Holding tiny newborn flesh on our front porch swing
my favorite meeting place with God.
Finally alone for the first time
and I looked upon his small face...
and I heard my Beloved say, "Do you see Me?
Do you see Me in his face?
Thank you for loving Me."
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me... I was in prison and you came to me... ...as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:35, 36, 40
How in the world am I am to do any of that? How, Lord? I cannot. But you can.
Thank YOU, dear Jesus.
Thank YOU, for loving me.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Grace.
It's all grace.
Thank you for grace!
"Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy's flame." Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
Welcome to our home, little Terrance! We will love you and pray for you always, caring for you as long as God sees fit.
(compiled from various scriptures)
I have called you by name,
from the very beginning
you are mine and I am yours.
You are my beloved.
On you my favor rests.
I have molded you
in the depths of the earth
and knitted you together
in your mother's womb.
I have carved you
in the palm of my hand
and hidden you
in the shadow of
my embrace.
I look at you with
infinite tenderness
and care for you with a care
more intimate than that of
a mother for her child.
I have counted every hair on your head
and guided you at every step.
Wherever you go,
I go with you,
and wherever you rest
I keep watch.
I will give you food that will
satisfy all your hunger
and drink that will
quench all your thirst.
I will not hide my face from you.
You know me as your own
as I know you as
my own.
You belong to me.
by Henri Nouwen
"A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity." Psalm 68:5-6
After our morning of worship and fellowship at the church planted by the Tamangs, Abraham's sister and brother-in-law had two taxis come pick us up. Their son Rabin was our tour-guide for the afternoon. What a fantastic job he did of showing us around! He took us down to the beautiful lake in Pokhara, which is in the tourist section of the city, and we got to see the main temple on the island there.
Barahi Temple is located on a small island in the middle of beautiful Phewa Lake. We had no idea going down there what we were about to enjoy--a canoe ride across the lake to the island! The view is absolutely gorgeous there because the lake is nestled amidst the surrounding hills and mountains of Pokhara. This was a far cry from the sights of Kathmandu. Now this is a place worth going on vacation!
The canoe ride was an experience in itself. They fit 10-20 people on some of these canoes, and it looked as if the boat were near sinking. Some of the people rowing these boats were just boys. There must have been nearly half-a-dozen canoes going back and forth to the temple, full of people. October and November are the prime months of the year for traveling to and in Nepal, so some may have been tourists while others were obviously Hindus coming to worship their gods.
What a stark contrast to our morning of worshipping the one True God with our brothers and sisters in Nepal. Now we were getting off onto an island full of Hindus, foreheads fresh with tilak (men) or bindi (women)--the red markings of their religion. When they go in to the temple, they pay the priest to put this mark on their heads.
The island was so beautiful because of its location and the beauty of creation around it, yet what was taking place on that island destroyed its beauty and made us sad, sick to our stomachs at the reality of what we were seeing. This was our first visit to a Hindu temple, and it just kind of makes you nauseous and sad all at once.
From what I understand, the goddess worshipped at this particular temple is Shakti--"the female divine force manifesting to destroy demonic forces and restore balance" (sanatansociety.org). She is also called by the names Devi, Parvati, Durga, Kali and others. "Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother' in Hinduism. On the earthly plane, Shakti most actively manifests through female embodiment and fertility, though it is also present in males in its potential, unmanifest form.Not only is the Shakti responsible for creation, it is also the agent of all change." (Wikipedia)
the temple
Hindu priest inside
We watched as women and men would walk up and ring the bells surrounding the temple, trying to get the attention of this goddess. This is their way of sending up prayers. Oh how it reminded me of Elijah's words to the prophets of Baal!
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. (1 Kings 18:25-29; emphasis mine)
Does this turn your stomach as it does mine? Do you realize how many people in Nepal, India and other countries worship these gods and goddesses, doing all manner of rituals (some more dangerous than others), hoping to get their gods' attention, or following the advice of a witch doctor? Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, right behind Christianity and Islam. The Joshua Project estimates over 1 billion followers of Hinduism in 2,683 different people groups. That's a lot of people worshipping false gods, dying without knowing their Creator or Savior. That should cause us to shudder.
While wandering around the island, observing all the ritualism and worship, Sasha and I noticed a place where it looked as though items were being sold. Sure enough, a person could purchase items to give as an offering to the gods and goddesses, bindi dots for their foreheads, and souvenirs, of course. What really got us over in the souvenir section, however, was the variety offered.
