Hello Everyone:
As always, I hope this message finds you well as you read, and hello to everyone back home. This blog is to be a summary of our first week of ministry in Nepal and all of the associated thoughts that come along with it. As in the prior blog, I felt God showing the joyful side of the Holy Spirit and how that is such a powerful way to be a Christian witness; however, even that comes with its challenges. While I hate to admit I was naïve, over the past few years realizing how many times I have been wrong has become something I am more and more familiar with. But the optimist in me says that is just more opportunities to grow and learn. I have always said, the difference in a wise and foolish man is the former learns from his mistakes while the latter repeats them. After wrestling God for so many years prior to coming on the race, in a way I thought, erroneously of course, this next year would be easy; however, I am reminded every day that seeking God and choosing joy is still a choice that we all have to make, no matter where you are.
Even though it was a challenge logistically during the first month in India, it was easier in that I found losing independence made finding God a bit easier, whereas being in Nepal has been more difficult in that with many more freedoms and autonomy, or as I like to say temptations, comes all of the externalities you have to choose to deny on your own. I liken the analogy to arriving at a destination by train or by car. With autos there are many different routes to take, and not all lead to the same place, but to borrow a line from Barrett in Final Fantasy 7, a train can only go where the tracks take it. But if given the choice, I would still take the former because the freedom of Christianity coupled with maturity and reality, calls us to be faced with circumstances and make choices for ourselves, with the Bible serving as the roadmap and the Holy Spirit as an extra guide such as intuition and conscious.
That being said, the first week of ministry has been rewarding in many ways, with of course the challenges that come from autonomy. Our host takes a very spirit led approach to ministry, which is advantageous in that God can lead with flexibility and outside the often times rigid framework we put Him in. Two exercises this week speak out to me, one being making bracelets and handing them out to children on the streets and ministering to them, and the other being letting God give us a prophetic word or drawing to give to someone. I found both rewarding, but for different reasons. While we did not have a set number of bracelets to make, I found myself making as many as I could because it gives me such a joy to put a smile on a child’s face and sharing a kind word with them. As Diana, Ashlee, and I set out, that was exactly what happened. What also made it so much more special was that God was so evident in it. Of everywhere we have been in Kathmandu during our stay, on this particular day in this particular area, I had yet to see so many children and friendly people in the street. I remember the first little girl I saw of how she just immediately looked at us and I knew one of the bracelets I made was for her. As I knelt down to put the bracelet on her wrist and tell her God loves her, seeing the joy on her face made the whole day worthwhile. As we kept walking, there was another girl we passed who had special needs and was walking with the help of her caretaker. We said hello and passed by then of course I felt God saying she deserves a bracelet too. So we turned and there was such a beautiful joy on her face as I told her God loves her as well. That moment was a bit more profound in that here is someone who faces unique challenges most of us will never know, but I was still able to say with confidence God loves here, but someone in that circumstance has been a question I both have been asked and have asked myself. I think of the explanations of other religions or philosophies and it would most likely be that in a prior life she must have done something wrong or have bad karma and was essentially in that state because she deserved it. While I still admire the peaceful nature of the people in those faiths, that explanation does not satisfy in the least. I think back to scripture where Jesus was asked about the blind child and they asked who sinned, he or his family, to which Jesus replies, neither. This person was born that way so the works of God can be glorified. See John 9. I then think to all of those Jesus was with while He was here, namely the blind, leapers, the sick, the poor, and sometimes the dead. Even as Jesus came to see Lazarus when he had passed, the Scriptures tell us Jesus wept. In that passage, the humility of Christ is apparent in that we serve a God who actually does care about the struggles of people and rather than shy away from them, He comes to where they are. He also calls us higher in Matthew 25 when he speaks of giving food, clothing, visiting, and drink to those in need, that “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Not only is Jesus teaching us to have compassion, He is also identifying with them as His brethren as well, which also speaks to His humility.
