My time in Nepal has been such a time of blessing.
At the end of debrief, I felt the Lord telling me to disconnect from all of social media. This is also something that I wanted to do because I saw what the Lord could do in my life and my heart in Nepal. I saw the opportunities for him to work in my life if I was completely and solely focused on him and him only.
This has been one of the best things I could have possibly done while in Nepal. I have been able to hear the voice of the Lord so clearly with no distractions. I have been able to focus completely on the Lord and what he is doing in my life. I will be back on social media soon enough, so bare with me while the Lord is doing his work in me.
Now, I’m going to share with you the hearts of my ministry hosts. These Nepali people are some of the strongest, bravest, most loving and most Jesus-seeking people. They love the Lord with all of their heart, and that is something that is so evident in the way they live their lives and their faith that they have in Jesus.
Being in Nepal has taught me many things. One being that it is so hard for Nepalis to be Christian. Nepal is a country where Hinduism is the most practiced religion. It’s a place where thousands of idols and gods are worshiped and a place where many Hindu rituals, traditions and customs are practiced, a place where temples are everywhere and a place where you are looked down upon if you are a Christian.
Christians are treated poorly and even caste from their communities because of their beliefs. Churches are burned, and recently, some Christians have been beaten because of their faith. But let me tell you. These Nepali Christians are some of the boldest people and some of the strongest believers that you will ever meet.
Because of the Christian persecution here, they have to have a firm foundation in Christ, and they have to be strong in their faith or else they could easily fall into the temptations that is so heavily around them.
Christian persecution is real. Very real. And it is very raw. It wasn’t until coming to Nepal that I realized how harshly Christians are treated in communities. Some Christians are afraid to proclaim their faith because of how they will be treated.
It also wasn’t until coming to Nepal that I also realized how much freedom we have in America to worship Jesus. He has given us that freedom, and for that, I will forever be thankful.
The Nepali Christians have forever impacted my life. They give me hope, they give me inspiration and I admire each and every one of them. If they can have strong faith in all of the persecution they experience, then I have no excuses.
Their faith pushes me to see the love of Christ and his love and faithfulness so much more. I am forever grateful that I will never experience Christian persecution in my home country, but it will forever break my heart for all of my Nepali brothers and sisters.
The Nepali Christians are some of the strongest people that I know. My team was so blessed by our hosts this month. They are some of the most loving, gentle and brave people. They are truly led by the spirit of God, and they are perfectly joyful in his presence.
This month, I have more than a heavenly father and more than an earthly father. I also have a Nepali father. We call him Papa, and he calls us his sweet daughters. Him and his family are the people that would give their lives for us to experience Christ in Nepal.
One of his favorite things to say is “Hallelujah, hallelujah.” These people live their lives by the pure joy and love of God. They are on fire for Jesus Christ, and they have shared that with us every day. For that, I am thankful. I am thankful for ministry hosts who share the love of the Lord with us in some of the hardest situations.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Keia Blair is a Seymour native who attends Cincinnati Christian University. During her nine-month mission trip around the world, she will submit a series of blogs that will appear in The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].