i would like to take the time and space of this blog to tell a couple stories from my first few days in Nepal.
on the day my team did ministry at Mother’s Home, we got to hear the testimony of one of the women who lives there. She and her husband both had contracted tuberculosis (or TB) and were in the hospital for it. her husband, unfortunately, passed away from the TB. She found herself all alone. In Nepal, when you get too old to properly care for yourself, you are thrown out on the street. I had a conversation with our ministry host, Deepak, about why this happened-was it too expensive for the children to care for them, or did they just not want to? Deepak said that it is (most of the time) out of selfishness from the children. the parents are seen as a burden, so instead of being ‘inconvenienced’ they would sooner put them out on the street. That is what happened to this woman. The founders of Mother’s Home rescued her, and brought her to their apartment-type building. she was still suffering from TB, and was constantly vomiting blood for 16 days. Like i mentioned in my previous blog, in Nepal it is against the law to evangelize. however, the founders asked the woman if they could pray over her, and she told them yes. The way this woman told the story, at the snap of a finger, she was healed. she no longer vomits blood, or is affected by the tuberculosis! how incredibly powerful.
we got to lay hands on and pray over her as a team at that time, too. afterwards, before we went to the next room, i walked over, thanked her for being so honest, and asked if i could give her a hug. she seemed hesitant at first, as if she didn’t fully understand what i was asking for, but as soon as i wrapped my arms around her, she grasped the back of my shirt in her fingers, and held on tight. she then released my shirt, but held my shoulders in her hands firmly. she tenderly kissed me on each cheek, and then let go for the final time. i walked out of the room crying to a couple of my teammates telling them what had happened, not fully able to understand why i was crying. as i was thinking and praying about it the next morning, the Holy Spirit totally came over my mind and explained it to me-even though this woman could not understand the words coming out of our mouths as we prayed for her, she could feel the love and care she was receiving from strangers.
a few days after we visited the Mother’s Home, a few of my teammates were watching the sunset over the mountains (or ‘hills’ as the locals call them) when an older woman approached them and invited them to her home. we promised to come visit after church. the next day came, and 4 of us made our way down the road just a few steps to her gate. when we knocked, at first a younger woman answered and asked us how she could help us. we explained who we were there to see, and then after explaining several times how we knew where to go, we made our way up a couple flights of stairs to the woman’s room. she introduced us to her husband, and one of the tenants of their building who was acting as a translator for us. she served us cold coke (which we’re pretty sure she sent one of the children to the shop in the corner to purchase!) and told us about her life in Kathmandu, and about her family. they asked us questions about where we each were from and what we were doing in Nepal, and were genuinely interested in what we had to say. we talked about our excitement for our trekking, and thanked them over and over for inviting us. we were leaving when her husband told us that we would have to come back to Nepal in the winter season so they could serve us hot coffee! what incredible people we meet through incredibly ordinary circumstances.
both of these women were vessels for God to work in my life, whether they know it or not. God is using these people here to crack open my hardened outer shell. it is so difficult to fathom just how much God loves us, but so far, the amount of love that has been shown to me here is far more genuine than some encounters i have had back in the states. the Lord is ready to give you what you need. but, you have to be willing to listen for the small whispers during your everyday life.
all of my love,
Grace
