LÄSNÄOLO

Though we only have a little bit of insight into the culture and people group of Thimpbu because of government restrictions, here is what it might be like for children living in Bhutan.

Tandin was eight years old and lived in a small village tucked into the green hills of southern Bhutan, not far from the river that wound like a silver ribbon through the valley.

Each morning, mist wrapped the mountains while he helped his mother sweep the packed earth courtyard and feed their few chickens.

After a quick bowl of rice and vegetables, he would sling his worn schoolbag over his shoulder and start the walk down the narrow path toward the village school.

His family belonged to the Doya community, a small ethnic group that many people in Bhutan scarcely knew by name. Their houses were simple, and life was shaped by the seasons. They planted corn and millet, tended to small fields, and collected firewood from the forested slopes.

When school ended, Tandin would race back home with his friends, laughing as they jumped across streams and chased each other along the paths.

Evenings were often spent helping in the fields, carrying water, and listening to elders tell stories about their people and the mountains they had always called home.

Unlike most of his neighbors, Tandin’s parents followed Jesus. They had heard the Gospel years before when a relative who had traveled outside the region returned and quietly shared about Christ.

In their village, almost everyone followed traditional Bhutanese religious practices, visiting temples and making offerings. For that reason, Tandin’s family usually kept their faith quiet.

They prayed together in their house, speaking softly so their voices would not carry beyond the thin walls, and they read from a treasured Bible that had been gifted to them.

Sometimes, Tandin felt caught between two worlds. At school and in the village festivals, he learned about the stories and rituals his teachers considered important. At home, he learned about Jesus. He learned about forgiveness, love for enemies, and the hope of eternal life.

He loved singing simple worship songs to Jesus before bed and asking questions about what it meant to follow Christ in a place where almost no one else did.

There were days when he noticed the difference. Some neighbors grew distant when they realized his family did not participate fully in certain religious ceremonies.

A few relatives whispered that they were rejecting the ways of their ancestors. His parents were careful, wanting to avoid trouble, but they also wanted to teach their son not to be ashamed of his faith.
They reminded him that Jesus was with them in their village, on the mountain paths, and even in the classroom where he sat in his neat row of students.

Access to the Gospel in Tandin’s area was limited. There were no visible churches nearby and no open Christian gatherings he could attend. Most of what he knew came from his parents’ stories, the worn pages of their Bible, and rare visits from believers who passed through, staying just long enough to encourage them and pray. When those visitors came, the house felt full of light.

They spoke of brothers and sisters in other countries who were praying for people in Bhutan to know Jesus, and that thought comforted Tandin on quiet nights when he wondered whether other children believed in Jesus as he did.

Yet even with the pressure to blend in and the lack of an open Christian community, Tandin’s faith grew in small, hidden ways. He whispered prayers on his walk to school, asking God to protect his family. He prayed for his friends by name, that one day they might understand why Jesus mattered so much to him.

Looking at the high mountains, he imagined that God could reach even the most distant villages, even the people who had never heard the name of Jesus. In his heart, he hoped that one day there would be more followers of Jesus among his own people, so they would not feel so alone.

Colour Tandin standing in a mountain village with houses and chickens around him.

Today’s language is Bhutanese. Try saying hello and thank you using the words on the page.

As you colour and learn new words, pray for people in Bhutan who do not know Jesus yet.