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.