Yo man. I’m fairly certain that I was born to be a Nepali.
I’ve fallen in love with every aspect of the country. With the dirt, with the grime, with the brokenness of Kathmandu, and with the purity, the serenity, and the unreached aspects of the hills. It’s a beautiful place, and I hope that I don’t fall in love with every country the way that I have Nepal, but I also hope that I do.
It’s been quite the experience so far, from trekking the foothills of the Himalayas, mastering nature’s facilities (if you catch my drift), eating more mo:mo’s than is humanly possible, going to a Nepali waterpark to celebrate a 15 year olds birthday, playing futbol in a dirt field with 40 boys. In the rain. And falling countless times.
But it’s so much more than that. There is a pureness, or dependence, or expectation, or something, of the Lord. People truly believe He is who He says He is. People truly expect Him to show up. People allow themselves to become less, and the Lord to become more, and they relish in it.
I’ve been trying to come up with a story that accurately describes my experiences. One that does it justice. One that shows the Lord’s work. And I can’t. Because if I were to try, this post would be 17 pages long, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I would have to describe every single moment of my life since arriving in Nepal. And I’m not sure that you guys would enjoy that so much.
Here in Nepal, I’ve felt more joy, more full, and more myself than any other time in my life. I’ve played soccer literally on top of mountains with dozens of orphans. I’ve stood under pure perfect waterfalls. I’ve Jericho-walked around Hindu temples. I’ve sat and soaked in the Lord’s presence for hours, with no expectations except to simply be. I’ve been welcomed by strangers who seem like they’ve known me forever. I’ve had a dance party in a wave pool with hundreds of Nepali’s to weird American music. These moments seem so simple, but they were so beautiful. I felt so alive. I could feel the Lord’s presence.
In Kathmandu, we only have electricity for 7 hours per day. Don’t ask me why. I have no idea. But that’s beside the point. On Friday, we had dinner with our ministry hosts and all of the families of the people they work with. We sat on the floor, and were served a traditional Pakistani meal, made by Pakistani refugees. In the dark. With candles burning all over the room. After eating, we worshiped to guitar music, led by a 19 year old boy. In the dark. And then we listened to the words that the Lord was putting on 2 people’s hearts. In the dark. And it was so beautiful.
We didn’t need electricity. We didn’t need running water. We didn’t need chairs or tables. All we needed was the Lord and the community he had provided. There were people from all over the world, and we came together as a family. And that’s what it’s like in Nepal. Everyone is family. If you love the Lord, you’re family. If you don’t, you’re still family. And that’s the way that it should be. That’s the way that Christ loved. There was no distinction between the rich and the poor, the capable and the incapable. There were just His sons and daughters.
There’s a lot of lessons to be learned here in Nepal. I have learned and grown and seen so much, and there is so much I’m still processing. I’m so excited for our next week and a half here. I can’t wait to share more stories with you, because all of them are just a testament to the way the Lord is working here.
