On Monday, a teammate (Andrea Diedrich) and I briefly taught English at a 15-student Bible school here in the mountains of Nepal (for those who are asking the question “how close are you to Everest?” We are about halfway between Kathmandu and Everest).
My new team (3/7 Beast Mode + 4/7 Blaze Trailers = 7/7 Team Blaze Mode) arrived about 5 days ago and have been getting use to the altitude (definitely the highest we’ve been so far on the race) and acquainting ourselves with our wonderful hosts, Samuel and his wife and two daughters.
Samuel himself teaches at a local Bible school, a 5-minute walk away from his house (where we are staying). I could say so much about Sam but one thing you have to understand is he feels a deep burden for the people and pastors of Nepal to be grounded in the Word. He told us how the tribal people in his area are mostly illiterate so they cannot read the Bible for themselves even if the want to (imagine that!). This puts more responsibility on pastors to be able to accurately teach on the Word from the pulpit. And thus, the Bible school, which exists to equip future pastors of Nepal to faithfully proclaim the Good News and teach the Bible well (I can’t help but wish some American pastors would desire to do the same).
At the onset of teaching English to this group of future pastors, Andrea and I were not given a translator, but when we requested one (and when it became obvious that we needed one) our host and Bible school teacher, Samuel, instructed a young woman from the back of the room to come up and translate for us. Head down and face aflush, the lady slowly made her way up to the front of the small room and to our rescue.
This young woman was really the MVP of the hour. Clarifying when people had questions and offering ideas on what to teach, the hour went way smoother with her help (I can’t say it wasn’t tough at times when neither myself nor my teammate had ever taught English before).
When the class ended, everyone made their way outside into the gloriously bright sunlight, and as we stood admiring the scenery (we’re in some rather striking mountainous terrain), Andrea and I struck up a conversation with our new friend. We thanked her repeatedly for her impromptu help and began asking her questions, wanting to get to know her a little more.
Her name is Namdu. She is 19 and her family is of the Sherpa tribe, close to the Chinese border (if you think “Sherpa” sounds familiar, that’s because Sherpas are the tribal group most Everest-climbers take as guides).
As we talked, I became increasingly curious as to how she came to be at this particular Bible school. She had told us how her village, Jade (pronounced Jah-deh), takes 4 days to get to from where the Bible school is in Jiri (1 day in a car + 3 days hiking). On top of that, a whole 2 families in her village are Christian, hers and a neighboring family. Where did the Bible school come into all of that?! Namdu explained that one of her brothers had been the first of her family to become Christian and, through him, her family (except for 2 of her sisters) has come to know Jesus. It was through that brother and another brother that she found out about the Bible school because they had attended it earlier.
Shortly after, Namdu told me about her desire to go back and tell people in her home village about Jesus. As she spoke I could see in her eyes how deeply she cares about her friends, her neighbors and her community. She cares such that she is willing to face opposition, hardship, persecution or ridicule to tell them Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. She also knows what she is giving up to live for Him in this way, and yet she is not deterred. Things like living in a big city (which come with indoor plumbing, easy access to food and clothing, good internet, diversity), traveling the world, enduring harsh winters and foregoing a formal education… I can’t help but believe Namdu understands Jesus’ love.
Through people like Samuel and Namdu, my eyes are being opened to a new kind of tangible, radical faith that throws its trust wholeheartedly in Jesus and not in human goodness, comfort or obligation. Their future may be uncertain and may give them unease at times, but they hold fast to the only worthy foundation that can stomach anything from bitter hardship and prolonged trials to unbridled joy.
What’s even more incredible to me is seeing the firmness with which they hold to their people. Unwavering, they will not back down or give up for the ones they love…even if an earthquake threatens to destroy their villages and towns (like it did last year, you may recall), even if their families disown them and they are forced out of their houses, even if they have to endure months or years of not seeing any “return on their investment”… They seem to have lazer-guided focus. And what’s more, they love God, their communities, their families, their history, their heritage so much that sharing the Gospel has become, in their minds, the single best way for them to express their love.
They are making me more and more convicted that there is no greater, worthier way to love each other than by showing Love (Jesus) to one another, by being Jesus’ hands and feet and mouth and eyes and ears and heart.
And oh man…do our Christian brothers and sisters here in Nepal really understand love! Haha! The many smiles, hugs, greetings, cups of tea, yummy plates of food, listening ears, hand-holds we’ve been privy to are just the tip of the iceberg. The Nepalese Christians are allowing the love of Christ to control them such that their lives are reflecting the radicalness (and yet commonness) of Jesus’ radical love. Shoooooot!!!! Now that’s exciting!
Y’all, God is taking over Nepal with his love one 19-year-old future pastor at a time…and her name is Namdu.
Fundraising Update
I am a little over $1000 short of meeting my fundraising goal (to be met by next Saturday), and would love any prayers you could bring to the Father about that. I am so grateful for all of my supporters and will definitely let y’all know if and when I meet the deadline. Thank you for loving me in this way, friends and family! Imagine me giving y’all a collosal hug. 🙂 Miss you guys!
