’s section of the AWON back in 2007.  The library, a few minutes walk from our apartment, was started by a handful of American women over 40 years ago. Among other things, it has the largest selection of children’s books in English in Nepal, including many Sydnor books donated in 1987 when we left Nepal.

Nirmala’s mother works as a cleaner right across the street from where we lived at the time. Seeing Nirmala and her sister, Bhirmala, often walking on the road to their mom’s work place, I quickly became their friend. One day I took them to the AWON Library. Their eyes glistened with joy, full of happiness at what a library offered. Eagerly they joined the library with me as their sponsor and started their journey of reading more than just their schoolbooks. Now, five years later, Nirmala is an English Literature major in her first two years of college. [Read more of Carole’s journal at http://www.internationalministries.org/read/42056-one-book-at-a-time .]

Reading a book is something I took for granted when I was young. But here in Nepal, it is different for young children. If their parents don’t read English or Nepali, or if they read very poorly, they do not know the value of reading, much less appreciate it.

It has been one of the joys of living here that I have been able to help change the world of a few young Nepali girls who crossed my path, one book at a time.

• Pray for Bucky and Carole as they serve the people of Nepal in the name of Christ.