Debrief was a whirlwind; we had time to discuss what worked well last month in India and what we could grow in. Debrief is meant for a time of rest for us before we go to our next month of ministry. After our 40 hours of travel that should have been 8 hours of travel we were pretty wiped. I can honestly say that Katmandu is one of my favorite cities in the world, everyone is so vibrant and welcoming. The people have servants’ hearts, and we have been blown away by the hospitality. Being a Christian outwardly in the country of Nepal is illegal, so a lot of our work is pretty “underground” if you will. We cannot evangelize or speak openly in public about being a Christian. In fact, we have been instructed to tell people we are just touring.
Being an American we are constantly asked about our new president, Mr.Trump. My squad mate Danielle said it best: “Trump headlines the newspapers around the globe. In the past 24 hours we are constantly stopped on the streets of Nepal and asked how we feel about our new President. And guess what? I don’t get to say that I believe God is in control and I believe God is bigger than our President. I don’t have that freedom here. It is an illegal statement. As Americans, we have freedoms that are so rare and beautiful in this world. We have the freedom to come together as a nation in love, respect and faith in the midst of our differences.” Being a Christian in a closed country has its difficulties, but the opportunities that can be had through the Lord are endless.
Upon arriving at our new home for the month I was taken aback by a majority of Hindu and Buddisht people in the village side of Katmandu. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see more than 90% of the men, women and children with “Bindis” which is a red dot worn on the forehead usually to represent a married woman. In the Hindu culture it can also represent the third eye used to ward off bad luck. Last month we were in a region of India that was basically a little Christian bubble. We are being exposed to a lot more culturally here. Our ministry contact has a relative with more living space for guests who just happen to be Hindu. For their protection I will not mention their names. (I will explain this dynamic in a bit…)
It is mind blowing to me that some of the Hindu and Buddisht practices involve walking around a temple 7 times in a row to receive forgiveness for their sins. While walking home from a village near a famous Buddhist temple called Swayambhu Stupa, I saw a man get on his knees, lay on his stomach then to his feet and then raise his hands to the air (for my work out peeps it was a less intense burpee). He continued in this pattern several times until he was out of our sight. I asked our ministry contact why he was doing this. Our ministry contact responded “he must have a lot of sins, and is asking the Buddhist gods’ forgiveness. He must complete his repentance 7 times around the temple.”
I am so thankful that through the Lord we are redeemed, that as believers all we must do is call upon the Lord and ask forgiveness. Isaiah 1:18-19 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, You will eat the good things of the land”
My heart breaks for these people who have not yet met the Lord.Being that Nepal is a closed country we must be very sensitive to protect our hosts and their ministry. One slip up and we could jeopardize the ministry and our hosts’ safety. Our ministry contact has graciously set us up to live with a Hindu family. The family is open to us staying with them because their daughter, who converted to Christianity, is married to our pastors’ son. Locals in our village ask us why we are there. We have been instructed to tell them that we are tourists. Although our hosts are not Christians we feel as though a large part of our ministry will be with them and their other three children (ages 8-22.) We have been able to go to church and minister to this family just by showing them how much Jesus loves them through our actions.
For ministry we have been walking anywhere from 5-10 miles a day to different churches to preach around Katmandu. The other pastors are elders and do not speak English. So we rely solely on our ministry contact translation and body language. Each one of us have been getting up to speak on different life experiences and bible passages.
Please pray that the Lord will show his face in new and exciting ways to the Nepali people. That through our actions we can touch the lives of our host, that they will want to know the lord. Pray that the Lord will provide funds so I can remain on the ministry field.
I am still fundraising I am $112 from my Nov 30th goal. In order to be fully funded I must raise $4073. If you feel led to support Global Missions please click the “support me” button at the top of this page. I would love to share with you about how the Lord is working in my life and in Nepal. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be here, and am blessed by all my supporters.
XO, B
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