Needless to say they were a little wary! The supplies we brought were delivered to the villagers coupled with a hilarious skit from Rusty on how to use the soap (with his clothes on)! This broke the ice and allowed us the opportunity to share the gospel with the Buddhist villagers. These stoic, serious people listened respectfully and attentively. God allowed us to share His precious Word and we left this remote village confident that God’s Word accomplished what He intended. In the book of Isaiah 55:11, God says, “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
Through flooded rice fields and a steep climb further up the mountain, we arrived at another small, dusty village. Not long after we arrived, we were told of a local man who had not spoken for over a year…he was a husband, a father to three young children, and a severe alcoholic. The village pastor explained to us that this man had once been a village leader but had deteriorated significantly over the past few months, leaving his family without any means of support. We had planned a church service later that night, but decided that this man needed our immediate attention and prayers. He allowed us to circle around him and lay our hands on him. We fervently began to pray, crying out to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We knew we had no power to heal or save this man; his healing would only come from God Himself. After quite a long time, the village pastor asked that we let the man rest.
After the church service later that night, we arranged our sleeping bags on a large wooden platform that was covered with a large tarpaulin. July is the monsoon season in Nepal and the nights are chilly. In the middle of the night, we experienced a true Nepali monsoon, with water pounding the tarpaulin throughout the night, cascading along the sides soaking and freezing Don to the bone! When we awoke the next morning, the man that we had prayed over was sitting with his back against the wall facing our sleeping quarters, and he was reading his Bible! His mind had cleared and later we were able to counsel him and his wife and children! God showed up in a miraculous way. News from that area many months later confirmed that he was still sober. Not only did this strengthen the faith and commitment of the local believers in almighty God, but our faith as well.
“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” Psalm 33:4