Up on the hill above the island, you can see a Buddhist temple (Nepal is 75% Hindu and 15% Buddhist, and Buddhism was founded in Nepal), so naturally they were selling little Buddhas alongside the pictures of the Hindu gods and goddesses. You could get your god or goddess on a necklace, a keychain, a photo...just about any form you wanted. But what REALLY got us was all the crucifixes right there with the Hindu gods and Buddhas. We could hardly believe our eyes. Talk about catering to the crowds! It was as though they were shouting, "Gods! Pick your gods! Gods for sale!" like a man selling concessions at a baseball game. Sickening!
After getting a good look around and watching the people put red marks on images, ring the bells, go in to worship the goddess and be marked by the priest, we got into another canoe and were rowed back to town. It started to rain, so we thought our time might come quickly to an end. But then it stopped and we wandered down the main road of the lakeside area. This is a quaint little tourist spot, and we enjoyed going into the stores and watching the people on the streets.
We were all getting a little hungry for some dinner, and every meal we had eaten since arriving in Nepal five days ago was Dahl Bhat (lentil soup over rice)--except the samosas after church that day. Needless to say, we were very much craving American food. Sasha especially did, since she had been so sick the previous night. Her tummy needed something it recognized. So we were excited when we saw a pizza place! Now, we had our doubts as to how authentic this pizza would be, but when we walked upstairs to this nice, open-air restaurant that over-looked the lakeside town, we saw that it was wood-fired pizza and looked about as close as you could get to home. We even ordered homemade french fries to go with our pizza! What a treat!
While waiting for our food, we noticed some men pushing a cart on the street below from which they were selling roasted peanuts. They literally had a fire going on the cart and were roasting the peanuts, still in the shell, over it! It was fun to sit up there and people-watch. Such a unique experience!
We did some shopping for souvenirs for family, then got back in our taxis and headed home. When we arrived, we found that Arjun and Pratisia were waiting to take us down to the riverside to pray with families from their church. This experience was incredible and was almost more of a highlight than worship that morning. Truly one of the most incredible things about this mission trip was the variety of experiences we had.
Once again, what a contrast this was to visiting the temple. After watching all those people worship false gods, now we had the amazing privilege of going down to one of the poorest areas in Pokhara to pray with people who break rocks for a living to earn about $1 a day.
It was a little bit of a challenge walking down the hill on the bumpy dirt roads in the dark, but our Nepali friends helped us to navigate it and waited patiently for us. Sunil, a precious 12 year old boy who couldn't talk very well because he had pneumonia as a baby, went with us, along with his dad who is an elder in the church. Sunil has a great sense of humor. He would laugh like crazy every time one of us started to slip on the rocky road. These white foreigners were quite the entertainment for him, and we loved every minute of his laughter.
We learned that many of these families came to faith in Jesus because Abraham and Om Maya had brought their children into the after-school program, and now Arjun and Pratisia do the same. When the church was first planted, all these families were Hindu. But now, by the grace of God and the work of these missionaries, all but one family down there are believers in Jesus Christ!
When we arrived at the first home, a crowd of children soon appeared. A few belonged to that family, but the others were neighbors excited to see the foreigners that had been at their church that morning. It is difficult to accurately describe these homes. They were mostly made from sheet metal, with huge rocks set on the edges of the roof to hold it in place. Some parts were like wicker on the inside. They usually just had one main area, sometimes a separate cooking area. The "restrooms" were outside, and sometimes the cooking area was as well. The furniture consisted of a bed or two that doubled as a sitting area. These beds are a long piece of wood on some sort of "legs", with a thin cushion for a matress and a sheet to cover. They have very heavy comforter-type blankets in Nepal, which are a must to keep warm there since the electricity is unreliable.
she is climbing onto the bed to get
cups for our tea
So in each home we would sit on one of these beds and visit with the family. They were all such amazing hosts! We had hot tea in every home (this is a standard in Nepal, served numerous times a day). The most common is lemon tea--very delicious. The first family also served us "biscuits" (what we would call cookies--similar to a cream-filled cookie). The precious children brought them to us with huge smiles on their faces, trying to get us to eat every last one (which would have been way too many).
