I was broken because I knew something inside of me was destined for this moment, for this place.
The story of our journey from India to what ended up being Nepal was one I want to share with you.
We were in the hospital in Bangalore when a conversation with Dustin Mick went something like this:
Dustin: “You won’t believe it but there was just a 7.9 earthquake near Kathmandu.”
Me: “No way.”
Dustin: “No, seriously.”
I remember trying to process in the moment and feeling utterly incapable. It had been a long week in the life of P-Squad. I was tired, worn out. I spent so much of that week asking God why. I would lay in bed at night, wide awake, because I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t understand why God would make a place that I somehow already loved without visiting go through such a thing.
I have never lived through an earthquake, but I had lived through disaster. Tornadoes visited Alabama and it forever changed me. I lived where the people came to help; I spent my own time helping as much as I could. I love disaster relief; it has something so special about it that I can’t fathom anything different being the thing that helped me find what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.
Fast forward to almost week after the disaster and Stacy uttered words I didn’t want to hear: “Right now, you are staying in India for Month 5.” I wanted to go to Nepal, and after our month in India, I wanted to leave India. That night I laid in my bed and asked God what He thought about Nepal and his answer seemed so clear: I love them; this didn’t catch me by surprise; and don’t give up on your dreams of Nepal. I had been looking forward to this country for months.
I was learning over the last week we were in India doing ministry about the first part, but the last part caught me off guard. My precious squad mentor had just told us that we were likely not going to make it to Nepal; the disaster was too great and the resources were needed for the Nepali people. I continued to pray that night, and as I got up in the morning to get a shower, I asked the Lord a question that would change me forever: “Dad, would you give me a heart for the people of Nepal?”
Ask my roommate at debrief: I literally spent days crying over the people of Nepal. I cried in the shower, at worship, at lunch and literally almost everywhere I walked. We had team changes and I got asked at least 5 times if I liked my new team. I apologized to Team Braveheart and told them this story. The tears weren’t about my new team but about the people here, and what God has for us as we enter Nepal.
I knew from the beginning that month 5 was going to be a big month for me. I didn’t know what the Lord had for me here or why it would be so big. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that what the Lord told me would be true.
Saturday evening, our coach was walking us through a process of ending our season with our old teams, and before the session ended, Stacy walked up and told us the news: We were going to Nepal. What a God we serve. What an opportunity it was to be in this incredible country just 10 days after the largest disaster in 80 years.
We landed in Kathmandu and I knew something was different. I knew that the place that had captured the attention of my heart for year was the place that I was exactly supposed to be right now. I don’t know what to expect with the Lord this month; He has been an incredible God and I am not going to limit him with what this month might look like. Disaster Relief will be a huge part of our month, but we are also open to whatever the Lord has to say.
The beauty of this country is undeniable; the people are incredible, the views are stunning, and the recovery process is beginning. I can’t wait to tell you about what God is doing here, and what He does inside of me because of it.
This is just the beginning friends!!
Until He Comes,
Kristy
