Home...

After a delayed flight out of Kathmandu, a missed flight from Istanbul to Chicago, an unexpected (and fun) 24 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey with five star hotel accomdations provided by the airline, a four hour tour of old town Istanbul, another delayed flight from Istanbul to Chicago, a few temporarily lost pieces of luggage, finally all seventeen Mission Helpers to Nepal landed safely in Chicago and are headed home. Thank You Lord for Your protection and provision!

Eyes Opened-Josh O

Good evening from Nepal. It's our final night here and while I am excited to go home and see my family, my heart is heavy at the prospect of saying goodbye to Raju, Rajan, and Suraj, the people of Nepal, and this beautiful display of God's creation.

Having gone on mission helper trips before, I was anticipating a perspective change. When you visit India, Africa, or Nepal and work side by side with the pastors and see first hand the work of the Lord, your perspective will be changed. It's unavoidable. And this is a good thing.

At home in the U.S.A it's very easy to fall into the "swing of things" and forget about the unbelievers in the world. It's easy to dwell on your own problems, both the significant and the insignificant ones, and forget that throughout the world there are people who have never heard of their Savior.

Today we visited a few Buddhist and Hindu temples. Seeing all those people worshiping empty idols is a blunt reminder of Satan's grip on many people. Right in front of our eyes was Satan, hard at work. The feeling you get when you see something like that is one of dismay, motivation, and resolve. Dismay at sight of so many people who don't know their Savior died for them. Motivation to get up and start preaching! And resolve to spread the Gospel despite Satan's attempts to sway us. It is an eye opening experience the Holy Spirit gives us and provides deeper insight into Christ's command to go and make disciples.

We saw today the work of Satan but more prevalent throughout our trip we saw the work of the Lord. We saw Him working through Raju and Rajan, through our translators, through the pastors and
church members. We saw the the Lord working in the hearts of little children singing their praises. Our trip was filled with examples of the Lord's work, not Satan's. The Gospel is a shining light in Nepal! The past 16 days opened my eyes to the power and love of our Savior.

Going forward, I pray that the Lord will remind me of the work left to do. I pray that He will guide my heart and mind to keep the right perspective during my day to day life. I thank the Lord that He has redeemed me and given me the tremendous privilege of telling others about their Savior. And I pray that the Lord would keep my eyes open. 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, anf of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." 

Matthew 28:19

Pastor BN - As We Leave

Yesterday (Wednesday) we completed our work as the pastor-types finished up the second day of the HCLCN Seminar, and the rest of the group returned from their child evangelism, about 5 hours south of Kathmandu. Today was set aside for some touring and shopping before we depart for home tomorrow. 

The main architectural attractions in the city are the Buddhist and Hindu temples. We saw several, and were immediately struck by the sad blindness of millions who openly worship idols. In a land where a tiny minority of the people are Christian, we feel both blessed and challenged. Blessed to have had the privilege of proclaiming Christ in this place, and challenged to continue the work of witnessing to our Lord Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

We have established a close bond together as fellow travelers and workers, and we cherish the friendship and fellowship of the Bhitrakoti family and all the people of the HCLCN. It was great to come, and it will be great to be home! 

--
Pastor Bruce Naumann
www.eauclairemessiah.com
<><  "One died for all"  2 Cor. 5:14

The End

While the past few weeks have presented many challenges, the last couple of days of every Mission Helper Trip come with their own unique set of challenges.  Emotionally we try and balance our love for Nepali brothers and sisters in Christ along with all the people of Nepal with our love for friends and family back home and our longing to be with them. We are physically exhausted, sore, and blistered and we are so ready to be back to the cushy comforts of home and yet we know that our own "sacrifices" are nothing in comparison to the ultimate sacrifice our Savior made for us and even the sacrifices our fellow Christians here in Nepal make everyday for the sake of the Gospel. We are troubled and our hearts ache with compassion because of the great needs we have witnessed the past few weeks and yet we are confident in our heavenly Father's good and gracious plans! We are full of joy for the privilege and opportunity to have proclaimed the Gospel to so many and yet overwhelmed by the great need and the work we have left undone. We are hopeful as we consider the potential for a great harvest and yet struck with the saddness of witnessing firsthand the darkness of the idol worship that dominates every aspect of the lives and culture of the beautiful people that dwell in this incredible land.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 4:20-21

Thank You Lord for faithfulness to Your promises and blessings too abundant to list. Thank you to everyone for following along with this blog, for your support of this effort, and for your love and concern that led to your many prayers on our behalf. Thank you to wives and families and friends who encouraged, supported, and sacrificed in the absence of their loved ones so this Kingdom work could happen. Thank you to Raju, Rajan, Suraj, and Julia for your patience and loving care in making all the preparations for this trip and for using your amazing translating abilities and other God-given gifts to help us proclaim the Gospel. Thank you to this year's sixteen Mission Helpers who meshed so well together to wllingly give of themselves in so many ways to carry out this glorious work of proclaiming the Good News of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life by Grace through Faith in our Savior Jesus!

