Friday, March 6, 2009

Week Three: Bandha bandha bandha!

Jaymasi! (Long Live the Messiah! or Praise Jesus!)

So I'm now in West Nepal. Kohalpur to be exact. After a 13 hour bus ride I made it. 3 of those blissful hours was on top of the bus, with the luggage, in the dead of night, with no speed limits, and a narrow road, with buses going both ways, and a driver who looks no more than 15. But hey, if Paul can be shipwrecked and beaten a time or two, whats a ride on the top of a Nepali bus.

The plans for my stay have changed. Instead of a week in the west, I will be out here a month. I've spent the last week visiting various home fellowships and teaching/preaching when an interpreter is available. It has been quite the busy week. Uttar Kamal and his family have been more than loving, welcoming me into their home and tutoring me in Nepali. Next week Uttar and I will be going down to Nepal Gonj and visiting surrounding church plant teams.

I am currently 20km away from India and will be even closer next week. It is extremely hot. And there has been a "bandha", or protest, all week, so everything has been shut down. We've been getting around by rickshaw and bicycle. It has been quite the adventure.

Grace and peace

Prayer points:
1) I met a few folks at the Nehemiah Institute, a bible school here in town. I taught a night session and a morning devotion there. Please pray for the students, that they would continue to grow in God's love. For Gopal, the school director, that he would be able to go to bible college in India soon. And for Krishna, a travelling Bible survey teacher, that his new fellowship in Kathmandu would be blessed.
2) For the surrounding home fellowships, that there light would continue to shine
3) For the surrounding villages, that God would see fit to shine His light of love in their darkeness
4) For our travel to Nepal Gonj, getting to Kohalpur was killer on my body (especially the luggage rack bit), pray that next week travel would be smooth
5) For Uttar and his family, that God would continue to bless the work of their hands
6) and finally for me, my health is waning as the cold won't seem to leave and my body is starting strain under the lack of water and meager diet

2 comments:

Anna Margaret said...

Dear Andrew,
My prayers are with you,
Father in Heaven,
I thank you for your faithful hand that withholds Andrew, your faithful servant.
Please Lord, I ask that you would touch his body and heal him from any illness. Give him all that he physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, needs daily, moment by moment as serves you, as he has been obedient to your call.....
Thank you Father for all that you are doing in and through Andrew,
For such a time as this.
Blessing and honor are yours Oh Lord...

Carissa said...

Wow! You got to ride on top of the bus! Now how many can say they've gotten to do that!

P.S. Told you that India heat would come!! lol :)