Got a bit of a rough start on my trip to Katmandu, Nepal. Arrived to the airport to find that my ticket did not match my ID. Not a big deal unless you’d like to get on the airplane going to Nepal, which I did not. Had a peace that I was going to get to go amid the frantic attempts to resolve the issue. Which we did and I left 10 hours later.
In case you’re wondering it’s almost 24 hours of flying time to get to the other side of the Northern Hemisphere, which does not include delays and/or layovers. Longest flight was 14 hours sitting next to a Muslim man who liked to giggle as he watched videos and a very nice concrete machine worker who was from my home state of Tennessee and was about my size. Arrived in Doha, Qatar (in the middle east) and then on to Katmandu.
Saw the sunrise over Pakistan and then finally the Himalayas as we made our approach to land. Spectacular. I have well over 100 photos of these same mountains from this trip…just that amazing.
Arriving in a 3rd world country is quite the experience on many levels. The sights, the smells, foreign ways and foreign tongues all add some excitement especially when you’ve been traveling for two days and your luggage didn’t make it. But with a promise it would arrive the next day I set out to meet my ride and was off to start what I had come to do. Teach people about worship.
The first thing you’ll notice about Nepal is that they do things their own way. They have their own timezone that’s 15 minutes behind the hour, their own calendar, they drive on the left and there are literally no traffic rules…at all. They also have a lot of pollution. Which is why about half the people wear masks around town. So through the smog while dodging oncoming motorist, massive potholes, and the occasional cow I arrived to begin instruction.
The worship school was a two-week program that had 40 students from various churches as well as a contingent from India that were all eager to learn. Their passion for the Lord was breathtaking, partly because following Christ in their culture is no small decision. Choosing Jesus often means family and social rejection; which means that those who worship the Lord in this place, really mean it.
The school lasted four hours a day with a traditional tea break in the middle. Classes ranged from the practical to experiential on topics such as music, songwriting, Bible, and worship. One of the instructors was my father-in-law, Brad with some of the other classes being taught by our host church New Life and Dunamis Bible School Instructors. All classes were taught in English with Nepali translation.
Besides our daily teaching and training we got to spend time with staff members, preach at New Life services, and take some outings to see Katmandu. A city still recovering from massive earthquakes and yet emerging. Buildings are propped up by support beams, signs of excavation are everywhere, stands for products are spaced an inch apart throughout the entire city, and roadside stands for goats and chickens are very near booths selling the latest Samsung smart phones. What an amazing and quintessential moment to be sipping Masala Chai Milk Tea watching the sunset on the surrounding 28,000 ft mountains as the streets of the Durbar Square bustled below.
After a full week of teaching and imparting it was time to wave goodbye and then get stuck in a massive traffic jam that almost caused us to miss our plane. But 24 hours of plane travel, a few hours of layover, and only a few hours of sleep I arrived back in
Nashville to be greeted by my amazing family. It has only taken 6 days to get my sleep schedule on Central time and to go more than six hours without sleep.
Wanted to thank those of you who sowed into this trip and to those who prayed for me as well. It was a challenge but God is able to help us overcome every one of them. I believe God is doing a mighty work in the nation of Nepal and it was an honor to be able to fan the flames and put some weapons in the hands of a passionate generation of leaders.