Almost a year and a half ago, we called on you, our supporters and followers, to help us provide support and relief for the children living the in New Beginnings Children’s Home. With adoptions from Nepal closed, these children rely on us to care for them. You have shown true love in your generous support over the years. We wanted to offer an update on where Nepal and our orphanage are and how you can continue to help.

For months following the 7.8 earthquake, aftershocks continued to rattle the country of Nepal. Thousands of people resorted to living in tents out of fear of their homes collapsing during one of the quakes. Food and other supplies were slowly making their way out of the capital and into the rural areas that were hard hit by the disaster.

As the people of Nepal fought to regain a sense of normalcy in the fall of 2015, the political parties passed the first full democratic charter or constitution. The new constitution set off a firestorm from neighboring India, which led to an unofficial blockade of supplies. For a country still struggling to care for its people, having supplies blocked created an even more desperate situation.

While the world watched in horror as India blocked supplies from its landlocked neighbor, few were really talking about what the new constitution meant for the country. The new document refers to Nepal as a “secular country” instead of a “Hindu Kingdom” as had been the case for hundreds of years.

In America we understand secular to mean something that isn’t related to the church or religion. In relation to the new Nepali constitution, it’s not quite so clear. The constitution includes the clause: “Religious and cultural freedom, with the protection of religion and culture practiced since ancient times” which many people believed to favor Hinduism.

The constitution also includes Article 26, paragraph 3: “no person shall act or make others act in a manner which is contrary to public health, decency and morality, or…convert a person of one religion to another religion”.

An NPR article in February says “Proselytizing remains illegal, but with political instability and weak law enforcement, that doesn’t stop it from happening.” However, just a few weeks ago, Nepal began the first trial for Christians accused of evangelizing under the new constitution.

Nepal continues to be a country in turmoil.

How does this affect New Beginnings and our supporters? We’ve provided supplies through the worst of Nepal’s devastation. We’ve walked through the beauty of the mountains of the country. We’ve laughed with Nepal’s people. Our hearts break to see their country in a continual state of unrest and devastated by natural disasters. We are, however, doing our part to fully abide by the laws of the nation.

As we seek the best for the children in our home, we ask that you think of them often.