I have been in Kathmandu, Nepal for almost 2 weeks now! The atmosphere here is so much lighter than it was in India. It is also a backpacking country so they are used to seeing tourists and Americans walking around, which is also completely different from India.
We spend the first week at debrief. We use this time to rest, explore, learn, and essentially debrief and process our past month. We stayed in a very nice hotel with a HOT SHOWER (!!!!) and BEDS (!!!!). We were able to shop and explore the town. It was glorious.
I thought debrief was going to be all about resting and relaxing. And part of it was. But it was also a growing experience for me.
I thought I had crushed my feelings of inadequacy and left them behind in India. But now being with my entire squad and hearing their stories, I felt it creeping back in. Thoughts of comparison quickly came back as I struggled to process all that was going on at debrief. I was feeling overwhelmed as I travelled from the quiet village life with just 7 of my teammates to the busy city life with 48 of my squadmates. So during our team time at the end of debrief, emotions got the best of me as I shared my struggles throughout the week.
I am so blessed to have teammates that fight for me and each other every single day. They tore down that lie of inadequacy yet again and spoke truth into me. They continue to encourage and lift me up right when I need it.
Our squad mentor, Erika, led a powerful women’s session for us yesterday and said, “The lie of the enemy rest mainly in trying to convince that we need something that we already have.” Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them…” The enemy tries to convince me that I’m not good enough and I need to be better. But God created us in HIS image and he is GOOD.
That’s not to say the lie won’t ever come back up. But when it does, I know that I can recognize it as not true and bring it into the light. That lie is not who I am and that is not how God sees me. I am worthy. I am right where I should be. I am made in His image. So yeah, I’m feeling pretty good right now!!!
So, Nepal.
We have been at our ministry site since Sunday. Our entire squad is staying in a cozy four story house. On Monday we went on a “3 minute trek” that actually means 6 miles to the highest point of Kathmandu to see the temple and pray over the city. It was a great hike with a beautiful view. It was pretty cool to look out over the mountain and pray over the whole city. Ministry will be a lot of asking the Lord what he wants us to do and who he wants to talk to this month. Our ministry host has a passion for Jesus and the people of Kathmandu. I am excited to see how God works through our ministry this month!
Here I am passing out handmade bracelets to children on Children’s Day here in Nepal.
