John 1:4-5 says, “In Him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:5 says, “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” Christ was the light of the world and as children of God through Christ we also carry light and shine His light into the darkness for His glory.
Our time in Nepal has definitely shown me that we carry the light of Christ. Everywhere we go, people seem to be attracted to us and gravitate to us. We are shining into the darkness and those who are in darkness see us and recognize our light and want to know more about us and want the light that we have.
I have seen this many different times this month through the different types of ministry we have done. One of the things we have partnered with our host to do this month is go into Cabin Restaurants and talk to the waitresses there, pray for them, tell them about Jesus, and try to help get them out of that situation. A Cabin Restaurant is a restaurant where men can go and the order food or drinks and their waitress brings it to them and depending on how much food or drinks they order that’s how much service they get from the girls. We have gone to these Cabin Restaurants a couple different times and the other day I was one of the people from our squad who got to go inside. Going in was a challenge. Each table is a “cabin” with walls around it, but still not very private, and very small. It was hard to think as the group and I sat down and ordered sodas and tea what kind of things happen at the tables we were sitting at.
After our waitress brought us our drinks she sat with us for awhile and we started talking to her and getting to know her. As we were talking to her the other waitresses that did not have a customer came into our cabin to talk to us as well until we had about 4 waitresses crammed into our cabin with the 8 of us talking to them. It was awesome we got to talk to them about their lives and Jesus but they didn’t have to stay with us. They sat there uncomfortably with us because they were drawn to us. They wanted the light that we had, and we wanted to share it with them.
Another ministry outreach we have done this month is going into dance bars and talking with the girls that work there. It was similar to the Cabin Restaurants but it was more of a night club. We went in and ordered our sodas, tea, and juice and sat down. As we sat down our group was quickly surrounded by the girls as they were drawn to us. Even as they would have to leave and dance on the stage they would immediately come back to our group so they could talk to us and be with us again. We got to take down their phone numbers and meet with some of them later and talk to them about getting them out of the dance bars because many of them say that they hate working there but they don’t know where else to go or how to get out.
One of the coolest instances of people noticing the light of Christ in us happened on our Faith Day. It was a day where we went out to minister to the people of Kathmandu but we were not allowed to bring money or phones or food; just water, our clothes, and trusting in the Lord to provide for us as we go out and minister. As we left the house and got to the main road we stopped and tried to figure out what our plan was going to be. As we were standing there a man whose name in English means gift pulled over and asked if we needed any help. As he was helping us flag a ride on a truck we told him how he was such a gift and blessing to us and he told us that we were the blessing. He said that he could see a spark in us from up the road and that is why he pulled over to help us. He could see the light in us from a long way off and he couldn’t resist it.
As children of God we carry His light into the darkness because of the grace we have received. Those who live in darkness can see the light in us. They can see that there is something different about us and they are drawn to it. As we go out in the world we shine into the darkness and though it does not understand it until we tell them about the light, Jesus, they are drawn to it and they desire to have it. Let us carry God’s light in such a way that people desire to have it so God can be glorified through it.
This month in Nepal has been awesome. We are finishing up our ministry here at the beginning of next week and then we head off to India. Pray for the people of Nepal that we got to talk to and minister to that they may receive God’s light and begin to walk in that. Pray for the people of India that their hearts will be open the Lord. Pray for our squad as we transition to India in the beginning of November. Thank you so much for all your love, support, and prayers! God bless you all!
Glory to God!
