“Where in the world am I?”
This thought has gone through my head more times than you can imagine over the last 6 months. The answers have been wide ranging and equally surprising depending on the day, or month, or ministry.
This month, I’m in the beautiful city of Pokhara, Nepal. I can’t get over how stunning it is here and that I get to look up from our breakfast table every morning to see a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. There have been many times over the last several months that I have been so grateful and humbled that I get to do what God has called me to do in such beautiful surroundings. In the midst of this beauty though there is still darkness, pain and suffering.
Our team this month consists of 10 women, team “Sisters of Ronel” and “Oaks of Righteousness” have been brought together to live and work together this month bringing life and love to the lost in Pokhara’s red light districts and poor communities. The ministry we are partnering with runs the guesthouse we are living in that caters to missionaries that come to partner with them in reaching and empowering the women of the red light district of Pokhara.
We go to the dance clubs or brothel restaurants twice a week to encourage the women who are working there and offer a way out if one is desired. In addition to this we will spend about two days a week going to the “slums” of Pokhara to evangelize and encourage the people there. During the times we don’t have specific ministry set up we are spending time together in prayer and worship as a team and seeking out opportunities to share the gospel and create our own ministry in the community. My teammate Julia has already started working on a project for us, check out her blog here and let one of us know if you’d be interested in donating.
My personal journey this month has pushed me to explore my own creativity and talents. This has looked like seeking out conversations with strangers and getting to know the local non-profits that are empowering women through handicrafts and creativity. I’m definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I’m confident that the growth I will find there will be worth it.
Here’s how you can be praying for me and my team:
-Boldness and protection – the dance bars and brothels are something that we haven’t encountered before. It’s hard to see a child of 15 have to work in these places because she has to support her family and we know there is still so much more we don’t see. Pray that we know the words to speak to these women to love them and encourage them. That we don’t let the darkness that surrounds these places to overwhelm us
-Wisdom – we have a lot of freedom here and that creates a lot of opportunity to do some really cool things for the kingdom. But it also creates temptation to be idle or succumb to distraction. Pray that we are wise and Holy Spirit driven with how we spend our time.
-Pray for our Ministry and the staff of Maya Guesthouse. They are passionate and loving and do so much good for the community, pray for rest and encouragement for them.
-For my team – pray for unity as we continue to grow as a unit while sharing space with other World Race and YWAM teams this month.
-For myself – pray for obedience, I feel called to do more challenging things here (drawing on a bench where everyone can see me, talking with a stranger, sharing the gospel with a traveler I meet in a coffee shop) and I don’t always want to. Pray that I am obedient in speaking when prompted and that I take advantage of the opportunities that I am given.
Thanks as always for reading and check out this amazing view from a hike some of our team and I got to take on an Adventure day. Can you believe how big and beautiful those mountains are in the distance? They are behind where we live and we often forget about them, we just have to get a little bit higher to see the amazing things that God has created around us. The picture doesn’t even do it justice.
