Sometimes it takes the innocence of a child to change the course of a family.
It was a day similar to other days out in our village in east Nepal. We met up with team Tabula Rasa, hopped on a bus and rode about 30min down the mountain to another village.
We took in the view at the lake then began visiting people in shops and homes. We’d sit and talk. Drink tea and answer questions.
It was a day like many others on the Race. The hospitality of this country still amazes me.
We spent the afternoon hiking back up the mountain, all the while continuing to stop and chat with people along the way. We’d share the Gospel and sometimes they’d be interested. Sometimes they would listen then politely say they weren’t interested. It’s just seemingly all in a days work anymore.
But even in the midst of what can now seem the ordinary, Jesus shows up in extraordinary ways.
Our last stop was at a house just below the mountain road we were hiking up. It was painted bright blue and green. Its pretty hard to miss up in the dusty hills we began to call home.
A young father was home with his mother and two young daughters, ages 10 and 2. He spoke great English and sat attentively listening as Meredith shared the Gospel with him. He’d occasionally ask questions and other team members would speak up. Even our young translators, Bikal and Deepak, only ages 16 & 17, joined in the conversation.
It was beautiful.
It ended with the man asking if we had a Bible he could have so he could read it to learn more.
Unfortunately we didn’t have one with us, but Bikal and Deepak told him about a church nearby where he could pick one up.
After the conversation he offered us some tea (just about everywhere we stopped we were offered tea, it’s so great!) and he left to go make us some.
As we sat chatting amongst ourselves in the living room, the man’s eldest daughter walked into a back room I hadn’t even noticed was there. She disappeared behind the curtain in the doorway and soon after we saw her small outstretched hand holding a Bible.
We sat there shocked for a few moments as our translators began to ask her some questions.
It turns out this young girl had been attending a nearby church and was given a Bible. However, her family is Hindu so she kept the book hidden because she didn’t know how her father would react.
Apparently she was listening intently to our conversation with her dad and when she heard him ask for a Bible she knew it was safe to reveal the one she’d been hiding all along.
Jesus is SO good!
We continued to chat with the man over our tea and play with his daughters for a few minutes before we had to leave.
We shook hands and said our goodbyes before continuing our journey up the mountain to our home village.
We may never see that man or his family again this side of Heaven, but through our short interaction in his home I was reminded once again just how BIG our God is.
He uses the smallest and weakest vessels for some of His mightiest work and for that I am so thankful.
He can use a 10yr old girl in the mountains of Nepal to bring Kingdom to earth and He invited me and all of my supporters at home to be a part of it too.