There was another person I tried giving a bracelet to, which he rejected. It made me think to a large part of what Christianity is to offer and the fact that even though this was a free gift, it was still not accepted. Granted, for some people to accept Christianity there are real life consequences from persecution to family shaming and being ostracized, but ultimately Jesus paid our debt in full and for salvation all that is required is the belief or acknowledgment of that Truth. I also think back to the mountain villages in India where we would evangelize to people and simply ask them to come and how while some came forward, others would stay behind. While rejection is an unsavory part of life, it speaks volumes to the free will that God permits us to have. While Romans speaks clearly we have predestined works to do, the decision to step into that purpose is still our own, and as a missionary, I cannot force someone to accept Christ, just as God does not force us to do anything. Granted, He frequently guides us and at other times lets us be broken by the mistakes of disobedience we make so the decision can be easier, but can find nowhere that God forced Jonah to leave the belly of the whale; rather, Jonah made a choice to cry out for help and his prayer was heard.
As stated earlier, the other exercise was one of a prophetic word. Essentially what that looked like was taking a card and before we set out to a random place in the city, we were hoping God would give us a picture of someone or a convicting word to a stranger and that could help facilitate a conversation. There were numerous stories of God showing up with others in the group, such as Erika’s Open Window card, but since I was with my team I will share in the firsthand account from Maddison. She drew a little girl in a red dress, with her hair in a bun, walking on a street with a tile type design. As our team was walking, the design of the street was exactly the same, and to my memory we had not been on such a street while in Nepal. Of course after that we saw the little girl, in the exact same red dress, with her hair up in a bun just like she had drawn a few hours earlier. As Maddison rushed to give her the card, she did not accept it and while the story could end there, I think it such a powerful testimony of the omnipotence of God and how He can work when we are in His will. For those who may question the occurrence as just something random, after that we walked around over an hour and there was no one else that matched her card. While I was praying on my card, I drew a person (there were other unique characteristics I’ll keep to myself) standing on a sidewalk in a curve behind two rails with the words joy, love, and peace. The location we were dropped off was the exact rail I drew (I am not a great artist but I know the spot was right). So as we arrived I thought of waiting there in that spot to see when my guy would show up but I stayed with the group to begin, which was great because I was able to witness Maddison’s card, but towards the end I knew that was the spot. As Andy and I followed the rail looking for others no one matched the description. At that point, I then began to realize the person I drew in the card was myself. It was clearly God knowing my heart over the last few days and He was speaking those words of life into me that resonated from our Bible study of Galatians 5. While it is disappointing in that I was in a condition of where God had to use a card on me rather than letting me have the opportunity to lift someone else up, it was also very real to once again experience how God knows each of us as His own and reveals Himself in ways to encourage, rather than tear us down.
This month is different in that in India, we had a service where people were healed that night and it was so beautiful to see such a rapid transformation. This month is equally beautiful in that God doesn’t always show up with those “wow” moments. I am frequently reminded it is not, or is never about me, and that even if we don’t get to witness those moments, we are faithful that God is in fact working in people and as servants we are only called to serve as He leads, nothing more or less. I even think back in my own life of times where I needed a stranger or someone random to speak a word to me to help me get answers to questions and those people were faithful and did their part. And while I may never get the opportunity to thank them or tell them the full extent of what that word meant, their choosing to act did in fact make a positive difference to me and changed the course of my life, and it is my confidence the same actions we do today, no matter how trivial they may seem, will be used for His ultimate good.
So in closing, I will once again remind you of the freedom and choices God gives us. With this ministry, we were able to have a free weekend. While freedom is a good thing, how we manage our time and what we focus on is our choice. As much as I hate to say, this week I spent much more time focusing on the few moments of adventure I would have rather than the work God has here and my work suffered as a result. While I am thankful for God letting me see the Himalayas and that in and of itself was not a sin, how I balanced my time was. In my last post I spoke of how Nepal was my toughest country in terms of temptations and that is why I opened this blog with the idea of just because I am here serving, that does not mean it is automatically easier; however, we are all faced with choices in our lives of what we choose to pursue. Jesus said where your treasures are is where your heart is also and I am still sorting a lot of that out, but wisdom is learning from mistakes. I was listening to my music and the Weight of Lies by the Avett Brothers came on and the chorus has a lot of truth, “when you run make sure you run to something and not away from, cause lies don’t need an airplane to chase you anywhere.” (FairUse Act) That being said, I am grateful to everyone for your prayers and looking forward to sharing the stories of how God is working in Nepal and elsewhere. As always, this journey is shared with us all, vicariously, through God’s Spirit.
