Nepal has been such a blessing to my heart. In a month spent surrounded by mountains, beauty, and new friends, God has showed me so much of His heart and His joy for His people around the world. God has revealed the parts of my heart that are designed to be a replica of His heart, and He has shown me love in physical, practical ways that I will remember for months and years to come. As our teams head out for 7 days of village ministry, my heart is full of memories of hiking, coffee shops, and eating noodles with my Nepali bahinis (sisters). Similar to leaving India, the joy I feel here and the passion I have for TAMI and our ministry hosts makes leaving easier, but not easy by any means. God is moving in freaking rad ways here in Kathmandu and Nepal as a whole, and knowing that God allowed us to be a part of His revival is absolutely astounding. Thank you, Papa! Thank you for this month, for your joy, for your heart for your people, and for sharing your beauty with me!
Next month, we go back to ministering in our specific teams. As you pray, please continue to pray for provision and great strength and success for TAMI, for growth, community, and wisdom within the ever-growing Nepali church, for the Holy Spirit to continue to reclaim the lost and searching in Nepal (because Hinduism has left thousands of people broken and hurting), and safety for our team (Themelios) as we journey to our ministry host in Vietnam.
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Throughout Month 3 of our Race, we will have the privilege of working with a coffee shop that focuses on reaching people through speaking English and building relationships. (Quick note, I’m internally crying/screaming, because coffee and teaching English are two of my favorite things in the world ever. THANK YOU, PAPA!!) Vietnam is a closed country, so for purposes of safety and security, we have been asked not to give specific information about the organization. The coffee shop was started by an American family who came to Vietnam as English teachers looking to spread the Word, but who quickly noticed that almost all Vietnamese students learn English in school. However, the one thing that the Vietnamese need is a chance to practice their conversational English (with English-speakers as opposed to other Vietnamese people), and thus the idea for a coffee shop with English speakers and “speaking rooms” was born. The couple has branched out their ministry to include game nights, Bible studies, orphanage sponsorship, and church services!
Most the time we spend in ministry will involve taking shifts at the coffee shop and working one-on-one with the Vietnamese people to build their skills in conversational English. All sorts of people come through the coffee shop, from students to government employees. For this reason, we must be semi-careful with what we say in terms of religion and Christianity; I can say that “I believe…” but not that “We believe,” etc. The coffee shop also helps sponsor an orphanage, so we will most likely be able to go and help deliver supplies at least once while we are in the country.
Because Vietnam is a closed country, there is a great deal of persecution that takes place against Christians within the country. Open Doors USA has reported that “Christians in Vietnam are being subjected to increased persecution. Historical Christian communities experience arrests and land-grabbing by the authorities. Converts to Christianity from Buddhist or ethnic-animist backgrounds face the strongest persecution, which comes not only from the authorities, but also from families, friends and neighbors… On November 18, 2016, the communist government adopted a new Law on Belief and Religion, which limits freedom of religion considerably” (1). Christianity Today also wrote an article entitled “Vietnam is Getting Better, and Worse” in which author Sarah Zylstra noted that “the 2014 World Watch List, a ranking from Open Doors of the countries that most persecute Christians, put Vietnam at No. 18, up from No. 21 [in 2013]” (2). Please pray for us as we prepare to enter this closed country, as well as for all the Christians who are persecuted in Vietnam daily.
For more information about Christianity in Vietnam, please see the articles I quoted from below:
(1) https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/vietnam/
(2) http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/april/vietnam-is-getting-better-and-worse.html
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As I get ready to leave Nepal and journey to Vietnam, there are a few final things I would like to share with you:
-I am less than $700 away from being FULLY FUNDED. So many of you have partnered with me on this journey, and we are SO CLOSE. I am simply astounded by God’s faithfulness and provision. Would you consider partnering with me either financially, in prayer, or by sharing my story with others?
-If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to my blog! It’s easy; all you have to do is click on the orange “Subscribe for Updates” button directly under my picture and enter your e-mail! This will ensure that you get updates if I am unable to post my blog links to social media (which may be likely be the case this coming month).
-Watch for Instagram and Facebook posts following our travel day; we have a lengthy layover in Malaysia on our way to Vietnam, and some of us are planning to venture out of the airport and explore! I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to share pictures with you!
