Getting into the Groove

I have to admit that I always love our second week here. The team does start to settle into a groove. Some things are still viewed with a sense of awe. Ministry is clicking on all cylinders. Homesickness starts to subside. There's a comfortability that gels us. Relationships (of the good kind) are forming. Also however some sickies start to find their way in (although this year has seen amazingly fewer cases), also unfortunately some drama rears it’s ugly head (however that also gives us a chance to speak into students lives). As well there is still a good chunk left so this keeps us engaged in the here and now. This has now become their normal. It’s a sweet spot!

Over the past week we have done ministry in several different aspects. First we went to a rehab clinic and shared the gospel to twenty or so men. Eli Miller shared his testimony and the team played soccer with the men as well. David Teague showed off his skills as did Bethany Antonsen as we tried to hang with the Nepali’s. Isaac Gustin and Mia Kamai captured the action by roaming around and taking some great photos. 

I may have to say that the best day this week was when we visited the Kathmandu slum. We were planning on doing our puppet ministry along with balloon animals. Then a literal 400 square foot room with what seemed like 1200 hot sweaty children (maybe more like 85) went ballistic with sounds my ears have never heard before! Gracie Forsman was doing an amazing job helping in all facets of the children’s ministry along with our puppet superstars of Sofiya Romanivko and Nora Friess really got engaged with the children and many others just started making more balloon animals than the law allows. All this to be able to verbally share Jesus and physically demonstrate His love to some children and teachers who function in this reality on a daily basis.

We also took in a new school this year and the team was able to teach some English and play games with students on a middle and high school level. In a place we verbally could not share we were able to love on these students and we left such an impression that the headmaster said that he would love to have us do our dances and drama’s next year. Nessa Friess and Erika Reisenaur were really instrumental in connecting with the students.

Yesterday day morning I had to run out and set up the order for Sunday breakfast. In our hotel is six painstaking flights of stairs that we get to climb somewhere between 12 and 37,468 times a day. As I left and got down to the bottom floor I could see it was not raining which made me glad since I realized I forgot my raincoat. However, when I got 30 feet from the hotel the skies opened up because- it is Nepal. I walked along the minute steps in front of the shops hoping to avoid half of the raindrops when half a block down the street came running a shop owner that is very helpful to our team and also someone we have been sharing with. In her hand was her umbrella and she insisted I take it. Her and her husband have been two people that Royal Servants teams for several years now have been trying to impact. Yet she impacted me with a kind gesture that has left a mark on our team that God can use us in small acts of kindness for His kingdom in a place we cannot be as verbal as we like. This way a opportunity may show itself to have that conversation we would like to, and as Christians we should be more eager to do the acts that will open those doors.

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Hank Dahl, Nepal Trip Leader