So I’ve been in Nepal for quite some time now, and it seems to be that my time here is coming to an end. I have enjoyed my time here in Kathmandu and Pokhara [?], finding struggles, laughter, and growth through all the moments. It has been my team, The Becomers, and another team, The Imitators, for the past month since the end of debrief, and it has been quite the experience to live community style for a whole month. We cooked for ourselves, bought groceries, did dishes, cleaned, and even had to keep a rough schedule for ourselves to find time to meet as a team to discuss what was needed. For the first couple days we had to walk what felt like a million miles to and fro our ministry hosts’ house, in the heat, and we would spend the time there with a YWAM team, stationed in Nepal for their Discipleship Training School, and we spent a few days at the home with kids and adults while worshipping, teaching, and growing together as a collective church, for I made some nice connections with the YWAM’rs, and it was quite the encouraging time. One of the days we, the WR and YWAM team, made a small trek up a large hill to a Buddhist Temple, making brilliant conversation along the way where I talked with a man named Bronson from New Zealand, and Soran, our ministry host’s son, and at the top of the hill we went to the roof of the temple and looked over the city of Kathmandu. It was truly beautiful, and there I found myself dwelt in prayer over the city, while also learning much of it and its history from Soran. We then walked about fifty feet from the temple entrance and found ourselves worshipping The Lord in some brush and thicket, and nestled between the towering trees. There was apparently a tradition of building an ‘alter’ out of stones whence upon that area, and on the stones were we to write attributes, thoughts, and praises of our Lord, and then place them in such a formation to stack them. So I wrote ‘Grace’ and ‘Just’, as that was on my heart. It was on that hill that I truly felt the weight of the Lord, and how utterly forsaken he was in the country of Nepal, and so I felt a unsteady heart, a troubled spirit, as I prayed for Nepal, for the christians who are now being criminalized for mere evangelism. Yet it was also at that moment where I remembered just how incredible, how great, and sovereign our God is, for he already has victory, and Satan has no power of Nepal, for Gods authority is above all. His seeds have been, and are, being planted in Nepal, and He will have his harvest when the time comes. So I thanked the Lord for reminding me of such, and there I prayed for patience and a constant reminder of his grace.
After our time with the YWAM team, we were alone with our ministry hosts then, and from there on out two of the missionaries in TAMI International, Benita and Lazarus, led us day by day into the slums of Nepal for a time of playing with children and teaching, and a time of praying over the slums and meeting with individuals and praying for them personally. We met some christians along the way, as the outreach had already begun there in the slums, but we also prayed for some Hindus for healing and salvation over them. My prayer is that their hearts would change and that they would realize God’s grace upon them. But I also played and taught children on of the days, as Josh Guilliams and I found ourselves acting out the story of Samson and Delilah (where I believe an Oscar was in order), and we played childish games with them and sang some classic Sunday school worship songs. Of course, they were a wild and energetic bunch, and now I thank the Lord for giving me experience with crazy fun children in the past so that I can use that for his Kingdom come now.
The slums were definitely a struggle though, but not as much as I thought, for the poverty and trashed state of the place was difficult to see, and the smell of the polluted river flowing through didn’t add any pleasantry to the experience. Yet I found such joy and kindness in the people there, and I had quite the time using my slightly intermediate hacky-sack [?] skills with the street kids, along with my novice soccer, no, football skills, though I can guarantee they were busting with laughter at my quite embarrassing skill level, but at least I made them laugh. After all, I did not want my trips to the slums to be ones full of melancholy and sadness, for that would do no good to anyone, nor myself, so I chose joy above the latter, and through that I found God’s love so much more evident. Also, one fantastic experience in the slums was when Tanner and I ventured into one of the slums with Benita, where we met two Christians, a grandmother and her daughter, and her baby, all in one room. So Tanner and I sat on the couches while we spoke what we could to them while Benita talked a good bit with them about their lives and what was needed for prayer. May I also mention that the grandmother made some of the best tea I’ve ever had, and yes, Tanner can attest to this. It was Black Tea, Black Pepper, and Honey or Sugar… either way, it was delicious and quite soothing. So we enjoyed that thoroughly, and soon after, we prayed for each of them individually, over their walk of faith and whatever ailed them at the time. It was quite sweet.
So that was the first part of our time here, and I will be posting more of what I have done and what I will do whence I complete it all. As this place is quite long, I will stop it here and write another one shortly. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouraging words, as I have read the comments over and over again and find comfort in them, so keep that up!!
Blessings, Garrett Stoecker
