There have been a handful of times on this trip… well, quickly becoming more than a handful of times, where I have been put in situations that just make me stop and wonder for a minute asking myself “what is my life right now?” A particular week in Nepal held a significant amount of those times all wrapped up into 5 days where my new team and I have been spending our time tenting out in a little village deep in the jungle mountains of Nepal, encouraging the small community of believers who are already there as well as praying for those who do not believe yet.
For those of you who know me reasonably well, you might know that I really enjoy writing stories, so that is what I am going to do in this blog. This blog is going to consist of several short stories (all a few paragraphs long) about my life here in the jungle. Feel free to skip around, or read them all.
STORY 1: Scars and a Savior
Our second day in the village consisted of us visiting the house of a woman whose 35
year old son had been suffering on and off from a demon possession for about 15 years of his life. Before going to the house we were told that in the past the man had gone into fits of shouting and shaking and had become so violent that he needed to be chained to a pole a few different times for days on end because of his animalistic behavior. Since a believing community entered the village a few years ago they had been praying for the man and had seen much improvement but he still suffered on occasion from the attacks.
To be honest, I was sort of preparing my heart to go to the house and pray for a wild man and his mother. I quickly found out that this was not the case.
Upon reaching the house an elderly woman exited the front door. She was small but seemed strong, had a gentle face that was severely wrinkled by the sun, and was hunched over as a result of sitting on the ground for her entire life. She gave us a smile, some of her teeth were missing, and called to someone who was behind the house.
Not long after, a young man came around the corner of the house. He was thin and his face was angled down towards the dirt. He was wearing a baseball cap, a t-shirt and pants that he had rolled halfway up his calf. He sat on the porch facing my direction and finally looked up at me. I held his gaze for a moment and did not see the wild, animalistic face I was expecting. Rather, I saw an innocent childlike demeanor with a gentle spirit and a kind heart, and he started to tell us his story.
Through our interpreter I found out that the man had been struggling with fits of rage, shaking, and shouting for years. Because part of my major in college was psychology I started to put certain symptoms to specific mental illnesses in my head like epilepsy, Tourettes, etc. yet also 100% believed it was spiritual warfare in this man as well.
He told us of times he had been beaten by numerous people for having a fit, and times he had been chained for several days. He raised his pant leg to show us his mutilated, scarred body where he had been struck again and again. His bones broken and his body bruised by either other people or the demon within causing him to harm himself without knowing what he was doing. He lifted his baseball cap and showed us places on his head where the hair didn’t grow back because the scars from the beatings took its place. He showed us his wrists where the metal burns from being chained rubbed his skin raw and smooth. He looked down at his body in a sad way and for one reason or another, I was immediately filled with compassion for this man.
He then looked at me with gentle eyes, and I immediately thought of Je.sus. I thought of the way Je.sus was flogged before the crucifixion – like a lamb to the slaughter. I imagined Je.sus being beaten, knowing he had the power to stop it, but also knowing what cup he had to drink in order to save those he loved. In order to save me, you, and the man sitting bruised and scarred right in front of me. So I spoke.
I told the man that before Je.sus died he was beaten too, and that Je.sus did not deserve to be beaten and neither did he. I told him that we live in a fallen world where cruel and impatient people seek out destruction and the devil looks for places to take a foothold against us, but that is why Je.sus came. As I was talking, I started to feel tears well up in my eyes. I told him that Je.sus came to save the lost. To bridge the gap between a broken world and a perfect father, and that if he continues to put his faith in Je.sus, the cares of this world will all soon fade away. For it is through our weakness that we may find strength in the Lord. There was faith in that man, I could see it. He truly believed.
After praying for him we left the house. The next day we went to a fellowship where his mother attended and had a look of pure joy on her face. She went on to tell us that her son was feeling much better that day and was full of a spirit that desired to follow the Lord and seek after him. We then praised the Lord together for her sons increased faith and hope in the Lord and for restoration and healing from the prison of the demon who had been dwelling in him for so long.
The Lord can heal instantly and miraculously, I fully believe that. But even when he doesn’t, I also believe that small steps of hope and faith bring an equal amount of healing and restoration to the soul, which is exactly the type of healing that man needed. It is also the type of healing that we all need.
STORY 2: Naked Jungle
Ok. So I know you have been at least a little curious as to why I called this blog “naked
jungle”…. well, here’s the story. I was somewhat debating whether or not I should tell this story or what I should say in it, but one thing I really wanted to do with this blog was to give you a complete look into the rawness of what life looks like for me on this trip, sorry if it’s a little unessesary or “shocking” but I thought it was funny, so here you go.
