Nepal - Update #6
hi everyone!
turns out, we never made it to Lukla/trekking. tues morning, we were getting ready to head back into the airport to try again, and our entire trekking trip was cancelled. so tuesday morning we did some fast thinking/planning/praying, and decided then and there to take a trip instead to the Himilayan mountains and to the border of Tibet/China. PA and Htway stayed back in Kathmandu, but Todd, Tracy, Wayne, and myself went ahead to explore the country. We hired a driver and drove through the mountains and was able to see (and briefly cross) the China-Nepal border! Seeing God's creation was extremely humbling, and seeing past the mountains and into some of China's cities reminded us of just how much God loves ALL peoples, no matter what culture and language. the people of nepal have an awareness of a higher being and spirituality is very much a part of their integrated lives. praise God for that, but as we noted, a few but growing number are learning about Christ. it's really exciting.
we also got to tour a bit of some of the hindu and buddhist temples and do some prayer walking. we also met some women buddhist monks up in the Himilayan mountains, and tried to speak to them in mandarin (they looked Tibetan and didn't understand Nepali). we have also encountered alot of tourists and people from different countries... alot of german tourists! i am surprised at the international presence in this country... part of it is the tourism (mt. everest/trekking/etc.) and the other part is probably because Nepal heavily relies on international aid (we see UN trucks everywhere). we've met World Vision people, United Mission to Nepal (UMN) people, and other aid/missionary groups. I've learned that Nepal is among the 10 most poorest countries in the world... even China and India send over aid/donations to them.
so to bring you back to speed, today is thursday, and we just came back from our brief exursion. tommorrow we'll be visiting Ebenezer Bible College and their chapel time - Wayne will share a devotional and Tracy will share her testimony. That evening we'll also have dinner with the director of EBC. Saturday we will be at Lalitpur Baptist Church, go to Dhubar Square (in Kathmandu) for prayer walking, and maybe another dinner appt (?). Sunday will be solely reserved for cleaning up and packing.
we can't believe our time here is almost at a close. we have been really blessed to be witnesses of God's Kingdom and its growth here in Nepal. we have also been able to see some of the political, cultural and social barriers to the gospel. we have also been witnesses to the large community development and public health needs here in this country. but we have faith that God's power and sovereignty will superceded these barriers and cause His church to grow despite these barriers. we have also been reminded of God's sovereignty during this trip - as you can see, plans have totally flip-flopped and changed left and right from the very start! We are reminded that although we may make our own schedule/plans, God's thoughts/ways are always higher than ours, and we put our trust in Him that He knows best.
we can't wait to come back home and share our numerous pictures and stories with you in depth. continue to pray for us as we prepare to wrap things up and transition back to the States.
for His Kingdom,
wayne & ruth
Posted by Ruth at 10/07/2004
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