Well, Month 2 on the Race has come to an end. I’m writing from the plane as I travel to Bangkok, Thailand where 86 Starbucks locations await our arrival. Yes, 86. That number has every F-Squad Racer as giddy as a kid on Christmas. We will spend 4 or 5 days in Bangkok debriefing about the past 2 months with our leaders and squad coaches from the U.S. I am really excited for this time to process with the Lord, talk through the past blessings and challenges with our coaches, and spend the nights worshipping with the entire squad. But before we jump ahead, I want to share what the final weeks in Nepal looked like.
We concluded our time in Nepal the same way we began, staying at the Asha House in Kathmandu Valley. We had the option of staying in Thamel, a tourist hotspot, but we opted for Asha, remembering God’s peace and presence that welcomed us at the beginning of our month. In between our time at Asha, we stayed in Kohkana, Latipur, Nepal for three weeks. This was our official ministry location. I know most of this is repetition from previous blogs, but I wanted to paint a full picture of the month for greater understanding and perspective.
Our first two weeks of ministry were spent hiking through the Himalayas, evangelizing along the way. We had one or two translators with us (shout out to my boys, Aashish and Bipin) as we passed out tracks and looked for opportunities to talk and pray with people. This form of evangelizing was something we had to get used to since most of us would rather converse with the Nepalese people than just pass out booklets. But with the language barrier and a vast number of people knowing nothing about Jesus or Christianity, this was the most effective way to plant seeds in anticipation of the Spirit’s work to bring about an abundant harvest in these villages. 
One thing the Lord made overwhelmingly clear during these hikes was the presence we were carrying with us. Several times, random Nepali people who could not speak any English would approach our team desiring prayer. Now these men and women had been given no indication we were Christians and most of them had the physical markings of Hindus, but they were drawn to us wanting whatever we had to offer.
One morning we had not walked more than 50 feet when an older man approached us with a large tumor on the side of his neck. Without any English or translation, he took our hands, placed them on the tumor and motioned for us to pray. Right there in the middle of a village that is considered pretty hostile to Christianity, the presence of the Lord drew people in. Another time, several teammates and I were walking up a never-ending flight of “ mountain stairs” when a young Hindi woman approached us. I bowed my head and spoke the traditional “Namaste” but as soon as I looked in her eyes I could tell something was wrong. I placed my arm on her back and leaned down to ask if she could speak English and immediately she started crying. Having no idea who I was, she wrapped her arms around me and cried without a word. In the end, we were able to hear her story and I was able to tell her about the comfort of Jesus. After we prayed, she continued her journey down the mountain, but with no sign of sadness only joy and laughter. No conversion was made or sinner’s prayer recited, but the woman encountered the Spirit of the Living God. She experienced the peace and comfort that her Father had for her. Love, hope, and peace won the battle against the heartache, brokenness, and anxiety she was carrying.
In these times, we realized it was nothing we were doing or not doing that made things happen. It was WHO WE WERE that changed everything. We are the sons and daughters of the living God and we carry the presence of the Redemptive Creator with us. We have been created for such a time as this and have been sent to these places to accomplish specific purposes He established for us long ago. So we go, led by the Spirit, bringing light into the darkness, fully equipped with every spiritual blessing. Our Father knows the heart and circumstances of each person we come in contact with so we are able to speak hope and life that penetrates even the darkest of situations.
As I tried to find my role in ministry throughout the month, the Lord blessed me with the analogy of “going to work with my Dad”. Scripture says that I am a daughter, a co-heir with Christ, and a co-laborer in Kingdom work. So throughout the month no matter what ministry looked like, I took on the mindset that I was going to work with my Dad. I never walked into a situation alone. I worked with a professional who had years of experience, no record of failures, and infinite knowledge I could tap into. My Dad would faithfully show me His work, teach me His craft, guide my hands and my mouth as I labored alongside him, and together we shared in the joy and fruit of our labor. This concept provided a breakthrough in my life, and I will never do ministry the same. To realize that I carry the presence of the Lord into all situations, I am a co-laborer with Christ and that it’s not what I do, but who I am that changes everything.
