PRAYER REQUEST:
Please lift our sister up daily to our Lord for strength and wisdom each day and that because of her work many will come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
|
Interviews with Meli$$a
|
After being in Nepal for one year, the mi$$ionary from our church had this to say about her fears regarding the things she encounters:
"There is always the underlying fear of being arrested here for the work that I do, but honestly that has not really bothered me too much. A couple of times while on trek I have had to walk on a path that was 12" wide and if I slipped, I would fall hundreds of feet off the cliff. Only once has the fear actually overtaken me when I had to sit for a moment and pray. All in all, I trust that my Father is going to protect me and have not felt actual fear too often. What I feel more often is that I am so small compared to the problem here. Yesterday, I sat a temple and watched several old, old, old ladies that could barely walk. They live at the temple and worship daily. I felt hopeless as to what I could do. I cried out to my Father and He said, 'Just do what I tell you to do. Be faithful, even if it seems you are not making a difference.' So my fear is more that so many people will spend eternity seperated from God and anything good. Sometimes I hate it here and I want to come home. I miss normal food, clean water, taking showers, speaking English, and being healthy. But then I look into the eyes of someone that has never heard and I feel that call to stay here all over again. My heart breaks and I surrender to the will of my Father all over again." Please keep her in your prayers daily and remember our missionaries all over the world who daily risk their lives and sacrifice of themselves to ensure that every person has a chance to hear the Gospel and accept our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. Don't forget to tell someone you know about the Lord, and what He has done in your life either! Question:
What stories have you focused on to reach others? How do you tell these stories? Answer: "Sharing here is hard because most people here have no idea who our Father is. They believe in millions of gods, such as cows, snakes and crows. One week out of the year the dog is considered holy. The rest of the year they don't treat dogs well. Many times we use our life story to share about how we had new life when He entered our hearts. 'Nyaa Jiban' means 'New Life' and we show dramas about being dead inside or not able to enjoy life until we were given 'Nayaa Jiban.' We do a lot of outreach with dramas because they don't need words, although we use an interpreter to explain the meaning at the end. On trek, I explain the meaning in my limited vocabulary and leave the results up to Dad (God). Talking about Creation and just explaining who Jesus is makes up most of our focus. We recently put on a 4-week kids camp in a local village and there we shared by using puppets and skits. I (David) fought Goliath (the tallest girl in my school), and showed that with prayers I could actually win with God on my side. It was great! Too bad I don't have pictures. We had bowls covered with aluminum foil and wore them on our heads for helmets and used sticks as swords. I'm not sure who liked it more: us or the children!" Continue to pray for missionaries who seek to bring the little children to the Father through Jesus Christ the Lord. |
Question: Has the language been a big problem for you? Answer: "Yes. Language is difficult here. In the city there is not much of a problem because many people here in the city speak a little English. Once you are outside the city it becomes more difficult. There are also many tribal languages spoken here so sometimes on trek you will come into a village and not be able to communicate at all. But somehow our Father always makes a way even if we play charades. I just finished my language study here and I am able to communicate simple things but complex things are difficult. Church for me is very difficult because it is all in Nepali and hard to understand. My most used word in Nepal is 'Boojina' which means 'I don't understand.' The alphabet here is also Hindi and not Roman, so reading and writing here is also difficult. I have just gotten to the point where I am able to pray in Nepali, but even at that I am sure God is in Heaven having a good laugh! I do love the language and if I am not with other foreigners, I'm not shy to speak it." Please keep our missionaries in countries that don't speak English in your prayers that language would never be a barrier to people receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. And pray that even in our own nation we would have to words needed and courage to share the Gospel with those around us! Question:
What situations have you been in that allowed you to show the Father's love and tell stories of Him? Answer: "There is never a day that goes by that in some way you can't show the Father's love here. Women are considered second class and are often not given much attention. One thing I love to do is greet them with the old style greeting. Their faces light up and they smile brightly. Sometimes just holding a person's hand or talking to them can change their life. We also regularly work with children in orphanages, schools, and children living on the streets to show the Father's love. Many places we can openly share with dramas, stories, balloons, songs and dances, while other places we must be a littl more creative. Many times it is just a single smile to plant a seed. While other times we can water the plant to make it finally grow to a place where we can fully share the Gospel. On my second trek I met a young girl on the side of the road that asked me to come home with her. We were so tired and had already eaten two breakfasts and it was only 9 AM. We had been slowed down and were "in my opinion, days behind where I wanted to be." One look at her beautiful smile and I just couldn't say no. We followed her to her house and it turns out her brother spoke some English. I shared in half-English and half-broken-Nepali the story of my Savior using an E-cube. They brought several books and fed us our third breakfast that day. We were all so full we all got sick from eating too much but we couldn't help leaving there with happy hearts and full of prayer that God would use our words to change that family's life." Please pray for Melissa as she seeks to find ways to share the Gospel with the people of Nepal, and for all believers that we will see in our own mission fields the proper time to share, whether the Holy Spirit is leading us to offer a smile and kind words or to present the wonderful message of the Gospel of Christ. |
|
|
|