"I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you..." Philemon 4-7

Pastors' Training - Group Shot

Here is the group photo for the July, 2017 HCLCN Pastoral Training Seminar.

Pictures - Pastor Training...Day 2

Pastor BN – Pastors Workshop in Kathmandu

Early this morning most of the Mission Helpers left for a final, long bus ride to Bardibas for child evangelism. Grant, Drew, Pete Reim, Todd Ohlmann and I stayed for the pastors' workshop here. Today was my day to present a crash course in Gospel preaching to the pastors. Many of them are badly lacking in pastoral training, and my aim was to give them a "do it yourself" approach for sermon preparation and delivery. Judging from the reports by the breakout groups, each of which worked on a sample sermon text, the men benefitted from the paper, which Raju had graciously translated into Nepalese. 

The Bardibas travelers had intended to return late tonight, but were delayed enough that they decided to stay over, and will return tomorrow. Pete Reim has tomorrow's presentation on general Bible study, and the training of teachers for Sunday school. Our flight home leaves Kathmandu early Friday morning...whew!

Fishers of Men

On the way to Rasuwa, our bus carried us over a range of hills on a fairly nerve-wracking road--narrow, broken, shredded by monsoons and earthquake damage.  At one point, we came around a switchback in a narrow, forested ravine and stopped just above a place that looked for all the world like a fish hatchery . . . and a restaurant. Which, in fact, is just what it was.  We were encouraged to catch a few trout with a dip net, which were promptly (well, in an hour's time), cooked to order. Fried trout and dahl bat.  You haven't lived until . . .

While we were eating, the monsoon rains came in torrents.  The bus driver, undeterred, drove us in even more thrilling manner to the city of Nuwakot.  (God be thanked, for His protection—and Raju, for asking the driver to take us home a different way!) The next day some of our group taught in established church congregations in the rice paddies of Rasuwa district, while others went to earthquake refugee camps where the Rasuwa Christians have been working.   

Today, while the teams are out at Bardibas, a few of us begin a two-day conference with HCLCN pastors and theology students.  My presentation will be on teaching Bible History, and I'll use "Jesus Calls His Disciples" (Matthew 4 & Luke 5) for an example throughout the lesson.  Jesus called the unlikeliest people to carry on His all-important work: unlettered fishermen; He announced to them that they would 'catch men'; that is, gather the souls of men and women through the fishnet of the gospel.  "Fish to be caught"; "fields white unto harvest"—Jesus' metaphors for the gospel calling are simple yet rich.  But how humbling it is to see this calling in this dramatic sense. 

Right now I'm looking at a group of about 20 earnest Nepali men who serve, or will serve, congregations in their cities and villages; the hope is to strengthen their skills for ministry and evangelism.  But I'm also thinking about the 17 of us Mission Helpers who have taken part in experiences such as you've seen described in this blog.  This trip has given us an opportunity to cast out the net, to a few, for a little while. But it has been a dramatic seminar for us, as well. What is the Lord training and preparing us for in the future? 

Nepali pastors and CLC Mission Helpers—in both cases, we will soon return home better equipped for the Lord's service in our own homes and regular lives, having been exercised in the Word.

Pictures - Pastor Conference...day 1

The One Thing Needful...

