“Jai-Ma-Shi!” We are a little over half way through this month in Nepal and I have begun working on the logistics for Africa. Extending visas, lodging in Kathmandu and transport to Swaziland (its not as much as it sounds). It is crazy to see how time is flying by and I soon will only have three months left on the race. My time here in Nepal has been full of adventure and ministries. We have worked a lot with children singing kids songs, which is not my specialty by any means. We also have worked with the youth sharing testimonies, teaching, and fellowship.
I preached these past two weeks, which I am not accustomed to but the Lord presented the opportunities. They were both churches on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley. One was only 24km away but took 3hrs to get there with traffic, roads, and the rough terrain of the mountains. My first sermon was prompted by an amazing story of God answering my prayers in Malaysia. The prayer is still being answered but has helped me understand grace much better. I’ll hopefully be posting another blog here shortly from Malaysia until now as this answer to prayer rolls into completion. This last Saturday was Easter (Saturday) and of course I spoke on Jesus’ resurrection. I was prompted to preach when Friday morning in my devotions I found myself giving myself a sermon on the rooftop of our house in Baktapur. I thought what a great topic to preach on Easter, if only there was an opportunity. Of course God always provides for us to share the Gospel in his timing. That night our team leader surprised us that someone would need to preach the following morning! I volunteered since I felt like I was half-way prepared and stayed up late studying God’s word and the amazing story of His resurrection! I took the perspective of the disciples and how their faith and belief changed as God continued to reveal himself to their doubtful hearts. As I shared the Gospel (Jesus is the Christ) I related it to our own personal walks with Jesus and how we need him to continually reveal himself to us, leading us in His direction.
They have a saying here in Nepal (Nay-Paul) that is used only for greeting brothers in Christ… “Jai-ma-shi,” meaning praise THE lord. It is very refreshing coming from India and Malaysia to be allowed to publicly declare our faith and really distinguish and unite us as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. I don’t feel called to be a preacher and don’t believe I have that gift, but God has called us to be ready to share the faith we have in Jesus at all times. If you haven’t shared the Gospel (Jesus is the Christ) in a while, something could be wrong. I heard a saying today… from a very…very…reliable source that said “Although we are few in Nepal, Christ makes us strong. Although we are many in America, we are ignorant to the strength in Christ.”
I am currently writing the blog in Pokhara with our contacts son, Nishan, as we rest and relax this weekend in view of Ice capped mountains (Too far from Everest). Each month we always have days of rest and this month we combined them to go to Pokhara. The mountains are amazing although it’s still an 18hr drive away from Mount Everest. We still get a great site of Jesus’ creation. (John 17:5).
Prayer Requests:
Pray that God would continue to reveal himself to me and Nepal.
Pray for Logistics and more good stories.
Nishan(Ministry Contacts son)- Pray for my church and the youth as they are eager to grow in Christ more.
– Pray for my friends to know Christ, the one true God. And for God to use me as his vessel.
-Pray for my studies in engineering.
-Pray for my parents (our contacts) to persevere in ministry and that men will come to church and fulfill the role of a man.
Photo of our Men’s picnic
