Sunday, February 26, 2012

India

We landed in New Dehli and jumped into some taxi's to take us to the bus that was going to take us to Dharmsala. That of course was another 12 hour bus ride. I have never been one to sleep in a vehicle, so needless to say it was a very long trip. When we got there we unloaded and walked to our guesthouse. There was a big dormitory room off of the kitchen where 8 of us girls stayed and the rest had rooms with a bathroom. Bummer huh!

I will have to say landing in India was a totally different feeling then Nepal. You could feel the spiritual heaviness. I don't know if I can explain it until you feel it yourself. All I know is that it didn't feel as free as Nepal. I felt disconnected and out of sorts.

The next day we had a couple people from YWAM that lives there to tell us what we were allowed to do and say. Also to kind of give us insight on the people and the area. After orientation I still had such a heaviness and I said to God, "I need to know you are here and please give me your heart for these people." Our group got together that night to have praise and worship. I can't even begin to tell you how important that was. It seemed liked we needed to do this more and more in India.

The next morning the devo reads: If you have something to do for God, prepare to be opposed. And that is exactly how I felt. I couldn't even pray.

What we were going to be doing in India was street evangelism, teaching English to the Tibetan refugees and whatever else we thought we could do. Our first day out was such an eyeopener. There are ladies that bring their babies up from lower Dharmsala to beg for food and milk. We were warned not to supply them with food unless you were to be right there to make sure the baby ate it. We found out that they take the food or milk and return it to buy drugs. It was so hard to say no because we knew these children needed food. And these women were so persistent, they followed you around and were constantly in your face. I felt very useless.

That afternoon was our first day teaching. I have been out of school for a very long time so I felt very much like the student not the teacher. We just basically sat along side them and guided them through their assignment. It was only day one and I already felt overwhelmed. To be continued.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Thamel

Our last stop in Nepal.

In Thamel we stayed in a hotel. It was the first time we had a bathroom with a shower in our room. Wow what luxury!

Once there we had a meeting on sex-trafficking, for one team was going to be involved in this area. The other areas were teaching in school and street ministry. Our leaders broke us up into 3 groups. The sex-trafficking team would go out at night and go into massage parlors, and by asking the right questions would be able to determine if they were involved in sex-trafficking.
The other two teams would go out during the day.

I was picked to be involved in street ministry. I had no idea how much I was going to love this. I finally found my true calling. We would start out by praying and asking God to bring the people to us that he wanted us to minister to. Our first time out was hillarious. As we got on the street these vendors began to hassle us wanting us to buy their goods. We in turn began to turn them away. All of a sudden it hit me. Here these people are coming right to us like we prayed and we were turning them away. It's times like these you slap your forhead and say Dah! I'm sure God also had a good chuckle.

My devo read that day: Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst within others for the gospel. Witnessing is really interaction. The more we practice sensitivity and sincerity telling others about Jesus, the more responsive people tend to be. The Kingdom of God is not going to advance by our churches becoming filled with men but by men in our churches becoming filled with God. I was always amazed at how God always had the right word at the right time for me.

The rest of the week literally was walking the streets and sharing Jesus, praying, and just getting to know them. I feel I was groomed for such a time as this. The reason I say this is because I had been a hairdresser for 23 years, where God pushed me past my shyness to get to know people, to make me talk and also to listen. So for me it was second nature. I loved hearing the stories of the people we met. We got to go visit a family who were christians and share with them. We were so encouraged by their faith. We also went to a concert where they were playing the instruments they make there. It was so amazing. I loved listening to all the different sounds.

I loved how these people looked for us when we were out. It gets to the point where they don't even push to sell their goods anymore, they just want to visit with you and be your friend. This one day I was out walking and one vendor was really bothering me to the point were I couldn't stand it and then along came one of my christian vendors. He came up along side me and pushed the other guy away. I was in awe at how he protected me.


I went into one store where this artist was explaining his paintings. They have seven stages they have to go through to get to Nirvana. Their gods are all reincarnated so they have millions. They have these mantras they have to say everyday. I asked what would happen if they missed a day, he couldn't tell me. I thought how horrible to live this way, never knowing where you stand. It was overwhelming at times to see the blindness of the people. That is why Christ came to earth. To save the lost such as these. Our God is a God of love!

It was in Thamel that I got to experience my first Nepalee massage. Wow what an experience. I have never had a massage where two women work on you and tag team each other. Needless to say they did a good job, but I had a hard time not laughing through the whole session.

Easter started out as a morning worship in our leaders room, then we were given Easter eggs. That was such a treat. Then we went to more of an American church service, where the minister gave the message saying, the greatest news that was ever told came from a graveyard. Everything at Easter is empty but full of promise. The empty cross symbolizes God's forgiveness, the empty tomb is eternal life, and the empty burial clothes symbolizes personal relationships with Jesus. The cross is the receipt saying paid in full. After church we were treated to an amazing meal at the house of the people that have guided us throughout our time in Nepal.

