NEWS FROM SOUTH ASIA
Friends,
It’s a beautiful autumn Saturday outside. In our corner of world the sun took its sweet time to rise over hazy hills this morning. The birds began their melodious songs outside our window, and the dogs ceased their raspy barking in the distance. The buses started their early morning descents into the city, and all around our neighbours ventured out for their “marning waalks.” One of us left early to the market. The other one turned to the piano to start practicing Christmas songs, as our team has two turns during Advent.
This week we had two pieces of FANTASTIC news:
First, one of the guests who will be visiting us this month, had had a few hiccups with his Asia visa application. After a few back-and-forths his ETA was issued. Thank God for His favour.
Second, we have confirmed that one of our neighbouring countries has opened its land borders. This has solved one of our major budget problems. For 4 years now these borders have been closed to foreigners. Only citizens of these two countries were allowed to cross these borders until now. This meant that, for us to give training in a city just across the border, we’d have to travel by air, taking two flights either way. This was unfortunately beyond our budget. Yet, with the news of the border opening to us, we’re able to travel by bus to the border (at a fraction of the price), where our friends will be able to pick us up and transport us to the city, just a few kilometers away. So this week we could set a date with the Bible School Director to travel to there next year, to start teaching their students (from countries all over South Asia) more about Identity, Purpose and Kingdom Entrepreneurship. Thank God for making a way where we didn’t have a way!
One of us is back to two weekly Zoom sessions, teaching Identity, Purpose & Application. He’s also been setting up individual appointments with some young men to teach this material. In the meantime, our team has started on the book “Living Fearless” by Jamie Winship, which approaches the subject of Identity from a slightly different angle. The other one has gotten back to the music ministry and church board activities. After about a month back in our host country, it seems we’re finally picking up some momentum in our work.
In exactly 10 days we’re going to the airport to pick up some friends from our hometown! We’ve been inviting these two guys for a number of years, and this year the Lord has provided and they are travelling soon. These are people who live in the same wide open blue sky country as we used to. They will travel from summer to winter, from clean air to dusty, from flat horizons to, from relatively sane traffic to the chaotic local traffic. Please pray for their final preparations, their health, and for journey mercies as they travel. Pray that God will prepare each item on the program even before they step foot in Nepal. Pray that we’ll all be a blessing to each other.
It’s silly season here, as it probably is for you as well.
These next two weeks are filled to the brim with Thanksgiving – our staff Thanksgiving meal and a send-off for our business partner, who will travel to another country for 7 weeks, then Thanksgiving and (hopefully) 12 basketfuls of orders.
During December we’ll fit in 2 Christmas carol events with local churches, our team’s end-of-year event, and baking cookies for and reaching out to MANY of our friends who don’t know Jesus yet. Another group from our home country will also swing by before Christmas, and by the time we sit down for our annual Christmas Outreach Lunch on the 25th, you can be sure we’ll be ready for some R&R.
So please pray that, as we enter Christmas season, and as the government and our neighbours relax their hostility against evangelism, the two of us, our team and our fellow workers here will have many opportunities (and use those) to bring more people to a place where they are able to meet Christ.
Now that our news is finished, i hear the sounds of the city bussing outside my windows again. It’s time to go.
We hope each one of you has a MARVELOUS weekend. We pray that God will remind you daily of His faithful love. We pray that you can find shelter in the shadow of the Almighty and testify that God is good.
Lots of love from South Asia!