From where I stand I can feel the cool breeze from a long awaited completion to our endless summer. I can hear the cheers from soccer fans as our new friends win their first tournament game. I am stirred awake by the sounds of roosters and goats. I can hear the sweet voices of the village children early in the morning. This is Urlabari, Nepal.
Let's be honest here, a lot of my squad has been waiting on Nepal. It's the halfway mark to our very long journey, it's our last Asian country, and, most importantly, it's cold! I haven't really needed a jacket since, well, winter of LAST YEAR! So this chilly air and need for a sleeping bag is a breath of fresh air for us! Not to mention Nepal is just absolutely gorgeous!
Okay, so we probably had the coolest, and most random, ministry this month. We started off in Kathmandu then traveled about 14 hours by bus to Urlabari where we had our hands in the building of an orphanage that our contact is starting and we got to work with our contacts soccer team, Church Boys United, at a tournament they were in. After the tournament ended we took a short bus ride and a three hour hike (crossing a river 12 times!) to a beautiful village where we helped build a school that will educate the children in the village. After the hike back to civilization and a few hours of sleep we took a bumpy ride up a mountain to another amazing village where we got to spread the gospel via Jesus films. It was absolutely wonderful!
Probably one of my favorite things to happen this month was something that the team leaders planned for us. Now, something you get used to on the World Race is just not knowing what the next day, or even the next hour, looks like. So the team leaders took advantage of our willingness to just follow wherever the race leads us and simply gave us the instructions to be up at 6 a.m. with our Bibles. Of course we obliged. What awaited us the next morning was an awesome encounter with God. With the three teams joined in worship and prayer on the unfinished roof of the orphanage we were completely drenched in the Holy Spirit. Literally, drenched, the mist was so thick my hair was dripping. But isn't that just how the Spirit is? So tangible when you call for Him, He drips from your very being, lingering in the air around you, completely consuming the atmosphere.
On that note, here is a simple challenge for you. Call on the Holy Spirit, let Him completely consume you, and allow that alone to be a life changer for you.
