Back to Nepal. :]
After our first week in Kathmandu, we spent the next two weeks up in the “mountains.” We stayed in Danda Bazar village with pastor Youbaraj, his wife, Dipa, his mother in law, and his son, Bikal. Mehs came with us from Kathmandu (he and BeBe were our cooks there). We spent time hiking up, down, and across the cliff-like hills striped with thin green fields, to join fellow Christians at church gatherings and to stop by homes to share the gospel. My team challenged each other to grow, we each pursued God a lot, and God moved us to greater things.
Each church we stayed in welcomed us with flower necklaces or badges and had us sit in plastic lawn chairs while everyone else but the elders sat on the floor. When we stopped to chat with people during hikes we were often offered tea (either hot black tea with black pepper in it, or, rarely, milk tea (chai tea), or weak milky coffee – all very sweet) Our host family looked for ways to please us and willingly went to the work of changing their plans to mold our activities, and food, and what they expected of us, to prefer us. Despite cultural differences, they warmly accepted us as we were without needing us to fit their mold. The Nepali Christians serve sacrificially.
It was particularly touching to see Mehs look out for us. He cared about the details like helping us on the steep parts of scrambling over the hills, bringing us tea if we weren’t up-stairs when he made it, asking how we were if we were sitting alone … . He only spoke a little English, but some of my favorite conversations last month were with him. All day every day, Mehs lived out love. He sacrificially went out of his way to serve us. He was always happy and always eager to do anything for us. I don’t even know how he came up with so many things to do. But I know he genuinely cared about me. His actions were a result of forgetting himself and being intent on God.
These people weren’t putting on airs or fulfilling duty. They loved us even though we were no real advantage to them. After a meal together, we were family. Why is this so curious to me? Do we eagerly choose things of no advantage to ourselves to welcome others with Christ’s love?
I know our payment for food and housing etc. was a blessing to Deepak and pastor, but that’s not why they had us there. They were eager to spread the gospel and encouraged that we traveled so far to be with them! They were blessed just by our presence. Again, in this way too, Mehs stands out. He asked me many times how I liked Nepal and if I could please come back. He wants someone to visit his village, in some other Nepal hills, and proclaim the hope he has. Eventually he wants Nepal to be a base that sends people out all over the world. First he needs some person or people to go to Nepal and share the gospel. Specifically, He wants his family to know God. He prays for someone to come. He entreated us to consider returning.
How can he ask something like that?
How can I hear the need and not go?
What if I don’t want to? I mean, how can you accept a life in a land that fills your lungs with dust so much that you wake up in the night unable to breathe, that doesn’t have sufficient water for a weekly shower, that is so hot you break out in a rash, that is so low on resources that lighting and internet are only available short irregular times, that continually burns from forest fires? How can you climb those strenuous pointy hills and travel bumpy rough roads every day? How can you live without fresh produce, eating food that upsets your stomach? How can you make an impact when the fact that you’re an American makes your gospel look like the health and wealth “gospel?” And the divisions of denominations (so prevalent in America) keep scores of people from accepting the ONE true way? How could you live in a place where the very atmosphere is against your existence there?
Readily, I would go if God called me there. Only for the Gospel.
Please pray for Mehs, his village, pastor and his family, and the four church plants we worked in, each of the people my team and I got to share the gospel with, Deepak-the-younger who helped translate along with Bikal, BeBe and Deepak-our-host, and Deepak’s family, and the church in Nepal, and all the curious hopeless people in Nepal who fear family or haven’t heard, for the changing government, for more native people to be available and sponsored and sent out from their church, for more internationals to come share the gospel, for the work there to be supported by funding and prayer, for evil to be dispelled. Praise God, people here are very open to hearing the gospel! Praise God for the awesome work He is doing in Nepal! Oh, God, plant seeds there and grow people who love and serve You alone!
Thank you!
Much love,
Meredith
