We made it to Nepal! Unaffected by the power outages in India (Praise God), my squad arrived in Kathmandu Wednesday afternoon. For many of us, the reality of being on the World Race set in even more when we boarded the plane for another country and not America! I’ve heard that Month 3 of the Race is when you really begin to grasp this lifestyle of packing up and moving from country to country.
Coming into Nepal, I really had no idea of what to expect. Since India was our first country, it got a lot of attention and mental preparation, but past that I haven’t given the other countries much thought. Needless to say, Nepal didn’t waste anytime making bold impressions as soon as we stepped out of the airport.
Kathmandu is located in the middle of the Himalayas where mountain ranges are stacked one after the other and peaks hide in the clouds. Four teams, including my own, are staying in Kathmandu for a couple days before heading in different directions for ministry. We are staying at the location of Asha-Nepal, a ministry and safe house for women and children who have been rescued out of sex slavery. This house is located in a valley outside of the city, away from the noise, chaos, crowds, and pollution. There are multiple balconies, outside eating areas, and a beautiful roof, where most of us spend our time in silence, completely awestruck by the beauty of the Himalayas.
But there is more to this house than the physical beauty that surrounds it; this home is a place of refuge. The Spirit of the Living God dwells in this place and His presence is unmistakable. This is a place of peace, joy, rest, laughter, and family. Even as we came back to the house after spending the afternoon in the city, the contrast was remarkable. There is something different when you walk through the gates of Asha-Nepal, this place is Heaven on Earth.
This morning we sat down with one of our ministry contacts from Nepali Youth Ministries for a briefing on Nepal and what to expect this month. It was a challenging, encouraging, and sobering time. He did not waste anytime but started out showing a sermon clip from John Piper that I have included below and talked about what it meant for us as American Christians serving in Nepal to carry our own cross this month.
Then he went on to talk about beliefs, customs, and life in Nepal. Up until 2006, when Nepal became a democracy, there was an anti-converting policy that sentenced anyone to at least 6 years in prison for converting someone to Christianity. However while “religious freedom” does exist in Nepal, there is still a lot of opposition towards Christians especially from fundamentalist Hindus. Our leader said that he himself and other leaders do not feel safe walking the streets alone because many of these Hindu fundamentalists remain free even after killing Christians or bombing churches.
Our contact also informed us that there is a lot of demonic opposition in Nepal, which is a new reality for me. I have read about spiritual warfare and the presence of demons in scripture, but have never encountered someone or some place possessed by evil spirits (at least I don’t think so). The main Hindu temple is located in Nepal and demonic oppression is everywhere. In many ways, you can see the tight grip that evil has on this country as a result of the worship of demons, false gods, and the sins of the forefathers.
One of the main ways you can see this evil is in the trafficking of women and children in Nepal. Our contact told us this morning that women and children have little value in this country and are seen only as a commodity if nothing else. It is common for brothers to sell sisters for money, fathers to gamble off their wife and children in card games, and for parents to sacrifice daughters as temple prostitutes. Even in the “church” there has been so much corruption with pastors raping young girls and abusing their wives.
But in the midst of all this brokenness that at times can seem overwhelming, I am thankful for where Jesus brought us first in Nepal before taking us anywhere else. He brought us to a place of victory. He brought us to a place of new life and restoration! The place from which I am typing this blog is filled with women and children who were once enslaved, raped, and beaten for the purposes of self-fulfillment, pleasure, and control. Some of these children were sex slaves themselves, while others were bystanders to their own mother’s enslavement. There is a great amount of pain in this house, a lot of lost innocence, and some really deep wounds. But the JOY in this house is GREATER, the LAUGHTER is LOUDER, and the selfless LOVE is DEEPER.
Before our team heads out tomorrow, God wanted to remind us “I am greater. I have the victory. I am here in Nepal. Go and tell them I long to restore them. Call my lost sons and daughters home. How I long to fill them with my presence!”
Thank you Jesus for this place of refuge. Thank you for a reminder that you are greater than even the darkest of situations. All it takes is one flicker of light and darkness HAS to flee. You are so good. May we be focused on You as we carry the light into the darkness! I love you Jesus!
