We spent more time in beautiful Nepal than in any other country we visited. After 16 days however, I only have three different areas of outreach to write about. This is definitely not because we didn't fill up our time though! During our time in Nepal we put into practice the vitally important lesson we learned during the missions teaching in South Africa: that we must value each and every individual. Instead of packing our time with a million different things to do in order to feel busy, we focused on really developing close relationships with the people we encountered in Nepal. As a result, we were truly able to know how to best love and minister to all our new friends!
The majority of our ministry time was spent in beautiful Pokhara, where we had an absolutely breathtaking view of the Annapurna mountain range. We stayed at the YWAM base there and were super blessed with the opportunity to work with the DTS team they currently had on outreach too. We ended up even being able to attend their graduation! As well as our time in Pokhara, we also had a free day in Kathmandu and we visited a small mountainside village. Nepal was an extreme sensory overload, with so many sights, smells, and new culture to take in. Every minute of it was an experience worth many stories, but here are just a few from our ministry work there:
Church Seminars
While we were in Nepal each of our team members was able to teach at one of two different seminars, or at a church service we planned and led. In a place where Hindu and Buddhist temples and idols can always be seen every way you look, it was a very eye opening opportunity being able to encourage these groups of new Christians and see how clearly God is already working within Nepal! The first seminar was two days long and was located at a local church a short walk away from where we were staying. This was where I was able to speak on my chosen topic, intercession. I had never even heard of intercession before DTS, I was very inspired by our teaching during lecture phase, and I feel I have a very good testimony on how real and important intercession is. If you would like to hear some of my intercession teaching or testimony, please feel free to message me.
Not only was this a great opportunity for the Nepali locals who received our teaching, it was also a great opportunity for us to reflect upon and share what we learned during lecture phase, and how the lessons had really come to life on outreach! We did our best to also encourage individuals at the places we visited, despite having the language barrier. At the first seminar, we prayed over the group, and shared a few words God gave us with them. One woman who myself and two other teammates spoke to was very obviously moved by our words! At the beginning of the two days, she sat quite hunched over, and seemed very unconfident. After we told her how awesome God thought she was however, she was sitting straight up, shoulders back, she exuded confidence, and had a real sparkle in her eyes! It was so cool to see how God was working in all the lives of the people we taught and spoke with, and to see how hungry they were for just more Jesus! Everyone was also so grateful for our time, and after the first seminar, the congregation even presented each one of us with a white silk scarf to say thank you!
The Village
During our time in Nepal we spent four days living in a small village by the river, up in the mountains from the lake in Pokhara. This experience was more what I imagined missions life to be like. There was no shower, so we bathed in the river. Well, I actually just swam around a bunch, but same difference. There was just one squatty potty for our team and the Nepal DTS team to use. We were staying in three small huts, and the one I was sleeping in was usually a storage room. As a result, we shared our room with dozens of palm-sized ninja spiders and mice, and I got to witness the village Uncle whip out some Kung Fu skills in order to whack these creatures to death. One night a large mouse/rat even decided to jump on the face of the girl sleeping next to me (we were on the floor, of course) and then scurry over me as well. Another night I watched our dinner rooster get its head hacked off. We also almost got trapped at the village when a seriously heavy rain storm hit us. Instead, we just trudged back through said rain storm and spent two very long bus rides shivering, soaking wet. All the senses were definitely buzzing for sure!
I would say that all of this was 100% worth it however, and I actually very much enjoyed this part of our journey! We had dance parties while playing with all the local children under the amazing starry night. We spent a day walking from village to village, picking up trash, and promoting cleanliness, while interacting with some indigenous wildlife (aka throwing rocks at the biggest spiders I have ever seen in my life.) One evening we had the opportunity to minister to around fifty Hindu villagers out in the open as we sang songs, shared testimonies, and performed dramas and dances for them! The most exciting part to me was the fact that the man in charge of the village where we stayed was a Christian. Out in the middle of nowhere, with no technology, and barely any outsiders, there was a small Christian congregation growing together! No matter the place, people, or obstacles, God can reach out and be moving. This is where we also had our second seminar. The whole trip was definitely the most physically challenging time of outreach, but it also makes for the best stories!
