June 20th, 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal
Today I found out what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus, because we went to the slums. We weren't planning on going today, but that is where God put us. We started ministry in a park in the middle of business of work and traffic. We focused on healing today, and we were able to pray for a deaf woman, who could not speak. We prayed several times and then gave her a tract to read, explaining the Gospel.
My MIG talked to an older woman, everyone being led by the Spirit, but in the end, she rejected Christ. We kept the conversation going as long as we could, continuing to bring things about Christ up, but she didn't want to hear what we had to say. It breaks my heart and makes me feel like I failed- but I know it is a lie from the enemy! I am to open my mouth and share the Gospel- God does the moving and changing hearts, even if I don't get to see a persons salvation.
I was not feeling well today at all. My head ached and my stomach turned. I did not want to back down, so I preached on and trusted the Lord would carry me though my pain. He endured a cross for these people- I can endure sickness in order to share that good news with them!
Today was my day to share my testimony. I wasn't planning on it, but God moved in me and pushed me, commanding me to open my mouth with my story. So at every site today that is what I did. I shared my story, what the Lord has done in my life.
Our next ministry site was a park right next to the street. After our program, Megan led us up to a man who she felt we should share with. I felt lightheaded and dizzy when I got up, but the Lord carried me. The man we spoke to had a deformed hand and had watched our drama. we jumped in and started praying for him before we explained the Gospel. We found our the man standing next to him, who he didn't even know, was a Christian and he helped explain the Gospel in Nepali. The man accepted Jesus! Anoch (our translator) pointed him to the nearest church, and invited him to come, to which he said yes, with a grin on his face. We could not get his contact information because he had neither a phone number or a home, but now he is a child of God.
At this point, I was not feeling well at all, but tried to eat some PB&J on the bus. Marissa took us to the church's squatties, the nicest we have been in yet, and while going potty, we all sand - 'I am a C. I am a C-H. I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N...' We had a little bathroom party.
When we got to our bus again, Andy had a wonderful 'gift' for us. Electrolyte packets. I declined, instead having Gatorade. It was nasty stuff, but none of us wanted to feel sick.
That was when we found out we were going to the slums. Our other ministry site didn't work out, so we went to a nearby slum. I cannot put into words what a Nepali slum is like, but I can try.
The 'river' next to the slum.
Houses made from sheets of metal packed in way too tightly, flies everywhere. The slums are pushed to the outskirts of town, and this slum was by the 'river' which is really just a sewage and trash collector. The children and parents- everyone is filthy. Half the children don't have pants or underwear and what they do have is ripped and worn. The smell is repulsive, but the smile on the people's faces when we came in outshone all of it. My MIG got to play with the kids.
One dad brought his son over to me and motioned with his hands that he couldn't speak. So I picked him up and danced with him and tickled him until he started giggling. He may not be able to speak- but he can laugh!
We all had to pull ourselves away from the kids so we could do our drama. While we 'squared off' (making our stage by using ourselves to make a 'square' where we can perform) our stage. Some of the kids ran over to us. One little girl would go all down the line of people and swing on our arms. What a precious girl!
After our program, my MIG went to go talk to people. So many of them are Christians! We were so glad! Even amidst such pain and devastating way they live, they have hope in Christ!
Afterwards we talked to a woman whose baby was sick. We got to pray with her even though she couldn't quite understand our translator (she knew a different dialect of Nepali). I wanted to hug them both! This love- hugging dirty children and serving weak women, it is something I have never known before.
It reminds me of God's love for us. He sees us as filthy, covered in grime and dirt and sin but because of Jesus, He sees beyond it, to our hearts. He picks us up, spins us around and loves us.
Even when I am not feeling well, I know that these people are changing me because I am way too selfish! I think that I am not feeling well, I am in pain- but what about these people?
When we got home, we had to shower and wash our clothes. It hurt me to wash when I know those people cannot, but the truth of the Gospel is the most important thing we can give them.
Love like Him! 1 Corinthians 13. But only by His power, because we can not see others the way He does unless we ask. So I will keep asking.
Highlights of the day:
*Getting in a circle and praying for the deaf woman. We wanted to pray for healing and she was the first person God put in our path-so we prayed for her!
*Laying hands on and praying for each other, for healing. So many people are not feeling well- but prayer is so powerful. I am so thankful for my teams willingness to just stop and pray.
*Seeing the joy in the man's face when we prayed for his hand to be healed and when he accepted Christ. His face lit up when we said 'Jaymashi!' (Nepali for 'Praise the Lord', a greeting) and he replied with the same. New Christians have so much joy!
*Playing with the kids in the slum, spinning them around and seeing their dirty faces light up whenever you smile at them. God cares about these children. =)
My heart broke in that Nepali slum. Until that point, I was excited, glad to share the Gospel, attached to the people but not broken for these people, not burdened for this country. How can these people who have absolutely nothing be so completely joyful when we come in?
When we came into the slum, we came out into this clearing by the river where we would do our drama. The women grabbed their brooms and swept away the trash on the ground. For us? Why do we deserve such honor?
We don't. These people have a worse life here on earth, it would be devestating for them to have an even worse eternity in Hell. I am so thankful for the many Christians I met in the slum and was able to greet with 'Jaymashi!'.
I want to be more like these beautiful people who live in the slum, more like the boy who can't speak but laughs when being loved on even in the midst of such horrors. The way they are living is hard to fathom if you haven't been in the midst of it, but people do live like that. Not just in that slum, but all over the world. I will never forget that slum and those people. They are forever on my heart and mind. Jesus, show me how to love like you do.
