Two months ago I was laying in a hospital bed in Ethiopia, barely even able to walk. Now I’m spending 4 days climbing mountains and trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal. Why in the world did I ever think that this was a good idea? Oh, so your body is still working on recovering from malaria… why not go hiking in the steepest country in the world?! Sounds fantastic.
Jesus, why did you bring me here??
Those were some of my thoughts as I trekked through the mountains this past week with 11 of my squad mates. The trek was all kinds of amazing and beautiful and painful and challenging– all wrapped into a whirlwind 5-day trip. We hiked over 27 miles, straight up and down mountains and spent almost 20 hours actually hiking. By the second day, my body was completely done. I felt like there was no way I could finish the rest of the hike without a strength that came from the Lord. And I know that Jesus gave me the strength that I needed to complete the entire journey. I also would not have been able to finish without help from my squad mates. (Shout out to my wonderful friend Jen for carrying both of our stuff!)
So by the time we got to the village, I was slightly discouraged and completely exhausted, wondering why I would ever decide to put my bodythrough such torture. Then we walked into a place where people had never come to share the gospel before. Our team got to sit down and have tea and talk about Jesus with the sweetest couple ever, Santa and Durga. So yes, I actually met Santa. And contrary to popular belief, he lives in a tiny village in the mountains of Nepal, not at the North Pole. We sat down and asked Santa if he knew who Jesus was. He said no. Santa listened intently as some of my teammates explained the simple truth of the gospel and Deepak translated into Nepali for us. Durga graciously served us tea and popcorn as she listened to us share the story of Jesus with her husband. She told us she had been listening to a Christian radio program for a while and didn’t really understand it; so she was absolutely overjoyed and thankful that we had come to her house in person to share truth and help explain the gospel! It was an unforgettable experience.
While we were hiking, my teammate Anissa kept saying- ‘Wow, Jesus must love these people SO much! He’s sending a whole team of people hiking through the mountains to reach them with the gospel.’ I think that is such a cool perspective. Before Santa and Durga, I had never spoken with anybody who hadn’t heard the name of Jesus. In America, even if you don’t grow up as a Christian, the name of Jesus is still being spoken all over the place. And yet, there are still whole groups of people out in the world who need to hear the gospel. The term ‘unreached people groups’ is now much more personal. I now know their names, faces, and exactly where they live because I’ve been there.
I am just thankful that Jesus has the same love for me that He does for those people in the village. And He loves me enough to allow me to be a part of the work that He was already doing in the hearts of Santa and Durga.
On the last day of our trek we walked to another village, populated by Untouchables. These people are considered the lowest members of society, dirty and unwanted in Nepal. Just by stopping at their house, drinking their tea, talking with them about Jesus, and washing their feet, we communicatedthat God loves and accepts them just as they are.
So yes, I might’ve felt like I was going to die the entire time. And my body definitely wasn’t ready for that kind of physical challenge after the malaria. But it was all worth it. Every painful step, sore muscle, and hour spent climbing slippery stone stairs in the freezing rain. Because two families that had never heard Jesus’ name before, got to hear the story of the gospel and experience the hope, love, and life that Jesus Christ has for them.
