Welp, I’m home. I got home Saturday, the 21st. It feels good to be home, but it’s a strange adjustment. I wanted to start out by saying thank you for all of your wonderful support in every sense of the word. Whether you have supported me financially, through prayer, or offered a few encouraging words, thank you. The last 6 months of my life have taught me crazy amounts about God and this amazing, broken world we live in. Here's where I attempt to explain what the heck happened over there in Nepal and such. So, here we go.
I am amazed at how God continues to blow my expectations of life out of the water with every new experience. He is truly the great teacher. I am freaking blown away at just how awesome He is. In Nepal we were able to minister to women and girls who work in the dance bars. A dance bar is exactly what it sounds like. The women dance on a stage and then are prostituted out to customers. The ministry we worked with goes into these bars regularly. They build relationships with the women, let them know there is a God that loves them, and offers them an escape to a new life. The women that they rescue are offered a home, and are given the chance to learn how to live a normal life. The ministry offers cooking lessons, English classes, tailoring classes, beauty school, and craft making classes. These are all skills these women can turn into an income. If they have skills of this sort they can make money that doesn’t involve selling themselves. We were also able to teach in a slum school for a few weeks. We taught English, about God, and simple things such as the alphabet, numbers and colors. We prayer walked around Hindu and Buddhist temples for God’s love and truth to just invade those places. And you know, got attacked by a few monkeys and such. Seriously, monkeys are evil. We did a few trafficking awareness seminars at a home for girls, worked in a few orphanages, got to love on so many street kids by playing soccer with them, having a foot washing ceremony, and giving Christmas gifts. We painted the same slum school we taught in and a prayer room at the home of the long term workers. We basically got a taste of all the different ministries they do the city of Kathmandu.
The two months I spent in those countries were exhausting, heartbreaking, and difficult at times; but even more they were inspiring, eye opening, and encouraging. I was able to see God’s love transform lives. Being able to just be a part of the work God is doing in those places was a beautiful experience. Seeing the way a simple act of love was received by a hardened street boy was indescribable. Hearing testimonies of formally trafficked girls and hearing the way God has given them a purpose in life and a sense of worth was almost unbelievable. This world is a dark place, but God is an overwhelming light that shines in even the darkest of the dark places. When someone truly understands what love really is-WHO love really is, lives change. When someone understands that their identity is not in what they do or what they have experienced, but that they are a prince and princess because the King of the universe is their father and no one can ever break free of that love, lives change.
After being away for two months we all came back to Vegas. Flying into that crazy city felt like I was coming home. Never in my life did I think I could ever feel at home in Las Vegas. But I was so happy when we pulled into our sketch neighborhood. The last week we spent in Vegas was our Debrief week. We took that week to process the outreach, wind down, and start thinking and praying about our futures. It was an awesome week to come together as a family one last time before moving on to the next stage of our lives. Leaving was rough, it always is. But, now I'm home and it's been coffee date after coffee date along with some lunches and dinners here and there. I've missed home.
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