A Photo Story Adventure

Nepal is a land of incredible beauty . . .

. . . with fascinating people and a diverse culture. I arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital and was looking forward to my assignment of documenting the life of a GFA World-supported district pastor.

My first day in Nepal was a Saturday and the GFA leader who met me said "We're going to go to church today." Saturday is the traditional day of rest and worship in Nepal.

Like most cities in Asia, this one is a maze of streets and narrow passages between the tightly packed, multi-story buildings. Maps do little good here.

A GFA-supported missionary serves as pastor of this church, which meets in a rented building that looks more like a residence. The room for the church is on the second floor. On the inside, it looked just like any other church building in Asia.

Unlike remote village churches, these urban worshippers use modern technology like computers and LCD projectors. This made the service similar to those in the West—aside from the fact that the songs were in Nepali!

It was a really good worship service and I came away from it feeling refreshed spiritually. I always enjoy the time I spend with the believers in Asia. This turned out to be a great way to start out my time in Nepal.

In the morning, I was finally on the way to the more remote villages to visit GFA World-supported missionaries! But as we drove out of the city, a bus had overturned, blocking the main road. This was just my first encounter with the difficulty these missionaries face every day.

We only had to travel 160 kilometers (about 100 miles) from this city to our destination village. In America that would have only been about a two-hour road trip. In Nepal it turned into a two-day trip!

It seemed to take forever to weave our way through the crowds in every village and town we traveled through. This seemed to be business as usual for the missionaries.

I couldn’t complain much because the majority of the people in Nepal travel by walking, or they pile into (and onto) crowded buses. The fare is the same price regardless of where you sit. I was happy to be in our little jeep, instead of on top of a tightly packed, swaying, slow-moving bus.

The "good" highways in Nepal have some pavement, but are at best one lane wide.

The good thing about the slow pace was that we could enjoy the breathtaking scenery. The views were fantastic.

Just as the sun was fading behind the mist-covered mountains we finally arrived at the end of the pavement—in the place where we would spend the night.

The next day we only had 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) left to go!

But those turned out to be long miles. Heavy rains had turned the road into a mud pit. I used to drive my old pickup in mud just for fun, but this wasn't a recreational opportunity. It's just another day at work for the missionaries.

After a few hours of digging and pushing the jeep, the fun factor was wearing off. I was gaining a new appreciation for all the missionaries go through to get the Gospel out to the mountain villages.

Countless people walked past by us as we were digging in the knee-deep mud.

They thought we were kind of crazy to even attempt the drive.

Finally, a four-wheel-drive tractor came by to rescue us. The tractor driver charged us 1,500 Nepalese Rupees (about $20) to pull our vehicle a few kilometers until it was out of the mud.

As we approached our village, most of the mud was washed off the vehicle as we forded through a few shallow streams.

By late afternoon, we reached our destination —GFA-supported missionary Alok Bahadur's house and church. Along with serving this congregation, Alok supervises 11 missionaries scattered throughout this remote mountainous area.

After two long days of travel to reach the village, I couldn't wait to see what God is doing in this region.

This day started out with bright blue skies and a great view of the snow-covered mountains. What a beautiful day in the middle of God's wondrous creation! I was excited to finally get started on documenting God's work in Nepal.

Tomorrow is the final day of the Tikka festival here in Nepal. This festival is a lavish holiday for those who practice Nepal's traditional religion. Since Christians don't celebrate the festival, they have a day of worship and fellowship. Tomorrow the believers from two nearby districts will gather at Pastor Alok's church for the event.

Pastor Alok takes time to pray and ask for God's blessing on the coming celebration.

The first order of the day is to butcher a water buffalo so there will be plenty to eat at the festival. There aren't any supermarkets here, so the meat is very fresh; in this case, still on the hoof. They spent the rest of the day processing the buffalo meat.

While the men are working on the meat, the ladies are washing dishes and clothes in the stream next to the church.

Meanwhile, several porters (who are also believers) arrived with the rest of the supplies that will be used in the festivities.

On the third-floor kitchen of the building that houses the church and Pastor Alok's home, the women are cooking breakfast for everyone over a wood fire.

Around 10 a.m., a woman came by requesting that Pastor Alok pray for her health. The pastor and a visiting GFA leader, Shriram Tamang, lift her needs up to the Lord.

Pastor Alok found a few moments in this busy day to put the finishing touches on tomorrow's messages. He doesn't have a formal study, so he does his Bible study and sermon preparations in his bedroom.