What amazed us at each home is how they would serve us, but they would not eat or drink themselves. I was especially blown away that the children weren't eager for their own cookies--just happy to serve them all to us. Nepali people are amazing hosts, for sure, very eager to serve.
The other thing that really impressed us in each home was, after some time visiting and drinking hot tea, Arjun or Pratisia would ask them for prayer requests. In each home the answer was the same--spiritual growth for their family. They always started with this request, and how humbling it was to us! They would sometimes ask for healing for someone who was sick, or for God to bring their neighbor to faith and heal the marriage of their non-Christian neighbor.
Sasha and Arjun making silly faces with the kids
What they never asked, even though they are among the poorest in the world--breaking rocks every day to earn $1 a day, was for God to bring them a better job or more money to get out of their situation. Not a single time did we get that request. How humbling
one of the precious families down by the river
Michael and Sunil making silly faces
This time with the riverside believers was among the most beautiful experiences we had. We prayed for them in each of their homes, then headed back up the hill to climb the rocky road to home. But after the time spent praying with those families, the climb seemed much easier than going down. It had truly lifted us. Sunil's laughter helped, too. :)
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!” (1 Kings 18:30-39; emphasis mine)
May many more Hindus come to faith in the one true God as the people did in the day of Elijah.
As I sit here sipping a hot cup of Masala tea, I am eager to tell you about our second day in Pokhara. I have been so busy writing blogs for our read through the Bible in a year that I haven't had time to tell more about our Nepal trip. Saturday, November 20, 2010, was quite a day for all of us and especially for me.
In Nepal, Saturday is their only day off from work. So Saturday is their day to worship God and hold church services. Of course, only 4% of the people in Nepal are Christian, so many others spend their Saturday working in their garden, gathering with family, or visiting the temples to worship the Hindu gods.
For us, the day began early as we awoke to get ready for church. As I told you in my last blog, I woke around 2 am and prepared the Bible study I would share with the women after church. Then I went back to sleep for a couple of hours before rising to get ready for the day. We hadn't been up for long when we received word that Sasha was very sick. She had been up all night vomiting and feeling miserable, so we weren't expecting her to make it to church that morning--which would have been so sad after all of her excitement to teach Sunday school and hand out the t-shirts she and Om Maya bought for the kids. This would be our only church service while in Nepal, and we hated for her to miss it.
But God is good! Sasha managed to get herself ready and make it for church that morning. She was still feeling rather gimpy, but when you've flown half-way around the world you just don't give in too easily...especially when you're Sasha and there's children to dote all over. :)
Michael and I went into town that morning with Rabin to a place where we could call our kids back home. The two of us squeezed into a tiny phone booth and enjoyed catching up with our precious kiddos. Then we headed back to get ready for church.
Sasha and Gil came over, and we all walked a short distance down the road and around the corner to the church that Abraham and Om Maya planted 10 years ago. We were so excited to finally be there! We met the people and settled onto the floor for worship. Then Om Maya's brother Arjun got up front with his guitar, and he and some others led the worship. It was beautiful! They were singing their hearts out, praising the Lord, clapping and raising their voices to God. We loved it!
An elder of the church who does most of the preaching and leading of the flock now that Abraham is gone got up and spoke (in Nepali, so I have no idea what he was saying) and led us in prayer. They prayed just like the church-planters--all at once. Such a powerful way to pray. Then we had more singing as a young girl went around with the offering basket.
Finally it was time for Michael to preach and Sasha to go lead the children in Sunday school.
Gil actually started us off by bringing greetings from LifeBridge Church back in America and sharing a little about our church. There were actually a few English-speaking folks there--some missionaries we had met at YWAM the previous night, some family visiting them, and some others that were visiting in Pokhara and had heard an American would be preaching that morning. But for the sake of most of the group, Rabin translated for Gil and Michael.
Then Michael gave the message. I don't know how he did it, after all the speaking he had done with the church-planters the last few days. At least he had a day to rest in-between. God definitely took over and used Michael to reach those people on the other side of the world with His message of love for them.
I didn't hear too much of the message because I spent most of my time over with the children, which was in another building. It was true entertainment to watch Sasha in action with those children! Ranjana (Rabin's sister) translated for us, and we enjoyed hearing them sing songs of praise to Jesus.
Then we had fun teaching them "Jesus Loves Me" in English. So precious!
