The Joys of Traveling in Monsoon Season

Traveling during the rainy season in Nepal is always a risky proposition, and I learned that lesson again this past week during a trip to Jiri, a small town located northeast of Kathmandu that used to serve as the first stop for trekkers on their way to Everest Base Camp. The seven-hour journey to Jiri passed without incident; however the trip back was another story. The night before, a large landslide had occurred just west of Charikot, and a large boulder had been deposited in the road, along with a huge mound of mud and debris. Fortunately, an intrepid Nepali engineer had been working with a bulldozer since early in the morning to clear a lane past the rock and over the mud. After waiting for about an hour, I was able to get my STL Kia up and over the obstacles - much to the elation of my colleagues, who were not enthused about the possibility of spending the night in a village "hotel." With the landslide behind us, we made our way home to Kathmandu, arriving around 9:00 pm that evening.

Our trip to Jiri was memorable for more reasons than the mere crossing of landslides, however. We had been invited by some friends there to attend the dedication of a new church building. The dedication service and fellowship with local believers was a source of great joy, in spite of the constant drizzle of rain. It was encouraging to see what God is doing in this part of Nepal. Our prayer and hope is that this new building will be a blessing to all of the congregations in that region - that it will serve not only as a sanctuary for the local church in Jiri, but also as a venue for training and special meetings for all of the churches in that region. On behalf of the believers in Jiri and the AG of Nepal, we would like to express our special thanks to Pastor Todd and the congregation in Franklin, TN for helping this project in Jiri become a reality.