Lakeside Evangelism
The ministry we participated in more than any others while in Nepal was evangelizing by the lake in Pokhara. When it was time to start evangelism, we each prayed about where God wanted us to be and then we split off into groups to follow the different routes that came up. During our first visit to lakeside, a few of us, including myself, encountered one of the Tibetan refugee women who line the lake selling jewelry. She came up, told us her story, spoke of her troubles, and begged us to view her items for sale. At this point we had no money, so we told her that we couldn't buy anything, but that we would be happy to bless (pray for) her business. At first this pleased her, until we told her we were Christians. At that point she physically recoiled from us in fear. She absolutely did not want us to touch her or say anything. So we moved along, but I could not get this woman out of my mind.
So, for the rest of our evangelism time, myself and a few others visited this lady and her friends. Each day we would walk along the waterfront until we found them (or they found us rather) and then we just hung out and got to know them better. One day we bought them all tea, looked at, and purchased some of their jewelry. On another day, we brought them some of our second hand clothes, and twice we took the guitar or ukulele around and sang songs with them. We also chatted about religion, the Tibet/China conflict, and just problems and solutions of the world in general. Despite the fact that most these women have not received much or any schooling, they are incredibly educated and wise! They all know several languages, and the basics of pretty much every language where tourists visit from so that they can start conversations and make sales! Despite being refugees with very little material wealth, they are very content. As one of them so truly stated, the best way to live positively is to work on finding peace and light within yourself, rather than trying to change those around you or your outside circumstances. Of course our views varied a bit, because as a Christian I believe that the peace and light only comes from Christ, who changes you from the inside out. Although the majority of the women we spoke to were Buddhist, by the end of our journey a few of them witnessed and believed in the power Jesus has too!
During one afternoon, one of the ladies told us she could use prayer because she was feeling very unwell and was afraid she would have to miss out on some days of business. We prayed for healing to come over her body and then left for the day. When we returned the following day, she joyfully told us that she had awoken feeling totally better and had immediately thought of us! She said she knew that it was the prayer that had taken away her sickness. After that, quite a few of the women asked for prayer, and we were delighted to give it!
Each group within our team had a wonderful relational experience with the different people they spent their evangelism ministry time getting to know. It was so amazing to see how far a genuine interest in someone can take you! The lady my group first met initially wouldn't even let us come near her, and yet by the end of our time she was holding and patting my hand, thanking me for spending time with her, and inviting me to her home. I was so touched by this offer and it was very hard to say goodbye. I will miss all the women I grew close to and really do pray that I will see them again someday!
Exploring Nepal
We also spent some time exploring Nepal, getting blown away by the epic mountains, visiting the temples, and going on prayer walks. Each time we visited one of the temples I felt very affected by the spiritual atmosphere. So many people were coming to these idols, giving food, money, gifts, and their daily time, performing rituals, in order to appease gods who never answer them. They live in fear of what will happen if they do not do certain things just right, all the while so unaware that there is a living God who loves them so dearly and just wants them exactly the way they are! Now don't get me wrong, I know there are people out there who claim to follow Jesus and fall into that same trap. Mindless religion, with no relationship. But whether someone says they are Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, whatever, religion without relationship does not satisfy and it leaves the soul feeling empty, crying out for something more. I think that is why the people of Nepal warmed so quickly to us and appreciated our interest in them so much. They are so desperate for a deeper relationship! I feel amazingly blessed that for even a short amount of time I was able to try to reflect the love that Christ has for these people by showing them kindness, appreciation, and giving attention to even the small details of their precious lives.
Last but not least is Hong Kong. I can't wait to get a taste of how God is stirring in yet another place that is so different than any other place we have visited yet! Glory to God for this amazing opportunity! May He bless each one of you, on each of your own journeys, too! Thank you for reading!
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be
made for everyone... This is good and pleases God our savior, who wants all men
to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 2:1,3,4
P.S. All the amazing photos that you are probably totally blown away by were taken by my beautiful, wonderful friend Nicola Easterby. If you want to see even more awesome photography you should totally visit her page: http://www.polkadot-passport.com
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