In late January 2016, a group of about fifteen of us drove northwest from Kathmandu, Nepal to the Annapurna region of the Himalayas and set off on a four-day trek. Each of us had a backpack with the basics—clothes, toothbrush, sleeping bag, etc.—and then there was me with a large wicker basket filled with Oreos strapped to the outside of my backpack due to a game of What Are The Odds gone wrong. From the start, this trek was full of memories I will never forget. We climbed stone staircases each day, for what seemed like ages, constantly being assured by our Nepali host that those staircases were in fact shortcuts. I’m certain that I never have nor ever again will see another shortcut so long. But the hiking was fun and spending time with my squad mates, our host, and our translators was awesome.
I had never met anyone who hadn’t heard of Jesus until I spent those few days trekking through mountain villages in Nepal. That week, we met two sets of families and we got to share God’s Good News with them for the first time. We got to tell them about the God who created them and who loves them. The God who came to earth and took the penalty for our sins in order to reconcile us to Himself. The God who knows us by name and pursues us.
The gospel we shared with them was simple—that Christ died and is the propitiation for our sins, redeeming us and bringing us into fellowship with God. Christ rose from the dead, defeating sin and the grave. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient and our works are nothing in comparison to what God has done for us. And praise God that through faith in Christ we are redeemed.
Those moments with those kind Nepali villagers are moments I will never forget. The Lord took my heart to a greater depth with Him during that trek. I will always remember how Santa and Durga, the kind lodge owners from the Buddhist village we visited, welcomed us into their space and gave us tea. I will always remember how glad they were to hear about Jesus. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how Durga held the Bible we gave her as if it were made of gold. I will never, ever forget that God led us to the home of Nepali “untouchables” and trusted us to tell them that He doesn’t see them as dirty or poor but that He loves them, sees them, and knows them. I know that what happened on that trek was only a glimpse of the Lord’s pursuit of those people and of all of us. God will continue loving those villagers, whispering His constant and strong love to them, and sending people to minister to them. Seeing the Lord pursue them showed me that He is pursuing all of us just the same.
I left that trek with a better understanding of the Lord’s love for all of us. God loves them so much that he would send my team and me across the world and have us hike 27 miles to share the good news with them. And He loves me so much that He would choose me to be able to experience that. He trusts my team and me enough to shine His light in the nations. And if I didn’t know Him, he would send someone to tell me about Him too. I am humbled by all of those things.
Those four days we spent in the Himalayas were the best four days on the World Race for me. One of the best things I got to see was the newness of life the Lord opened my eyes to when the Nepali villagers heard the gospel for the first time. And though we were all exhausted from climbing stone staircases and descending rocky hills, the Lord refreshed us through the sweet, rich community we shared with each other. I have nothing but fond memories from that trek. I can already see that those few days in the Himalayas were pivotal in my walk with the Lord. He brought me closer to Him during that trek—through watching the sun rise over snow-capped mountains, through the meaningful conversations I shared with my friends, through the fellowship of American and Nepali believers, through the Holy Spirit who led us to share the love of Christ, through Durga who gently placed a flower behind each of our ears to thank us for spending time with her.
The Lord’s goodness shines through my memories of those days. And the best part about it is that He still has more. He is still taking me to a greater depth and understanding of His love. He is still chasing after those who have never heard His name. He is still speaking to us, showing His love to us, and fighting for us. And He won’t ever stop.
