We’re alive and well in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our first week in the country we spent it at ‘Debrief’ as a squad with our leadership. We did exactly that, debrief. We were able to sit with our leadership and process through what the Lord had done during our first month of The Race in India. I took advantage of the week and took some time to rest and reflect with the Lord. If you know me, you know that I love my sleep 😉
I was able to explore around Thamel, a side of Kathmandu full of shops and tourists. I also had my first tastes of Nepalese food, like authentic Chow Mein and Momo which are like dumplings. We started and finished up our week with worship and prepared our hearts for ministry.
We traveled on Sunday to our ministry host Pastor Bryan and hit the ground running on Monday. Oh, and did I mention is all squad month! Instead of being split into teams for ministry, all forty eight of us are living under one roof.
Pastor Bryan challenged us and invited us into a time of Amad. Amad is simply a time of stillness and listening to the Lord. We spend an hour praying, journaling, reading scripture and tuning in our heart’s with the Lord. Pastor shared with us the vision of the day, we would be hiking up to the highest accessible spot in Kathmandu and declaring the different characteristics of the Lord over the city. This is when the fun began.
Traveling to this spot meant catching the right bus and let me tell you people, getting forty eight plus leadership across Kathmandu is no easy task. It ended up being about 23 racers on a small bus. We made the best of it and sang along to the radio. Shortly after we got dropped off and the hike began. After some sweat running down my face and a couple of stops to catch my breath, we made it! I really had to catch my breath but this time because of the view! It was astonishing!
We gathered as a squad and worshiped on a mountain top. We each picked up a rock and wrote down our favorite characteristic; with each stone we symbolically built an altar of praise to God.
The irony and yet purpose all along, was that just over on the mountain was a temple the Nepalese people would come to bring offerings in order to conceive. We were able to declare truth and that our God is the only author of life. As we walked around the temple, I prayed that any couple that hiked that mountain would rather meet the Lord surrounded by His creation.
I was able to meet the Lord there, at the top of a mountain surrounded by his creation and left in awe. Nepal and its people continue to take my breath away by its beauty and hospitality. We’ll see what this month has in store!
From one vulnerable heart to another,
Diane
