Potatoes, Leaches, Wheat and Glory!

Greetings friends and intercessors! So it’s been a while since I’ve written an update and it’s high time I let you know what God has been doing here in Nepal. In my last update I shared about Humla and all that God was doing through our team there. Humla is the region in Nepal with the highest percentage of unreached people though it is probably not the region with the highest number of unreached people. After our time in Humla we spent a few weeks back in Kathmandu resting as well as doing ministry together with the Iris Nepal team. 

After spending some time in Kathmandu, we felt led by the Holy Spirit to go to the southwestern part of Nepal. We felt God leading us to a city named Dangahdi as well as the surrounding villages. We spent just over a week in the southwestern region and we were blessed to see God move and work there. We got on a bus and nearly 20 hours later we arrived! The first word that comes to mind when describing the southern part of Nepal at this time of year... hot! During the day it is not uncommon to experience temperatures of 45 degrees celsius! The southern part of Nepal is part of large region of unreached people which includes the northern part of India. This region is home to the greatest population of unreached people in the world (though not the highest concentration). Although there are many unreached people in this region, there still are churches in the region and we were blessed to be able to partner with some believers from a local church and do evangelism together. The way that we did evangelism on this outreach was somewhat different from our previous outreaches. We walked for a long distance (that part was similar) and then we came to a village. Our Nepali brothers and sisters started singing worship songs as well as dancing. Very soon a curious crowd gathered wondering what their fellow Nepali’s were doing as well as why there were a group of foreigners together with them. Then one of us would preach the gospel to the gathered crowd and give an invitation for those who wanted to give their lives to Jesus as well as those who needed physical healing. Our team went out one morning to do evangelism and it was so hot! I was literally dripping sweat without even exerting myself. We shared the gospel with a small group of people and gave an invitation to those who were listening. One man wanted us to pray for him because he had his arm in a sling; someone had beat him up and he no longer had mobility in his arm (he was also experiencing pain). We gathered around him and prayed that God would heal him, that this man would be touched by the power of God. After praying we asked the man if he felt any difference and he said that he felt less pain. We prayed for him again and he took his arm out of his sling and he had more mobility than before. We prayed for him a third time and he was able to raise his arm above his head with complete mobility and he was completely freed from pain! We again briefly shared the gospel with this man and he gave his life to Jesus! Our team also had the opportunity to minister to people in a local hospital in Dangahdi. To be honest, this hospital was one of the worst (possibly the worst) hospital I have ever been in. We prayed for a lady who had been abused by her husband. She had been pregnant and miscarried because her husband beat her. We prayed for healing and restoration over her and we shared the gospel with her as well. Her heart was touched and she decided to give her life to Jesus! Unfortunately, we were asked to leave the hospital because such a large crowd was gathering around us. We would have loved to stay at the hospital longer to continue ministering. For the 20 hour journey back to Kathmandu we decided to take an air-conditioned bus and I was so glad we did! 45 degrees is no joke. 

We again spent some time in Kathmandu resting and preparing for the next outreach, though this time it was only for a few days. We felt led to go to the Northeast region of Nepal this time, an area called Taplejung. The region of Taplejung was the home-region of one of the translators that we went with. This outreach was marked by four things; potatoes, leaches, wheat and glory! One of our translators (Ganga) led us to his home village where he grew up and we were so blessed to meet his family who have all given their lives to Jesus. On one of our stops we were told that we would be having potatoes for dinner. We thought that maybe we would be eating potatoes with rice or some other combination. When our food arrived however, we were met by two big baskets filled with potatoes. When we asked Ganga how many potatoes he had ordered he said, “Twelve kilos” (!). It is important to note that we were only eight people. We showed the Jesus film that evening and we did not have much of a response. We were a bit surprised because we had already had two sessions of all-night prayer. We knew that God always shows up when we call on him but we hadn’t seen much breakthrough (although the times of prayer were so wonderful). The following morning after showing the Jesus film we started hiking to the next village. We walked beneath a cloudy, rainy sky and we had to keep moving! Leaches! I have never encountered so many leaches in all my life! We were not able to stop for even a few seconds because the leaches would start crawling up our shoes and soon be latched on to our ankles or legs. I even found a leach fastened to my neck! Nasty! We did make it however, to our destination without too much trouble. We stayed at a man’s house named Fubar (not sure of the spelling). Our one translator Ganga had met him a few years earlier and had developed a relationship with him. Fubar and his family were Buddhists. There was a large shrine upstairs in their house where they prayed to false gods. Fubar’s son is even enrolled in a Buddhist school. We happened to arrive there during harvest time and so we had the opportunity to help Furbar out harvesting his wheat. So fun! I think that we really blessed him and it was a good reminder that the harvest is ripe! Laborers are needed who are willing to go and put in the sickle.

