Nepal

I'm back! Haven't written for the longest time. Quite a lot has happened over the past month or so, the most exciting being my Nepal trip.

There were 6 of us in the team and we were there for 9 days. This was my fourth Nepal mission trip, and the toughest of all - physically and spiritually. I can't possibly relate everything that happened there.. so here are some highlights.

One of the places we went to was Bhugdeu, a small village in the mountains. We endured 2 hours of a gruelling bumpy jeep ride to get there. Like all other villages in Nepal, the houses were made of mud by the men of the house with the help of their neighbours.

The kids were adorable as always, and most of them had large holes on their soiled clothes, which seemed thin and not warm enough for the weather there. One thing was consistent throughout the days we were there - the beautiful smile on their faces and the clothes they wore. They didn't seem to have ever changed their clothes. They were dirty too, and didn't seem to have bathed for a long time. When we stuck stickers on their hands, a layer of dirt would be peeled off when the stickers dropped off, revealing much fairer skin!

I did children's work together with Andrea and Fui Ping and we had fun teaching the children action songs, bible stories and doing a puppet show! The children at that village seemed a little slow to learn but I was really touched by their enthusiasm. They were so excited when we gave them little gifts like a miniature harmonica, pens and hairclips.

Meanwhile, Dr Jade, together with Alvin (her husband) and Steve did medical work. It's tough for many of them to get medical help when they're located so far away from the city, so we brought the doctor and medicine to them instead. We also had the help of 2 translators from Kathmandu, Dipesh and Kanchan.

A few of us, including myself, fell ill towards the end of the trip. Moreover, I was itching from over 100 bed bug bites on my body. However, God sustained us throughout and we were still joyful and managed to do some shopping on the last day!

When I came back to Malaysia, I appreciated my life a lot more - the education I received, the comforts of my home and my family. At the same time, I missed the kids in Bhugdeu...

This trip opened my eyes once again to God's great love for the weaker, the poorer and the forgotten. We can never comprehend the awesome depth of His love and I thank God for the opportunity to be used as His vessel to bring His love and truth to the people of Nepal.

Our Daily Gift

I wake up each morning with a gift from God - the privilege of asking anything I want from Him in prayer.

I've been praying for Nepal over the past couple of days since finding out that a political leader has threatened to bomb all Christian homes in Nepal and is demanding that all Nepali Christians leave the country within 1 month. A lady has been detained for bombing a church in Lalitpur that killed a few people and injured many others. 

I feel sad hearing this news, and I can't help but think of how the Nepali Christians are feeling right now.  The only thing I can do right now is pray for them and that is the best thing to do at this moment. 

I pray that God will bring peace and harmony to Nepal and that every Nepali will know that God is loving and gracious, and would never do evil to anyone. I pray for His angels to guard all His children and for His blood to cover them. If God is for them, who can be against them? I pray that Nepali Christians will be strong and courageous at this time, not paralysed by fear but to be able to follow His command to overcome evil with good. 

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Psalm 91:14

Missing Nepal

As I was taking Spottie on a short walk this morning, enjoying the perfect weather, tranquility and greenery around me, I was suddenly reminded of Nepal. And at that very minute, that thought triggered something in my heart, and I started missing Nepal...a lot.  The more I reflected on my trips to Nepal, the more I missed it. I've been to many other countries, but I don't miss any of them like I miss Nepal. 

I began to process what I was feeling in my mind, and I wondered whether it was remotely possible that for some reason, I had some kind of calling there at a certain point in my life... possibly in the future. When I think about Nepal, I feel joy, awe, excitement and a mix of nice feelings! 

Is it just that I had 'out-of-this-world' experiences in my 3 mission trips to Nepal over the past 5 years... or is it that God has planted something special in my heart for that country? Is this why I often feel restless and frustrated at the work I'm currently doing, feeling that I should be doing more? 

My hope is that at the end of my life, I would be able to say that I have done what God intended me to do in my lifetime. And I hope and pray that I will be obedient and courageous to do what God asks, because nothing else matters except walking in the perfect will of God.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Nepal

My highlight of the month is my recent mission trip to Nepal. It was my 3rd time to Nepal and a really unforgettable one too. Everytime I go there I feel the awesome presence of God. Not that I don't feel God in Malaysia, its just how real God feels when I'm in Nepal. I saw how the Nepalese Christians worshipped God...I think they would continue worshipping Him even if the world crumbled around them. Through them I understood the meaning of 'Created to Worship God'.

While we were there there was bandr (strike) and the van we were travelling got attacked. People threw bricks at our van and smashed the windows. 2 of our members got hurt and got treated at hospital. But the next day, they were in miraculously good shape. We're ok, and that won't stop me from going to Nepal. I still think its a beautiful country with wonderful people. And words will never be enough to describe how much God loves the Nepalese people.