This is a testimony that happened last month in Nepal. It’s taken me awhile to really process and gain all the lessons from it. Shoot, I’m still trying to work through all the lessons. But I want to share what I’ve gotten so far.
Nepal was absolutely amazing. We met many believers who are making major waves for the Kingdom. Yet in that, believers have to be careful. Openly expressing your faith can be dangerous and we were warned early on that if we were too open with why we were there we could potentially be kicked out of the country. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a little exciting to me. But that was just when it was a warning. And then I had the chance to openly show my faith to the locals. This story takes place at Pashupati, a major Hinu temple in the capital, Kathmandu. Friends had encouraged us to go and experience the temple to understand the culture better and know how to be praying for the people.
Y’all, this place was dark. It was suffocating to even be in the area. And honestly, I didn’t even go into the temple. Another teammate and I decided to hangout outside and wait while the rest of the team explored the inside. As we waited I looked around me. Scattered throughout the road were the least of these. One in particular caught my eye. A man with disformed legs, wearing all orange, sitting in a wheelchair with a tin can, shaking it at those who passed by in hopes of some change. I could feel God nudging me to go and pray with the man. The conversation with God in my head went a little like, “WHAT? Lord, I know you’re not calling me to openly pray over a hinu man at Hindu temple??” I stubbornly stayed sitting on the curb edge. But the Lord kept pushing me. Finally, I decided to cave and obey the Lord’s command. As I went to stand up, I looked over and the man in the wheelchair was gone. Okay, very funny Lord. I questioned if God just wanted me to be obedient, but didn’t want me to actually do it.
That’s when another man approached me. Just like the man in the wheelchair, this man was wearing all orange and carrying a tin can for change. I learned later the all orange outfit means these men have given up everything to become beggars and depend on what they obtain from others. The man started speaking to me, though I could barley understand him through the language barrier. What I did gather from his miming and few english words was he needed surgery on his hip but didn’t have money for it. I was also able to gather that he was in pain. That’s when the Lord began nudging me again. I froze. This man was right in front of me but I would still have to stand up and I knew it would easily cause a scene. Obviously the Lord knew that too. I turned to my teammate and told her I was going to ask the man if I could pray healing over him. Her face reflected what I was feeling; terror. I asked him a few times if I could pray, and he finally understood and agreed.
I stood up and placed my hands on him. And just like I’d predicted, a scene happened. Immediately a crowd surrounded us. Thankfully, the crowd was just curious and only watched. I turned to my friend to ask her to be interceeding for us for protection, but like a champ she was already in the process of doing just that. I prayed for the man as the Lord directed me and at the end of the prayer…nothing. What the heck God? The man was still in pain and no healing had occured. But he looked at me with tears and thanked me. I smiled and sat back down.
As I tried to ignore the crowd that was still staring at me, a man stepped forward and asked me if I was a priestest or something from a different religion, I was unsure exactly what he was asking. But once I said no he’s words became slightly aggressive and fairly loud. He announced to me that Nepal and the hindu religion, and the temple behind me, had been around longer than I had, as well as America I just smiled and agreed. He wasn’t wrong. Since I didn’t give much of a reaction, he turned and left. And with time, so did the crowd.
I kept talking with my teammate about other subjects to pass the time. Suddenly, the man who had stepped out of the crowd to confront me came back. This time in peace. He sat down next to me and began asking me questions. He asked me about my faith, my God, my life, and different opinions on many other things. We talked for over an hour. He shared his story with me and my teammate and expressed that he believed in Jesus, but didn’t feel that he was worthy enough to follow such a God. It was with that last statement I realized why God had asked me to stand up and declare my faith in front of everyone. After hearing this man’s story and where he currently was in life, I knew God was desperately chasing him.
We have a saying on The Race. We’re encouraged to always share the Good News because we never know where people are in their faith. Sometimes it takes 7 people telling them the Good News before they accept. We have to be okay with being #3 or #6, which means we’ll never see the conclusion. But it’s still a beautiful thing to be apart of that process. And I believe this man was at #6. He was so close!
I told the man I believed God was chasing him and was just waiting for him to accept. I was able to express the joy and peace I’d recieved since accepted the Lord and that he could easily have that too. The man teared up and agreed he felt like God was after his heart. As the rest of my team approached us, we began saying our goodbyes. I asked if I could pray over him, this time sitting down and more subtle, hopefully not attracting a crowd. I prayed over him, shook his hand, and we said goodbye.
The miracle on this day wasn’t a miraculous healing of a hurting man’s body in front of a hindu temple. But it was a miracle that a stubborn woman (me) obeyed the Father and shared the love of Jesus with a soon-to-be brother-in-Christ. Sometimes, I’m learning, God calls you to things for a different reason than you first think. I’m learning, slowly but surely, that some of the craziest and coolest things happen when you just stand up and obey the Lord.
Step out in faith, y’all. Pray for our soon-to-be brother. Pray for Nepal and the movement thats happening. It’s big and I’m so excited to see how our God moves!