Sasha read them a children's picture book about the birth of Jesus, which most of them had never heard before. You see, most of these children have come to the church because of a phenomenal after-school program that Arjun and Pratisia (Om Maya's brother and sister) run at the church. These children are poor, and many do not have basic school supplies. So the church helps them in various ways. This program was actually begun by Abraham and Om Maya while they were on staff at YWAM Pokhara, and you can read about the outstanding work of this after-school program at the link to their website from those days: Abraham and Om Maya
For some of these children, this would be their first Christmas to celebrate as followers of Jesus. Some of them were still seeking, not sure yet what they believe. Needless to say, because of the after-school program and VBS programs done by this little church, children are coming to faith and then bringing their Hindu parents to church...and eventually some to faith in Jesus Christ. Glory to God! "And a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6b) I love the way God works.
Of course, Sasha couldn't be around all those children for too long without handing out Pixie Stix (she could keep that company in business if she goes on too many more mission trips). Then we handed out all the coloring books and crayons we brought--a total thrill for these kids. Finally, Om Maya and Sasha handed out the shirts they bought for the kids. Pretty soon there were kids running around with "Houston, TX" and "Jesus Loves Me" on their" shirts. What a sight! We definitely left our mark on that community.
After church and Sunday school ended, some ladies handed out Samosas (yea!) and this incredibly sweet and gooey treat made from honey. It's like a funnel cake made from mostly honey, if you can imagine that. Very sweet and very gooey. Too much so for my liking, but the children devoured it. I totally enjoyed the Samosas, however, which are one of my favorites.
Michael, Rabin, Gil, Arjun
Then it was time for the women's fellowship. The men and children hung around and visited with Michael and Gil while we were with the ladies, and Arjun gave his testimony for the guys. But this was our time with the women, and since my passion is for sharing the Word of God with women, I had been eagerly looking forward to this.
What God had strongly put on my heart to share with these women he created and loves was this: The Story of the Bent-Over Woman, from Luke 13:10-17. I have to give Jackie Oesch, founder of the PLI Partner Program, credit for this, because she taught it to us on our first pastors' wives' retreat with PLI in 2006. I have since had the joy of sharing this beautiful message for women at women's retreats and in Bible studies several times. But this was my first time to share it overseas with women from a non-Christian background.
I'll share a re-cap of what I did with them so that what I share later will make sense. God did something that overwhelmed me that day. I still get choked up thinking about it.
I began with Psalm 42:11 (because Om Maya had shared with me the difficult lives of the women in Nepal)
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
We talked about the things that can have us downcast in our soul, and how those things can cause us to become "bent-over." The weight of our burdens, our sins, our damaged relationships, others' expectations of us, our inadequacies, oppression of the Enemy...many things can cause us to become "bent-over" in our soul.
Then we read the story of the "Bent-over Woman"
A Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17)
10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her,“Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Jesus saw her. He called her forward. He placed his hands on her and set her free. What a Savior!
We also read Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:16-21--Jesus' job description in coming to earth. He came to set the captives free. That's exactly what He did for the crippled woman in Luke 13. That's exactly what He does for you and me. Removing our burdens and carrying them for us, washing away our sin and giving us His righteousness instead, Jesus sets us free. We can now "straighten up and praise God."
Jesus didn't just heal her physical infirmity. He healed her spiritual condition as well, setting her free from demon possession. This is a common occurance in countries like Nepal. We met many people who had been healed of demon possession or came to faith because of a family member or friend who had, so this story makes perfect sense to these ladies.
I then had us read through Psalm 40 in which David writes about God setting him free from the weight of his struggles, pulling him out of the pit and setting his feet on firm ground.
Then I had Om Maya ask them (she was translating for me this whole time), to share what has them bent-over. I loved interacting with them in this way! It was so amazing to hear women on the other side of the world in a completely different culture share their struggles. We are all in this together, dear ones, no matter where we are or how we look.
We looked again at Isaiah 61:3 to see what our loving, redeeming God does for us. Then we turned to Ephesians 1 to read Paul's description of our value to God. In case you don't know, here is how you are described:
v. 3 - blessed
v. 4 - chosen, holy, blameless
v. 5 - predestined
v. 6 - adopted, recipient of God's grace
v. 7 - redeemed, forgiven
v. 9 - enlightened
v. 11 - chosen, predestined
v. 13 - marked (with the Holy Spirit)
v. 14 - God's inheritance
vv. 6, 12, 14 -- for the praise of His glory!
