Around 2008 Refugees from the small Asian nation of Bhutan began arriving in Pittsburgh, aided by the United Nations. The Government of Bhutan turned violently upon this minority population, forcing one fifth of the population of Bhutan to flee from the violence. They ended up in Refugee camps in Nepal for 19 years where they endured additional harsh circumstances before coming to Pittsburgh at the invitation of the United Nations and the Government of the United States. They are a community of wonderful people whom we have come to love, and we are glad to be a major player on a local level in helping their adjustment to life in the United States.
We have provided over 200 pieces of good furniture to various homes, bought new school clothing for the children of many families, continue to provide food to over 40 families each month, have provided basic job training on the equipment at the Coffee Shop, and have made the Oasis Coffee Center a place where they receive help on a variety of levels several days a week. In addition to these things, we have become friends with many of the Bhutanese, who are primarily Hindu. We are also thankful we can provide translation into Nepali through headphones during our Sunday morning Worship Service, and hold an additional home meeting in the Bhutanese Community for seekers. God is good!
We are currently working on a project to provide audio versions of the New Testament to those interested in their own Nepali language. $15.00 will sponsor one copy a New Testament for a Bhutanese family. Let us know if you are interested.
We want to thank the Birmingham Foundation for recently providing a generous grant to help us be a Bridge of Hope for the Bhutanese. They are a great organization and helpful to many, many people in our 15210 zip code! In addition, we enjoy wonderful partnerships with ‘Global Reach Network’ in Pittsburgh, the ‘Pittsburgh Neighborhood Church Network’, ‘Antioch International Ministries’,and others in continually reaching out with the love of Jesus to the Bhutanese Community.
We are always looking for clean, gently-used sofas, dressers with mirrors, dressers without mirrors, coffee tables, and more from non-smoking homes. Please attach a digital picture of what you may have to donate and send it along to our email address on the website!