Like most of who live up in the Himalayan foothills, the people of the Rasuwa district eek out a living by farming the terraced hillsides they rent or sharecrop. Each monsoon/growing season comes with the hope of providing for their families. This hope is balanced by the fear of too much rain that could wash away the terraces that are made and maintained with nothing but shovels, sweat, and hours of labor. The goal for the growing season is to eat well, lay up enough food in storage to last the year, and to have enough money left over after paying the bills to purchase warm clothes for the winter, pay school fees, pay the landlord and othet debt, and to make a few improvements to their humble homes made of sticks, rocks, mud, and straw. That's the life that the majority of Nepalis have come to expect year in and year out. But on April 25th, 2014 a devastating earthquake hit and life got much more difficult for hundreds of thousands living in various regions of the Himalayan foothills.  On that day, lives and families were changed in ways that most of us could never imagine. With no insurance policies or credit cards or rainy day savings accounts, families from hillside villages that lay in rubble fled to the valleys in hope of finding relief and stable ground. After days and weeks of near starvation and disease, roads and bridges were repaired to the point where aid and medical care could reach these remote valleys. Over the past two years refugee camps have been built (partially with aid from the CLC Earthquake Relief Fund). Hundreds, perhaps thousands, have been helped through donations to the CLC relief fund. Tarps, steel sheets, cement, posts, blankets, pots, and water pipes to bring in fresh spring water have been assembled into a villages with no name. They are simply known as "the camps." Two Mission Hepler teams found themselves in these camps today surrounded by a few Christians but mostly Buddhist men, women, and children.

Earthquake Refugee Camp in Rasuwa District

The Rasuwa district north of Kathmandu was one of the most devastated areas of Nepal. The Himalayan Church of the Lutheran Confession of Nepal has two congregation in this district. They have been instrumental in getting CLC earthquake relief aid to this area and particularly to these two camps. They have brought thousands of US dollars in humanitarian aid to these people who have lost everything and have no where else to go and no home to return to. And in the midst of such loss, tragedy, sadness, and need, they have also brought the "one thing needful," The Gospel of Jesus Christ is bringing true and everlasting hope to the few in these camps who have been brought to faith by the Spirit working through the Word.

Today we had the privilege of bringing small gifts, food, and drinks to roughly

170 children in these two camps. But more importantly, we brought them and many more adults the gift that money can't buy, we brought Jesus Christ and the Good News of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.

Children listening to the lessons about their Savior!

As I sit and reflect on the privilege we had today in loving and serving our Savior by loving and serving the people of this camp, my emotions are a mess. A mess of heartbreak and sadness as I contemplate the overwhelming physical needs that will haunt my quiet time and hopefully spur me on to love and serve more. And at the same time I am filled with joy, because God has again been faithful in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to His children. What a joy and privilege to be a part of His gracious plan...a plan laid before the foundation of the world. Humbling and encouraging and strengthening and comforting and so much more! Thank You Lord!

In Christ, Todd Ohlmann 

Thinking Back, Looking Ahead - Drew Naumann

It has been an eventful couple of days for the Mission Helper crew. We arrived back at our hotel in Kathmandu Friday night after 9(?) days of travelling evangelism. Saturday, we had the privilege of joining our christian brothers a sisters in Kathmandu for worship. The Holy Spirit has certainly worked a loving and joyful faith among these people, as evidenced by the unmatched enthusiasm which they employ to sing their loud praises to our Triune God.

We left this morning for Trishuli, where we arrived safely a short time ago. The occasional road trip deluge tends to offer concern, but by the grace of God we keep on rolling.

Tomorrow morning we will travel out again  with our presentations and our gifts for the children. They always look so happy to receive such a simple gift as a drawstring bag. God willing, they all will (if they do not already) recognize the priceless treasure Jesus has won for them and all people, a safe refuge from sin and death, that they may always abide in Jesus heart and wounded side.

Tonight, these weak bones give thanks for air conditioning.

In Christ,

Drew Naumann

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

Pastor BN – Worship at Eternal Life Lutheran in Kathmandu

The Mission Helper Team members were guests for Saturday morning worship at Pastor JB's church in Kathmandu. All the churches worship on Saturday, simply because that is the only 'day off' in Nepal generally. The service began at 9 – sort of. There was worship music provided by musicians for a half hour while the people filtered in. Pastor JB then introduced us, and led the service. I had the privilege of being the guest speaker, addressing the people from 1 Corinthians 5 – 'The love of Christ compels us.' It is the overwhelming love of God in Christ that assures us of forgiveness and life, and moves us to share that Gospel. The message is summed up in four simple words, 'ONE DIED FOR All.'

It was a joy to share this time of worship and fellowship with our HCLCN brothers and sisters, including observance of the Lord's Supper. Near the close of the service the 'Mission Helper Choir' sang Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah and the common doxology. 

On Sunday we take a 5-hour bus ride north to Rasuwa, where our four teams will conduct child evangelisms on Monday. Thanks for your continued prayers for this work! 

