This post is just me thinking out loud. On a computer. So, not really out loud, but you get what I’m saying. I am also typing this outside of an internet cafe where there are no lights, so I can’t really see the keys of my computer. So, this post may take a while to write. Ok, enough fluff for my word count, let’s get to the subject on my mind. When coming on this trip, I honestly had no idea what to expect. People would ask me, “What will you be doing on this missions trip?” and I would honestly answer, I don’t know exactly, but when I find out, I’ll let you know. All I knew was that God was calling me to go on this trip, and I’ve learned the hard way not to argue with God. That brings us to the current day, where I am sitting at a cafe with spotty WiFi, in the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal. I am loving Nepal, the people of Nepal, and the ministry that my team (as well as my sister team, led by Katie) and I are doing here. Our ministry is definitely not what I was expecting when I was first called.
The end goal of any missions trip is, or at least should be, spreading God’s kingdom to anyone and everyone we encounter. The previous missions trips that I have been on have been very structured and were vastly different from this trip. On the other trips, we were specifically bringing a Gospel drama to the people. It was easy (I use that word loosely because I am an introvert, so talking to people is always hard for me) to talk to people about Jesus. It is harder here since, not only is it illegal to share the gospel in some of the countries that we are going to/have been to, we have no defined starting point. We must rely completely on our ministry hosts. They (and God) decide what is best for us to do, and most of the time, that is not necessarily what I want to do. I want to be showing Jesus’ love directly to people, but that is not what God is calling me to do right now.
Our ministry in Nepal so far has consisted of prayer walks, and visiting people just to pray with them. I cannot stress enough how important prayer is. Prayer is our most direct connection to God, and it is the best way to ask Him for help. However, I can pray for the people of Nepal at home. Geological location doesn’t matter to God. I’ve honestly struggled with this because I want to be showing love to people, not just telling them it exists. We were at a major Hindu temple yesterday, and we were doing another prayer walk. I ended up sitting down on a grassy lawn beside the temple, and I of course was praying. It was then that God did what he always has to do with me. He slapped me in the face. He told me to look at the people, to look at the bricks of the temple, and to even look at the monkeys. They were all here at this moment, so that I could pray over them. God could just send a single missionary, who is so gifted in speech that everyone would listen and know God on the spot. But that’s not what he’s done. He is sending waves of missionaries to prepare the soil, seed the soil, and then water the soil. I may want to be in the seeding or watering, but I am in the preparing. We are saturating this corrupted ground with God’s righteousness and holiness. The massive temples and monuments that stand to the false gods of the Hindus and Buddhists loom over the city. Their mere presence weighs heavy on my heart.
So, that is what’s on my mind. Also, it’s an update on ministry! So there ya go! On the 31st, my team and Katie’s team will be going on a four day trek into the Himalayas where we will be sharing the gospel with the people there. Our ministry will be different then, since they are a completely un-reached people group. I am mentioning this, because we need some prayer for this. Not only will the trek be hard, but I am sensing an intense spiritual battle on the horizon. I love all of you, and I am so appreciative of your support. On that note, here’s a monkey. 
