One of my all time favorite things is having my expectations exceeded. It is like being surprised by something you already knew about. That is the exact feeling about Nepal. I came into the World Race with Africa on my mind. I was excited for the experiences I would get to have in other countries but in the back of my mind, I knew Africa would be it for me. I felt like the first 4 months of my race were going to be stepping stones to the real deal. After just 3 days here, I can see how wrong I was.
It probably won't be a surprise to anyone to hear that as our plane descended into Nepal I was engrossed in a book. I was so completely tuned out to the rest of the world that I didn't hear any of the excited exclamations or notice the people next to me straining to look out the windows. The plane finally touched down and my poor body, after 53 hours of travel on about 3 hours of sleep, moved like a zombie toward the exit, entirely unaware that God was about completely rock my world.
I literally gasped out loud when I stepped off the plane. I spun in a circle several times just to convince myself that the mountains I saw were real (probably whacking people around me with my backpack). I can honestly say, I have never seen anything more beautiful. I have never been more in awe of God's creation.
By time we made it to our house that night it was dark and I was practically sleep walking. I crawled into my sleeping bag and slept for 13 hours straight. The next morning I headed up to the roof to do my quiet time and was once again blown away by the view. Our house is nestled comfortably on a what our host family told me was “hill” but I call a majestic mountain side. Every time I looked up from my Bible it was more beautiful than I remembered it being the last time I looked. It is almost as if the scenery is foreshadowing for what He has planned for my month. The Lord has promised me beautiful things and it doesn't end with mountains.
Friday afternoon I made God a promise. I promised that I would take every opportunity He gave me this month and I would trust Him to pull through it. By Saturday morning He was ready to test my resolve. The pastor announced that next week one of the girls on my team would be preaching the sermon and I knew immediately that I had to volunteer. Later that afternoon, midway through the youth program, the leader announced that I would be praying over the group. Sometimes I have to concentrate hard on what people are saying because their English isn't perfect so it took me a moment to register what he had said. I pointed at my chest and my questioning face was met with a confident nod. For those of you who know me, public speaking, more specifically, public prayer are far from being my strong suits. It's just like God to throw me head first into my fears and smile at the surprised look on my face when it turns out perfectly- according to His plan.
This is my mountain month. Everything about Nepal has exceeded my expectations and now I plan to jump on the band wagon. I'm going to take the opportunities that He gives me. I will speak when He tells me to speak. There is a season for walking with the Lord but this month I will hit the ground running. I refuse to just live in these mountains- I plan to move them.
