Let me just begin by saying, Nepal is beautiful. Our drive to our ministry site was breathtaking as we drove over mountains and passed quaint little villages (yes, I just used the word quaint), spread through out the mountain side. The air was crisp and clean and in our minds, Nepal was probably the most beautiful country we have been to yet.
Unfortunately, our ministry was located in the town of Nijgadh, two hours from the border of India, in a hot, humid, and dirty climate. Just as Bakersfield is to California, Nijgadh is to Nepal. Though we were looking forward to doing ministry in the pristine beauty of Nepal, in reality, it felt like we were back in India. Doh…
Our ministry for the month was partnering with two missionary couples from GEMS, the Indian organization that I worked with last month. They have established a school which they used as a way to get connected with the community and share the gospel. We took over a few classes at the school during the day, as well as did some manual labor around the school. We also did some programs for several church clubs in the area. We had a lot of downtime during the month, but thankfully it really allowed for me to get into the Word every morning, spend time with God and allow myself to develop some routine once again.
Though I would have to say that this has been one of the most challenging months, one of the greatest elements from this month was seeing our new team bond and connect. At the end of month 8, we were assigned new teams and none of us really knew what to expect. Despite the uncertainty, as we began our month in Nepal, things with our new team have been exceptionally good. I have really enjoyed getting to know my new team mates and seeing how God has placed us together to strongly finish out the next three months. Even though our month may have been a struggle in many different ways, God really used this month to bring us together, get to know each other, and challenge one another to take full advantage of the three months we have together.