**This is a good time to take a break if you’re wanting to grab a snack or needing to go to the bathroom. Just trying to help out my readers 🙂
During our final week in Kohkana, ministry was more restful and spontaneous than the weeks before. We did a couple “cem
ent paint jobs”, cleaned the church and rooms we were staying in, helped out during an outreach program for our church, did some yard work, and organized the storage room. This was a sweet time to spend time with the pastor’s family at the church and grow in unity as a team. It was also a blessing because during this part of the month, most of our team took turns getting sick. This schedule gave us the flexibility of people taking days off or resting when they needed to.
In places like Nepal and India, where the spiritual world is so recognized, you can physically sense when places are filled with the Spirit of the Living God vs. some other spiritual force. We stayed in a “church home” where the associate pastor and his family live. This place is filled with such a peace and contentment as a result of the constant prayer and worship happening around the clock. Everyday I would look forward to “coming home” because this was a place of love, community, and laughter. Our hosts became our family during this month and we left viewing them as close friends rather than “ministry contacts” and “translators”. We found refuge in Nepal, from the first day to the last. Our Father went before us, preparing the places we would sleep, the hearts we would encounter, and the challenges we would face. We were able to soak in His presence, rest in His peace, and sleep in safety knowing God was our protector. He was faithful to our hearts as many of us walked into hard places and recognized lies we have believed for years. Many of us on Team Earth Like Heaven, will remember Nepal as a beautiful place of creation and of the Lord’s refuge. During this month the Lord began peeling back the layers of flesh that has covered our true identity for 20-something years. It wasn’t always easy, but we find comfort knowing God is faithful to the end. Lyrics from Cory Asbury’s song “Faithful to the End”, resonate in my heart as I reflect on the work in Nepal and the work that will continue as we move on to Thailand:
He’s faithful to the end.
He’s faithful to my heart.
He’s faithful to the end.
He will come and marry me!
As we continue to partner with our brothers and sisters in Nepal, here are some specific things we can be praying for:
The political situation is a mess. Nepal is undergoing a lot of political changes and there are a lot of different political groups that think they have “the answer”. Many of these leaders and groups have tried to lead the country, but every time he or she has fallen into corruption only a few months later. This situation affects every area of society and has even led to divisions in the Christian church. Pray for the political situation, the transportation strikes that affect many of the villages, schools, and businesses on a weekly basis, and that God would raise up a leader for this nation. Pray also for the church, that their first priority would be the gospel of Jesus, not some political agenda. May they not forget their first love.
Nepali churches are in the need of pastors and leaders. Many village churches cannot afford to pay a leader, so these men or women would need an additional job for financial support. Also, many of the current leaders or people desiring to pastor churches are in need of training. Pray that God would rise up leaders and pastors, that He would meet their financial needs, and would teach and train them in the skills they need.
Religious freedom came to Nepal several years ago, but many Christians still experience persecution. Up until 6 years ago, Christians could be thrown in jail for sharing the gospel and converting Hindus and Buddhists. The head pastor of our church has had stones thrown at him, and his discipler was imprisoned for many years in Nepal. The family we stayed with had stories from 6 months ago of taking the gospel to remote villages and being chased out by Hindu extremists who wanted to beat and burn them. Therefore, while there is “religious freedom” there is still much persecution and since the political situation is in a state of turmoil, that freedom could be taken away at any point. As our ministry contact stated, Christians live life day-to-day never knowing if freedom or persecution awaits them.
Pray for our Nepali friends, Aashish, Bipin, Raaz, Simon, Binita, Anata, and Samarpan as they minister to other missionaries, lead their churches, share the gospel to their friends and communities, and raise their families in the name of Jesus. Pray that these men and women would be empowered with the Holy Spirit and that they would know the will of their Father, co-laboring with Him to bring the love of Jesus to all people in Nepal.
There is so much in process in Nepal. Seeds have been planted, churches are growing, weekly fellowships are being established, and Christian leaders are being raised in their communities. God began a good work in this place and He will complete the work He has started. He’s faithful to the end.
