singing and sickness...june 6th

i woke up this morning sick...lets just say i drank some bad water and i was torn up. after taking some medicene and a few bathroom breaks, we walked to church where i was met by hundreds of nepali Christians (many walked for over an hour to come). even though i did not understand much of what was being said or sung, i knew it was for the Lord's glory and was to praise Him. this caused an overflow of emotions in me and the tears came. as i listened to them worship, i prayed and prayed over them. for sunday school, i got the privilege to go to the young children's class where i taught them a few songs. there were about 4o children and their excitement and energy was beautiful. they are so receptive and the light shining from them makes my heart smile. comparing their sunday school with ours in america, i guess you could say they are literally 2 worlds apart. back home children have to have a craft, a snack etc. but here they do not even have any sunday school material. they read a Bible story and then they sing. if a child has a song to share, he comes to the front and sings. it is very simple, but it is wonderful...im sorry that i am not posting regularly, but the internet here is not very accessible...ill do my best...for the next week and a half i will not be able to write at all because we will be in the mountain village, but please continue to pray...great things are happening and He is completely providing...thank you for reading...love and miss you all...

heading north from the city...june 4th

today was my last day in kathmandu, which was bittersweet. i am ready to get out of the city (alot of traffic and exaust) but i am going to miss many of the people here. so today kamala showed me some more of the city that i hadnt got to see. we went to the tibetan section of town to see the tibetan rug factory. in my americanized mind i was thinking we were goin to enter a large building full of huge metal machines. when we walked in there were huge looms one after the other, but instead of machines weaving the rugs, there were tibetan women sitting on thin pillows on the floor weaving as fast as their hands could weave. they worked beautifully and as i stood there watching, I at first felt sorry for them. i thought of how bad their backs, shoulders, and legs must ache. but then i noticed how happy they looked. yes, their legs were probably asleep, but they were in fellowship with one another and they were weaving string into a beautiful rug. it was like God squeezed my heart...sometimes we (me especially) complain about certain situations or feel uncomfortable in certain situations, but as long as we are focused on that loom, He will work through us to make something beautiful...a saved soul. After we went to buy some nepali bible tracks we went back to abraham and kamalas house where me, abe, kamala, and their two nephews worshiped in both english and nepali...this completely rejuvenated my soul and reminded me of how BIG God's love is. before we ate supper we all went on a walk to the outskirts of kathmandu where we could look down on the entire city. this sight i will never forget--a city that is hurting and yearning for something more...Lord lay your hands on them...

*let all the earth tremble before Him. the world is firmly established and cannot be shaken. let all the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! tell all the nations that the Lord is King.
~1 Chronicles 16:30-31

you are my brother and sister...june 3rd

*may the Lord of peace himself always give you his peace no matter what happens. the Lord be with you all.
~2 thessalonians 3:16

the lord wants to be central in our entire beings. when we focus firmly on Him, His peace displaces fears and worries. there is no fear in His love, which shines continually. this morning was my last breakfast with rachel and jenn--what a good breakfasts' we have had; i am going to miss those two...today abraham and kamala came and got me and once again God blew me away with His blessings. they are so down-to-earth, sweet, caring, talkative, interesting, and passionate about the Lord. we packed up my stuff and headed toward the southern part of the kathmandu valley. we went to lunch and talked about our plans. kamala and i are leaving friday morning for pokhara where i will stay with all of their family. we will be there for four days so i can get oriented with nepali culture and prepare for the hike to the village. we will be in the village for about a week and a half, come back to pokhara for two to three days and then head out again hiking to different villages in and around the area. abraham told me that his father was one of the first muslims in nepal to convert to Christianity and after he had accepted Christ he spent the rest of his life traveling from village to village spreading the good news. abraham has the same passion that his father had and is continuing that legacy. i praise God for people who are this passionate about saving souls...i am so blessed to be able to live with abraham and kamala and to share God's love thoughout the villages. Lord, take my fears away about teaching English--sustain me Lord.