That's some pretty amazing stuff God says about you, don't you think?
When we talked about the description in v. 13, "marked" (which in some translations is "sealed"), I had them turn to Revelation 22:4. This one about took my breath away when God allowed me to "get this" during my early morning preparation for this study. Remember, nearly all of these women were former Hindus. Some were very recent converts. For all I know, some of them may have not yet converted. They may have been there out of curiosity. They may not have yet been marked by the waters of baptism, not ready to take that huge step of publicly renouncing the gods of their ancestors, dying to their old selves and becoming yoked with the one true God instead.
How do you know a Hindu when you see one? Right--the red dot on their forehead; and if you have recently been to a temple to worship, the Hindu priest has marked you with a thick substance that looks like a red wax seal (that, of course, you had to pay him to do...and it gradually falls off). They are "marked" by their religion so there is no doubt to what belief-system they belong.
Now read what God says about those who belong to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ:
"They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." (Rev. 22:4; emphasis mine)
When this hit me, I was overwhelmed with the goodness and grace of God. These former Hindus, who had been marked all their lives on their foreheads because of idol worship, will one day have Jesus' new name on their foreheads forever! They will not have to pay a dime for it, and it won't ever fall off or fade away! HE HAS SET THEM FREE!!!
Only after our visit to the temple later that day and especially the next week in Kathmandu would I fully understand the depravity of idol worship and the extent of evil from which they had been rescued and set free. Actually, I'm sure I don't fully understand it yet, and I don't think I want to. What I saw was more than enough for me. (You can read my blog on Dec. 6, 2010, "Blog 2 -- Hinduism and our Trip to the Temple" for more on that. Just look at the archives on the left and click on "2010.")
So God had led me to close this whole time of women's fellowship with Revelation 7:9-17, which many of you know is the verse that has been part of my email signature for a few years. This verse is so important to me, because I know Jesus won't return until all peoples have heard the Gospel, and that we will surround the throne with believers from every nation.
What was I thinking?! I could hardly get the words out, I got so choked up! Here I was, reading about being around the throne with people from other tongues, tribes and nations, and I was actually sitting and doing what I love most--sharing God's Word with women--from another tribe, tongue and nation! I LOST IT!
The Great Multitude in White Robes (Rev. 7:9-10, 16-17)
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.” 16 Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Whew! Somehow I managed to pull myself together after the first few verses and keep my composure through the rest of it. But I will never read those verses the same again. That's for sure. I actually had them read some of it with me. Wow. I love God.
Then I spoke Jude 24-25 over them as a benediction, and we were done.
That was the most incredible thing I have ever done in my life. I don't mean that what I said or did was incredible, but rather the experience of what God allowed me to be part of that day was incredible. I hope to get to do it again some day.
We found Michael and Gil, visited briefly with some folks, and then headed back to the Lama's home. Michael and Gil were ahead of us a little, because Sasha and I were giving some last "high five's" and hugs to the children. Then I headed down the road, and finally Sasha followed behind me.
I turned the corner onto the main dirt road, and...
I was frozen. Shocked. On the verge of tears.
I turned to Sasha and called her name. She asked me what was wrong (she later told me my face looked like a ghost).
Walking down the road toward me, hobbling on a cane, was a BENT-OVER WOMAN. I don't mean a woman with a hump in her back like older ladies I've known and loved. I mean bent over at a 90 degree angle. Now what are the chances of that happening right after I finished teaching on the Bent-over Woman to a group of former Hindu women on the other side of the world?
HALLELUJAH and GLORY TO GOD! He got my attention that day. It was as if He was saying to me, "Well done, daughter. You did what I asked you to do. I love you."
When Sasha turned the corner and saw her, she started to cry. We both could hardly talk. I went over to this elderly woman and said, "Namastay," to her. She looked up as best she could and smiled warmly at us. She was obviously so pleased to have someone speaking to her. I placed my hand on her back and tried to speak kindly to her, which I knew she didn't understand a word. Then Sasha got her permission to take her picture.
We walked away in total shock. What just happened?
I have that photo on the end table next to the chair where I sit to have my time with the Lord each morning. Most people probably think it's a strange photo to have in our living room. I think her photo is the most beautiful one I have.
Hindu children looking in on the mornings worship activities
Rabin and Ranjana Lama--our interpreters (the son and daughter of the family in whose home Michael and I stayed...in their room)
