It’s been a crazy week and a half here in Nepal!
While I was in India I was planning debrief for our squad of 51 people. Debrief looks like a five day break from ministry where we get to relax and well, debrief the past month. One of my roles on my squad is to figure out logistics for our 11 month trip, I don’t have to do this alone- I have two amazing co-leaders who are amazing. Our job is to coordinate long distance transportation for our squad and plan debriefs (lodging, fun activities, meeting spaces, food, all the things) so everyone gets some rest along the way. Eleven months of nonstop ministry in eleven different countries would not be humanly possible without a few rest days here and there. Doing the behind the scenes work is one of my favorite ways I get to serve the people around me. Seeing their smiles when we got to the hotel and hearing about the joy that came from a warm shower makes all the preparation and planning worth it. But real talk, I was terrified that the hotel I had booked would look nothing like it did online and my squad wouldn’t get comfy beds or showers. Everything went well though, thanks Jesus for having my back.
We took five days of world race vacation (debrief) once we arrived in Nepal, nothing crazy this just means we got a real shower and a bed to sleep in for the first time in a month. We realized that a shower with real water pressure is glamorous after you’ve been using a bucket to bathe for a month. We soaked in the luxury of American toilets (&toilet paper) and the victory of eating at a restaurant that serves French fries. We played tourists for an afternoon and spent sweet time with friends who did ministry in other parts of India. We worshipped together and prayed together. We laughed and we cried and we drank Nepali tea until our hearts were content. It was an awesome time to be with our whole squad and scrub off the dirt I was still carrying around from India.
Our time at debrief is over but our hearts are full and ready to jump right into ministry here in Nepal. Although our warm showers are gone, we are living 51 people in one house, and are limited to three toilets which we are only allowed to flush once daily (yes you read that right community flushes are a real thing on the world race) we are ready and excited about the things the Lord is doing in Nepal. Ministry here looks different everyday, but our host is encouraging us to see what the Lord is already doing here and to join Him in that, instead of starting something new on our own. So far this looks like walking 7-10 miles per day, praying over the city, parliament and various temples, talking to strangers on the street, and practicing evangelism. He’s got big things working here in Nepal, and it’s amazing to get to be a part of it.
