Last week I had the best day of 2018 so far!
I have been praying A LOT, for opportunities to share the gospel and to create ministry out of everyday life. After a week of not really hearing from the Lord, I finally got something! I was praying in my room when God spoke to me so clearly. He said…..
“My child, I love that you are spending so much time in prayer, but it’s time to take action on those prayers. It’s time to do your part.”
Wow! My eyes were opened. I often forget that the other half of prayer is either waiting or taking action. I’m good at the waiting part, but this time it was clear that I needed to stop waiting and start doing.
That day I walked out the door ready to seize every opportunity, and even create opportunities!
There are a lot of drug dealers here in Kathmandu. Ten to twenty times a day I get offered drugs. God put it on my heart to start asking them why they are doing what they are doing. I was so ready to try this out!
About 20 minuets into my walk I realized how unusual it was that I haven’t been offered to yet. I passed a bookstore and felt like I really needed to go in there. So there I was in a bookstore, smelling essential oils, reading poetry books, and looking at all the strange Buddhist souvenirs.
“God what am I doing in here?”
Nothing happened so I bought some playing cards and walked out. As soon as I stepped out I heard that familiar creepy voice…..
“Sup man, need something? Weed? Hash? I have good quality.”
Yes!!! My spirit rejoiced!
I responded….
“Why are you doing this?”
He was stunned! First of all, these guys get ignored by hundreds of people every day. Secondly, I don’t think anyone ever asks them why they are drug dealers.
After my question there was an awkward silence, so I told him I didn’t need drugs because I follow Jesus and He is all I need.
Then my new friend Saroj, spilled his heart out to me. He shared his life story and told me he hates drug dealing but he is not educated and has to support his family. He told me he felt trapped. We talked more as he led me down a creepy alley and into an even creepier “restaurant”. He took me to his boss. I was a little freaked out and thought I was about to get robbed but he just wanted me to pray over the boss and his body guard. We ended up walking and talking for about an hour. We parted ways and that was it.
After lunch with my team, I decided to meet up with a guy my pastor from home met a few years ago. His name is Badri. I was looking for a taxi and ran into Saroj again! He helped me get a taxi for a cheap price and I got his number.
I had no idea where this taxi was taking me but I ended up at a monastery at the top of a mountain. There were monks everywhere! I walked into a little shack full of monks drinking tea, and found a guy who had a phone so I could call Badri. Turns out I went to the wrong temple, but I was only 2 miles away. So I walked 2 miles down the mountain, borrowed another phone and finally met up with Badri. We had tea in his living room and shared testimonies and ministry stories. We shared prayer requests with each other and he showed me pictures of his family. It was an amazing time with my Nepali brother in Christ. I asked if he could help me get a taxi, but he refused and offered to take me home himself. I gladly accepted. He drives a motorcycle by the way. So there I was riding down a mountain on a motorcycle as the sun was setting, it was incredible.
This was by far the best day I’ve had this year. I ended the day having dinner with a teammate and another girl we met at our hostel. We were able to share our testimonies with her and had some great conversations.
There is a lot more I could share of this day. My main takeaway from this day was to “do my part”. Prayer is great, it’s important, but it requires action. I can pray for opportunities all day but if I don’t do my part to seize those opportunities nothing will happen. God loves when we do our part, he wants us to create ministry every day in every situation.
It won’t always look like a crazy day of monks and drug dealers. Sometimes it’s just simply loving people. Give food to the homeless, send an encouraging text, or even doing something special for someone that annoys you.
Ps. The Lord has put it on my heart to help my drug dealer friend get a job. I’m planning on introducing Badri (the pastor), and
Saroj (the drug dealer). So please be praying that God will bless him with a job and new life in Christ.
