Nepal…a place full of big mountains and green valleys. The world’s tallest mountains and shortest people are here. The culture is warm and inviting. When you walk by strangers on the road it is common to put your hands together and say Namaste…the traditional greeting. However when greeting believers, you say jaimushi. I think it means praise jehovah.
If you’ve kept up with me on facebook, you’ll know our main ministry this month is evangelism and church planting. Our days are busy and we do a LOT of walking. I can safely say that here in Nepal, we hiked home uphill both ways everyday, twice a day!! This is the month for me to loose a few pounds, from all the cookies I ate in Swazi and all the bread I ate last month (we had bread and jam with almost every meal…it was good, sweet bread tho). We typically get up early and walk to someone’s house, two of us will share, one a testimony and one a message.
This week, we are conducting a seminar, teaching on topics for a new church congregation. It’s very exciting to be a part of all of this, but at the same time, there is a sense of urgency that I feel. The gospel is urgent and this country is relatively new to it, as it only opened its borders to the world in 1950, and before that it was a strictly Hindu nation. There is great opportunity for many to come to know Jesus, but we have to be bold enough to take those opportunities when we see them. Just about every person that catches my eye passing on the street I wonder, am I supposed to talk to that person, or pray for them? Its easy to tell who is a nonbeliever here because they bear a red dot on their forehead…the sign of a Hindu. There are also shrines and idols all around us and I can’t help but think of what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 about fleeing from idolatry. Verse 19-21 talks about sacrificing to demons…all I can think of every time I see one of these is how Satan is using it to draw people away from God, and to keep the veil of lies over their eyes.
The gospel is urgent here just as it is everywhere. Spiritual warfare is real. Everyday we are in a battle of truth and lies and what we’ll choose to believe and relay to others. There is a very real battle going on all around you, us, and all over the world, concerning people’s SOULS and their eternity. There are forces at work beyond what the eyes can see. We have a responsibility as Christians to relay the truth. We are warriors out here and fighting in a battle. It’s scary sometimes but God is faithful and rewards the obedient, and if you read the book of Revelations, you will find out who will be victorious in the end.
So in short, I am having an interesting time here in Nepal. More to come soon.
