Reaching Nepal

My journey out west is over. I am tired and look forward to a time of rest, but all the work was worth it.

Our original plan was to fly to Jumla and then hike to Polkhara, it took me forever to find anything written on this trail but when I finally did I realized it was to much for Hari, Josh and, I. What I thought was 14 days of good hard hiking was really more like 30 days of climbing several peaks over 17,000 ft. I opted for plan B and we decided to hike from Pokhara to Duni- a real 14 day hike where death is less likely.

I have had this type of trip in mind since I got to Nepal but this was the first chance I could get out of the Kathmandu Valley for such a long time. We took two buses to get to Beni and then we took an off-road jeep until the trail got too small for vehicles. We?ve all have been camping and love the outdoors, most of us have no idea what true wilderness is. The Nepalese do. Most of there country is inaccessible by roads. You heard right- no roads. There are villages here in Nepal that take over a week to get to- on FOOT! So next time you complain about a long car ride remember Nepal. J

We where taking this trip for several reasons: to evangelize, to locate churches and see just how great the need is, to encourage those churches we did find, and to get students for our Bible college. We were able to local 3 churches, but most of the villages we entered had no church and no believers. We hiked to over 12 different villages and every time we asked the people there if there was a church and if there were any Christians. The answer was almost always no. Imagine the heart break we felt as we walked past thousands of houses who had never heard the name Jesus. We felt so small and alone in this place of darkness but God was able to use this to give us vision and passion for the future. As I sit here in my home in Kathmandu I am encouraged by the number of growing Christians and churches in this city, but as I think of the west I can?t help but feel I?m in the wrong place. The need is there so why am I here. But another lesson I learned on this trip is that the Nepali people are the only way we are going to reach these hard places. When I step into a village all they see is white skin and money, the gospel takes a back seat. That hurts to say, but right now in Nepal our job as westerners must we to equip and send Nepalese to these places.

The trip was amazing and eventful. As we were headed to Duni, about the third day on the trail we where approached by the Maoist and they demanded we pay them a tourist tax. I explained to them that I was not a tourist and that I worked for a company in Kathmandu that was here to help the people in their villages. They told me that as soon as I paid them their money I could help anyone I wanted to, but until I paid them I could do nothing. Needless to say I was infuriated that this so called ?People?s Army? had no concern at all for the people of Nepal. I made sure they understood my displeasure and assured them I would never give them money. At that moment my heart was torn because my desire was to reach those villages that where deep in the mountains, but I knew if I gave the Maoist money to pass by I would be supporting the murder, rape, and abuse of the Nepali people. My heart was steadfast: I wouldn?t give even one rupee to these savages. We turned around and head back but we were not defeated. We took another trail and continued to head out west.

Not every part of our journey was filled with darkness. We spent the night with one Christian family and the next morning we meet with their pastor and planned a training seminar for his church. He was an amazing man that had been pastoring that small church for 25 years but he had no education at all. He desperately needs training and we hope to help him with this need. God also lead us to a village with a church that had over 60 people! The amazing thing is that no one started the church. A few people around that area had traveled to Kathmandu and Pokhara and had been lead to the Lord. As they returned home they began to tell their friends a family about Jesus. Before long people were getting saved and they decided to start meeting in a spare room. Now there are over 60 believers still meeting in a room that?s 12ft x 12 ft and they have no pastor. We were able to stay a few days and I preached that Saturday. Despite all the imperfections, this was one of the most Christ-like churches I have ever seen. You can feel the presence of Jesus in those people. Pray for this village as they need a pastor.

I have so many stories from this trip, but this web post is already way to long. Long story short: God is good. Nepal is dark. People need Jesus

Josh sitting with the Christian family we stayed with.

One of the many villages with no church.

Yeah. That’s our jeep in the river. Just one of many we crossed.

Me preaching on Saturday morning.

Well, I’ve had one weeks rest at home and now its time to it the road once again. Today I head for Polkara and from there Josh, Hari, and I will be trekking out west for two weeks. We are trekking through villages that have very little contact with civilization or with the Gospel. As we trek we will be giving out Bibles (Nepali and Tibetan), tracts, stories of Jesus, the Jesus Movie, and cassettes with the Gospel on them. As you might imagine, with all this material our pack will be quite heavy so pray that we have strength on the trail. Here are a few other things you can pray for.

1. Josh and I are just getting over a sickness we got in Jhapa. Pray we recover quickly.
2. Pray for the people and villages we will be trekking through. Pray that God opens doors for us to share and that He opens hearts that they might believe.
3. Our plan is to finish our trek in a village called Dunai and there hop on a plane at their small airport. The only problem is that we are hearing from some people the airport is open and from others it is closed. Pray that planes are landing and that we can catch a ride back.
4. There is still a problem with rebels in this area so pray that God gives us a safe passage and that if we meet up with them that we will be able to share the Truth.

I just finished reading Erwin McManus’ book The Barbarian Way. I don’t know a whole lot about McManus, but his writing in this book is life changing. All that I’ve ever felt or desired since becoming a Christian is talked about in this book. That we as believers are not called to a civilized religion, but to a life of untamed faith and adventure with God. We are called to live a life of radical faith that can’t be contained. Only when we live this Barbarian Way can we fully experience what it means to follow Christ. This is my heartbeat. My desire is to live full throttle for my Savior.

Below are a few quotes that we all need to read and apply to our lives.

“God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance. God created you so that your life would count, not so that you could count the days of your life.” p.45

“The original call of Jesus was so simple, so clean, so clear: “Follow Me.” He wants us to surrender our lives to Him and follow Him into the unknown. And if that means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it…” p.49

“A world without God can’t wait for us to choose the safe path.” p.53

“When you join the barbarian tribe, you begin to live your life with your eyes and your heart wide open. When the Spirit of God envelops your soul, your spirit comes alive, and everything changes for you. You are no longer the same. And to those who cannot see the invisible, to those who refuse to believe it exists, the path you choose, the life you live, may lead them to conclude that you are not simply different but insane. People who are fully alive look out of their minds to those who simply exist.” p. 69

“Sometimes it’s easier to believe in a love you can touch than a love that is real.” p. 72

“If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be. You were not created to be normal…Asleep within you is a barbarian, a savage to all who love the prim and proper. You must got to the primal place and enter the presence of the Most High God, for there you will be changed by His presence. Let Him unleash the untamed faith within you.” p. 82

“From the first step taken to follow Jesus, we are out of step with the rest of the world…You are a stranger to them, and alien among them, a nomadic wanderer who, while refusing to be rooted in this life, seems to somehow enjoy this life most.” p. 93

“Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don’t ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don’t think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt.” p. 114

“Civilized people measure one another by their robes and signet rings. The barbarians measure only heart and actions.” p. 133

These are just a few thoughts from this book. If your heart is full of these truths, I encourage you to go out and get this book. You just might find yourself doing something crazy for Jesus.