by Greg | Mar 1, 2012 | Blog Posts
Day 9 Soon we will be making our way to the airport in Delhi (our flight leaves at 3 AM) and head back to the United States. This has been a tremendous time with Sam Bandela and participating in just a bit of the CBF work he is overseeing in Nepal. Regrettably we were not able to visit the slum churches in Delhi since they do not even convene until 9 pm and by then we need to be focused on getting our belongings together for our jaunt home. While I have visited developing countries before and lived in one for nearly three months, Nepal is like nothing I have ever experienced before. It is exotic, mysterious, beautiful, grimy, struggling, searching, at times hoping and at times despairing. There are great people doing great work for the sake of God’s kingdom. Two words come to mind: hope and love. Hope is the one thing that keeps a human being from sinking fully into despair. Hope can come through things (like food and shelter) and it can come through people. Hope is the essential message for the Christian. Such hope, however, is not merely a profession, but lived out in the second word I mentioned: love. Love is what compels people to give of their lives into a different culture to redeem the innocents and stand in the face of injustice. I have seen both hope and love at work among Christians from across the globe gathered in the country of Nepal. Milton Martin and I are most blessed that we were able to travel here in the name of...
by Greg | Feb 27, 2012 | Blog Posts
Day 6 Nothing like waking up to a view of the Himalayas! The morning was clear and the view from our room was outstanding. After a nice simple breakfast we hiked through the village of Nargakot and took in the scenery. Even though this is a “tourist” area because of the hotels facing the mountains, the locals live in structures that resemble something like chicken coops. Yet everyone was busy about their day, reasonably happy and content. Butchers were chopping slabs of something atop a plywood counter along the dirt road; several ladies were huddled around a blanket full of onions and garlic, preparing something for a wedding; and idol makers were busy carving masks for sale to Hindu homes. Yes, that last sentence was completely accurate. In fact there were several idol makers working on masks in a village that could not have been more than a couple of hundred in population. We left around noon to head back to Kathmandu. The road seemed more bumpy and rough than I remembered it going up. By the time we were down the mountain I was a green as my winter collards. In fact, even as I write this I am not sure when, if ever, I will eat again! I am sure I will get over this soon enough. I am not sure when I will have internet connection again, so let me share with you what remains of our trek. Tomorrow morning I will be preaching at the Kathmandu International Christian Congregation, which ministers to English speaking residents of Napali. While some Nepalese attend the church, the...
by Greg | Feb 24, 2012 | Blog Posts
Day 3 Hard to believe that it is only until day three that I can post of my first night’s sleep, but such is the way of air travel and time zones. Sam (the CBF missionary), Milton and I share a room here in Kathmandu and while we each have our own cot there is hardly room for anything else except snoring. The house we are in is rented by several Christian workers associated with the Apple of God’s Eye Ministry, which was started by Brazilian believers but now is largely run by local Nepalese. Our house is clean and efficient, and although the cots are reminiscent of what it is like to be camping on the ground, we are snug and dry. Electricity is scarce throughout Kathmandu with daily outages lasting 12-14 hours. I have to make certain both the computer and phone are charging during the night (because the electricity usually comes on around 10 at night) so that I can have them when I need them during the day. The weather is pleasant and cool. As I write this paragraph it is just after seven in the morning and the sun is starting to rise, shining through a thin fog of mist and smog. After a delightful breakfast prepared by one of our hosts, we took a bumpy ride out of our suburban home (there are pot holes here that could have swallowed my old MINI), we arrived for the Pastors Conference that I was invited to address. The church that hosted it is called the “Listen and Believe Church.” It is one of the largest...
by Greg | Feb 21, 2012 | Blog Posts
The first leg of our trek was happily uneventful in the grand scheme of travel. My overhead bin was already occupied with what looked like a tour bus load of luggage. Eventually I found enough space for a shoe box and with so maneuvering, shoving, and cajoling I was able to cram my backpack into it. I did warn the passengers beneath to not hastily open the overhead, less they suffer an avalanche. We left Atlanta around 8:30 PM, more or less on time, and it was about that time that I realized I left my books in the backpack, in the overheard, 10 rows back. [vimeo clip_id=”37282912″] After a delightful meal of what looked like lasagna, Milton and I settled in for the remainder of the 8 hour flight to London. In spite of a toddler that cried all night and the chronic hacking of someone who obviously had swine flu, I managed to get some sleep. I had nothing else to do since the lady in front of me reclined to the point that her scalp was just beneath my gaze, which meant for frustrating reading unless I propped my book on her forehead. Later into the evening an attendant noticed my dilemma and quickly determined that her seat was broken, which was not at all inconvenient to her since this allowed her to fully stretch out. All of this is rather minor in the larger context of our mission. At Heathrow we whiled away a few hours before boarding our flight to Delhi for the second leg of our trek. This flight was about 8 ½...
by Greg | Feb 19, 2012 | Blog Posts
As much as time and WiFi connections will allow, I will be blogging about my opportunity to speak in Nepal and India. Last summer I was invited by Sam Bandella, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Field Personnel to Nepal and India to come and speak to Christian workers in both countries as well as visit several mission sites that our church helps support through the CBF. Our flight leaves Atlanta tonight with the first leg ending in London. There we will connect and fly to New Delhi, India and will change planes one final time to fly into Kathmandu, Nepal. All total we will be traveling 25 hours to begin work in a country that is 10 hours and 45 minutes ahead of eastern time zone (I have no idea what is up with that 45 minute block but when in Kathmandu). Milton Martin will be traveling with me and joining me on each of these mission stops. We covet your prayers throughout this time. Click on the following link to several videos I have posted regarding our “Trek to Nepal” – http://vimeo.com/37066235. Peace be with you and as the say in Nepal, “Namaste”,...
Recent Comments