Our month in Nepal has been beautiful and filled with so much fruit! In all honesty, in the beginning it was challenging for me to really get my heart “into” ministry. I loved what we were getting to experience, but I think with the team changes, role changes (I’m now a storyteller instead of team leader), and the fact that it’s midway through our race, I was missing home a lot and hitting a “rut” or what is commonly called the “B” zone. However, after acknowledging this and being transparent with my team about what I was feeling, I began to step out of the “rut” and get excited about the ministry opportunities we were experiencing.
Ministry looked so different, day to day, and week to week. We prayed with widows, played with orphan, visited schools and rehab facilities, hiked mountains, interceded for the people at temples, prayed healing over lepers, spent time with families, shared the gospel in villages, and more.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
~James 1:27
There are so many cool testimonies from this month, but a few that I especially want to highlight here.
One day we got to travel to a leper community to visit them and pray with them. I was so excited to be doing something Jesus did himself while here on the earth. Actually, it was a little less exhilarating when my nurse teammate explained that it is highly UNlikely for us to receive the disease of leprosy from just one day of being with these people (I like situations where I HAVE to trust God to take care of me), but still I was thrilled to be going. While we were there, the people were all smiles! You could tell that they were so happy to have visitors who wanted to spend time with them. And most of them were glad to have us pray over them as well. All in all, it was a great day of ministry and hopefully there will be a vlog coming out soon specifically about that day.
“And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! 16 Whoever believes the good news and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe the good news will be condemned. 17 And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues. 18 They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.”
~Mark 16:15-18
Second week in, we traveled to a remote village to share our testimonies, pray with families, and tell them about Jesus. Unfortunately, this is where many of our shoes were stolen (see my last blog for the testimony about this). However, we were blessed with sweet people who took care of our needs and who shared their corn and litchis (a fruit commonly grown in Asia). Within this community, we saw two people come to know the Lord, and got to pray and plant seeds with many others!
(This is a Litchi or Lychee fruit)
During our final week in Nepal, we got to trek some of the Himalayan mountains and reach villages where we spoke to people who had NEVER heard the gospel shared to them! Although, our climb was quite the experience in itself. The first day of trekking we were rained on for 2-3 hours, so we were very thankful to reach a lodge with a little fire place that evening. Because of the rain, the weather conditions were just right for leeches throughout the trekking and many from our teams had bites all over their feet. Praise the Lord no leeches ever attached to my feet, but I pulled off plenty from my tennis shoes during an impressive attempt.
(One of the leeches that decided to crawl in the bottom of my shoe and got squished)
I had an interesting thought as we were trekking the Himalayans. Trekking long days can be compared to fasting. We trekked for three days, 4-8 hours each day, in order to reach the villages way up in the mountains and share the gospel with a couple families that evening. Although exhausted, when we shared the gospel and prayed healing with the families, we found it was all worth the long trek to see the fruit of being able to share with these families. Trekking was very tough on our bodies and we ended up going farther than we would have wanted to or even imagined for our current selves. However, trekking like this is so good for us because we can see that God made our bodies with such strength to endure through hard things. Moreover, by leaning on our faith in Him, He gives us the extra boost we need to make it through. We realized that our bodies CAN do tough things, through the strength in Christ.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10
In comparison, I realized that fasting is like this too. It may be super challenging when fasting, especially for a long period of time, and we may not think our bodies could do it, but as you trust in God and lean on Him, He gives you the strength you need. Furthermore, as you pray for something while fasting, sometimes you get to see the fruit produced through fasting which makes it all worth the struggle it took to get there.
On Friday the 24th, between our two teams (team Branded and team Torch), we got to see five people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Some members of the families we spoke to had heard about the gospel maybe once or heard a false teaching on Christianity, but most had never heard the true gospel or the name of Jesus Christ. And most had never had someone come to their home and share with them that Jesus wanted a personal relationship with them. The families were so pleased that someone wanted to sit with them, drink their tea, and pray with them because many were considered “untouchables” according to their religion’s caste system. They all enjoyed hearing about Jesus and liked the idea of Christianity, but not all were completely ready to give up their own religion and customs for Jesus, and many were worried about being persecuted. Nevertheless, a handful from each village made that choice and now they have someone who can continue sharing the difference they feel and what they are learning about the Lord. We also know that God has a plan for them, and He will send others to continue watering the seeds that were planted.
Even though we have to suffer here on earth sometimes, whether that be not eating for a week while fasting, being mocked for what you believe, having sore legs after trekking 8 hours that day, watching your feet bleed out from being bit by leeches 10+ times, kicked out of your home for accepting Christ, persecuted by your village for the sake of the gospel, or even being martyred for your faith… it is all worth the fruit of having a relationship with Jesus Christ and seeing the fruit of others accepting Him as their personal savior as well, knowing that they will live in eternity with Him. And let me tell ya, this fruit that the Lord grows is waaayyy better than any Litchi fruit I’ll ever taste!
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
~1 Peter 4:12-16, 19
“”Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
~Matthew 5:10-12
