I have returned from the country of Nepal with a Global Infusion mission team that experienced tremendous challenges on every front: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Our mission was to trek to Mt. Everest’s Base Camp (at almost 18,000 ft). An 80-mile round-trip trek, that winds through both the lush and barren lands of the Himalayas. With many unreached villages along the way, our contact and his lead Pastor for their area has asked to both evangelize, and facilitate medical camps. The good news, is that that we did indeed reach the unreached. There are no churches in any of these areas, with the exception of the church-plants initiated by our contact. Most are still in the very early stages of growth, including the only “church” we were able to conduct a service at, which had 5 believers.
It is amazing how the Bible comes alive on a mission trip. Praying that no weapon formed against you will prosper takes on a entirely different meaning when you are in an area saturated by mind-numbing Buddhist incantations, and Hindu’s deceased body-burning sacrifices to the destroyer god, Shiva. Or when a team member prays for a blind lady in a medical camp your team is facilitating, and she begins to say, “I see light, I see light!” - then goes and tells other people outside and in her village about what Jesus has done. Praying for physical protection is important every day, but it seems to be more important to you when you are edging around the ridge of an icy mountain, or walking across a suspension bridge hundreds of feet above rushing water, or navigating your way through jagged rock areas and watching an avalanche descend rapidly on a nearby mountain.
The physical aspects of this trip were tremendously difficult. Though most of the team trained for this trip as much as possible, and took all advice given to us by our Sherpa (who is also the regional Pastor), trekking through high altitudes caused our team members to experience pounding headaches, nausea, acute mountain sickness, weight loss, dehydration, extreme muscle fatigue, light-headedness, and much more. Yet through it all, God was faithful, and we sustained no long-term sicknesses, diseases, or injuries. The lost were reached. The sick were healed. And I strongly believe that we have opened a spiritual door that no man can shut. God is moving among the nations, and most definitely in Nepal. Thank you to all of you who supported us financially or in prayer—we needed both. With over 20 more mission teams scheduled to be sent out in 2013, one more will be returning to Nepal, and we are excited to see what God does.
