When I did my DTS in January of 2007 I had chosen Nepal as my outreach location, but due to civil unrest midway through the school we were told we were going to Bangladesh instead. It was an amazing outreach that God used to speak to me about joining YWAM as staff but I still hoped to one day get to do ministry in Nepal. So in 2009 when it came time to lead my second outreach team I recall the Lord impressing me to go to Thailand. I had already been there a few times and so honestly had no desire to go there! I remember being pretty bratty, “Seriously God! What about Nepal?” His gentle response was “Not now, but you will go.”
That was enough for me! And I have clung to that faint whisper of a promise from the Lord for the past 6 years. Boarding that plane from YVR to KTM was not only a dream come true but very much a holy moment for me, experiencing the faithfulness of God to fulfill his promises in my life. I don’t know why now was the time for me to go to Nepal, I just know that God’s timing is perfect. So I had the privilege of visiting and staying with some of my best friends who run a guesthouse in Kathmandu and also doing a pastoral visit with our outreach team. In Ywam, a pastoral visit is kind of the equivalent of being a grandparent. You don’t actually live with the kids but just show up, hang out and let them eat whatever they want! Okay not exactly…but it is pretty fun. The purpose of my visit was to bless and encourage the team and help work through any challenges they may have encountered. Practically this means treating them to lots of coffee and offering a listening ear as they shared about the joys and stresses of outreach.
One on one time at Kairos cafe
I also got to join the team for ministry at a feeding program, in the slums and at a few temples. In the afternoons the team went and helped with an after school program for kids that live in small shanty houses along a river. We would hang out with the kids running around and playing silly games and then pile into the small tarp church and sit at tables organized by grades and assist the kids in doing their homework. It was amazing to see the students come alive around these kids and just carry so much joy in spending time with them.
Being escorted out of the slums by the kids 🙂
We also had the opportunity to go and have worship at a few different Hindu temples, as we started playing the guitar and singing songs Nepali people would gather around in curiosity and it would open up opportunities to share about who Jesus is and the salvation that he offers. At one temple where families go to cremate their loved ones our students prayed for a man who had back pain and was completely healed, and another younger man who assumed he had been poisoned about six months ago. He said every time he ate or drank anything it felt like knives in his intestines. As the students prayed he felt a cooling sensation come over his stomach, they left the temple and went to a small snack shop outside and the man ate some food and confirmed there was no longer any pain. At this point one of the translators shared the gospel and the man gave his life to Jesus and asked for us to pray that God would provide a pastor in Dubai to disciple him as he was leaving to move there the next day. Our God is a healer! His heart is for all men to come to the saving knowledge of him, and He still moves in power to reveal himself. Truly the reason why we go is “..so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.” – 1 Kings 8:60
Lifting high the name of Jesus at the monkey temple
It was an amazing trip and I am so thankful that the Lord opened up the door for me to go there, to see what He is doing in the lives of our students and what He is doing in pursuing the hearts of the Nepali people. Please continue to pray that the gospel would spread in this nation. Thank you for partnering with me and allowing me the privilege to “GO”!