Nepal or Bust!

Are we going to Nepal? Do we have to stay in India? Are we even ALLOWED to be in either of these countries right now?
For about a week we had no idea what the answer to these questions were. And we had no way of finding out. Being in a state of unknown is a big part of the World Race. And these past two weeks we have really learned that. We have also grown so much as a squad because of it.
We were supposed to go to Nepal two days after the earthquake occurred. We were days away from experiencing and being a part of a natural disaster. God’s hand was certainly over us. Our squad coaches were already in Kathmandu waiting for us to start debrief when the earthquake hit. We just had the accident days ago and now this? Thankfully our coaches were safe. Because of the earthquake we of course could not go into Nepal for our debrief. I have no idea how they made it happen but within days we were informed that we would now be having debrief in Hyderabad, India. The next step would be to get the coaches and our squad mentor India VISA’s. The problem? India VISA’s normally take a while to get. But God came through and within days all three of them had the VISA’s they needed.

We have a spent a week here in Hyderabad to debrief from the last 3 months since we last saw our coaches and mentor. And what a wonderful time we have had. But it has also been a very confusing time as well.
Due to the earthquake, we would not be heading into Nepal. It was now a disaster zone and we aren’t trained in emergency services. But we couldn’t stay in India after our VISA’s expired. They talked of extending our VISA’s to have us stay in India for another month of ministry. We would be working with different ministry hosts and would probably stay in Hyderabad. From the very moment they told us that my heart was unsettled. It didn’t feel right. And honestly, I didn’t WANT to stay in India for another month. Or, at the very least, I had no desire to stay in Hyderabad for a month. Hyderabad is the most chaotic city I have ever experienced. A month here and I would lose my mind!
Then on Thursday night, they told us the news. We would be going to Nepal after all! Our hosts still want us to come and help with the relief effort. Although I didn’t hear the announcement first hand as I was in bed sick, I felt peace when I heard from my squad the next morning. I had felt in my heart that God wanted us to go to Nepal and I have always dreamed of doing disaster relief work. We will now be spending the beginning of the month helping to pass out care packages and being “foot soldiers” for our host. After that it still remains a mystery. I know that I will be seeing and experiencing things like I never have before. No one knows what God has in store for us in Nepal but we believe and know that it is good.
I feel ready to do this for God even if I’m nervous and have no idea what it may look like. God is covering us with His protection and we are trusting in our FAITH. We may see things this month that we never thought we would see. We may do things we never thought we would do. God may stretch us, grow us and break us so hard this month. God must want us in Nepal or He wouldn’t have opened up the doors for this to happen. God is sending P Squad to a place where no squad has gone before. Here I am Lord, Send Me!