Guess what we're having for lunch? Fresh caught river fish. Pastor Alok and his children clean the fish in a nearby stream. They don't have running water in their house.

Some lady missionaries arrived and were greeted by one of the believers. They walked for almost two days to get here!

In the afternoon, preparations for tomorrow's feast continue and the missionaries are cutting vegetables for the curry. Lots of food and fellowship are a common denominator in Nepali celebrations, and it takes a lot of hard work to prepare it all.

In the evening, Pastor Alok conducted a meeting in a believer's home near the village. There is no electricity, so they used battery-powered LED lights. There were about a dozen people in this small room, and it's late by the time Pastor Alok makes it into bed. It was a busy day for Pastor Alok (and for me)!

As the sun slowly rises over the Himalaya Mountains, Christians make their way to Pastor Alok's church for today's celebration.

Many of them have walked more than 12 hours to get here. This is an exciting time for them. Believers in Nepal are so hungry for Christian fellowship and teaching that it's well worth the long journey by foot.

The day started with a devotion time led by Pastor Nawal Rai. This set a great mood for the day. The passion and love for the Lord was very evident in every face in the small room.

It is a real privilege to meet Geeta Rai. The first believer in this part of Nepal, she brings a lot of joy to the celebration. She mailed a prayer request to a GFA-supported Bible college in Nepal asking them to send missionaries here. That's how Pastor Alok ended up coming to this area in 2001. In those days she faced a lot of persecution from the village—and even from her own son.

Its breakfast time. Everyone pitches in to prepare the meal. After walking all day yesterday, many of them are famished.

Breakfast turns into an impromptu fellowship session.

Pastor Alok and the other missionaries take turns leading the people in a time of worship that lasts the rest of the morning.

The church is so full that many had to stand outside.

These people joyfully gave public testimony of their faith in Christ at the end of the morning worship time.

Then everyone posed on the hillside near the church for a group photo. I found it hard to believe that they all fit inside Pastor Alok's little church! The Lord has provided land to build a larger church for them, but they are waiting on funds for the building itself.

Lunch is served—buffalo curry and rice is the main course. They have a fun time eating together.

Another thrilling moment occurs when a man who had walked nine hours to attend, decides that now is the time to give his life to Jesus.

During the final session, Shriram teaches about Communion. The believers are very attentive to every word. Then Pastor Alok and Pastor Nawal Rai serve the Communion elements.

Pastor Alok's daughter, Rachita, and one of her friends performed a traditional Nepali dance to cap off the day of worship and fellowship.

The believers and missionaries linger as they say their farewells. They hate to leave and wish they could spend more time together. But they face journeys ranging from six hours to two days to get home, so they must leave.

Even as the final rays of the sunshine hit the clouds, the day isn't quite done. Now it's time to clean up from all the fun! The clanging of pots and pans being washed continues for several more hours.

In my last shot of the day, I was amazed how the colors can change so fast in the Himalayas. It was a great day and I enjoyed seeing so many believers in this part of Nepal. I'm not sure how I can top today's experience!

Just when I thought I couldn't be more excited, I was practically bubbling over this morning because we were going trekking in the mountains! But that was before I discovered how much work today was going to be. We began our trek to another village on a route that would take us over a mountain ridge to visit GFA-supported missionary Nawal Rai.

In order to visit all the missionaries he supervises, Pastor Alok spends a significant amount of his time trekking through the mountains. He also visits the unreached villages in his area to establish relationships with the people and share God's love with them.

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of unreached villages scattered throughout the mountains within a 20-mile radius of his home.

Every week he visits at least one missionary. Today is Pastor Nawal's turn. Since there are few roads in this part of Nepal, Pastor Alok travels by foot on steep mountain trails. I was going to have a taste of what his life is like.

The trails in Nepal are not like the trails we hike on in our national parks. Switchbacks are non-existent, and most trails just go almost straight up the side of the mountain.

The trail from Alok's village to Nawal's village starts off at 5,800 feet above sea level and goes practically straight up for over 1,500 feet. Parts of the trail were treacherous; one false step could be my last.

The view of the valley was fantastic!

Then the trail leveled off a bit, and we passed by some houses. Pastor Alok always stopped and talked to the people we met. Some he knew, and those he didn't were opportunities to make new friends.

The town at the pass was like being in another world. It was very different from the urban area where I landed in Nepal.

