Coming to Nepal I never expected it to be as beautiful as it is. While flying in we were able to see the Himalaya Mountains in the distance and we were able to look down upon their foothills which in America would be considered mountains in themselves. I could never have imagined just how incredibly beautiful this place it.
As we were staying in the city of Kathmandu we also found out about the ministry we will have this month. My team and I will be hiking into the remote foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in order to help and encourage the church located in the isolated foothills. Just four years ago these people were unreached and now there are hundreds of believers. These people are located within a place called Khairang where they came down from the mountains and settled 30 years ago.
We will have a three day hike just in order to get to these people and once we are there we will be doing a variety of things such as praying, painting, sharing the gospel, goat herding, and much more. Once we are finished we will again have a three day hike in order to return to our starting location.
This ministry is probably the best ministry I could have ever asked for. Being an avid backpacker I love the idea of hiking in the Himalayas in order to go serve and share the gospel with these people. I am so excited to see what God will do and I am praying that he will give me the passion and the strength to accomplish all that he has set out for me.
Though this ministry is very exciting and perfect for me, my team has expressed a lot of concern about what to expect and how to handle the rigors of our journey. Many of them have expressed the fact that they are not excited for our ministry and it brings them a lot of stress thinking about all the hiking that we have to do.
So as we look forward and discuss all of the emotions and concerns of our trip I am at an impasse. I am excited for the ministry that we have and I love the idea of what we are doing, and yet as the team leader I am concerned for the health and well being of my team. As such, I am trying to learn the balance of what it means to take on the burdens of my team but at the same time not lose the joy of this opportunity that the Lord has given.
During our time in Nepal I am learning what it means to live in this balance. I do not want to lose the joy that the Lord has given me but I do not want to be unsympathetic of the fears that my team has. Again I am reminded to simply go to God and seek his strength in this time so that I can respond as Christ would have me to in this situation.
Please pray for me that God would lead my steps and guide me in how to be the man that he has called me to be in this situation. It is so exciting for me to be part of this ministry and I cannot wait to see how God uses us in this time to reach these people for him!