After our work we were hungry and we had a lunch consisting of... potatoes! This time however it was only 8 kilos and were almost able to finish them off. Ganga (one of our two Nepali translators) is a big believer in prayer and so we planned to have another session of all-night prayer for our last night in that village. During the time of prayer, God was really stirring Jenn’s heart to pour into the family with whom we were staying and causing faith to arrive that they would give their lives to Jesus. I should also mention that Fubar’s father had been a Buddhist lama (which is a Buddhist leader and teacher). He (his father) had become a Christian but kept it a secret. Fubar’s father had become a Christian during the time when there was still heavy persecution in Nepal; this was 30 years ago. Fubar’s father had shared with Fubar that he had found the true God but Fubar had never made the decision to follow Christ himself. We showed the Jesus film for the family and it stopped right before the crucifixion! The next morning Jenn was insistent that we share about Jesus one final time with the family and give them one more opportunity. We shared with them about Jesus, shared a testimony and then Ganga spoke with them at length in Nepali. We had no idea how the conversation was going because we couldn’t understand but at one point Ganga let us in with “They’re close!”. We were all praying silently and I have to admit I was so surprised when he said, “They want to accept Jesus!” I was so happy that I started crying, we were all so happy. Fubar prayed to accept Jesus so enthusiastically and his countenance was so joyful! We had been talking as a team the previous night how it only takes one touch from the Holy Spirit and the man or woman will never be the same (e.g the apostle Paul). Well, God touched them powerfully and I believe that they will never be the same. Fubar was laughing, then crying after he gave his life to Jesus. I know that I will never forget that day. What a blessing to have your poor, stuttering words used by the all mighty God! I am so blessed to be part of something that is truly unstoppable; the proclamation of the gospel and God’s mighty purposes for the earth. An ant has a better chance of stopping a tsunami than men have of stopping God’s gospel being preached to every tribe, tongue, people and nation! Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray. 

The harvest is plentiful and the harvest is ready! We were so blessed to see that there are many people in far away unreached corners of the world who are ready to receive the good news about Jesus. Our team recently returned to Kathmandu from one of the most (possibly the most) unreached region in all of Nepal. We spent almost six weeks in this region and saw many people touched by the power of God; sick people healed and lives transformed as people surrendered to Jesus Christ.
       We flew into a tiny airport in a small town surrounded by spectacular mountains. Our destination was a village which was a four day trek away. Our plan was to stop for people along the way, sharing Jesus with them as well as showing the Jesus film or the Passion in villages where we stopped. All together we hiked for well over 100 km up mountains and down again. We had the amazing privilege of going to villages where the gospel had never been preached. At times I was amazed as we shared the good news with Nepali people; two thousand years and this was the first time the name of Jesus was declared! I want to share a few highlights besides the breathtaking scenery all around us at every step.

     During our time in this region, we prayed for hundreds of people and many of these people we encountered as we were hiking. On one such encounter we stopped to pray for a middle-aged man named Gore who had a toothache. We prayed for him and his pain went away! We then had the chance to share the gospel with and he gave his life to Jesus saying; "This is a golden opportunity!" Gore invited us to come to his village and stay at his house. We told him that we would try to make it up to his village on our return journey.
    On our way back, we were able to hike up to his village and he was so happy to see us. We took some time discipling him and explaining some basic things about relationship with Jesus. We also had the chance to show the Jesus film and share the gospel with people in this village... no one had ever come there to share about Jesus. Before we showed the film it was raining and we were wondering if we would be able to show it at all. We cried out to God to push back the clouds and stop the rain and he came through; the rain stopped! Gore shared his testimony of how God healed him and how he gave his life to Jesus. About twenty people gave their lives to Jesus that night.