After lunch, we made the steep descent from the pass down to our destination.

Sometimes the clouds would clear, and we could catch a glimpse of the village below us.

I was fascinated with all the people we encountered on the trail. Both the young and old were just as interested in looking at me.

We finally arrived at our lodge in the village. It's right on the main trek trail, so it was easy to get to. Plus it turned out to be a very comfortable place to stay.

Warm beds and warm company. It felt great to hit the sack after a long day of trekking! I was beginning to see exactly how hard Pastor Alok works to take God's Word to the people in this area.

Another beautiful day in Nepal!

There are lots of trekkers from Western countries here. These two were on the trail pretty early. They must have spent the night up on the pass.

After breakfast, we walked down to the building where the local church meets. It was Saturday, and I was looking forward to another wonderful day of worship with the local believers.

Some of the believers were already there when we arrived. They greeted us in the traditional Nepali Christian way, saying, "Jai Masih," which means "Praise the Lord."

This family walked for four hours up from the river valley below to attend church today.

Pastor Nawal has only been working in this area a short time. But praise the Lord, about 12 people have already chosen to follow Christ. I'm sure the congregation will rapidly grow in the coming months!

The worship and singing in this intimate service was fantastic.

The sound of the singing was simple, yet there was great passion and love in the voices.

Everyone sang, worshipped and prayed with all of their hearts.

When Pastor Nawal led the prayer time, I felt like I was almost in heaven.

As Pastor Nawal preached, everyone was very attentive to his message.

Everyone who could read followed along in their Bibles.

I was excited to see so many of the new believers give to the offering.

At the end of the service, the believers stayed and fellowshipped together.

While we were waiting for lunch, Pastor Alok spent some time encouraging Pastor Nawal.

After lunch, Pastor Nawal took us on a tour of the area. This is just a small part of the area he covers for outreach. Many of the villages he is working in require him to walk for over seven hours.

We stopped to visit one of the believers who has a small shop in town. She is the only Christian in her family, so life is difficult for her at times. But she is very enthusiastic and firm in her faith.

She insisted on serving us tea. Hospitality is very important in the Nepali culture. Providing a cup of steaming hot chai is a common way to honor guests.

As we worked our way back up the trail toward our lodge, Pastor Alok would stop and talk to people. At this little shop, he was inviting them to visit Pastor Nawal's church next Saturday and pointing out how to get there.

Shriram said good evening to Pastor Nawal and we all went our separate ways. We had a great dinner and went to bed to rest up for tomorrow.

Our primary task today is to get back to Pastor Alok's village.

So right after breakfast, we hit the trail.

Going back up the steep trail to the pass is a tough climb.

By mid-morning we reached the same pass we had come to before.

I was thrilled to see a couple of the high Himalayan peaks poking up over the mountain ridges in the distance.

After lunch we hit the trail for the long descent back to Pastor Alok's village.

We met lots of interesting people.

We even ran into a few traffic jams as different groups were trying to pass each other.

We stopped to visit an old man who is living under an overhang about a quarter-mile above the trail. He is too old to work, so Christians in the area make sure his needs are met. Today the missionaries gave him some money to buy food.

Both Pastor Alok and Pastor Nawal took advantage of opportunities to share with people on the trail. I was happy to see them giving out Gospel tracts and talking with people all the way down. Everyone seemed interested in the tracts.

I noticed that a lot of people wear red in this area and wondered if there was any significance in it. Then I learned the red clothing was worn by high-caste people.

The trail is pretty busy today. Porters by the dozen were carrying large, heavy loads.

Many of the families were carrying household goods that they purchased in a town. Since there are no roads, everything has to be carried by foot. Hundreds of people make their living as porters hiking up and down these trails carrying goods. It is not an easy task!

Finally Alok's village was in sight.

Then there was another traffic jam caused by a lady herding cows down the trail. It looked like the cows were more interested in the tasty vegetation on the side of the trail than walking down the trail. It was a challenge to get by the cows without falling over the edge.

As we walked into the center of the village, Pastor Alok's daughters happened to be walking toward us. When little Lalana saw her daddy, she ran toward him shouting, "Daddy, Daddy!" Then she wrapped her little arms around his legs, giving him as big a hug as she could.

We enjoyed a great time of fellowship in the third-floor kitchen of Pastor Alok's house while dinner was in progress. It was interesting trying to translate the humor of our jokes across language and culture differences.

