Here is a sneak peak into my first week of ministry in Nepal. Follow my Instagram to find correlating photos.
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April 7th
(Day of arrival)
We got accommodated into our cutie portion of the house. We are living with the sweetest family. Our host is Gressom (20 yo.) and his Dad, “Papa”, also spends a lot of time with us and leads a devotional with us and the family each night. There are three floors and we are on the bottom. There is a common room where church is held, and two rooms off to the side in which we stay in. Instead of spreading out into two rooms we decided to smoosh us into one room and cuddle at night (it’s not really smooshing, we are blessed with tons of room). Then we keep our bags in the other room which is used for quiet time or activities at night when others are sleeping.
We had supper with Papa and a devotional with the family. Papa shared a bit about the culture. He also wanted us to share about our experience on the Race so far, and then we read scripture together.
Afterwards Papa serenaded us with the sarangi instrument. Who knew he was a famous instrumentalist in Nepal.
April 8th
(The first day of ministry)
We woke up and had breakfast at 8:30
10am Gressom and his cousin went with us to ministry (returned around 4pm)
We took a 2-3 hour excursion to ministry
Walked 15 minutes to bus stop from house
On two different buses for approximately 1.5 hours
Climbed up mountain for approximately 30 minutes
At the top of the mountain is a safe haven church for people of the community. Many believers are not able to openly or loudly worship or express their faith. This location on top of a mountain is a safe place for people to yell, shout, pray, and worship. Out of this church the pastor also cares for the children of an orphanage down the street. The children met us there on the mountain. With no language in common, we shared the love of Jesus to the best of our capabilities. There is already a ministry to sustain the work of the Lord and we’re just coming along side of them.
Hannah and I went down the mountain with the pastor and his wife. As we waited at the bottom of the mountain Hannah and I prayed over a Hindu temple. We especially felt a spiritual heaviness when we prayed against the idol/god with the elephant head. On our ride back home Gressom shared with me the story of this “god”, it is known as the God of wealth.
Prayer request:
Pray that the temple and idols of this town would be torn down, and that the people would see that they are praying to a god that could never give them what they are asking for… Let alone this god/these gods will never give them what they need.
Scripture to war with:
Today the thoughts that I meditated on:
1. I bet the Lord did a lot of walking and traveling in His days just to share a small simple message too. Instead of looking at traveling for a long time to only spend a little time in ministry, I was shifted to see that a long trek rather is worth getting to far places to share the Kingdom, even if you only have a moment.
2. There is something sweet about the Lord displayed in His mountains
3. The power in our hands. We can choose gentleness and love, or abuse and malice. What do we communicate with our hands?
Today the scripture that I meditated on:
Genesis 1-4, anything that is produced reflects and looks like the thing that made it. The plants that produce other plants, the animals that produce other animals, God that created humans, sinful natured humans that create sinful natured humans.
April 9th
(The second day of ministry)
Today we had a later ministry. So in the morning we had time to be with the Lord and workout!
We left out at 2:30 to go to the monkey temple here in Nepal. It is located on a high point in the middle of Kathmandu, and it is a temple of the Buddha. Reminder, Buddhists don’t worship Buddha. Oddly enough though, He is considered a Hindu God. At the temple we did a prayer walk. We all stayed quiet and to ourselves and prayed over this place.
After our prayer walk we went to a house of a believer where other believers of the community met us as well. We ate supper together with them. Heard their stories and were encouraged. Truly blown away by these people’s devotion and dedication to the Lord. One woman was in the middle of a long fasting period. Another young teenage girl was the only believer of her family, and they would at times withhold food from her, and mock her for not participating in the Hindu festivals and rituals. Another woman had not been able to attend church because they needed to work. One of her children had begun having migraines, and she had believed it was because they were not attending church. We were able to speak into her life and tell her about how our God doesn’t work that way.
I had one of my monthly phone calls with Erika, who is overseeing me as one of our squad’s worship coordinators. This has been such an honor to be given this role, and I have failed a many of times. But to see how the Lord has used Brook and I to help create an atmosphere for and of worship on our team is awesome. As worshippers we know that missions exists because worship doesn’t (Johnny P quote).
