Mission Trip #54
Every mission trip is an adventure. You never know what will happen. Each mission trip is remembered for something. This one will go down in history as one in which God opened many doors and cracked open many more.
This trip saw the opening of doors into Nepal for the Gospel using baseball and softball. There have already been several baseball/softball training sessions. An invitation has been extended to me by the Nepal Baseball and Softball Association to come back over the next several years and lead more clinics, I have accepted. I hope some of you can come and help.
The Nepal Baptist Church Council needs assistance doing evangelism on Mt. Everest, holding training workshops for pastors and workers in Nepal, and beginning S.H.A.R.E. Ministry in the churches for community outreach. Plans are to begin the Mt. Everest evangelism in the summer of 2017. Many more doors opening. Your help is needed.
Doors were opened for ministry in the unreached and unengaged villages surrounding Rohru, India, up on the Himalayan Trail. Over 85% of the villages have no church or even a single Christian. Plans are to begin working there in November, of this year. Can you come and help?
You will notice God is using several different ways to open doors in this part of the world.
On day when I was teaching baseball and softball skills one of the players came up to me and told me all the players wanted to kiss me for teaching them so much and caring enough to come to Kathmandu. This is just typical of the gratitude one receives when you go and give teaching to those who want it. I am probably the first Christian many of them have ever known.
Many first time mission encounters will be to show folks what a Christian is like. There is plenty of misinformation out there. You can be the one that correctly interprets Christ and His ways to them. Then from there move toward a verbal witness. Your life can be a door.
On another day, after baseball/softball training, we went to a Buddhist Temple. The largest temple I have ever seen. It made me cry. I saw many people walking through and spinning the prayer wheels. The temple provided a good opening (a door) for my guide and me to have a deep conversation.
Another open door opportunity is with the Nepal Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) for the summer of 2018. They want to hold the highest softball/baseball game ever played. It is to be played at the 15,000 foot level of Mt. Everest. I will keep you informed of the plans for the Everest Softball Game (ESG) as they are made.
Wow!!! When I was a kid I never ever dreamed that following Father's Son would take me to the "Roof of The World" to play softball.
The Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC) coordinates the church planting efforts of their member churches. Their goal is to plant one church in every province of Nepal. They plan to plant ten churches a year. There are 75 provinces, with 31 provinces without a church. They asked me to come back and bring trainers who can train their churches in church planting, S.H.A.R.E. Ministry, outreach, evangelism, Sunday School, kid’s activities, youth ministry, Bible teaching, Pastoral leadership, preaching, and church growth. More doors of opportunity opening. Can you come and help in the harvest?
I met the Executive Director of the NBCC. We talked about taking college students and others up Mt. Everest to Everest Base Camp (EBC) beginning in 2017. We are calling this Everest Trek. There are 56 million people that live in the Himalayan Mountains with only 6 thousand known Believers. He phoned one of the pastors who has been up to EBC several times and he agreed to take our groups up and help us do preaching, evangelistic film showings, Bible & tract distribution, and witnessing along the way. The Executive Director says he will go too. God is opening another door on Mt. Everest.
My translator and companion for the week is Sonu. We are good friends. He has been with me before when I have been in India. Sonu graduated from Bible College this week with a degree in Bible. He's a young "Preacher Boy." We were together day and night. During the week we solved all the problems of the world. (If you know what I mean.)
At night, Sonu and I were staying on the fourth floor of a hotel. There is a balcony and a door to the balcony. The Management had warned us that at night or when we leave the room we should always close and lock the door. We asked is it because of the possibility of stuff getting stolen? "No, they said, it is because of the Monkeys." They will get into your room, wreck the room, and then get into your suitcases and throw your stuff around the room. Must close this door.
One big milestone was reached on this mission trip. It was the first time that a mission trip participant came from a county other than the United States or the county of the mission trip. Racquel Simon, a friend of the ministry and a S.H.A.R.E. Ministry trainer who lives in Manila, Philippines came from there to India to teach and share in the evangelistic efforts. Racquel did livelihood skills training and helped set up a S.H.A.R.E. Ministry in the church in Shimla, India.
One project I have been involved in for the past two years is making DVDs on various topics such as: Various scripture passages, Different doctrines, How We Got the Bible, How to Write and Preach Sermons, and much more. This time I made three DVDs on Tuesday bringing the total number of DVDs produced to 13. So far over 3,000 copies have been made and distributed, for free, to pastors and other church leaders. Please pray for their continued production and effective distribution. The goal is to produce and distribute 5,000 DVDs within the next five months. God is opening this door for us to train pastors and church workers without needing to be physically present in their church.
In Shimla, went on the Himalayan Trail. At one point our elevation was 8,300 feet. Preached in a small village of people. Gave invitation. Eight raised their hands that they wanted to know more about following Father. Pastor immediately announced when a Bible Study would begin. After that, went to another village. No visible results there. But doors opened to return.
After these two outreaches we went back to Shimla. Preached in a slum. Had about 30 in attendance. No visible results, but you never really know.
The Himalayan Trail was a fun experience. This part of the trail was through the country where the descendants of the original Himalayan Tribal people now live. They live on the sides of the mountains. It is straight up. At times we were at the bottom of the mountains. If you wanted to see the top of the mountains you had to look almost straight up and be careful that you did not fall backwards.
It was a great week. Thirty-eight began flowing Jesus and got into a follow-up Bible study. God did a great job. Will be coming back to India and Nepal in November of 2016. Let me know if you might be able to come.
These are the most lost places on earth. They are the most expensive to get to, the most inconvenient to travel to, and somewhat risky to be in. But, their need to hear the Gospel is greater than any reason you or I could have to not come.
