I haven’t known how to write or speak about Nepal for the past two months, which is slightly problematic since I have to write a 120 page thesis about it in the next few months. So bear with me as I stumble through these feelings and experiences to create a summary for you guys. I thought I would be able to do several comments today, but as I type, I see that I am going to be long winded....so I’m going to do this one concept at a time. Hopefully, I’ll find more time soon to write about other qualities.
When I think of Nepal, one of the phrases that continues to come to mind is that Nepal is the place where the impossible becomes the possible. Now, you have to understand that I believe that God speaks destiny over people, both individuals and nations. I don’t know if I can prove it with chapter and verse, but I have this idea in my head that in Revelation 4:10, when John writes about the 24 elders bowing in perpetuity proclaiming “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come” that they are able to do this because each time they rise up from their face they see a new facet of the character of God and it evokes worship in their hearts. Those facets could be the different names of God or it could be the evidence of each of our lives and how God has redeemed and restored individual hearts on the earth since time began. So imagine with me in heaven, the 24 elders are kneeling on the ground and there is a huge video screen in front of them. They see a video of your life and how God has done amazing work in your life and they are moved to bow down and cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Then they raise up and see a video of my life, and they do it again. 6 billion people on the earth today, with billions who have gone on before us in history as well. Look at Jeremiah 1:5, which says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” If you combine the idea from Jeremiah, that God knew each one of us before we were born and spoke a destiny over our life and the idea from Revelation 4:10, where elders are praising God forever because of God causing our destinies to come to pass, then you end up with, at least in my brain, a thought that God can speak destiny over people and nations. I hope that wasn’t too convoluted of an explanation.
Nepal is a nation of hope! I don’t know about you but in my life, I think there are a lot of dreams that God has for me to accomplish. My biggest challenge is believing Him when he says I can do it. Most of us struggle so much and listen to the enemy who lies to us all the time and we never become who we are supposed to be. So, I will say it again: Nepal is a nation of hope....they just don’t know it yet. (When I say they, I mean the majority. Many are awakening to their true purpose, even as I type.)
How do I know this is true? I saw it played out in my own life. When I was preparing to go to Nepal, I had a list of fears and “never” statements a mile long. I was so consumed with the lies of the enemy about the impossibilities of me surviving and thriving in Nepal. As a close to 300 lb middle aged woman, the idea of traveling to the trekking capital of the world was daunting to say the least. I was afraid of heart attacks, asthma attacks, any number of other health issues. I thought I would never be able to use a squatty potty. I thought I would die if I saw rats. The list continues. But God! In every situation that I had deemed impossible, he came through and it was possible. I walked longer and farther than I ever thought possible. I slept with rats running above my head on the rafters. I battled with a squatty potty and walked away a victor. I had a leech on me and didn’t loose my sanity, despite the flashbacks of “Stand by me” playing through my head.
There was one day in particular, where I got to visit the small village of Kunchal. My friends Surendra and Rabina own some land and we climbed a hill to pray on top of their land. It was not an easy task, and with Surendra’s help, I was able to make it up that hill. Here’s a video from that hill.
I think this trip was about so many things, but for me especially, it was a time to see the impossible become possible. It’s really ironic, because I went hoping to see “miracles.” That’s what my research was about in some measure. I never saw “miracles.” Many people spoke about the miraculous happening all around me, but I never saw it. It was as if I was in a bubble, and God was shielding me from witnessing the “miraculous” and training my eyes to see the “impossible become possible.” Maybe what I was experiencing could be called “everyday miracles.” Or maybe being in Nepal was an experience that showed me a reflection of my own heart, in which I believe that “miracles” only count if they are awesome feats of God. What if this trip was about redefining my perceptions of the miraculous?
There’s a picture of a tree in Nepal that struck me as a symbol of Nepal. It’s a willow tree bent over. I think there is such a pervasive hopelessness. Nepal is beautiful nation that has endured much oppression due to Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as other tribal religions and witchcraft. But God is breaking into Nepal in magnificent ways. The statistics of salvation’s are incredible. It’s like witnessing Acts 2. The Gospel is going forth and changing peoples lives, releasing hope to the hopeless.
To summarize, I believe Nepal is a nation called to display the hope of God. Romans 15:13 says, “Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is my prayer for Nepal. I believe it’s God’s prayer for Nepal as well. I hope you’ll join me in praying hope over Nepal this week.
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