Prayer request: Pray that the Lord would uncover the blindness from the eyes of these people. YHWH has demonstrated his power both in action and creation, these people are without excuse. Pray that more followers of Jesus would be raised up in Nepal, and that they will bring good news to blind people.
Pray for protection over the saints.
Today the thoughts I meditated on:
1. God doesn’t need to destroy the monkey temple as I originally thought, they would just build it back. But he’s done one better. He’s made a mockery of the place. It’s a place where monkeys, dogs, and pigeons feast on the food offered up to their gods (AKA nothingness). People are taking pictures here and there, things are being sold like a market, and the title that this temple is referred to now isn’t even of the god it was created for to revere, it’s not well known as “the temple of the Buddha” but rather “the monkey temple”. There is no reverence here.
2. God is faithful, even when we’re not. Like the rising sun, he is consistent, and just like there’s nothing we can do to stop or move the sun out of its consistency and faithfulness, neither can we affect the Father’s.
3. The East has given me such a clearer view of the Bible, and I understand Jesus’s ministry, heart, and difficulties now, and I also see the resemblance in how the Eastern culture functions in relation to other religions and faith in Jesus.
Today the scripture I meditated on:
Psalm 38 & 147
Verses 10-11 of Psalm 147, I am weak and the Lord is strong, I am not able but He is more than capable… Living in fear of Him and having hope because of his steadfast love… Yea… That’s the good life
April 10th
(The third day of ministry)
We woke up to have breakfast at 7:30 and hit the road at 8am.
We walked to the bus station (15min)
Then we were on a bus for about an hour
This day was crazy!
We hiked approximately 9 miles today.
Through the Nepali “hills”, which are really the same as the tall mountains of NC, we hiked. I swear parts of this hike were more like climbing up a straight mountain than hiking. To those aware of my Canada trip, this was way harder than the hike to Castle mountain, for those of you who know Rocky Face in Alexander Co. NC, it was just as steep as the vertical mile challenge, but we did that like 20 times.
There is a pastor who hikes this, but 8-10 miles every day to shepherd these people who are in a hard to reach place. The Nepali believers ho estate are the most faithful people I’ve met, they take their faith so seriously, and are willing to suffer and sacrifice so much to be with and serve our King. Today was just a little support and encouragement for these believers and pastor.
We stopped by a house of a woman whose body was half paralyzed and prayed for her. She was so so sweet.
We hiked down to the church service where two people from our team shared scripture, testimony, and a message.
Then our last stop was at the pastors house. Him and his wife have several children, one who has disabilities. I was able to talk with this mom, and she was encouraged by my intentional questions, and had made the comment that none of the other teams that had been through before had ever asked her questions and tried to know her. This made me really sad, as she has such a servant heart. She served us lunch, and her ability to love and give really is incredible. She had always wanted to, and desired to be by her husbands side, preaching along side of him, ministering along side of him, but because of her daughter’s disabilities she has found an alternate ministry.
They live solely off of support, and this amazing couple have no job but to shepherd people of the faith and expand the Kingdom. They have very little but are filled with so much joy as they serve our King.
Prayer request:
Pray for endurance of believers and Shepherds that the Lord has raised up. Pray that they would have the provision and rest to continue the ministry that God has set before them.
Today the thoughts I meditated on:
Jesus’s mode to ministry was walking… And a lot of it.
In walking to and from ministry, it encompasses the three things dearest to God’s heart.
1. A personal relationship with God: the ample amount of time to converse with the Lord during this time, and the opportunity to be strengthened and tested body, mind, and soul before the Lord, as an entire holistic form of worship
2. Church/Community: Just as Jesus had his friends, the disciples, to walk with and minister with, I couldn’t imagine trekking these hills to do ministry with any other goons than the ones I’m with right now.
3. Kingdom expansion: the longer I’m on the Race, the more I believe that Kingdom expansion happens locally. These people don’t need us as if we carry something special… Our ministry on the Race I’ve come to realize is strengthening and encouraging horse ministers and believers to keep going! Equip them! And give them rest! So that a sustainable ministry is in place even after we go.
Today the scripture I meditated on:
The book of Galatians. Our lives are upheld by faith in the true gospel, and not in hard work, manipulation, or trying to obtain and control our morals or our lives.
