(Somehow this got deleted so I’m reposting)
Nepal was 2 months, the first month being mens ministry where the men stayed together apart from the girls, and the second was back with our teams.
When we first got to Nepal, we had a few days for debrief in Thamel as a squad. We got to eat the best food and explore all that Thamel has and at night we would go from club to club and dance for hours to the countless live musicians, most of them being cover bands. I remember we were at this tiny little restaurant that could fit maybe 10-15 people. We were sitting down as the band played until they started playing Mr. Brightside, and before I knew it me and my 6 friends were on chairs, jumping around and singing at the top of our lungs. Pretty soon, some random girls from Alaska joined in too, so the entire restaurant was on their feet. The energy was contagious.
During that week we also went on a white water rafting trip for $30 through the Himalayas. Our low expectations were exceeded when the water had class 3 and 4 rapids, and the amazing guides cooked us a meal and we ate together afterwards.
We call the first month Manistry, a month without seeing the girls. Honestly it was really relaxing. I love this group of guys so much. I’m writing this with 4 days left I the race and I’m just crazy thankful for all of them. We get along so well so it’s really easy to have fun when we’re all together. Lots of laughs were shared this month.
Our host called our ministry high adventure ministries which was really exciting. Our first expedition started when we took an all night bus to Chitwan national park in a beautiful but freezing little village for 2 weeks. Here I got to do my favorite ministry of the entire race. Half of us got to meet with 7-8 local pastors and worship leaders and teach. We answered questions and got to really rely on scripture to point them to the fathers heart. These pastors were also pretty new to their faith so we got to make a big impact on them, showing them truth, and that impact is going to do so much because they’re leaders in the village. It was also special because I got to do it alongside Mark Rowden, one of the wisest most knowledgeable people I know when it comes to the Bible. The other half got to do door to door ministry, talking and praying over people. The Lord used them to heal a lady with paralysis on her entire right side of her body. I wonder what the Buddhist neighbors thought of that. They’ve seen this old lady laying on her side for years on their small from porch and one day these Christians come over and heal her. I’m sure it at least got them thinking. One day all of us hiked to the India Nepal border and interceded on the nations. That border traffics so many women into sex slavery DAILY and we got to pray over that together. I think we really made an impact on this village, they’ve only had missionaries come once or twice before us and we got to show them what following Christ looks like.
When we weren’t in the villages we were in Kathmandu visiting old homes, going on prayer walks around temples rebuilding a church, going to an orphanage, helping at a feeding program in the slums, and a few other things. In our free time I spent a lot of time at the rock wall in Thamel and got to get close with some of the guys that worked there along with frequent visitors. When Abby Nick and I went to an outdoor festival to run a 25k in the Himalayas, one of the climbers generously let us put our bags in his tent.
Our next adventure was a backpacking trip outside of Pokhara, going from village to village sharing the gospel. I felt like I was one of the original disciples, going from house to house staying with whoever hosted us. There were times when Hindus and Buddhists didn’t want to talk to us because we’re Christians, but like the disciples we dusted off our shoes and kept on going. One night we stayed at this Buddhist family’s house and they made a meal for us and we got to share the gospel over dinner. The story of Jesus is so powerful. The entire family accepted Christ that night.
Month two of Nepal we took another trip to Chitwan national park but this time with the girls staying at a church funded by some people in Japan. We were in a village that felt a lot like India and did the same ministry: encouraging families and church members. The villagers were always welcoming to us, serving their local dishes like snails, bats, and rat.
I think one of the biggest take-away’s from Nepal was the confirmation the Lord gave me of my love for adventure. For me when my heart is racing and I’m uncomfortable I’m feeling alive. Whether that be above a clip on a rock wall knowing I could fall, or freezing cold going down rapids screaming, I feel alive. And I think sometimes that’s what following Christ should feel like. I can’t wait to see how I can incorporate these ideas into my career and how I can invite people into living this way. Those are passions that the Lord has laid on my heart and this vision is something I’m going to strive for and it’ll probably be what leads me to my next chapter in life, whatever that may be.
