Nepal, the home of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, has gained another distinction.
The landlocked South Asia country of 31 million people has now become one of the fastest-growing Christian communities in the world. Christians in the Hindu-majority nation now number more than 300,000, and the numbers are still rising, CBN News reports.
Recent studies have shown that more and more Hindu Nepalese are embracing Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
They say one reason for this phenomenon is the adoption of a new Constitution in September 2015, which turned the country from an official Hindu kingdom into a secular state.
Although the new Nepalese government under President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has allowed freedom of religion, proselytising is still punishable by law. Christians in Nepal continue to suffer from inequality and persecution, according to CBN News.
But despite this, Nepalese are turning to Christianity because of the love shown to them by Christians, according to Evelyn Martin, a Filipino missionary.
Martin said she and her daughter Sam are "trying to bring salvation in a country where they worship 330 million gods."
"Our goal is to empower and to affect other churches as well," she said. "Young people are the ones who are open to the Gospel and the young people are also on fire and they share this to their classmates, to their family members, and they have become bold."
Hinduism is the religion of 80 percent of Nepal's population, according to government sources.
Recently, more than 3 million Hindus from all over the world gathered in Nepal to celebrate Sheva Ratri, one of their biggest festivals.
Haary Pandey is one of the former Hindus who converted to Christianity.
"When I was in the Hindu religion, I had no faith in the God of that religion, but I was worshiping the gods and idols and photos," he told CBN News.
Haary said he had hoped that by following rituals, the Hindu gods could solve his personal problems. Unfortunately, his problems became worse, and he was forced to leave Nepal to live with his uncle in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he continued his studies.
"When I was in UAE, I heard about Jesus Christ. My friends ... encouraged me to read the Bible, to read the Word of God," he said.
Five years later, Haary went back to Nepal. A friend brought him to an annual youth camp organised by Martin.
In that youth camp Haary had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
"I couldn't believe that the Holy Spirit came inside me. From that time my faith grow bigger and bigger and I keep saying, 'Wow! God is alive. God is alive.'"
Jesus freed Haary from depression and "demonic oppression."
"Some of my uncles are witchdoctors and it's very hard for me to tell them I got saved, I've become a Christian," he said. "I am praying that all my family will be saved like me."
