So, I must admit this month has been a little rough for me… mostly because of my expectations coming into Nepal. It began with team changes before we left India & the sense of starting over with building deep relationships with new teammates, especially after finally getting to the point of closeness with my original team that we had been working on for three months. Next, having the entire squad join us at our ministry in India brought me a little stress and discomfort, followed by 35 hours on a bus with 50 people. Once we made it off the bus in Kathmandu, I was so excited for this time in Nepal that I had been looking forward to all along & the opportunity to bond with my new lovable team! After a day of rest we departed on a 12-hour bus ride for village ministry, which ended in a ditch rather than at a mountain trail-head… the day was spent in hospitals, followed by a day of rest & the arrival of our 5 squad leaders to check in on us. Finally, we boarded another identical bus & took the 12-hour road back to Kathmandu to nurse our bruised bodies and spirits. It felt good to be back “home”, but now there were 17 of us cramming into a space that was definitely already tight with the original 12. After a few days, the squad leaders were on their way, leaving us with encouragement, a stomach virus & head colds. As our two teams were literally dropping like flies with sickness, we tried to get our act together and finally started… we were already half-way through the month in Nepal and felt we really had nothing to show for it yet.
Just when I was really starting to feel frustrated, we were presented with the opportunity to go to the Tibet border & do village ministry~ finally, a redeeming trip to make up for the disastrous trip our first week!! After a few days, we still didn’t know if the AIM administration was going to allow us to go (due to our accident)… our team felt a strong calling to this ministry opportunity, so thankfully we were able to go in the end, but the back-and-forth of it all put my attitude in a not-so-positive place for a couple of days. We left for the mountains, anxiously awaiting our four-hour hike to the first village, but we were pleasantly surprised with a night of rest & a soak in the local hot spring before our trek~ off to a great start… and much needed after yet another terrifying drive on mountain roads, where we got a flat tire & saw a bus (identical to the one we crashed in) nose-down off the side of a cliff!
The hiking was intense and testing at times~ 3-4 hours uphill in the rain (& of course I forgot my rain jacket,) but I was thrilled to be out of the filthy polluted city & cramped living space and in the Nepalese nature I had envisioned for months. The views were amazingly beautiful as we crossed swinging bridges over raging river rapids and climbed steep mountain paths through vibrantly green terraced land, and I was so joyful for this much-needed get-away with my team.
We spent two days hiking, handing out Bibles and literature, and praying for believers. We got to pray over people for healing from blindness, deafness, and all kinds of pains and sickness. It was so great to finally be doing ministry! The believers in the village were so amazing in their faith & perseverance. The first people we stayed with were the only believers in their entire village, and we had the opportunity to encourage them amidst the discouragement and persecution they faced on a daily basis. It was such a reality-check to be surrounded by a family whose one true desire is to bring their entire village to know Christ, despite the fact that they are constantly being mocked for their beliefs.
Aidaman & Kali's family (our hosts in the first village we hiked to)–
please continue to pray for this family's encouragement & strength!
In my selfishness and self-pity this month, I’ve learned some things. Despite my expectations and disappointments, God is working everything out for his ultimate good and overall glory. It’s not about me. Just as Martha & Mary questioned Jesus after the death of their brother Lazarus, I’ve questioned God’s motives through the ministry & events of this month in Nepal. But just as Jesus showed up and raised Lazarus from the dead (bringing ultimate glory to himself), I am confident that he is working in us and through us in the same ways~ it may not be easy to understand at the moment, but the events of this month are going to bring us closer to God.
Pastor Reuben Rai & family (front center)- our ministry contact in Kathmandu
surrounded by students from School of Evangelism, Church Planting & Basic Computer…
our team spent this last week of ministry teaching basic computer classes to this group.
And just as the Israelites complained about their trek in the wilderness, despite the fact that the Lord had saved them and provided for them, I’ve done the same this month. I’ve been ungrateful and complained about the challenges I’ve been faced with, seeing inconvenience rather than opportunity. As the holidays approach & we leave for Kenya, homesickness and desire for comfort has taken over, distracting me from what's in front of me. The thought of being in a remote village with no internet, sleeping in a mud hut as my loved ones gather around a table for a turkey feast has put me in a bit of a pity-party this past week. However, just as God brought pain & suffering to the Israelites in order to bring them to a place of desperation for Him, he is calling out to me through my pain. He is using my loneliness to draw me closer to Him; he is using my deep longing for a relationship to make me depend on him for the comfort and validation I’ve always looked for in men. This season has been a little messy and frustrating, but growth is rarely pleasant. I'm looking forward to the growth that Kenya has in store for me individually & for our team as a whole. I'm trying to lay down any expectations but still hope for the best, knowing that it's going to be a challenging month but that God will be holding my hand and walking beside me through it all!
