I will miss the way the children would peek through our windows and grin from ear to ear
The way I would get up every morning, sleepy eyes and damp from sweat,
but be rejuvenated once their smiles met with mine
The way they would stand up in unison and sing out “Good morning, sister!” whenever I would walk into the classroom
The way they would get excited whenever we would come in to teach
The way they would light up whenever we did handshakes
The way they would smile and giggle whenever we tried to speak in Nepali
The way they would gather around us, craving to simply play with us on the grass
The way I would watch them blow bubbles in the afternoon with soap on their hands after washing their clothes, and how they would jump for joy whenever a bubble would float into the air
The way they would not only remind me why I am here through their smiles,
but even more of why I exist through their presence
I will miss the way my Nepalese sisters made me feel like home whenever I was with them
The way we would laugh at the littlest things
The way they snuck me into their kitchen close to dinner time to feed me curried goat and samosas
The way they would voluntarily help us with hand washing our clothes (because, let’s face it, they are the pros)
The way they took me to their room late at night to show me photos of their families, to laugh with me, to converse with me using our broken English and Nepali, and to exist with me
The way they would pull me aside just to say, “I like you. A lot.”
I will miss the way my Nepalese sister, Prava, quickly turned into not only a sister, but even a best friend
The way she took me to the village marketplace, just me and her, and made me feel so a part of the people, of the culture
The way she walked with me down the street and treated me to some of the tastiest (and weirdest) street foods
The way we both walked around together, connecting and communicating in ways that were only possible by the Spirit
The way we traveled to another village on one bicycle together at 6AM and watched the sunrise with fields all around us
The way we would stop to take a break under beautiful trees,
to simply look out on the rice fields and sit in solemn, shared silence
The way we both stood up in front of the village people together, declaring the gospel and God’s steadfast love for us
The way we both laid down on the floor of a mud hut,
fanning each other and sharing our testimonies to the best of our English-Nepali language abilities
The way my heart and eyes were once again opened to the beauty of connecting despite language barriers, and how this beauty was magnified through our friendship
The way we both walked side by side past goats, cows, and water buffalos,
while discussing her passion for education and for the beautiful country of Nepal
The way she would bicycle as I sat on the back, watching the sweat drip down her neck and soak her punjabi top, all out of love for me, for our friendship, and for the LORD
The way we took a break from bicycling to sit at a place where we could look out on the fields together, feel the breeze and simply exchange smiles in knowing that we were not alone
The way she spoke about her passion for Jesus
and the joy that comes with freely worshipping even amidst a Hindu community
The way we both laughed and acted like goofballs while sitting in a local hut, sipping on a cold, glass bottle of pop
The way that God used her to heal my homesickness, because she made me feel like home
The way our eyes both welled up as we had to say our goodbyes, yet the peace that we both had over our hearts in knowing that we will see each other again in heaven if not on earth
I will miss the way the trees and the fields sort of blended into a vast sea of green
The way the fireflies would dance in the trees and the fields at night, making everything look like it was twinkling gold, making me feel like I was at Disneyland again
The way we would walk by all kinds of animals on the daily, simply because that’s the way life is in the village of Nepal
The way the colorful patterns that the women wore would perfectly accent the colors of nature all around them
The way my eyes would always get so lost in the splendor of His creation whenever I was either sitting by the window,
or riding on the top of the bus
The way you can’t help but to be in complete awe of God’s handiwork as you sit underneath the Nepalese stars
I will miss the way our ministry host family made us feel like, well, family
The way they would graciously prepare tea and homemade Nepalese food for us every single day
The way they showed us how to eat river snails
The way they taught us how to cook mo mo’s and samosas
The way our Nepalese Uncle would walk around in his pink butterfly shorts, and with complete confidence
The way our Nepalese brothers were amazed by the sight of popcorn popping inside of the microwave
The way they watched Indiana Jones with us late into the night, underneath the Nepalese stars
The way they would look back at us while traveling and smile
Smile at the sight of us packed into a van or even packed onto the top of a bus
The way they would always make sure we were okay, and selflessly loved us with the love of Jesus
The way our Nepalese brother would say, “Do you know Jesus Christ? Yes. I believe in Him. I do not lie.”
The way they would worship in church, dripping in sweat but completely alive in simply being in the presence of the LORD, singing and saying “Hallelujah!” over and over again
And though our month in Nepal came to a quick end,
I am thankful for every seed that was planted and for every fruit that was sweet because of Jesus
I am thankful for the opportunity to teach children while inside of a mud hut
I am thankful for the reminder of the freedom of the gospel that got me feeling free
while sharing it with a group of village people
I am thankful for that time we spent building walls together using bricks and cement,
reminding me of the fact that in order to build my heart on Jesus, it will take work
But all of the pain and the sweat will always be worth it because He is the only everlasting foundation
Jesus is restoration
Jesus makes me new
Jesus is life
I am thankful for tea time every morning, because this was a time that reminded me to be still and know that God is unchanging, and that His love for us is steadfast
I am thankful for the challenges and for the celebrations that we faced as a team,
because ultimately it unified us more as sisters and as daughters of the Almighty
I am thankful for the way every single member on my team lit up in being able to use their gifts in Nepal for the Kingdom
I am thankful for the hospitality, relentless kindness and grace of our ministry host,
making us feel like home, even thousands of miles away from home.
And most of all, I am thankful for Jesus.
For breaking me on day one and for showing me that He will never give up on me,
nor will He ever give up on the people of Nepal.
For showing me that He will never give up on the children
and His everlasting love will never run out for those who are feeling dry.
Because His love is quenching
His love fulfills promises
His love brings light upon the darkness
His love pours rain onto the droughts of the heart
And He will never give up on me in my rebellion and He will never forsake me in my brokenness.
He will never give up on me in my selfishness and He will never turn His face away in my surrender.
Even more than this, God has used Nepal to show me that even amidst pain, He will continue to make beautiful things out of us. Even amidst oppression, He will continue to make beautiful things out of Nepal. And though it was bittersweet to leave our Nepalese family, I smile because I know that Jesus has gone before them and that Jesus has gone before us.
And because I know that Jesus is still there, still here.
And because I know that will never change.
“From everlasting to everlasting.”
