Emmanuel International Church
Subtitle
Senior Pastor: Silas Thapa
My name is Silas Thapa. I was born in Hindu family but was taught Buddhism in school. From my childhood, I always asked these questions, "What will happen to me when I die? Where do the people go after they die?" Because of the fear of death sometimes I could not sleep at night, especially when someone died in the village. I thought that I would give up anything to avoid death. I was willing to do anything to avoid death in my life. In search of truth and life I did all kinds of religious activities and spent lot of time chanting a Buddhist prayer. I made a small statue of the Buddha and prayed a sincere prayer. Sometimes I even thought of going deep into the forest and spend my whole life meditating like Buddha. I tried to follow my religion strictly, but I never had assurance of salvation, nor peace and joy in my life. My oldest Brother became Christian in 1981 and when I heard about his religious conversion, I was not happy. But when he started sharing about Jesus, I was curious and decided to go to church. I was expecting that in church there will be statues and lamps. But to my surprise the church I went did not had anything. It was a small room with one chair and one small table. About 10 to 15 people gathered and started worship service. When I prayed a
Buddhist prayer, I didn't understand what I was prayer but to my surprise these people were talking with God as if the are talking to friends. That caught my attention and deep in my heart I decided to follow Jesus. Although I was never lead to sinner's prayer, when I decided to follow Jesus, something happened in my heart. I was a different person. I had a assurance of salvation now. I had a unspeakable joy and peace. During that time, up to my knowledge, there were no Christians and Churches in Bhutan. I never heard about Jesus, never heard the word Bible, or Church. One day in another part of the country I heard that if I become a Christian I would go to heaven. That was what I had been searching for in my life.
At the age of 15, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and personal Savior, which has changed the course of my life for eternity. As soon as I accepted Jesus in my life, I had a assurance of salvation and immediately I started witnessing about Jesus to my friends, relatives and neighbors.
How did my ministry began?The joy and the peace that I got from Jesus was so new to me and I couldn't hold it within me, so I started telling and sharing to others about Jesus.
Because of the fear of death sometimes I could not sleep at night, especially when someone died in the village. I thought that I would give up anything to avoid death. I was willing to do anything to avoid death in my life. In search of truth and life I did all kinds of religious activities and spent lot of time chanting a Buddhist prayer. I made a small statue of the Buddha and prayed a sincere prayer.
Sometimes I even thought of going deep into the forest and spend my whole life meditating like Buddha. I tried to follow my religion strictly, but I never had assurance of salvation, nor peace and joy in my life.
My oldest Brother became Christian in 1981 and when I heard about his religious conversion, I was not happy. But when he started sharing about Jesus, I was curious and decided to go to church. I was expecting that in
church there will be statues and lamps. But to my surprise the church I went did not had anything. It was a small room with one chair and one small table.
About 10 to 15 people gathered and started worship service. When I prayed a
Buddhist prayer, I didn't understand what I was prayer but to my surprise these people were talking with God as if the are talking to friends. That caught my attention and deep in my heart I decided to follow Jesus. Although I was never lead to sinner's prayer, when I decided to follow Jesus, something
happened in my heart. I was a different person. I had a assurance of salvation now. I had a unspeakable joy and peace. During that time, up to my knowledge, there were no Christians and Churches in Bhutan. I never heard about Jesus, never heard the word Bible, or Church. One day in another part of the country I heard that if I become a
Christian I would go to heaven. That was what I had been searching for in my life.
At the age of 15, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and personal Savior, which has changed the course of my life for eternity. As soon as I accepted Jesus in my life, I had a assurance of salvation and immediately I started witnessing about Jesus to my friends, relatives and neighbors.
How did my ministry began?
The joy and the peace that I got from Jesus was so new to me and I couldn't hold it within me, so I started telling and sharing to others about Jesus.
Pastor Janga Magar
Pastor Janga Magar was a former teacher in Kenchoala Bible Training Center in Jaigaon India.
Janga Magar was born in a Hindu family also practicing animism in Bhutan. He accepted Jesus Christ at the young age and started serving God in different capacity.
After he resettled in USA, he was working with a good company making a decent money. But when God told him to serve God as a full time minister, he listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Today Pastor Janga is serving as associate Pastor in Emmanuel International Church.