--
Pastor Bruce Naumann
www.eauclairemessiah.com
<><  "One died for all"  2 Cor. 5:14

Gabrielle - Children of God Pictures

Gabrielle - Children of God

We've arrived back in Kathmandu after an amazing nine day trip. I've seen so much of Nepal and yet so little. The things I've done and seen and the things I will do on the rest of the trip will stick with me forever.

I was able to teach at four different congregations so far. Whether it was a group of 300 or 30, it's a wonderful sight to see. I hope to teach many more in just the few days we have left.

After my last lesson, we had time to sit with the kids. Interacting with someone who doesn't speak the same language or know general hand movements is something I haven't encountered before. I was sitting by one little girl who would copy my hand movement, so I decided to see if she would play with me. I was thinking of doing some form of Patty Cake, but ultimately I just started patting my legs and clapping my hands, and she would copy me. Other kids started to gather around so I moved on to do it with a couple others. They loved it! They would laugh and smile while trying to figure out how to copy me. Then I grabbed my phone to take a picture and they all crowded around me. They were all so amazing and I hope they grow up to be great Christian people.

On Saturday, we went to the church here in Kathmandu. Half of the service had to be singing. It was amazing to hear all those voices, along with clapping, all in the name of Jesus. They also had drums and guitars which made it sound even more powerful. Although I couldn't understand the words, I knew exactly Who they were giving praise to.

God works in amazing ways. I'm so fortunate that He is using me to accomplish His work here in Nepal.
How great are His works.

Childlike Faith - Shelby

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." -Matthew 18:3 

Throughout our time in Nepal we have been blessed to have taught to thousands of eager children. Many of them being already Christian. However, the most important ones are the ones we see in this picture. They're the children who's parents don't allow them to come to the Christian church, but yet they are willing to hang around to see what we have to say about their Savior. I pray that these children continue to stand by the windows and doors of the church to hear the good news of their Savior. And that the Holt Spirit works through them to plant seeds of faith, and that their faith grows and blossoms so that they too, may one day, go out and teach the good news of Christ to others. 

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing the the word of Christ." -Romans 10:17 

Rice Paddies - Pete Reim

---

We've driven past a lot of rice paddies lately--a form of farming that's pretty unfamiliar to most of us.  In most of the paddies, the seedlings have been planted about a foot apart, but I've noticed a few that were very densely packed with seedlings; these are the paddies where the seed is first scattered, and when it begins to grow; after they've grown a bit, they are plucked up and planted far and wide in the rich and nourishing ground.

Paul says that we have been so blessed through redemption in Christ that we will live "to the praise and the glory of His grace."  We are here because our Savior has equipped us and sent us to plant a seed, and to pray it will grow.  We, too, have found ourselves densely packed on a plane, a bus, a farm cart, a tuk tuk--but our purpose is to share that seed. May the seed of the good news we share take root and grow far and wide in this land; but may it also grow richly and sincerely in our hearts.   Amen.

Blessings on Blessings- Aaron Wilke

This trip has reminded me just how blessed I am. Not in material possessions or the lifestyle I live in the United States, "to whom much is given, much is demanded." But I'm reminded of the small sometimes overlooked things that the Lord has given me. The blessing of  Christian friends willing to travel across the world to spread the gospel and the  people of Nepal that have taken us under their wings. Also the congregation of Saginaw, friends and family generously helping me with their donations and prayers. These blessing are amazing and I feel extremely blessed.  But more importantly  the blessing of having people all over the world that believe Jesus's words of promise.  It's a huge blessing to be able to share my faith with people I have never met and may never see again. The villagers we meet thank us for coming to evangelize to them but I always find myself thanking them. Their amazing faith in the midst of persecution is such an amazing example that gives me strength. Blessings on blessings, my cup runneth over. The Christians of Nepal and I share the greatest blessing of all. The forgiveness of sins that Jesus gives us everyday, which is all we need. 

Sent from my iPhone

Are We There Yet? -Hannah

Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
(Romans 12:12)

This trip has been full of bumps in the road both literally and figuratively, and the longer we have been here, the easier it is to deal with it.

After beginning this trip with a 36 hour bus ride, I quickly realized that inquiring how much longer we were going to be half sleeping in a stinky bus with poor AC was not going to get me any kinda of response. We kept hearing "Oh it's not far" or "Ehhhh soon" and to us Americans it's almost more frustrating than anything.

