Imagine yourself….
Being in the aisle of a bus, with bags of rice, potatoes, and luggage at your feet, and ducking so your head does not hit the roof with each bump. Each seat has at least one more person then it should hold, and the aisle is full as well. The air in the bus is thick with dust and body heat. The luggage rack up top is strapped full of bulky items with at least a dozen people hanging on. As you wind your way along a narrow, dirt mountain road you can see out over the valley. And as you gaze out the window, there is no ground to be seen only the tops of trees far below. With each sharp turn and slip of the wheel, you pray that the bus won’t tip and that it will stay on the road.
This how several of my teammates and I spent two days of travel this past month, when we got to have the experience of a lifetime.
Our host had heard of a village a day’s journey up into the mountains that had never been reached with the gospel before. He had never been there himself, and greatly desired to make contact. The five of us racers that went, had no clue what to expect as we began our journey there, only that we felt blessed to be part of reaching this village. After traveling in the bus I just described, we arrived at the last stop as the sun began to set. From there, it was an hour-long hike to reach the village, and we hiked it by the light of headlamps. The trail that we hiked up and over the mountain was at times more fit for a mountain goat then for us travelers. And the harder it got the more I prayed that God would use this trip to make a difference in where we were going so that the effort it took to get there would be all worth it.
Our time there ended up falling short of expectations, and had to be cut short due to health reasons. But I believe that even though we had a short time there, seeds were sown. And the seeds that were sown, will take root. And as return trips are made and these seeds are watered, there will be a harvest ready to gather. While this trip may at first seem like a waste of three days, there is now one less reached village in the nation of Nepal. The seed has been sown, and the Holy Spirit is now using that in people’s hearts. And with God’s perfect timing, a church will rise up.
It was such a blessing to be able to be a part of and witness the heart and passion of Nepalese who want to see their nation reached for God. And to work along side them this month. And our time in this village will always be a special experience.