While we were in this small mountain village in the jungle of Nepal we lived in tents, and used a toilet that looked like this. 
The truth was, sometimes the toilet got pretty bad and the woods were a better option. Little did I know, dropping my pants in the wide open daylight of the jungle near a travelled path would prepare me and make me more comfortable to take on the shower a couple days later.
We were in the village a total of 6 days, and in many situations on this trip, showering is a complete hassle so to be honest, I didn’t shower the first 3 days in the village. However, on day 4, 3 of us girls and I decided that for the good of everyone involved we needed to shower. Here was the catch/the reason we waited so long: This was the shower.
It was a small spigot with a light stream of water coming out of it in the middle of the open jungle, where there was absolutely no covering. On top of that, there were 3 paths that led down to the spigot because while it was the shower, it was also the place where people came to gather water for drinking and cooking.
The 4 of us stared at the shower for a few minutes as a local woman filled up her buckets and left. Soon, we were alone in the middle of the jungle. I looked at the shower for a minute and then decided that no matter how long I looked at the the little stream of water, it would not become less awkward. Here is a truth I have realized on this trip: A situation is only as awkward or uncomfortable as you make it. So, we all decided to just make it funny and laughed as 2 of us completely stripped down to absolutely nothing in broad daylight in the middle of the jungle with the mosquitos buzzing around us in the humid air.
We decided it would be best for 2 of us to go at a time so that the other 2 could keep watch just in case any locals came wandering up the path. So there I was, butt naked in the jungle attempting to get the layers of dirt that had accumulated on my body off when I look up to see a pair of eyes belonging to a young boy who was staring at us from the top of one of the paths. My immediate reaction was to reach for my towel, but also tell my friend who was supposed to be keeping watch for situations such as this that there was a boy at the top of the hill. Long story short, she finally saw him and shooed him away.
After he left, my friends and I honestly just looked at each other and started laughing so hard. When I finished and was keeping watch as my other friends showered I reflected for a moment on the insanity that is my life sometimes. Had anyone told me a year ago that one day I would be showering at a little spigot in the middle of a jungle in Nepal I probably would have laughed and told them they were crazy. But that’s part of the beauty of living a life of desiring to put complete trust in the Lord. I am quickly realizing that sometimes the Lord has plans for us that we might not even realize and that life can be a wild and fun adventure when we decide to be all in, and have complete faith in him.
I suppose that was kind of a strange realization to come to through taking a shower in the jungle, and you can call me crazy if you want. Sometimes I feel a bit like an insane person on this trip, but as we walked back from the shower laughing and having a good time, I realized there was no place I would rather be in that moment than in a little village in the jungle of Nepal.
STORY 3: Shall We Dance?
The village was small. I think about 50 people lived there, and the group of believers was
a small portion of that community. One of the days we went to a fellowship in order to have conversations and encourage the local believers. There were about 10 locals there, a couple were young women with bright eyes and big smiles. There was a young man there too, and an older man as well. Then, there were about 4 or 5 older women. They were all short, and had hunched backs, missing teeth, and wrinkled faces. But as soon as they opened up the fellowship with singing praises to the Lord these older women came alive. The worship songs in Nepal are very upbeat, and the only instruments they had that day were their voices, a drum, and a tambourine.
The women sang as the men played the drum and the tambourine. Then, out of no where, one of the older women practically lept from her hunched seated position, moved to the center of the room and started dancing. Her eyes were filled with joy and the smile on her face spread from ear to ear. She reminded me of David in 2 Samuel chapter 6 when David dances unashamed before the Lord.
I learned later that this particular woman did not know how to read, but she hung on the words that were spoken to her about the Lord. She lost her home in the earthquake a few years ago and now lives in a small tin shack, and yet, she dances before the Lord with more joy in her heart than many of those who possess a great earthly wealth. Her treasure does not lie on this earth, but in heaven where her father lives. So she dances, unashamed, and with a joyous light in order to show her love for the Lord.
I was deeply moved and convicted by this. This woman has lost everything, and yet she dances with gladness and thankfulness before the Lord. It made me think of how ungrateful I am sometimes for all the blessings the Lord has given me. This woman gave me perspective and showed me what it looks like to have a true, pure, love for God. And that is the kind of love and dedication that I desire to strive for in my own relationship with the Lord.
