Welcome to month 10! My squad is excited to be back in Asia as we start the last two months of our Race. Our long trip started in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania taking us to an overnight adventure in Doha, Qatar and finally ending in Kathmandu, Nepal. My team was able to rest for a day and a half outside of Kathmandu where we stalked up on shampoo, snacks, and other things we might need before we headed into the Himalayan mountain villages for our 10th month of ministry. The drive through the mountains to our small town of Kote was breathtaking. Every five minutes or so one of us would look across the crowded bus aisle to another and say, “I can’t believe this is our life!”
We arrived at our new home and were greeted by the pastor and his family. We live below the church on the side of a mountain above a beautiful river. I can’t help but think that if India and Thailand crashed into Glacier Park it would create Nepal. I feel at home hiking up to remote villages and houses deep in the mountains to visit and encourage the people.
The pastor’s son, Samuel, goes with us to translate and makes sure we get enough rest before heading back down. “This is not America,” He always tells us, “This is Nepal. You can throw your trash into the river and we don’t smile when we have our pictures taken. We all share everything and we have fruit you have never heard of. We can walk to the top of a mountain in 1 hour and it will take you 3.”
We have cows that live on our roof and can wash our clothes in the river. We have to hike to get anywhere and have curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and we love every minute of it. Pray for the people of Nepal and the unreached population here. The church is very much persecuted in the city and here there are so many people who have never even heard the name of Jesus.
We are surrounded by His beauty every day and can’t wait to see how He will work in his children that live simply in these beautiful mountains.
