Hello friends and family! I am sorry that I have not posted any blogs this past month. To be honest I didn’t know what to write about and I was trying to process everything that was going on.
So in this blog, I want to answer the important questions of who, what, when, where and why! I hope this will give you a glimpse of what life looked like for me here and how much the Lord loves His people.
Who: My squad of fifty were split up into two groups. The groups were sent to two different locations. My team and I lived in a smaller group of only four teams, I loved living as a squad in Swazi but it was nice to be able to do smaller group. My group ate meals together. Not to brag, but we had amazing Nepali food cooked by a professional trekking chef. My ministry host was amazing. He has been leading teams from YWAM to World Race for 4 years. He has one son, who’s 15, who studies in India because of the better education system there. He and his wife are only able to see him once a year. They love him very much and are excited because he only has one more year left before he can come home. Our host took such good care of us, he was always making sure we were well fed and comfortable. He led us on our ministry days and taught us about Hindu and Buddhist religions. He loves the Lord so much and talks so passionately about sharing good news with his people. During ministry days, we not only had our ministry host guiding us, but we also had two other guides. One was a pastor around the age of 60, he led us well in making sure we stayed together and no one was left behind. His love for the Lord was so great. Our other guide was also amazing and he had also been leading teams for many years. He taught us about the culture and showed us how to cross busy streets on foot. He was like a friend to us making jokes and picking on us. We had a great time doing ministry with him.
What: During this month we went to many different ministries. We traveled and trekked through the Himalayan foot hills to a village; went to a home for sex trafficked girls who are recovering and learning new skills that will help them provide for themselves; played with orphans at an orphanage; visited an addiction rehab center; spent time with older women whom had been thrown out of their home because their families didn’t want them any more; visited Buddhist and Hindu temples and were welcomed into homes to visit Christian families. Each of these ministries were unique their own way and impacted me in different ways as well. I loved playing with the children at the orphanage who were cared for by by Christian ‘Grandma’s’ (big surprise!). They didn’t have much but the joy over shadowed everything. Almost all the boys had a paper airplane and one of the boys asked me to make one for him. I didn’t know how they made their shape of an airplane, so I folded one the only way I knew how to. The boy said, “Wow! It’s a rocket!”. From that point on, I had a long line of boys wanting me to fold “rockets” for them. It was a blast! Eventually, we went to encourage other believers in Nepal. Some people on my squad began to say it was like we were doing Paul’s ministry. So we were free to speak of Christ with them. While at the women’s home, we learned that 2 of the 8 women were non-believers. While we were there we met a woman who said she wanted peace in her heart, and later that day she accepted Jesus! I loved being able to encourage these ladies and be encouraged by them at this home. There are many more stories and things to tell, but I think I should do it in another blog.
When: Being in Nepal for one month was totally different from Swaziland. We stayed in Swaziland for three months, which made adjusting to the busyness of Nepal was a struggle but well worth it. For a quick comparison, Swaziland was quiet and in the middle of the bush of Africa. We had two places to go and the rest of the time was spent at the compound. In Nepal, we were in the middle of a great big city. Kathmandu is huge and busy place filled with loud noises and lots of people. Horns honking, wheels’ screeching and constant talking or music playing made for a loud month. But through this the Lord has been teaching and is continuing to teach me how to be still and quiet in all the noise. This lesson will be very important to remember and walk out for the rest of my life.
Why: Why were we here? There are many reasons, but I think one of the big reasons we were sent to Nepal was to encourage which is so important. Since this is a closed country, it can be hard and discouraging to be a Christian in a Hindu and Buddhists’ world, which makes Christians an easy target for persecution. One person I spoke with, said that he is glad about the restrictions because it means that Christians’ literally have to be ‘walking the talk’. They have to be all in otherwise it doesn’t work. Despite the government’s rules, Christianity is growing and people are seeing a difference in the believers here and responding to it. The believers need encouragement so that they know that they are not alone here. At the rehab center, the owners said they were grateful we came because they felt like they were alone in their work. Also being able to pray and worship with others is impactful to bring God’s kingdom here, it was encouraging to see how much God loves these people. He shows them His love by bringing people here to share life with them, even if it is only for a couple of hours.
Wow, thanks for reading this whole blog. I hope this gives you a sneak peak into the life I lead and people served here. Please email or comment with questions or blog ideas, I want to know! Thanks for being awesome!
If you want other perspectives of Nepal you can look at my teams’ blogs! Go to my blog page and look under the headline “Meet My Team: Saahas this will direct you to my six beautiful team mate’s blogs!
Thank you for sharing your experiences Emili. Also know it’s OK to not be able to fully process all that is going on. Nepal is very loud and busy—a beautiful place for people to meet Jesus. We want you to know that we are praying for you and your team. The Lord is working in ways you aren’t even fully aware of yet. We anticipate hearing the stories when you return. All our love and big hugs, the Verrier’s
We are thankful for the amazing and stretching experience you are having Emili. Because of your huge heart to serve it looks like God is using you to bless many. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and a piece of what life looks like for you! What an amazing experience! Soak it all in and continue to let Jesus shine!! Hugs from the Wik family!
Emili it is so good to hear about your life and who you are becoming. I’m so glad you’re up to your neck in God’s plan for your life- it’s the best (though not easiest) place to be! You’re our bestest Emo-Jo and I love you to pieces!