Now, ten days into this trip, I've adjusted to living on Nepali time, where everything is an estimate and nothing is for certain. As I ride on this five-ish hour bus ride writing this post, I neither know what time we left, nor am I trying to calculate what time we arrive. Rather, I'm sitting here, gazing out the window to one of the most beautiful places I have been thinking America could learn a thing or two from this country.

Back home, everyone is so focused on time, which in itself isn't a bad thing, but I can say for certain that I'm not looking forward to being back in the hustle and bustle of the cities in less than a week.

The Lord has blessed this trip in countless ways from incredible good weather to an abundance of children (more than we had planned for!) and if I have learned anything from living in Nepali time, it's that having a priority makes everything seem like no big deal.

Now, instead of asking "Are we there yet?" Or "How long until we can sleep?" I wonder when we get to teach again, or how many children we will have this time? Five hour bus rides seem like a piece of cake--just a short stop away from our next church.

Only a few more teaching days left until, sadly, we fly home. We have truly been cared for by our Lord and Savior this far and I pray He continue to do so.

In Christ,

Hannah Stelter

Tools of God - by Dani

The mission helpers are back in Kathmandu tonight after 9 days of being on the road. The Lord has continued to bless this journey across the world -- so much more than we deserve or could have ever hoped for. He covered up the sun for us on the long hard hike uphill to Hattibang and then pushed the clouds away long enough for us to see a gorgeous view of the Himalayas in Pokhara.

It's easy for me to get caught up in all the extra activities that go along with this trip and forget the real reason I am here. I am so grateful for the elephant rides and the views and even the crazy driving (sometimes) and the list goes on and on. God has blessed us beyond measure. But there is absolutely nothing on this trip that compares to the blessing of being able to share the Gospel with people who have never heard it. How incredible it is to be God's tools to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19), as He commands. 

God says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news" (Isaiah 52:7). I can almost guarantee the not a single one of the mission helpers has beautiful feet right now by any earthy standards. Mine are covered in blisters and bandaids to cover those blisters and dirt because I was too tired to shower tonight. But in God's eyes they are beautiful because He is using them to carry His message of a Savior to places that aren't always easy to reach. 

But our feet are not the only tool He is using to spread His Word further. We are so fortunate to have support from our church. This trip would not be possible without the prayers and donations and verbal support and encouragement from back home. "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). Prayer is so important and so powerful, so please continue to keep us in your prayers. And when this incredible trip comes to an end, please continue to keep God's mission work in your prayers. Nobody's work in spreading His Word is more important than anybody else's. We are all His tools and must use what He has given us to the best of our ability. 

Hello from Heidi

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

My soul is certainly singing this morning. Not only am I drinking my first cup of coffee since I've been here, but I am also soaking in the breathtaking Anapurna Mountain range with some incredible people. How blessed am I? Too blessed. 

The trip started with a 15 hour bus ride turning into a 30+ hour bus ride. While we were waiting for the roads to clear, I'm thinking - why would God delay our teaching of His word? If we get off schedule some kids won't get to hear God's word... what good can come from that? As we were sitting outside waiting, I look over and see Pete and Sam talking with a young man and I could hear the words "salvation" and "grace" being thrown around. I watch that man listen with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. Come to learn, that man was a Hindu. Maybe moments like that are why our journey was prolonged. God knows what He's doing - I should know that by now. I pray that I can recognize those moments and utilize the opportunities that God has put before me. 

Colossians 4 : 5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 

I don't know if I've ever had so many moments with tears in my eyes. All of my senses feel heightened being in a new place and taking so much in. It's impossible not to feel God's presence everywhere you go.

It's an adventure to be a child of God.

Heidi Lau

Strength - Drew Naumann

The Hatibang hike came and went exactly as advertised. Most of a days worth of extreme hiking that can humble even the most athletic of travelers. For some of us (certainly myself, anyways) it was the most physically demanding thing we have ever done in our lives. No amount of warning can prepare one for the grueling ascents and precarious descents that riddle the over-hill trek to the small village of Hatibang. By the grace of God and a great deal of patience and skill on the part of our guide, Rajan, we have all arrived in Pokhara safely. 

It is a little startling how many rural Nepalese folk we crossed on the paths and steppes. We were each carrying perhaps 15-20 drawstring bags for the children, some water and perhaps a few granola bars. You can imagine, then, how silly it felt when we would pass a local taking the same paths as us with a forty pound bag of rice strapped to his head, wearing flip flops, and struggling considerably less than we were.

