"Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
It's our first morning here in Kathmandu, Nepal, and it is with great joy that I write this blog post! One of my favorite moments while traveling is when I wake the first morning after arrival and immediately realize that I am, in fact, in a new place. A huge smile crosses my face as I whisper softly to the Lord, "thank you." This morning was no different, and… I may have let out a high-pitched squeal.
Yesterday, when our airplane landed, my eyes welled up with tears. As I peered out the window, I couldn't stop crying. It is impossible to articulate how full my heart was, how incredibly blessed I felt to be in this new country and on the World Race journey. Sure, after a total of 18 hours of air travel and 17 hours of layover time, anyone would be excited to land. But for me, that moment was about so much more than stretching out my legs and elevating my swollen ankles (and my gosh, were they SWOLLEN). After 21 years of waiting for and dreaming and wondering and praying about the mission field, God bought me to this place, to ASIA, to share His love and saving grace with the Nepalese people. How do you begin to describe what that feels like?!
So yes, this morning, I awoke with joy and praised the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever. I have been renewed in strength and energy and my cup runneth over! Tomorrow, we will venture 6 hours south to work with New Light Nepal, an organization fighting child sex trafficking. After learning of the disturbing statistics, my heart began to break – Please pray for those who have been trafficked and for those families who are contemplating selling their daughters into slavery/marriage. Please also pray for my team, for continued joy and strength in the face of such darkness, as well as that every morning may be one such as this, one filled with the presence and wonder of God!
