I’d like to thank you all for joining me this evening, or morning depending on when you read this, in this wonderful place I kindly refer to as the inside of my head. I spent most of my day today traveling to, being at, and returning from a funeral. It may not be the most ideal time to write up a blog, but if I don’t now it may not get written. My plan was to write one first about the new team I’m on, but that’s gonna wait until later, so I’ll back up a bit.
We’re in Nepal, working with Asha Nepal this month. They rescue women and children from sex trafficking, usually bringing them back from India. They house them, rehabilitate, and hopefully in the end the women here can re-enter into society as self sustaining and fully functioning members. We arrived here 5 days ago on Sunday and were introduced quickly to a large number of kids and slowly some of the women. My first day I met a particularly joyful woman named Chanda on the stairs and we spoke for a moment or two. Later that day during dinner, she made rounds giving many of the ladies on the two teams that were here at the time hugs and telling Lianna how beautiful her hair is. Less than two days later she passed away unexpectedly.
Yesterday in the morning I was asked to go to the village, 12 hours round trip, where Chanda was from with Dania and one of the women here at Asha Nepal to find her family and let them know what had happened. There was no address, so we were going to only take a photo and pray that God would make something happen. Minutes before leaving, AN staff managed to contact them via phone. Her “family” denied knowing her and pretty much said she had died many many years ago when she left the Hindu religion to enter into a real relationship with Jesus Christ. They claimed that they didn’t have a daughter/sister/aunt and wanted nothing to do with her now, even in death.
My heart really broke upon hearing that. Many of the women here were also visibly upset, not because that Chanda was gone because she is whole once again with Christ, but because of the rejection. It brings to mind the scripture with Jesus talking about families dividing because some will accept who He is and others will reject Him. Matthew 10:34-36. Chanda made the choice to follow what she knew to be true despite knowing that it would set her apart from the rest of her family.
Between this and a book that I just finished reading a few days ago, God has really opened my eyes to some realities and misconceptions regarding my own life and how I've viewed it and lived it. That’ll be in the second part of this blog coming as soon as I find the time to sit down and write it.