     The following day we had the wonderful opportunity to baptized some of the new believers along with Gore. We were so blessed to be able to baptize them in some natural hot springs... so fun! We were in awe of God's faithfulness and willingness to use us and we were so encouraged.
     There are so many other stories that I could share but I find myself running out of time at the moment! I will do my best to write another update soon. Thank you all so much for your prayers! They are making a difference among the unreached people of Nepal!

Jaimasi! That’s the greeting that Nepali believers use when they meet one another. I wanted to update all of you again and want to say thank you so much for praying for me and for our team here in Nepal.  We recently returned from a 5 day outreach in some villages south of Kathmandu. It was wonderful to take in God’s beautiful creation; the mountains, the terraced fields and the beautiful people whom God loves so much. We were blessed to minister together with my friend Surendra, whom I met last time in Nepal when he helped translate for our team. Surendra was with YWAM for many years and led the School of Biblical Studies for many years. He recently stared a ministry called Priscilla and Aquila Ministries which is focused on teaching and discipling new believers. We stayed at the training center in the village where he grew up. His sister-in-law Sadanah was a big help to our team, translating as well as making food for us. 

The focus of the outreach was largely evangelistic; we wanted to share the good news about Jesus with those who had never heard it or did not have an understanding of the gospel. The second evening we showed the Passion of the Christ and I shared the gospel as well. We gave an invitation for people to come forward if they wanted to receive physical healing or if they wanted to give their lives to Jesus. No one responded at first and Surendra said that this was normal as most of the people would probably be afraid of what people around them thought. I challenged them that Jesus had publicly displayed his love for them and so they should do the same for him. Still no one came forward but there were a few people that hung around as we packed up. Surendra shared his testimony with a few young men and there was an old man who gave his life to the Lord.  The next day we shared the gospel with people as well as invited them to come and watch the Passion that evening. I was amazed to find that there were people who had never even heard the name of Jesus. No one gave their lives to Jesus during the afternoon but there was a lady who was almost deaf in one hear healed. A lady nearby saw that she was healed and asked for prayer for her toothache. The lady with the toothache was healed as well.  That evening we set up to show the Passion in one of the main squares in the village. There were many people who showed up to watch, possibly close to two hundred. I again shared the gospel and called people forward who wanted to give their lives to Jesus or to those who wanted physical healing. Again, there wasn’t much of a response. Paula came to the front and shared the testimony of the lady whose ear had been healed earlier that day and God used this testimony. There was a large group that slowly inched forward.  We stared talking and praying for different people and a few of us started praying for an older woman who said that she had pain all over her body and specifically in her back. We prayed for her and she said that her pain was less, but she still had pain in her back. Ned and Jenn started talking with this lady (through a translator) and she said that she would give her life to Jesus if her back was completely healed. They prayed for her again and all her pain left! She gave her life to Jesus right there. There were also others who gave their lives to Christ that night. Our translator Surendra was excited because many of the people were Gopali’s, from the same family group that he is from. The lady whose back was healed was his auntie. 