Every mission trip is an adventure. You never know what will happen. Each mission trip is remembered for something. This one will go down in history as one in which God opened many doors and cracked open many more.
This trip saw the opening of doors into Nepal for the Gospel using baseball and softball. There have already been several baseball/softball training sessions. An invitation has been extended to me by the Nepal Baseball and Softball Association to come back over the next several years and lead more clinics, I have accepted. I hope some of you can come and help.
The Nepal Baptist Church Council needs assistance doing evangelism on Mt. Everest, holding training workshops for pastors and workers in Nepal, and beginning S.H.A.R.E. Ministry in the churches for community outreach. Plans are to begin the Mt. Everest evangelism in the summer of 2017. Many more doors opening. Your help is needed.
Doors were opened for ministry in the unreached and unengaged villages surrounding Rohru, India, up on the Himalayan Trail. Over 85% of the villages have no church or even a single Christian. Plans are to begin working there in November, of this year. Can you come and help?
You will notice God is using several different ways to open doors in this part of the world.
On day when I was teaching baseball and softball skills one of the players came up to me and told me all the players wanted to kiss me for teaching them so much and caring enough to come to Kathmandu. This is just typical of the gratitude one receives when you go and give teaching to those who want it. I am probably the first Christian many of them have ever known.
Many first time mission encounters will be to show folks what a Christian is like. There is plenty of misinformation out there. You can be the one that correctly interprets Christ and His ways to them. Then from there move toward a verbal witness. Your life can be a door.
On another day, after baseball/softball training, we went to a Buddhist Temple. The largest temple I have ever seen. It made me cry. I saw many people walking through and spinning the prayer wheels. The temple provided a good opening (a door) for my guide and me to have a deep conversation.
Another open door opportunity is with the Nepal Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) for the summer of 2018. They want to hold the highest softball/baseball game ever played. It is to be played at the 15,000 foot level of Mt. Everest. I will keep you informed of the plans for the Everest Softball Game (ESG) as they are made.
Wow!!! When I was a kid I never ever dreamed that following Father's Son would take me to the "Roof of The World" to play softball.
The Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC) coordinates the church planting efforts of their member churches. Their goal is to plant one church in every province of Nepal. They plan to plant ten churches a year. There are 75 provinces, with 31 provinces without a church. They asked me to come back and bring trainers who can train their churches in church planting, S.H.A.R.E. Ministry, outreach, evangelism, Sunday School, kid’s activities, youth ministry, Bible teaching, Pastoral leadership, preaching, and church growth. More doors of opportunity opening. Can you come and help in the harvest?
I met the Executive Director of the NBCC. We talked about taking college students and others up Mt. Everest to Everest Base Camp (EBC) beginning in 2017. We are calling this Everest Trek. There are 56 million people that live in the Himalayan Mountains with only 6 thousand known Believers. He phoned one of the pastors who has been up to EBC several times and he agreed to take our groups up and help us do preaching, evangelistic film showings, Bible & tract distribution, and witnessing along the way. The Executive Director says he will go too. God is opening another door on Mt. Everest.
My translator and companion for the week is Sonu. We are good friends. He has been with me before when I have been in India. Sonu graduated from Bible College this week with a degree in Bible. He's a young "Preacher Boy." We were together day and night. During the week we solved all the problems of the world. (If you know what I mean.)
At night, Sonu and I were staying on the fourth floor of a hotel. There is a balcony and a door to the balcony. The Management had warned us that at night or when we leave the room we should always close and lock the door. We asked is it because of the possibility of stuff getting stolen? "No, they said, it is because of the Monkeys." They will get into your room, wreck the room, and then get into your suitcases and throw your stuff around the room. Must close this door.
One big milestone was reached on this mission trip. It was the first time that a mission trip participant came from a county other than the United States or the county of the mission trip. Racquel Simon, a friend of the ministry and a S.H.A.R.E. Ministry trainer who lives in Manila, Philippines came from there to India to teach and share in the evangelistic efforts. Racquel did livelihood skills training and helped set up a S.H.A.R.E. Ministry in the church in Shimla, India.
One project I have been involved in for the past two years is making DVDs on various topics such as: Various scripture passages, Different doctrines, How We Got the Bible, How to Write and Preach Sermons, and much more. This time I made three DVDs on Tuesday bringing the total number of DVDs produced to 13. So far over 3,000 copies have been made and distributed, for free, to pastors and other church leaders. Please pray for their continued production and effective distribution. The goal is to produce and distribute 5,000 DVDs within the next five months. God is opening this door for us to train pastors and church workers without needing to be physically present in their church.
In Shimla, went on the Himalayan Trail. At one point our elevation was 8,300 feet. Preached in a small village of people. Gave invitation. Eight raised their hands that they wanted to know more about following Father. Pastor immediately announced when a Bible Study would begin. After that, went to another village. No visible results there. But doors opened to return.
After these two outreaches we went back to Shimla. Preached in a slum. Had about 30 in attendance. No visible results, but you never really know.
The Himalayan Trail was a fun experience. This part of the trail was through the country where the descendants of the original Himalayan Tribal people now live. They live on the sides of the mountains. It is straight up. At times we were at the bottom of the mountains. If you wanted to see the top of the mountains you had to look almost straight up and be careful that you did not fall backwards.
It was a great week. Thirty-eight began flowing Jesus and got into a follow-up Bible study. God did a great job. Will be coming back to India and Nepal in November of 2016. Let me know if you might be able to come.
These are the most lost places on earth. They are the most expensive to get to, the most inconvenient to travel to, and somewhat risky to be in. But, their need to hear the Gospel is greater than any reason you or I could have to not come.