After dinner, it was time for bed and I was ready for a good snooze. I've put a lot of miles on my legs over the last few days, and we have a few more miles to put on tomorrow. As I doze off I am amazed that these missionaries have the stamina to do this day after day.

Another day of hiking! Now I know how difficult everyday life is for our missionaries in Nepal. I can feel it in my legs!

Instead of hopping in a car and driving to the office, Pastor Alok hits the trail early every day.

He doesn't deal with frustrating traffic jams, but he can stop and enjoy God's creation, such as this wooly caterpillar.

The beauty of this land is awesome! The sound of mountain streams rushing over boulders down the valley is music to my ears.

Crossing the swaying bridges over the mountain streams is fun, too.

Pastor Alok has several ministry visits to make this day. The first is to visit and pray for a sick believer. This elderly man and his wife live in a shack on the side of a mountain just off the main trail.

He was sick with fever and nausea. He said he feels much better after the prayers.

He and his wife are the oldest newlyweds in the area. They had both lost their spouses, so Pastor Alok helped arrange their marriage a couple of years ago.

Once we were back on the trail, we encountered a group of porters resting at the pass. I couldn't imagine carrying their heavy loads!

Next we hike to a village that is home to Manik Sherpa, the Christian porter who has been faithfully carrying our stuff.

There is now a small but growing fellowship full of wonderful believers in this village. GFA-supported pastor Sabal Tamang has been working here just a short time.

We were again treated to a passionate, heartfelt worship service. This isn't a church service where you just show up and sit. These men and women really pour their hearts out to the Lord.

Toward the end of the service, a shy young lady expressed her desire to accept Jesus. It is very exciting to see one more person added to God's kingdom!

Just like churches everywhere, the service was followed by a time of fellowship.

We got to talk to this family, who faithfully attends church in spite of persecution from the father of the house. Even with this difficulty, they are growing steadily in their faith.

It was hard to leave the fellowship, but we had to hit the trail and continue our journey. Otherwise we'd be caught on the trail after dark.

Pretty soon the town where we are staying came into sight. Only an hour or so of hiking to go.

We walk through "downtown." It's also the area's main transportation hub, so there are lots of buses on the road.

Finally we make it to our lodging, which meant a hot shower, food and a bed!

We get an early start on our long journey back to Kathmandu. The power was out when we arrived yesterday, and it is still out. This is a pretty typical situation.

We are going to multi-task on the way back. Alok and Shriram want to visit several missionaries who lived close to the road. Once we are ready to go, everyone piles into the vehicle and off we go.

After a while, we parked the Jeep at the side of the road and began the hike up the hill to visit the first missionary. This building serves as both his church and home.

This missionary was going through a difficult time. Shriram and Alok spent a lengthy time talking with him and his wife. You could tell this brother is deeply appreciative of the counsel and encouragement!

On our way back down to the road, we are warmly greeted by several believers from the local church.

In this part of the world, developing relationships with the people is vitally important in sharing the love of Jesus with them. That takes time and multiple visits.

We stopped for lunch in another main town.

After lunch, we walk through the maze of buildings trying to find the prayer hall where two GFA-supported women missionaries are serving.

They have rented a small room in a building on the hillside, where they have prayer meetings and Bible studies. It looks like a two-story building, but it has at least four floors. The building is built into the side of a hill which you can only see from the back.

Pastor Alok and Shriram want to visit the women so they can encourage them.

It's not often that leaders get the chance to see them since they are working in such a remote area. It usually takes Alok a couple of days to reach this town.

We have a great time of worship and prayer with the women. Their heart and passion for the Lord is very evident in their prayers and songs.

They were both were very happy to have us stop by for a short visit. I think we made their day!

Then we walk back through the town to get to the street where we parked the Jeep. You almost need a GPS to find your way through the mazes!

A few miles down the road, we stop and visit with another woman missionary. She leads prayer meetings and home Bible studies in this area.

Our visits done, so now we just had to make it to Kathmandu. While driving we passed by many beautiful waterfalls.

Our God sure knows how to make beautiful scenes even more stunning, like this full moon rising next to thunderclouds as the sun sets.

The closer we got to town, the heavier the traffic became. It took more than two hours to go the last 20 kilometers (about 12 miles)! After 18 hours on the road—and an entire week of trekking, travel and ministry—my time with Pastor Alok is over. I'm going to miss him! I can't wait to see what God has around the next corner.