Today I found out what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus, because we went to the slums. We weren't planning on going today, but that is where God put us. We started ministry in a park in the middle of business of work and traffic. We focused on healing today, and we were able to pray for a deaf woman, who could not speak. We prayed several times and then gave her a tract to read, explaining the Gospel.
My MIG talked to an older woman, everyone being led by the Spirit, but in the end, she rejected Christ. We kept the conversation going as long as we could, continuing to bring things about Christ up, but she didn't want to hear what we had to say. It breaks my heart and makes me feel like I failed- but I know it is a lie from the enemy! I am to open my mouth and share the Gospel- God does the moving and changing hearts, even if I don't get to see a persons salvation.
I was not feeling well today at all. My head ached and my stomach turned. I did not want to back down, so I preached on and trusted the Lord would carry me though my pain. He endured a cross for these people- I can endure sickness in order to share that good news with them!
Today was my day to share my testimony. I wasn't planning on it, but God moved in me and pushed me, commanding me to open my mouth with my story. So at every site today that is what I did. I shared my story, what the Lord has done in my life.
Our next ministry site was a park right next to the street. After our program, Megan led us up to a man who she felt we should share with. I felt lightheaded and dizzy when I got up, but the Lord carried me. The man we spoke to had a deformed hand and had watched our drama. we jumped in and started praying for him before we explained the Gospel. We found our the man standing next to him, who he didn't even know, was a Christian and he helped explain the Gospel in Nepali. The man accepted Jesus! Anoch (our translator) pointed him to the nearest church, and invited him to come, to which he said yes, with a grin on his face. We could not get his contact information because he had neither a phone number or a home, but now he is a child of God.
The man in pink is the Christian and the man standing in front of us is the man with the deformed hand that accepted Christ! Jaymashi!
When we got to our bus again, Andy had a wonderful 'gift' for us. Electrolyte packets. I declined, instead having Gatorade. It was nasty stuff, but none of us wanted to feel sick.
That was when we found out we were going to the slums. Our other ministry site didn't work out, so we went to a nearby slum. I cannot put into words what a Nepali slum is like, but I can try.
Walking through the slum to invite people to our drama.
One dad brought his son over to me and motioned with his hands that he couldn't speak. So I picked him up and danced with him and tickled him until he started giggling. He may not be able to speak- but he can laugh!
He may never be able to speak, but he can laugh.
After our program, my MIG went to go talk to people. So many of them are Christians! We were so glad! Even amidst such pain and devastating way they live, they have hope in Christ!
Afterwards we talked to a woman whose baby was sick. We got to pray with her even though she couldn't quite understand our translator (she knew a different dialect of Nepali). I wanted to hug them both! This love- hugging dirty children and serving weak women, it is something I have never known before.
It reminds me of God's love for us. He sees us as filthy, covered in grime and dirt and sin but because of Jesus, He sees beyond it, to our hearts. He picks us up, spins us around and loves us.
Even when I am not feeling well, I know that these people are changing me because I am way too selfish! I think that I am not feeling well, I am in pain- but what about these people?
When we got home, we had to shower and wash our clothes. It hurt me to wash when I know those people cannot, but the truth of the Gospel is the most important thing we can give them.
Love like Him! 1 Corinthians 13. But only by His power, because we can not see others the way He does unless we ask. So I will keep asking.
Highlights of the day:
*Getting in a circle and praying for the deaf woman. We wanted to pray for healing and she was the first person God put in our path-so we prayed for her!
*Laying hands on and praying for each other, for healing. So many people are not feeling well- but prayer is so powerful. I am so thankful for my teams willingness to just stop and pray.
*Seeing the joy in the man's face when we prayed for his hand to be healed and when he accepted Christ. His face lit up when we said 'Jaymashi!' (Nepali for 'Praise the Lord', a greeting) and he replied with the same. New Christians have so much joy!
*Playing with the kids in the slum, spinning them around and seeing their dirty faces light up whenever you smile at them. God cares about these children. =)
My heart broke in that Nepali slum. Until that point, I was excited, glad to share the Gospel, attached to the people but not broken for these people, not burdened for this country. How can these people who have absolutely nothing be so completely joyful when we come in?
When we came into the slum, we came out into this clearing by the river where we would do our drama. The women grabbed their brooms and swept away the trash on the ground. For us? Why do we deserve such honor?
We don't. These people have a worse life here on earth, it would be devestating for them to have an even worse eternity in Hell. I am so thankful for the many Christians I met in the slum and was able to greet with 'Jaymashi!'.
I want to be more like these beautiful people who live in the slum, more like the boy who can't speak but laughs when being loved on even in the midst of such horrors. The way they are living is hard to fathom if you haven't been in the midst of it, but people do live like that. Not just in that slum, but all over the world. I will never forget that slum and those people. They are forever on my heart and mind. Jesus, show me how to love like you do.
Slumdogs or Children of God?
Playing games...
The children bring us joy!
Love.
There is no better feeling than when you are being the hands and feet of Jesus.
James 1:27 - Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress... This is what TURE RELIGION is.
this is absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWow. Im speechless
ReplyDeleteWow. Im speechless
ReplyDeleteIf you go to Nepal, God will wreck your life. But you'll be so much better for it, because you'll gain His eyes.
ReplyDelete