Physical strength certainly appears to be a necessity of life for these mountainous people, proving far more useful than the latest hydration pack or most expensive hiking shoes. What a blessing and a privilege it is then for us helpers to bring to many of these people a Strength that surpasses even their own physical endurance! 

The strength and power of God's holy Word, that blessed gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, has been strengthening and rejuvenating the weary hearts and aching minds of believers since the fall into sin. And it will continue to do so until all those who confess Jesus as Lord are called to eternal paradise with Him. 

How great an opportunity we have been given to share the ultimate, spiritual Strength found only in the blood of the Lamb with these people. So whether we walk, climb or drive, we persevere in the grace of God, confident that He is the One who plans our steps and brings our labor to fruition. 

In Christ,

Drew Naumann

Pastor Bruce Naumann's trip blog...

pastorbn-nepal-2017.blogspot.com

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, a Smile Worth a Million More -Hannah

"In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is His for He made it and His hands formed the dry land."

From the valley to the hills, God's greatness is abounding everywhere we turn. As we hiked up the hills to Hatibong yesterday morning, more emotions were rolling through my head than ever before: excitement, nervousness, fear, queasiness, unease, and worst of all, regret.

But as I was sitting there thinking how easy I would be to just turn around and go right back to the hotel I remembered the reason for this trek: to bring the Word to all the children up in the hills, and the regret turned to determination. This, these children, kept me going, with a lot of support from my peers and a ten times more from the Lord.

Several hours passed by in a blur of stone after stone and zigzag paths with mud, but finally, we made it to the school. As we walked down the short path, the children sat eagerly awaiting us, excitement filling their eyes and my gut filled up with giddiness too.

Once we got to the school building, the children all ran inside and within a few minutes were all seated, quietly awaiting what we had to say. We taught our lessons, and sang some songs to the most attentive group of little ones I've, personally, seen! Then we handed out the bags we had brought up for each and every child as well as frooti juice boxes, ramen, and butter cookies. And just when I thought the grins on their faces couldn't get any bigger, they most definitely did!

Before we left, we were informed that about twenty of those hundred were already Christian, which was encouraging to hear. In addition, those believing children will be a blessing to the ones who had just heard the Word for the first or second time, so they can learn and grow together. It's so incredible the ways in which the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of His little ones, and for that we are forever grateful.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I have a few showing the village, the school, and the awesome beauty of Nepal which we have been richly blessed with. However, even though this is a popular, and true saying, I think I have a better one:

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a smile is worth a million.

Seeing the eyes light up in the children's faces as we taught them about Jesus birth, death, resurrection and their salvation is not able to be fully captured in a 1,000 word blog post or even a 10,000 word paper.

I pray that the Holy Spirit continue to guide these children along the right path, into God's arms.

In Christ,

Hannah

How Wide, How Long, How High, How Deep. - Lydia Albrecht

"For this reason I kneel before my Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Wide, long, high, and deep. These are words that impeccably describe the incredible terrain of Nepal, the land of the looming Himalayas and their foothills. Just yesterday, as I was climbing up the narrow switchbacks and clambering up rocks to get to the top of one of the foothills, this passage came to my mind. What I saw at the top was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Surrounding me on all sides we're similar hills (and let me remind you that these are hills only compared to the Himalayas), with buildings scattered around them. The only way to get to them is in foot. A lot of the buildings are wooden, there are no roads-especially not paved ones, and livestock is dispersed throughout the hill. The people that live there, live a seemingly simple life, with no large department or grocery stores anywhere near them. I have come halfway around the world (which I am reminded of through my lingering jet lag), to speak to these people who have very little in common with me. Very little except the most important thing - God's love.

How wide and long and high is God's love that it is present throughout the entire world. How deep is God's love that He sent His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of everyone. It is truly humbling and moving to be able to tell the people of Nepal about this love and salvation that connects us all. 

So far, the mission helper trip has been filled with unexpected circumstances (which I think makes everything more fun), from 30 hour bus rides due to landslides to hitching a ride up a hill on a tractor. All of the mission helpers have maintained a positive attitude because we are here to tell people about the one thing needful - faith in Jesus Christ. We may be sweatier than we have ever been and exhausted by the time we get to the tops of these hills, but once we start teaching, we forget all of that. We are willing to go wide and long and high to share the message of how deep God's love is.

A Few Teaching Pics

The Mission Helpers have been busy hiking and teaching. We've taught we'll over 1,000 children already!