Our last days of ministry in Nepal were spent far away from Kathmandu. We took a three-hour bus ride from Chitwan to Pokhara and then another one-hour bus ride from Pokhara to the beginning of the trail we’d be trekking through in the Himalayas, around Annapurna region. I’d never done an intense hike before, so I was STOKED! I had quite a cold and felt tired and kept blowing my nose every 20 seconds, but man I was STOKED for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We all packed up our daypacks, basically just a toothbrush and a Bible and some underwear, and we were off.
The first day of trekking was about 4 miles. 4 miles of incredible views. 4 miles of deep green valleys, far-off villages, majestic, snow-capped mountains towering over the clouds in the distance, a beautiful golden hue over everything as the sun hovered behind the trees, and lots and lots and lots of stairs!! It was one of those awe-struck moments where all you can do is stop every now and then simply to embrace where you are. God’s creation blows my little mind.
Our trek ended for the day when we made it to this adorable little hostel in one of the villages. It basically appeared out of nowhere. We all got to sit around a fire and hear the testimonies of our guides and our host. It was a precious time of fellowship. Plus, they fed us spaghetti and French fries. We were definitely not expecting that!
The next day started with an eeaaarrlllyyyy sunrise. We worshipped, ate breakfast, and then set out for a long day of trekking! We trekked 11.5 miles, which was about 25,400 steps, burning over 3,500 calories! The amount of stairs we climbed was unreal… the views were just as beautiful as the previous day and it felt amazing to MOVE! The long amounts of time spent trekking allowed for some great conversation, laughter and encouragement between us squadmates. The trekking ended for the day when we made it to the new hostel, a fairytale-like village tucked away in the mountains. We were split up into four different homesteads for the night, each of the four groups having a different host. From there we trekked about 30 minutes into the village. They are an unreached people group, meaning they didn’t know about Jesus. We split up into smaller groups to go evangelize! It was the coolest experience and truly made us all a lot more grateful for the religious freedom we have in America. It also gave us a deeper understanding of the fact that God knows His children, even the ones hidden in the Himalayas that everyone assumes won’t have a chance to hear the Gospel. God always pursues His children, and that day He used us to reach them. My group got to visit the one couple of believers in the whole village. We sat around a fire in their dark, little home and shared encouragement from scripture. We got to pray over them and remind them of the hope we have in Heaven to help them endure the persecution they experience from their neighbors. The other two groups visited unreached homes in the village and one woman accepted Jesus! MAJOR PRAISE!! Too stinkin cool…
We all went back in our groups and stayed the night in the fairytale homesteads and we all got to share the Gospel with our hosts in the morning, which was a really beautiful time and opened a lot of doors.
We then began the trek back down the mountain to conclude our trekking experience! It was about 5 miles down stairs, down hills, and over a suspension bridge. We made it back, sore legs, sweaty foreheads and all, just in time to catch the bus back to Pokhara.
It was a WHIRLWIND! A beautiful, unforgettable, humbling, energizing whirlwind. I’ll never forget the creation I got to witness, the fellow children of God that He let me meet, and the beautiful community that I got to experience everything with. What a ministry! God, you are too good!! Thank you for ordaining those few days in the mountains. I love you!
-Anna