STORY 4: Cockroaches Under Cups
Our living conditions were very simple in this little Jungle village. You already saw the shower, and the toilet, so let me introduce you to the dining room.
Every morning, noon, and night my team and I would gather under this small carport type shack and eat our meal family style while sitting on the ground. Now let me tell you a fun fact about Nepal (and India for that matter) – they don’t eat dinner until around 9pm and therefore, since there was no electricity, my friends and I found ourselves gathered around our little piece of wood for a table on the ground in the dark every night for dinner. It was completely dark save for 3 lit candles that were waxed to the board so we could see where all of the dishes were on the table.
I think it is common knowledge that no matter where you are in the world bugs are attracted to light when it is dark outside, and unfortunately, Nepal is not an exception to this rule and it did not take them long to show up each night for dinner. First, moths would show up, climb the candles, and morbidly, accidentally light themselves on fire. Then, the cockroaches would show up. They were small, but still cockroaches, some of which had trouble aiming their flight patterns and ended up landing and getting fought upside down in our food. Honestly, we would usually just pick them out and throw them into the darkness, but soon, to entertain ourselves and rid the table of the insects we created a game.
Side note: with each meal we were served a pitcher of extremely tasty black tea that we poured into small disposable plastic cups. Well, when we were finished drinking the tea it became our game to see how many of the cockroaches we could trap under the cups. By doing this, we didn’t have to squish them and get guts everywhere, or touch them and throw them out with our bare hands. It turned into the entertainment every night and laughs were definitely shared around the dinner table over this completely odd and semi-gross game.
It sounds strange, I know, and honestly, it is kind of a weird “game” I suppose. But here is what I learned from this. Life throws strange circumstances at you sometimes and you have two choices. You can either complain, and have a negative attitude, or you can pick your head up, find the silver lining and choose joy, even when joy comes through catching a cockroach under a cup.
STORY 5: War is Waging
I decided not to bring a tent on this trip due to an unfortunate happening after training camp during a windstorm in which my tent had some holes torn in it. But we needed tents to stay in while we were living in the village so I borrowed a tent from someone on my squad. This tent was technically a 2 person tent and either I set it up wrong, or it was meant for 2 very small people because it looked like it could only fit one comfortably, so I slept in it by myself. Most of the nights we experienced a light rainfall, but the tent, my sleeping pad, and sleeping bag were all water proof, so I usually very happily fell asleep to the sound of the rain.
One night however, this was not the case. I did fall asleep, but was startled awake around 2am to an epic thunder roll and rain pounding against my tent. I honestly don’t think I have ever been in a storm like this one before, at least, never been outside in a tent during a storm like this one and all I could do was huddle into my sleeping bag and listen to the roars of thunder that followed the blinding flashes of lightning.
It felt like the storm was getting louder, honestly like it was a war waging outside between 2 generals named thunder and lightning with their armies of raindrops clashing into each other and a fleet of archers shooting wind down over the hills (that’s dramatic, but whatever). As the storm kept raging I suddenly felt my feet starting to float… I sat up and realized through flashes of lightning that the foot end of my tent was now flooded and my sleeping pad was floating like Noah’s Ark. I quickly began grabbing my things that were strewn across the tent and shoved them in my bag. I heard some of my other teammates waking up and talking in their tents. I learned the next morning that one of them was apparently yelling at the storm trying to rebuke it in Je.sus’ name. Yep, that’s how bad this storm was.
Then, out of nowhere, if only for a second the earth shook underneath me. At first, I was confused as to what it was because I have never felt an earthquake before, but when I realized what had just happened I impulsively decided to sit up for a few minutes because if that happened again I was going to high tail it out of there. I’m not sure where I would have run to on exiting the tent, but I knew for a fact that I wasn’t going to go down floating in a tent in an earthquake. I suppose it was an irrational thought, but I was a bit disoriented at 2:30am.
After a few minutes of no quaking though I put my head back down on my sweatshirt I had been using as a pillow because my real travel pillow had popped when it got caught on a piece of metal in a car, prayed for the Lord’s peace and fell back asleep.
To say the least, the camp looked like a complete wet mess the next morning, but the good of it was that my team worked together to put things back into order like nothing ever happened. The tent dried, my clothes dried, and we were all smiles the rest of the day.
So there you have it, a few stories from my time in the village. The Lord is all around us. I learned so much about simplicity, patience, faithfulness, joy, and being content while in that little Jungle village and even though parts of it were tough, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
