Day 4 Part 2: Thank You, Lord for Using Me as Your Vessel!

We were headed for a new place, with a new mission. The place is Chitwan, where Nepal's first National Park resides, and it is globally recognise as one of the natural heritage by UNESCO. The mission is to visit churches, and the ultimate goal to all the visits is to adopt a church.

The journey was yet again a tiring one. It was a long drive through roads right next to the ravine, with buses and other vehicles honking their way to their destination. I had to napped in the van, and that actually disturbed the driver a little as my head bumped into his shoulder a couple of times. Yar, I was sitting in front, in between the driver and Anil. This time, the van is more packed with people.

The accomodation was much more than we've expected. It's actually more of a resort than anything else. Nice environment, room, beds, bathrooms, etc! I honestly didn't expect such comfortable place when joining this mission trip. I thought we'll be sleeping in our sleeping bags every night.

The Riverside Resort in Chitwan, Nepal

We had to go just after unpacking, that's how tight our schedule was. We took our first journey on the tuk-tuk, which was a bumpy and torturous one. Soon, I'll get used to it... the first church that we visited was one of the daughter churches of the main church that we were due to visit.

The tuk-tuk that we got so used to during the trip

I remember this clearly... as we walked into the building with a cross at the entrance, I thought it was a church, but it wasn't. It was actually a house, with only the small room on the left of the entrance being the place for church-purposes. We went into the room, and it was so tight and small. I took a spot in the place, and before I could put my backside on the floor, one of them told me that it's wet, and that I should sit somewhere else. Yes, I felt it was wet, and since I was the photographer cum videographer, I thought I would sit outside instead, getting a better view and being able to move around more freely. As we waited for the Pastor to get ready, people started to come in, filling up the place, and sitting each and every spot there is in the room. None of them cared about the wet carpet in the room! Yes, the Nepalis just want to listen to the Word of God, and so no matter the situation, they'll do it for their thirst for God is so great!

The church on the outside...

...and the church on the inside

We worshipped, and soon the group was broken into 2. The adults stayed in the house, and the children headed to another house, about 2 minutes walk away. We ministered to the children at the back of the house, which is an open space. Becky conducted the time, with an interpreter helping us. We sang, danced, and played with the kids, and they loved the fun so much :) Always all smiles...

The children of Nepal

While Becky was teaching the kids to sing an English song, a boy came up to me. He looked like he was 15 or so. "Can I talk to you for while?", he said in perfect English. I was impressed and I said, "Yes", of course... "Can we take a walk?" Err, okay, this time, I'm stunned... "Can't we do it here?", I asked, a little frightended. I've heard so much bout the Maoists, and killings taking place in Nepal, and now this? "No, I prefer to take a walk", he insisted. I thought, "Okay, God brought me here to serve Him, and surely He'll protect me against all forms of evil" I really had to take that leap of faith on this one. It really tested me... As we walked, he told me that he's 18, a Buddhist, and that he had this sudden urge to read the Bible. He's been reading 3 Bibles for the past 3-4 days! My eyes nearly popped out upon hearing that... I'm like, "WHAT?! How can you have this sudden urge?!" He said there's suddenly this power in him that made him want to read the Bible so badly, and the more he read about God, the more he wants to know this Jesus Christ that's being told in the Bible! I told him, "You have the Holy Spirit working inside you, that's why you're feeling such powers. I've been a Christian for over a year, and I've never had such great powers in me!" He went on to ask general questions like, "Can I still perform Buddhist rituals when I'm a Christian? It's because I don't want my family to know that I'm a Christian" I said no to him on that, cause in the Bible, it says that one cannot serve two masters. You'll have to serve God, and that's it. No two ways to it...

Suddenly, I realise that we walked a little too far. I stopped, and asked if he wants to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He said no as he wanted to discuss with his brother in law first... Then I asked him if I can lay my hand on him and pray for him, and he again said no. We turned back, and headed for the little church where his brother in law was there listening to Pastor Sam. After a minute of discussion with his brother in law, Samir, the 18-yr-old, finally said yes, he'll accept Christ. We waited till the end of the service, and I spoke to Pastor Sam about Samir, and we prayed the Sinner's Prayer with him.

Myself, Samir and Pastor Sam. I only realised that I might never see this brother of mine again after I left the place. But, I'm sure we'll meet again in heaven when the time comes :)

Woah, 1 soul saved! Samir invited me to stay over at his place, to tell his family that he's a Christian, and that they should all learn to accept Christ! The Nepalis are just such a great bunch of people! You don't go around inviting strangers to your home, do you? I had to reject that very welcoming invitation cause I've got to be part of the team that EPCC sent. Really thank God for using me as His vessel to save Samir. It was a great experience! It's like the people in Nepal will just walk in to church and accept Christ. God is really doing a lot in Nepal, a time of harvest, as how Pastor Sam puts it.

The day ended with dinner at the resort, and a rare early rest for us...