I will share with you again another devo. that really hit home. To live in harmony we first need to know we are all madly in love with the same God. That is the only way to peace in this world. What I've discovered during this outreach is that you are given one chance to share Jesus. Don't miss it.

On to India. I couldn't believe how fast our time in Nepal went.

Kathmandu

Back on a bus again to Kathmandu. This trip didn't take near as long as the last one and was not as eventful either. LOL!

On our way back to the Appex Inn where we stayed the last time in Kathmandu, we dropped off half of our team at Kingdom Kids where they will be working with street kids. The other half of us will be working in orphanages. There were five of us that went to this orphanage with about 10 kids ranging in age from 9-12 yrs. old. We sang songs with the kids, did arts and crafts, played games, did jump rope. We had such an amazing time with them, time flew by so fast.

These orphanages were run by christians. When we were going to share bible stories with them, they begin to tell them to us. We thought we were the ones going in and teaching them but here they were teaching us. We were able to spend two more days with them, and one of those days we went to church with them. As I've said before I loved these services. Their music was amazing.

To keep us centered as a team we had many times of worship and prayer. I can't even begin to tell you how important those times were. They were vital to all that we did there. Also I need to say thank you to the many people that kept us in prayer. To be honest I felt like I was in a bubble. So protected.

In the devotional it talked about grace. Grace asks no questions concerning worthiness, it only acts out of self-sacrifice and love. Grace is only for a season, the day will come when God extends judgement to all who have rejected His grace and mercy. Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues. God's grace was so evident for these people. Thank you God for your grace!

On to Thamel, our last stop before India.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Surkhet

At Surkhet we stayed at the YWAM base there. We always were well taken care of.

Right away the next day we began going to villages to minister. Some of the villages we went to where located in a riverbed. It was so amazing to me that when you came into a village the whole village would come out to see you and to hear what you have to say. We again shared by either testimonies or messages and skits, bible stories and worship. I have to be honest I really didn't know where I fit in in these villages. The young kids all gravitated to the youth and the men with the men. So the baby lover that I am went for the momma's. I finally went up to a mother and tried to communicate with her but she knew no English so finally I just held out my arms and she handed me her baby. I felt so honored that she would trust me with her baby. So the rest of the time there I just prayed over the people while I held her baby. Every once and awhile her and the other women would look back at me and just smile. I really feel that was my calling in that village.

There was many that received Jesus that day. And the biggest blessing was that the leader of the village also accepted Christ. So just think on how he will lead his people. Also the thing that I like about visiting these villages is that there will always be someone that will go back and continue to disciple these people. They won't be left hanging.

That afternoon we went to another village where one of our team members felt the need to bring these two children down to the water and dip them in and pray for healing. We had so many opportunities to love and pray for these people.

In one of the villages we blew bubbles for the kids. Just to see there faces light up was amazing. Also to watch the parents watch their kids was priceless. Just a simple thing as bubbles can bring so much joy!

God really proved Himself faithful in Surkhet. I felt I was challenged the most physically there. This one riverbed village we went to was straight down what I call a mountain. Huge rocks to climb around or through. Thank God for my team. As I was going down I kept saying, "I'm going to have to climb this back up." After finishing up at the village I came to the bottom of the mountain and knew without a shadow of a doubt that God was doing a miracle. My two bodyguards, I call them, from the team helped me every step of the way. They were so patient with me. By the time I reached the top I was high fiving everyone. It felt as if I had conquered Pikes Peak. I don't think they knew the full extent of what God brought me through. As I've said before, physically I should have not been able to do that. How good is my God!

In Surkhet we went to many villages. We were busy all the time. What an opportunity to meet so many people. I pray that we made an impact on their lives. All the people we have met so far are so beautiful and so easy to love.

In my devotional that morning it talks about being walking torches. They are Christians who weren't afraid to share their faith, spread the Good News, praise the Lord and set the world on fire. Are we as Christians today like this? The Christians who have turned the world upside down have been men and women with vision in their hearts and the bible in their hands. This was my prayer for our team not only on outreach but in everyday life wherever we were. Ask yourselves, "Are you ready to be a walking torch and set the world on fire?" Today is as good a day as any.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Divine Appointments

Our trip to Surkhet is where I learned that God is a God of divine appointments. This trip was supposed to take around 12 hours which turned into about 36 hours. But what a trip!

There was a strike going on at the time of our travels so we had to stop in villages we would not have stopped at otherwise. But God had other plans. We needed to wait in these villages for police escort to move forward.

