TIBET
The House With
D
No Flags
eep in the mountains of central Asia, a small village clings to a rocky slope, dwarfed by an 18,000-foot mountain peak. At first glance, there’s nothing remarkable about this town with its humble wood and stone dwellings that have Buddhist prayer flags fluttering from the roofs. But then Pastor Kumar Adhikari and I spot something unusual: a house with no prayer flags. Finally, after bumping along winding roads for eight hours, we know we’ve reached our destination.
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“Welcome! Welcome!” exclaims Yonten* as he ushers us into his cheerful home. “We have been waiting for you!” Yonten is a gospel worker and the speaker for the Tibetan programs on Adventist World Radio (AWR). Since his baptism in 2006, he’s bravely survived as a Christian in this border town, striving to share the message of God’s love in Nepal and Tibet. We’ve come to visit Yonten, not only to encourage him in his challenging work but to fulfill one of his deepest desires: the baptism of his wife, Jamyang*.
Together we carefully make our way over the boulders beside a deep river, and Jamyang and Pastor Kumar slip into the rushing current. The water is freezing, but the day is incredibly joyful for these isolated young believers. After the baptismal service, about a dozen visitors crowd into Yonten and Jamyang’s home for Sabbath worship. Several of them are former Sunday-keeping Christians, who have walked more than four hours to fellowship with their friends. When Yonten first accepted Christ, he had to flee his home. Although Buddha forbade killing, the villagers wanted to murder him in order to protect their religion.
