Nepal Team Update--
There are two sides to Short Term Missions. Sometimes they match up but usually they don't. There's the side of the people who go who usually feel like they really accomplished great things and feel pretty good about it. Then there is the side of those on the ground: missionaries and local believers who host them and facilitate the STM team while they are there. Their story is not as often as glowing, they are often left exhausted, and in some cases, they tell tales of how it had more negative impact than positive.
When you ask the Nepal Team about what they did in Nepal, you are going to hear more about what others are doing than what they did. There's a good reason. It was their focus going in. They had the humility to know that their personal impact on the story of the gospel in Nepal would be minor compared to the story of those who live in Nepal.
Instead of hearing about what they did they will be sharing testimonies of courageous, generous and faithful Nepali believers, living isolated in villages where there are only a few other believers.
So, since the team will mostly be sharing others stories, let me share some of theirs because the truth is, they really did have an impact. Our team sat cross legged for hours on hard floors listening to people share their testimonies, their fears following the earthquakes, their hardships of being socially and relationally isolated because of their faith. They validated the stories of the believers in these small communities of faith in and around Kathmandu by listening and letting them know that their stories matter, that they were important stories.
Our team ate pounds of rice and lentils and drank gallons of hot milk tea during the hottest spell Kathmandu has had in decades (with barely a complaint) because relationships are invested in over shared meals and cups of tea.
And then they placed their hands on these faithful believers and prayed for them, sharing with them the pictures God gave them of hope, encouragement, edification and blessing.
People were so moved by the prayers they received that they would go get other believers from the village to be prayed for.
There were a couple of people who prayed to receive Christ and a couple of miraculous healings that took place as a direct result of the team's time. But what they will state as more important was how they were able to encourage people who will go on and have far greater impact for the Kingdom.
I got to hear directly from a number of Nepali believers and a couple of missionaries who said how blessed and encouraged they were. Some said to me how God used the team's prophetic prayers to speak directly to an issue of discouragement that they were facing. One woman excitedly told me that she had a dream the night before that was exactly what someone prayed over her the next day.
So I want to say how proud I am of our team. They loved the people of Nepal really well and they represented Waypoint Church really well. They have some amazing stories to share. Please take some time to listen to them.
There are two sides to Short Term Missions. Sometimes they match up but usually they don't. There's the side of the people who go who usually feel like they really accomplished great things and feel pretty good about it. Then there is the side of those on the ground: missionaries and local believers who host them and facilitate the STM team while they are there. Their story is not as often as glowing, they are often left exhausted, and in some cases, they tell tales of how it had more negative impact than positive.
When you ask the Nepal Team about what they did in Nepal, you are going to hear more about what others are doing than what they did. There's a good reason. It was their focus going in. They had the humility to know that their personal impact on the story of the gospel in Nepal would be minor compared to the story of those who live in Nepal.
Instead of hearing about what they did they will be sharing testimonies of courageous, generous and faithful Nepali believers, living isolated in villages where there are only a few other believers.
So, since the team will mostly be sharing others stories, let me share some of theirs because the truth is, they really did have an impact. Our team sat cross legged for hours on hard floors listening to people share their testimonies, their fears following the earthquakes, their hardships of being socially and relationally isolated because of their faith. They validated the stories of the believers in these small communities of faith in and around Kathmandu by listening and letting them know that their stories matter, that they were important stories.
Our team ate pounds of rice and lentils and drank gallons of hot milk tea during the hottest spell Kathmandu has had in decades (with barely a complaint) because relationships are invested in over shared meals and cups of tea.
And then they placed their hands on these faithful believers and prayed for them, sharing with them the pictures God gave them of hope, encouragement, edification and blessing.
People were so moved by the prayers they received that they would go get other believers from the village to be prayed for.
There were a couple of people who prayed to receive Christ and a couple of miraculous healings that took place as a direct result of the team's time. But what they will state as more important was how they were able to encourage people who will go on and have far greater impact for the Kingdom.
I got to hear directly from a number of Nepali believers and a couple of missionaries who said how blessed and encouraged they were. Some said to me how God used the team's prophetic prayers to speak directly to an issue of discouragement that they were facing. One woman excitedly told me that she had a dream the night before that was exactly what someone prayed over her the next day.
So I want to say how proud I am of our team. They loved the people of Nepal really well and they represented Waypoint Church really well. They have some amazing stories to share. Please take some time to listen to them.
