Praise the Lord!

What an experience to see the hand of God moving in so many different ways throughout this whole journey. The team was fantastic to be with .... all so different but together were amazingly bonded in fellowship for the mission at hand.  Laughter was probably the best exercise we had to the point of intermittent abdominal pains as we went to bed most evenings. It’s amazing what a few dance moves and some corny comments can escalate into. The joy of the Lord was certainly our strength. Day in and day out my faith was challenged by the people I met. From pastor Timothy and his family to the orphans that live at the church to the elders and families in the most remote places, God is being glorified. The worship was like entering into the heart of God as they sang with all their strength and prayed together with passion and conviction.  I could not help but be filled with thanksgiving for the mighty God we serve. Working side by side at the church to help finish the interlocking brick sidewalk and patio “Nepali style” brought a lot of joy to the pastors who could not believe that a “fat Canadian” .... oh they are so honest and just call it as it is.....could have sweat marks going well below the belt line and quite visible even when I was bent over.  Of course your roommate would not say a word until the day was done because he enjoyed laughing along with them.

Not only did they work hard but they witnessed hard. The street, or should I say field ministry was a definite highlight for me. To sit in a rice field and listen to passionate young believers preach the gospel to men women and children was a great honor for me. Seeing God stir the hearts of unbelievers to the point of saying yes I will come to your church to see what it is all about was truly a miracle.  Everywhere we went we began with prayer, interceded for each other as we ministered and ended with prayer. I felt tremendously empowered as did the rest of the team by the constant pray cover from our brothers and sisters at Harvest and friend and family that committed to pray for us.

For most of the week we were able to see the mountains which were an awesome sight. Apparently this was the first time even for the veterans. Everywhere we went the scenery was so beautiful making it easy to glorify God in His creation. I would ask myself as I looked at some of the places just hanging off the hillsides, “who could live in a place like that and how do they get there?”.  Well when we finally got the chance to visit cell group leader’s homes and saw the view I understood why. They were all so happy to see us and greeted us with lays of fresh flowers. This was the first time I was ever greeted at any church function with such a loving gesture. Everyone wanted to get their picture taken especially the kids. It was so cool as they saw themselves on the camera screen......smiles and faces that will be imbedded in my mind forever. At the end of our visit we were offered food and drinks. The people are so kind and generous with “ALL” that they have. What a witness for me to learn from.

Never once did I see anyone of these saints grumble or complain, on the contrary they served endlessly until every meal was eaten and every  dish washed and put away for the next day’s feast. The only grumbling came from the “Back Seat Boys” in the van as we wrestled with who would sit on the crack between the two seats as we absorbed the potholes of Nepal. Oh wait I forgot about the tight quarters on the Elephant ride that perhaps generated a few uncomfortable sounds kind of resembling a grumble.

The final day was when I reached the summit of Everest ... my mountain top experience.  Beginning with the worship, followed by preaching of the word, then ordinations, more worship, exchanging of gifts and then the pastors all prayed for us. That was a sight I will never forget .... and the power of God that flowed through my body was like a vessel of oil being poured on me  as they poured their hearts into our lives praying God’s blessings on the team. Even though I didn’t understand one word .... I understood the Spirit of the  Word ofGod that was being glorified at that moment. With eyes closed and outstretched hands that were all different ages and sizes, weathered and callused from a life of service in the kingdom yet united in one voice calling on the power of the most-high God! One of these men who now pastors nine churches was persecuted as a convert, did not have a bible for the first 10 years of his ministry and  yet for twenty-five years has faithfully preached the gospel to those that live in places we think just mountain  goats can live in. This clarified the difference between the pillars of “Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with Boldness” , which is what this pastor did for 10 years before he was able to “Proclaim the Word of God without apology”. What an amazing example for us to follow.

I thank the Lord for the unconditional love I was surrounded by on this mission. To the team and their families who sacrificed so much to make this happen and to Harvest Bible Chapel Fellowship that supported me in prayer and loved and cared for my family while I was away.

GLORY TO GOD!

Love

Wayne