Since getting in contact with the people I was looking for here, the time has moved so quickly. It has been so full of exploring, learning, meeting so many people, and building friendships. It seems that each day, there is at least one moment or encounter that makes it clear that I am supposed to be here in this time. Each step up to now has come with confirmation, but this time has been full of constant and clear confirmations that have brought me much encouragement and peace.
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NKJV)
1I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
I have been privileged to get to do the work of the gospel alongside fellow believers. We have visited a leprosy colony, helped teach and care for children from an Indian colony, gone to the tourist area to share Jesus, and have had many encounters just going about the day.
It has been amazing to see such an established and blessed work functioning in unity of the Spirit, like Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:3 above. I look at this body, local to Nepal, yet made up of people from so many different cultures and backgrounds, moving together for the purpose of glorifying Jesus.
This inspires appreciation and hope in me for the Body of Christ around the world, especially back home in Texas. I can see that this functioning isn’t a “missions” thing, but it is what I would call Kingdom culture. Of course a group of humans is not going to be perfect, but it’s about the common desire in the hearts of people that shapes the culture and functioning of a group. In the case of Kingdom culture, it is a heart to obey the Lord and to bring Him pleasure by serving one another and those in need.
It is easy to write off this life of complete devotion to service and obedience as something meant only for a select group. I would agree that not everyone is meant to do the same thing- variety is essential to a functioning body. This is clear in 1 Corinthians 12:12-21. The key part isn’t what we all do in our lives so much as why we do it. We must be in obedience to what God has asked of us, and do whatever that is with love and to the best of our abilities. I know this is hard. It is scary to surrender things that you have held onto so tightly, not knowing what God will ask. The foundation to all of this is the love of God.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and hope.
Standing on the foundation of God’s love for us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we ALL can open our hearts and hands. We can surrender control and trust God for the plans He has for us. We can lay down our own good -or bad- ideas and find rest in the Lord from striving and building our life according to our expectations or those of the people around us. This takes me back to the verse on the homepage of the website:
Matthew 10:39 (NKJV)
39He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
All of this to say that the things that I have seen and experienced already in this start of a long journey have been inspiring and beyond any value I can imagine, and these sights and experiences don’t have to be limited to me or to this place. The beauty isn’t this destination. It is the sight of people loving Jesus by serving those in need, and the sight of the broken being healed and comforted by the Holy Spirit.
Love, Stella
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Amazing. Well said. I’m so proud of you. I love you!!
May God open wide the doors that He needs open for you to walk through, and you step through this journey in love. Love you-Jennifer Mc