Month 2: Nepal — Part 1
So we have officially been in Nepal (our second country) for 17 days. It has been a whirlwind first half of Month 2, So here is a brief summary of what we have been doing! I apologize for the choppy nature of these lists… If you have questions about any particular activity, just ask!
Days 1-6: Debrief
Team Debriefs; Worship Sessions; Group and Individual Meetings with Mama Kris and Papa Doug; Guy/Girl vulnerability times; free time to explore city/shopping/resting
Ministry Week 1 (only Wednesday through Sunday):
Prayer Journey to Historical Site/Temple:
Chance to explore the city; find out about culture of the area and religious culture; pray for people; and gain an understanding of some of the views of people here in the city.
Slum Ministry (Car Cup):
Prayer Walk in one of the larger slum areas of the city where TAMI has a ministry. Walked through the paths; talking to people who were open; praying over people; met the leader of a house church and prayed over his family/church; met a Christian shop owner and enjoyed some cold soda and fresh fruit, prayed over their family and business; met a Christian friend of the shop owner, went to his house and prayed for his family, enjoyed some coffee and an omelet; played with and prayed over a bunch of the children who live there.
Prayer/Worship Hike to Temple:
Hiked a “hill” [in Alabama that would be a serious mountain] to a Hindu temple that was built at the top; prayed over the temple and over the city (the temple was also an INCREDIBLE lookout point over the entire city and valley areas); walked part of the way back down the mountain then had a time of prayer, worship, and declaring truth and freedom over the city and the valley.
“Soaking” Worship night at the Iris Global House of Prayer:
A night of praise, prayer, and intimate worship that several members of our squad went to. Some stayed for about 2 hours, the rest of us stayed about 4 hours, and when we left there were still quite a few non-AIM people still going strong. It was an incredible experience, and a huge time of refreshing for me (worship music is the primary way I connect with Papa).
International Church:
Attended the local English Speaking International Church service, then fellowship with other believers after the service, making connections with other ministries and believers stationed around the city.
Ministry Week 2:
Prophetic Drawing/Slum Ministry (TARA School):
Prayed for inspiration, then drew/colored/painted the picture that the Holy Spirit inspired. Then went to another large slum where TAMI has another ministry; prayer walked and met with people; gave out our artwork to people; saw the ministry site (a one room school house for slum and beggar children) and prayed over it.
Jewelry Making and Women at Risk Ministries Prayer:
Made jewelry to eventually give as gifts to women during bar outreach/rescue missions. Prayed over the Women At Risk Ministry (WARM), the workers, and the women who would eventually receive the jewelry we made.
Bar Outreach:
Traveled to a known brothel/prostitution/trafficking area. Asked the Spirit to lead us to a particular business. Ordered tea/cokes; chatted with the women working in the restaurant; observed how the mechanics of the business appeared to be working (this particular restaurant was definitely a brothel cover, and we saw a steady flow of men coming and going, some eating, some going straight to the back); chatted with and got to know the “receptionist” (whom we determined was the Madam of the operation), and gave some of the jewelry we had made to the “waitresses” that were working. Then prayed within our group over the entire business, for the Madam, for the girls, and for the johns and clients. Finally, made note of where the business was for the Nepali WARM staff to revisit and continue with ministry visits and hopefully rescue attempts.
Treasure Hunt:
One of the most challenging, yet most rewarding ministry days so far. We were told to pray and ask Papa to show us where in the city we were supposed to go for the day, and for him to describe the people we were supposed to minister to. We split into our teams, prayed, received and compiled our “clues”, then set out on our “treasure hunt” to find the people that Papa had set out for us to minister to for the day. Long story short, we found the exact person described in the clues given to us during prayer time, at the exact location given to us during our prayer time. – I’m hoping to write a more detailed blog about this particular ministry day, because it was so impacting on me. Moral of the Story: Trust in the Holy Spirit’s Leading.
Visiting/Praying over more TAMI sites:
Our original plans for this day was canceled due to weather aftermath, so we visited two more TAMI ministry sites and prayed over each room and over all present/future participants in both programs. We also got the opportunity to intercede for a pressing situation for our contacts, and saw positive responses from the situation within the hour.
Bottom Lines: Our contacts here in Nepal are firm believers in the power and ministry of prayer, and in following the Holy Spirit’s guiding in all ministry. The first half of the month has also coincided with a major holiday/festival time (Westerners, think Christmas and New Years), so many of the programs for both our contacts and other organizations are on break. However, we know that Prayer and Intercession are powerful ministry tools. So even though our first 2 weeks of ministry may not have plenty of fruit or even pictures to show, we know that our ministry was needed, powerful, and effective. We will begin more hands-on “traditional” ministry this coming Monday, so stay tuned to see what adventures and stories come out of that. All I know is that I have been put with a new, temporary team (mixing individuals from multiple H Squad Teams) for next week, and we will be doing something with Worship and Music. We don’t have many details, but I’m sure it will be a great week!
As a parting gift until next time.. Enjoy this gorgeous rooftop view of the city and the “hills” around the valley. I could sit and stare at it for hours upon hours upon hours.. day or night. It is so perfect to me!
