Wow, what an amazing trip we had. I hope that I can find the words to do some justice to what we saw and learned. As you know we left for Nepal at the beginning of October. But the whole experience started back in July when Jackie made the first of many trips to Mesa, AZ to participate in the group training for the trip.
After that we both went to the meetings every third week leading up the day of departure. We had several friends help us along the way with the expenses that the traveling created. Without them the trip may have never gotten started for us. But it did and boy I am glad we made those trips they really paved the way for what God was going to show us.
The day finally came when we boarded the plane and then we began to wonder if we would ever land. 30 hours of flying really takes a toll on your body (not to mention trying to sleep on the cold tile floor of the Bangkok airport for our first ten hour layover). When we finally arrived in Kathmandu Nepal we hit the ground running literally. Neil (our trip leader) had explained that the visa lines can get long and slow very fast. So our job was to try to get as far ahead of everyone else as possible. So we ran across the tarmac after exiting the plane as quickly as we could to beat the masses to the visa counter. After getting visas we collected our baggage and we were met outside by many people trying to take our bags and load them into cabs or busses. Neil had warned about this as well so we were prepared to fight off the masses to hold onto our bags. Welcome to Nepal.
From the airport we went to our hotel crammed into tiny taxis we had our first view of the city. We traveled down very narrow very crowded streets loaded with people, motorcycles, taxis, buses, dogs, cows, monkeys and the even an elephant. After the long travel we were all ready to rest but Neil had other plans. He took us into the city on foot to tour Durbar Square. We walked among the crowded streets wondering if (no when) one of us would be taken out by one of the hundreds of motor cycle that we were just stepping in front of in order to get where we were going. It was a full first day. We saw temple after temple, idols upon idols. The people there were worship thousands of gods and the evidence is everywhere. There were shrines set up around rocks they thought to be holy. The Cows heads were cover with the red Pujah from people worshiping them. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. And the whole time I could not help but notice the heaviness in the air that was an unmistakably evil.
The next day and half were much of the same we prayer walked as we visited holy Hindu and Buddhist temples such as Syambuh, Pashnupoti, and Dashinkali. We watched an a old man, who was waiting to die at the Pashnupoti so his body could be burned and dump into the river as one last offering to the gods, ring a large bell so many times that I lost count of the rings hoping that his act of worship would bring him good fortune in the next life. We saw animal sacrifices. We so bodies burning by the river, and each person on the pier we knew was just one more lost soul that never heard the truth of Jesus. It was exhausting and made our efforts seem so small. It made me question if I had a faith in Christ strong enough. Back at our hotel I woke very early the next morning. Not being able to sleep I went out on the roof to spend so time with God. I prayed over the city and all that I saw.
While I was praying I notice a growing presence. The dark felt darker and the air very heavy. In my mind I imagined a demon sitting on that roof with me. I was afraid, but for a brief moment I actually wanted to see this demon physically. I even asked God to show it to me. But as soon as I did I became gripped with a strong fear and I prayed to God to protect me and asked not to see it. As I prayed for my own protection the presence faded away. I know this may be hard to believe it was hard for me as well but, one thing I will never forget from this trip is how God showed me that there is an evil in this world and it is not just our own sin but that there are demons as well.
Ephesians 6:12 (New International Version)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
After visiting all those temples on the third day we split up and went to church. The Nepali Church is small about 1% of the population but boy was it alive. After all we saw and felt at the temples the believers we met had a joy and life to them that was undeniably good. When we walk into the church the air felt lighter and we sang and worshiped together. There was so much passion in their worship. It was wonderful to be a part of.
The next couple of days we spent visiting and lifting up believers around Kathmandu. We visited Bible colleges, children’s homes, missionary’s and even a leper colony. I have seen some really poor living conditions in my work in Mexico but I have not seen a group of people cast out of society in such poor condition as I did that day at the Leper colony. It was heart breaking, but it was encouraging to see the work of the believers caring so much for the people.
We hiked one of the many “hills” around the Kathmandu valley (they made sure we did not call them mountains although they were mountains to us). I remember before I left on the trip speaking to a gentleman who had been to Nepal. He told me that there is nowhere that you are confronted with the beauty of God’s creation like in Nepal. Now I have not traveled the world to really know but from what I saw on that Hike I would have to agree with him.
We spent the next couple of days in what our leader called cultural immersion. He gave us a little money and two list of task that we were to complete one in English the other in Nepali. I don’t know about you but we don’t know how to read Nepali. He sent us off for three days living with different Nepali families some believers some Hindu. He then told us that we were on our own and would not see him for three days. We had to find our way around get help from the local people, things that any missionary might have to do when finding themselves in a new land and culture. Things like washing clothes, going to the post office. Not getting ripped off by the bus drivers, and of course how to use the squat toilet (really just a hole you squat over there is no toilet paper just water, use your imagination for the rest). Despite the difficulty of it all, it was quite fun.
Jackie and I stayed in the home of a Hindu family that did not speak much English (surprisingly there are many that do speak English in Nepal). Santosh and Urmila had four beautiful children, two boys and two girls; Joti, Dipak, Komal, and Sandes. We were treated like honored guest in their home. They fed us and fed us and fed us some more. We had been told that it was there custom to feed us so much, so we thought we were prepared, but we were wrong. I have never been so stuffed in all my life. The food was great but way too much. We were happy that we had the list to complete it meant that we would be out in the city and did not have to eat lunch. The food aside, they were great they cared for us so much. It is hard to put into words just how we felt when we left. We shared our belief in Jesus with them and prayed over their family. Their youngest son was partially paralyzed on the right side of his body mostly affecting his hand so we prayed over him. They would not let us leave on our own they got us a ride into the city and Urmila walked us all the way to our Hotel. I wish we had more to give them when we left. I hope they know we were very grateful. We then made to long flight home.
I have to say that I learned a lot on this trip but what I learn most I hope I never forget. I realized God loves us right where we are. He ask the easiest and yet hardest thing from us. One of the illustrations in the bible is that of letting a seed or grain fall to the ground to die. So that life can spring from it. God is asking this of us. We are the seed and we protect our life with all we have. But if we let our life fall and die on the soil that is Jesus there will be life more then we can ever imagine. That is what seems so hard. God asks us to give him everything. To die is to give up everything. But it all starts with the greatest commandment, Love God and Love others. You see if we love God It is easy to give him what he asks. I don’t have to be perfect to love God and while I fail to keep his commands at all times it is that love for God that keeps me trying. It will take my whole life and I will not reach what I had in mind of perfection. But it is not the work I do that saves me. It is not that I can keep all the commands that save me. Those commands condemn me because I cannot keep them. It is that I rely on only Jesus that saves me.
We thank you so much for supporting us on this trip we could not do it without you so thank you and know that we love you.
Michael & Jackie Williamson