The instant we stopped at the first village I knew we were supposed to be there. We were always told that when you come into an area just begin to pray over it. So a couple of us began to walk the streets and pray. It was a good time to meet the people. It didn't take much to draw attention, I don't think they saw many foreigners. You just needed to open up and say hi, which in Nepalee is Namaste, and before you know it you had people flocking to you. It gave us an opportunity to play with the kids and visit with the adults. They actually knew enough english so that you could talk with them.

I just sensed God's overwhelming love for them and I also sensed their hunger for change. They didn't know that the change they needed is Jesus Himself, that's why it was so important to God that we share Him no matter where we were. That is true for all of us, do not assume that the people you meet know who Jesus is. Share with them who Jesus is to you, and they will want to know Him. May your journey be guided by how you can be Christ to the people around you.

As we continued to travel in the dark we needed to stop at another checkpoint. I think these were the ones that were heading up the strike or riot or whatever. Anyway they had guns and looked pretty serious, so we weren't sure we would be able to go thru. But my God is my protector and provider. When our guide got out of the van to talk with the head guy, they knew each other from school. I honestly saw God in heaven with a big smile on His face saying, "What did you think of that?"
Fear was one thing I never experienced while I was away. The picture God had given me before leaving on outreach was a picture of a snowplow. God had already plowed ahead of us preparing the way. How beautiful is that!

Being it was so late we ended up staying in a guesthouse in another village. All us girls stayed in one room that was just a long plywood piece on a frame. We were not even sure what was on the walls. Actually we didn't want to know. Yet I knew we were well taken care of and that God was in control.

The next morning while waiting for an escort we had the opportunity to visit with so many people. Some of the kids taught us handshakes and some of them even danced for us. When we left they all crowded around the van to say goodbye. Another Divine appointment, don't you think?

That night we finally made it to Surkhet.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

God's Faithfulness

The word faithful has been a reaccuring theme in my journey. My every need was met and not only met but even beyond. God is faithful. I don't know how many of you know what state my body was in before heading on this journey. Both knees were bone on bone and in constant pain. Finally I was able to have knee replacement, which was only a year in before heading to YWAM. In all honesty I was not fit enough to go on outreach. But God had other plans. My whole purpose for being here was to trust. God kept saying to me, "Do you trust me?" By my trusting in Him, He has proved Himself faithful.

Every step that I took, every hill, which felt like mountains, I climbed, every boulder I climbed over and every mile I walked, God proved Himself faithful. He always put someone in my path to help me. I was well taken care of.

This journey God has brought me on has awakened me to how much God loves me and wants to take care of me. He has also proved that He is my healer, my provider, my love, and that He is merciful.

Why would anyone not want to serve a God like this?

Godavri

The next morning we headed to a village where some played soccer with the kids and some of us taught the kids some songs with actions. It was so beautiful to see them smile. We also made salvation bracelets with them and explained the colors and what they meant. There was about 80 or so kids there. There was this old man that kept coming to us and wanting to give us his granddaughter. It was so hard to say no.

That afternoon we broke into groups. One group went to the brick factory and our group went on a prayer walk. A prayer walk is where you walk the area and pray for the people and the land. We went up on the hill overlooking the brick factory. To be honest the scenery is beautiful but what you see there is not. We saw a little boy about 4 or 5 years old that was pulling a sled or sleigh type thing with bricks in it. This is their life from young to old. It just made me realize how much I take for granted.

After our prayer walk we went to a house church. This lady opened up her home for worship. I was always amazed how they could afford to serve us. They have nothing and yet they give it all.
It was here that I had the opportunity to give a message. I spoke on God's faithfulness. Then I ended with singing Great Is Thy Faithfulness. I never realized how much I was going to enjoy speaking in front of people. Good thing to, because God has allowed me to speak to many people about this amazing journey.

We were able to spend some time at the Dolpa House, which is an orphanage. All the orphanages we were able to be at were all run by Christians. At this one some went and played with the kids and did a program while others stayed outside and cleaned the yard for them. Then of course afterwards we were served chai tea. I have discovered I love chai. Actually I make chai exactly like I received in India. Although right now I'm waiting for more tea to be sent to me.

There was a couple of mornings where the guys on our team played soccer, or football as they call it, with other guys where they were able to sit with them afterwards and share Christ. After these mornings we usually headed to another village and shared at a church. We usually started with singing worship and then did a couple of skits, which I feel got funnier each time they did it, then there was always someone who shared their testimony or message and some also did bible stories. It was so awesome to see how the kids on our team began to go outside their comfort zone and share. I have to admit that I also went beyond my comfort zone and loved it. I went into this telling God that I didn't want anything to stop me. And trust me nothing did. That's how good God is. In my devo that morning it read: God gives us the grace and ability for whatever He calls us to do. Amen!

The next leg of our journey took us to Surkhet. This was the trip where I realized its all about the journey not just the destination.