Everyone has dreams and they all look different from
one person to the other, but very rarely does someone get the opportunity to
experience their dreams in all their fullness. With this being said, my life,
as I have lived it for the past six months has been a dream come true…
Every day I get to live for a purpose greater than
myself and reach people for Christ in places I never ever thought I would go
to. Every day I have the divine privilege to share the hope I have in Christ
and to be an active part of bringing the Kingdom of God down to earth. I would
like to give you a sneak peak of what it looks like to live on the race, the
good, the bad, and the ugly.
Here’s what this past month looked like:
–
On the race you may become a part of a
cobra killing expedition at the next door neighbour’s house.
–
Your back pack might get chewed by a
malicious gang of rats.
–
A bike ride through the woods may turn
into running for your life from a pack of raging wild boars.
–
You may have to relocate yourself to
another part of the house, move all your gear, and turn around and laugh with
your teammate (Trey) by the fact that although inside and away from the
elements you got attacked by the fruit of a wind and rain storm.
–
When 6 feet tall is definitely too tall
for all the doors in Nijgadh, Nepal, I have the bumps to prove it.
–
When wallowing in the mud becomes a
common place. And swimming in the River is a substitute for taking a shower
–
When you master the art of the Squaty
Potty.
–
When a trip to the river involves a
truck ride, trekking a couple miles to the river and then climbing over all
kind of rocks and boulders for an additional mile to reach your final
destination. In the end it was totally worth it.
–
When sitting for 7 hours in a really
tiny van cruising through the Himalayan Mountain Range.
–
And then there’s the times where you
walk through the village to be followed by 30 or more kids who think the world
of you and who all know your name. And you can’t help, but smile and feel their
love. You want pick every one of them up and take them all home.
–
Or the times you spend in the classroom
with twenty smiling faces looking back at you with their complete
attention.
–
When a short walk through the village
leaves your heart broken for everyone in it.
–
When you marvel at the beauty of God’s
creation.
–
Or when you have a conversation with a 3
year Nepalese boy you’re holding in your arms and you don’t understand a word
each other are saying, but you do understand one thing… You understand that
God loves him enough that He gave His life for him and you know by the end of
your dialogue that the little boys felts God’s love in your warm embrace.
–
When you’re humbled by the work of
faithful followers of Christ from around the world, Theresa and Daniel you will
be greatly missed!
–
When you have the delight and privilege
to serve and lead 5 wonderful teammates into deeper relationship with the God
you serve.
–
When the doors are wide open within a school
attended primarily by Hindu students to share the gospel and the response from
your first VBS melts your heart because you know lives were changed as the
children were lead to the Lord.
And finally, when you can barely make it
through a routine class with your students because you’re fighting through
tears because you finally took the time to realize how significant even the
smallest actions are when their done with His love. When you are so thankful
you are living your dreams because you are living in His dreams for you, in
what He created you to do.
In His Hands,
Ben Gagne
