Sunday, February 24, 2013

Take My Yoke Upon You

In Kathmandu with our dear friend's mother and niece.
So many things have been happening on this internship. It amazes me how God is full of lessons for us to learn. Each month, day, and moment we are constantly learning and sometimes feeling the strain of life! Life is messy but thankfully, He is always here and He reminds us that He will never leave us or forsake us.

We recently got back from a quick and unexpected trip to Nepal and India. One of our dear friend's visa ran up and she had to renew her documents, so we went with her to Nepal to help in anyway that we could. It was crucial that our friend got a new visa! And praise God she did! But while we were in Nepal we had the beautiful opportunity to see our dear friend reunite with her family which she hadn't seen in 7 years. This reuniting was truly one of the  most sweetest things I have ever seen. There are no words to describe seeing a mother embrace a daughter for the first time in many long and hard years of separation! It was simply beautiful and full of hope!

While we were in Nepal we had the opportunity to go to our friend's mother's church. This Nepali church was nestled in a row of slum houses made with tin sheets for the rooftop and thick cardboard and bamboo for the walls. Near the church was a river full of trash and the banks of the river were heaping mounds of garbage where kids picked through to try and find some goods. As we shuffled our way through the row of houses and entered the small church, I was stunned to see so many Nepali people squeezed into this small building. Everyone was sitting on the floor- women on the right and men on left. I tiptoed my way through the crowd and sat Indian style on the cooled floor. It was freezing! Around 40 degrees outside! As we sat there worshiping God I was overwhelmed with His presence in the building. These Nepali people worshiped from the depth of their souls!  As I was singing I could see some women worshiping with tears in their eyes. I don't know what was going on in their lives or hearts in that moment. But for me watching them cry out in worship to God made me think of their perseverance in this life. It is totally clear that this community is very poor and life here is not easy! We found out that most people in this community eat only 1 meal a day and they have unreliable electricity and no running water in their houses. Life is hard here. But as I watched these sons and daughters worshiping and in a sense groaning in their souls before God, I too was moved deep inside my soul. I was moved because I am human and I too can relate to the groaning perseverance and pain of this life. Life isn't easy, its messy. 

Josh and I recently faced some of our own hard times. (Nothing compared to what this brothers and sisters face on a daily basic). But through our hardship, we have had to seek rest in Christ. As I was singing I really felt Jesus say to me, "Come to me Bekah, you are weary and burden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart. My yoke is easy and my burden is light." The thought of this truth was so astonishingly comforting in that moment of worship. And immediately I opened my eyes and looked at all of the tear-filled faces in the Nepali church and thought, "How amazing is our God! Everyone of us in this room who is hurting, alone, hungry, or scared- He says, 'come to me'. He is ministering to all of us in our very own ways. He is acquainted with all of our ways. He is not far from our suffering (whatever it may be). 
He is near!" 














Here are some prayer requests:

1) Continued guidance in our future overseas. God has been answering our prayers. He has closed some doors and He has opened others! Praise Him for that!
2) Strength to persevere during hard times.
3) Unity in our marriage and strength.
4) For our relationships with people to continue to grow while we are here.

(I will post more about our trip to Nepal and India hopefully next week. 
This was just a little piece. Love y'all! Hope you are being encouraged!)