A Special Place in God’s Heart

Asia – a place that gets under your skin! We lost our hearts there.

We met and fell in love there in 1981 and since then have worked and lived in Nepal on and off for almost 18 years. I would like to share with you how God gave us a big measure of His grace for our time there.

We strongly believe this country has a special place in God’s heart and He shared that love into our hearts too. Sometimes when we talk about Nepal, people say, “Oh that must be a difficult place to work!” To be honest, some times were difficult but God’s grace was sufficient in all our circumstances.

Jesus says, “… no-one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age … and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30). This scripture was so true for us in Nepal. We did miss home and family and the comforts of the West, but we received so much more in return; the people there became our family.

We left Nepal in April. After living there so long, it was hard to leave. Living back in the West is good with its comforts and around-the-clock power supply, but we miss the work in Nepal and our friends. The person I miss most is Laxmi, the lady who helped me with household chores.

Laxmi never had an opportunity to go to school as her parents died when she was very young. She became a Christian after she was married; after having three beautiful children of her own, she wanted to give more kids the opportunities she had missed out on in life. Laxmi and her husband don’t have much money but lots of love for the five girls they have fostered for the last 10 years. Laxmi and her extended family became our own family and we were so blessed by this friendship.

God’s heart goes out to the poor and He hates injustice. We asked God to give us His heart and His love for those we served in Nepal. Does not God choose

“… to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58).

And he promises, if we do this, “your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear” and “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun­scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well­watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Our life was not always easy in that sun-scorched land, but the blessings were plentiful and His grace was sufficient in all our circumstances.

The author is a recently returned Interserve Partner. She and her husband served in Nepal with INF.