The next day we shared the gospel with some Balami people. There were some people who wanted to receive Jesus, but they were afraid to do so because they said that if they did, they would be kicked out of their family, they would have to leave their village. I talked to one young man who was very open but also afraid because of what would happen to him if he gave his life to Jesus. I challenged him that someone had to be the one to take the first step and that we are promised opposition as followers of Jesus. My friend Milan (who was translating) invited him to come to church (which is in a nearby village).  That afternoon we left by truck to go to a village that was several miles away, also to minister to a group of Balami people. On the way there, we played Nepali music through the speakers we had and one of our Nepali friends announced that we would be showing a movie that night. Another one of our Nepali friends (we call him Buwa which means father) threw gospel tracks from the back of the truck (which were snatched up and read by observers). As we were bumping along and making a scene, Jenn looked at me and said “Jay, it feels like we’re in a parade!”. To which I replied, “We are the parade!” We had a lot of fun and we arrived at the village and started talking with people about Jesus and inviting them to come and watch the movie. We found the same thing in this village as the previous one; there were people who were open to the gospel, but they were afraid to change for fear of what those around them would do.  We showed the Passion again that night and as we were watching, I was struck by what Jesus gave for us. How amazing! We gave an invitation for people to give their lives to Jesus and there were some children who responded. We praise the Lord for these young ones who gave their lives to the Lord but there is breakthrough needed among the leadership of the village. If the leaders give their lives to Jesus, it will open the door for the rest of the village to come to Christ. Pray for the leaders and pray for courage for those who want to commit to follow Jesus but are too afraid of the consequences.  There are more stories that I could share but I don’t want to make this update too long! We will be leaving for our next outreach on the 27th of March (most likely). This outreach will be our longest and most challenging so far. We are going to Humla, the most remote and unreached area in all of Nepal. Pray for health for our team! Pray for us as we prepare to go that God would give us wisdom. Pray that God would continue to fill us with a greater love and passion for him above all else. Pray for more courage to be obedient to his voice. Pray for his joy to be our strength. I want to say thanks again to all of you who are supporting us through prayer as well as financially! God bless you all! 

So it’s been a while since I last updated my blog! A lot of time has passed and a lot has happened since I last posted, though most of you who know me know what I’m up to right now. I am currently in Nepal (in Katmandu) and am planning on being here for 5 months. I am leading a team composed of some of my best friends in the world! We are part of an initiative called the M24 Initiative. The M24 Initiative gets it’s name from Matthew 24:14 which says; “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” 

We arrived in Katmandu on the 26th of February very tired but excited as well. We got settled in to the Iris guest house and a few days later we headed out for our first outreach to a village called Lele. Lele is a village that is about a 45 minute microbus ride from Katmandu. We arrived in Lele and met the pastor of the local church. After we had lunch we split up into groups and went walking from house to house to share the good news of the gospel. Each group had at least one Nepali brother or sister so that we could communicate with the people. We shared with the people about Jesus and why he had to come and die on the cross. There were many people who had heard about Jesus and had heard about the cross but they did not know why he came to die; they had never really heard the gospel. We also invited people to come and watch the Jesus film that night. 

We found a spot to show the Jesus film near the main road that goes through the village. There were around 30 to 40 people who came to watch the film and to brave the cold. Our team found a log where we could sit and pray during the film. We could see the stars (and our breath as well) as we prayed for God to open up hearts. The Jesus film suddenly stopped three quarters of the way through the film! We tried to get the movie going again but it just wouldn’t work. We also found out that someone had vandalized the Iris van while we were watching the movie and we felt that we were under attack from the enemy. Our translator Ganga gave a presentation of the gospel but no one responded. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed but I knew that God didn’t need a movie to reach people’s hearts. 

The next day we went out again to do evangelism from house to house. We were amazed and encouraged by people’s responses to the gospel. We had the privilege of seeing six people give their lives to Jesus that day! I was again encouraged to see that the gospel is in fact the power of God for the salvation of those who believe! 

Right before we left the village, my friend Lauren as well as Jenn (my sister) were sharing the gospel with an older lady. Our Nepali brother Ram was translating and I was sitting there noticing some young men standing behind us. They were talking in Nepali and I thought that they were mocking us. I assumed that they were mocking us because this is a response that I have experienced before in other countries when sharing the gospel. I felt that God wanted me to share the gospel with them and so I stood up and tried the one or two phrases that I know in Nepali. I asked them if any of them could speak English and a few of them said that they could understand. I started sharing the gospel in English and then our translator Ram helped me out by translating into Nepali. When I asked them what they thought about Jesus and how he was the sacrifice for their sins, I was surprised to hear that they thought this was wonderful news! Two of them prayed right there in front of their friends and gave their lives to Jesus! We asked them if they had Bibles and they both said that they did not. We walked with them to meet the pastor who gave them each a Nepali New Testament. 

We were so encouraged to see God at work as well as the hunger of the people for Jesus. There is more that I could share but I will save that for another update. I know that long updates don’t always get read :) Thanks for taking the time to see what I’m up to and I would love to hear from you if you have questions or comments!