Manohar church in Nepal

Manohar church stands amidst tarps called “home.” Shaken, but not destroyed, in the infamous Nepal earthquake this past April, this beacon of light and hope is the only church within the biggest slum in Kathmandu city. Trying to reach the 6,000-7,000 people that live in the 670 tents within the Manhara slum, this church has been faithfully serving its community for 10 years amidst a prominently Hindi and Buddhist religious culture. The building was built 5 years ago, and it weekly holds a congregation of about 200 people. However, its construction was not sound. It was built with hollow bricks that quickly cracked when hit with catastrophic earth tremors. Further, every summer around monsoon season, the church floods drastically, easily gathering a foot of water within its small space of worship. The head pastor, Prem Bahadur Tamanz, humbly presented the church’s situation to Team August of the World Race: they must build a new church. They need a higher foundation to prevent flooding, they need solid bricks that will hold the structure securely, and they need to build walls that do not have cracks (which are currently a blatant reminder of an all-too recent tragedy within a country that is still picking up the pieces of homes and lives alike). In all, the church needs to raise $18,000 to reconstruct their building. While the sum seems daunting, the ladies of Team August (Mallory, Elizabeth, Lexi, Sarah, Amber, and Mary) have decided to start this 6-day fundraising venture to make a dent in this overwhelming amount. If we could raise $2,000 (11% of the grand total, which is the perfect percentage for us as we visit 11 countries in 11 months on the World Race), we know it would bring them so much joy, encouragement, and hope. The building does not make a church; the people do. But we would love to help give them a beautiful, safe, and God-filled space where they can grow further in the Lord and invite many others to join them.