Superheroes

Riding the Rails

India has one of the largest railroad networks in the world, with 7800 trains carrying over 11 million people each day across more than 62,000 kilometers of tracks.* 

On our return trip from Jaigon, India back home to Nepal this past Friday, Raju, Rae and I added ourselves to the staggering number of people who rode a train in India that day.  Our tickets were about $5 per person for the 2.5 hour trip from Hasimarah to Silaguri.  During the trip, we spent a little time chatting with a local politician from the state of West Bengal, played with an adorable 1-year old (the politician's grandson), shot the video below, snacked on some cookies and caught a little shut-eye.  Just another adventure in a life full of adventures!

* For more interesting facts about the Indian Railroad system, check out this website.

The Frontier Edge

Our recent trip to Jaigon, India brought us to the frontier edge of the modern missions movement.  Jaigon is located on the border of Bhutan, a nation that is "officially" closed to the Gospel message.  We found out last week, however, in the course of several interviews with believers from the area, that this tiny Buddhist nation is anything but "closed" to the work of the Holy Spirit.  Raju, Rae, and I heard testimony after testimony of how God is healing the sick, raising the dead, and making Himself known to the people of Bhutan in miraculous ways.  The "unofficial" church is growing in faith and numbers.  Pray with us that God will continue to touch this South Asian nation with a mighty move of the Holy Spirit!

The True Light

For the final two weeks of our summer studies course in Tibetan Buddhism, Rae and I shifted with our classmates from the monastery in Boudha to the Asura Cave Retreat Center in Pharping, about 25 km south of Kathmandu.  Our academic studies of the history, development, and philosophies of Mahayana Buddhism were left behind for the most part, and we instead began to focus more on experiencing what it would be like to live as a Buddhist monk in a retreat setting.  It was an interesting two weeks, and we really had a great chance to build better relationships with our classmates - and even in a few cases to share our testimonies and beliefs about Christ with them.

We couldn't have asked for a better location to experience the "feel" of Tibetan Buddhism, for the Asura cave is essentially the place where Vajrayana, or Tibetan, Buddhism was founded.  It is believed that in the 8th century a great Tantric sage, Padmasambhava, perfected his meditation in the Asura cave and became enlightened. According to tradition, he subsequently wrote many teachings that were "hidden" in the rocks surrounding the caves, and in various other places around Nepal.  Those teachings, miraculously discovered years later, became the foundation of Tibetan Buddhism.  Today, Vajrayana Buddhism is the most prominent form of Buddhism in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and parts of Mongolia.  Millions of Tibetan Buddhists in nations around the world follow the teachings of this great Buddhist master, now known as "Guru Rinpoche."  (For a little more information about the Asura Cave Retreat Center, click here.)  Check out the vblog below for more!

Now that our summer studies course has come to an end, we are absolutely ready to continue the task of reaching Tibetan Buddhists in Nepal with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We certainly believe that the knowledge and understanding that we gained through this course will be very valuable to our efforts!  Thank you for partnering with us to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who live in the darkest places of Nepal.  Jesus is indeed "the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." (John 1:9).