Nepal must be the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And after just a couple of days here I am convinced it holds some of the most beautifully loving and passionate people as well!
After almost two full days of travel, we arrived in Nepal from Atlanta, GA. My team is paired with two other teams at the moment, one of which we will serve with throughout the whole month. We were exhausted but ready to hit the ground running. Instead, we learned that we would be spending two days in a beautiful home just outside of the crazy city of Kahtmandu to rest before being sent out to our ministry locations. During these two days I have eaten some of the most amazing food prepared by some of the most kind-hearted women, seen the desperation and brokenness of the city along with the most lush, vibrant mountains I have ever laid eyes on! (talk about eye candy).
I have also learned about the amazing organization we will be working with this month and the beautiful heart behind it. My team along with one another will be making a six hour trek south of Kahtmandu to a village right along the Nepal-Indian border. Here, child exploitation and trafficking is a huge issue along with an extreme number of forced child marriages. This stems from the economical desperation of the people along with the Hindu belief that a man must marry a young girl before she matures into "womanhood". Girls are married off as young as five years old. Because of dowry prices and the lack of value placed on girls, it is not uncommon for families to either kill or sell their daughter if still unmarried by the time she hits womanhood.
The group we are working alongside is not only passionate about these girls and families–providing opportunities financially for girls to go to school and maintain support to keep them out of the hands of traffickers, providing assistance with gaining natural resources to sustain local families, raising awareness to young girls prey to traffickers, and restoring the value of girls and women– but they also hold firmly to the knowledge that none of this great work means anything if in the end, a person goes through this life without the immense hope, joy, and TRUE restoration that comes from knowing Christ, or if in the end they go to hell. It is risky to share the gospel here. Recently, multiple pastors or Christians in general have been imprisoned for baptizing people, praying over them, or the conversion of Hindus to Christianity. Even the assumption that someone has committed this "crime" can mean time behind bars– and for many that is exactly what it has meant. Their faith, zeal, and passion is both inspiring and humbling and while there is so much work to be done, there is also so much for us to learn from these people!
I can't wait to update ya'll again soon as this unfolds. You know my heart in this area and I hope that you keep this heart in prayer! Along with my team and the team we get to work with, and the ministry we are teaming up with! I can't wait to share pictures of the BEAUTIFUL country and AMAZING people. But for now, it's almost midnight and jet lag is not a kind comrade…
Thank you so much for your support up to this point! As of right now I do still need roughly $7,000 to be FULLY FUNDED! I cannot say how huge your support has been and is… two days and God is already going above and beyond what I ever expected, and I know He will go above and beyond what I am able to do! I love you guys!
Goodnight!
So Sincerely, Dresdyn Johnson
