Please Pray
- Thank God for health and journey mercies on our Marbu and Dolakha Sherpa villages ministry trip.
- Thankful that our Nepali language tutor seems to be working well with us.
- Thankful for rain that cleared the air pollution out of Kathmandu for a couple of days.
- Pray for our business Learning to Thrive. For finishing the initial language translation work and launching out.
- Pray for our upcoming trip to Ilam in April. We are serving at a women’s conference.
- We booked our flights back to the United Staes for May 14, 2023, to visit family, training, and visit churches and friends.
- Pray for language learning and cultural adaptation.
- Continued prayer for God’s financial provision, plan, Presence, protection, peace, power, and people.
Images
Peggy and the Sherpa girls. A Sherpa man dancing to Tibetan music at the outreach. Hanging out with Carbu.
Marbu and Dolakha Ministry Trip
We were blessed to travel once again with our Himalayan ministry partner pastor Chhiring Sherpa. We visited two Sherpa churches over a one-week period. We spent two nights at each church bringing basic biblical discipleship training. The family in this picture was one that we visited in 2021. Both the church elder and his wife are blind. Neither have seen each other. The pastor has an anointing to pray for the sick. During covid many of his prayers for the sick were answered, including a prayer for his mother who died. After an hour of being dead she came back to life. This amazing miracle is what turned the elder’s brother to Jesus. Their mother lived for over a year before passing away at 92 years old.
The last time we were in this area I (Eric) was sick with a stomach issue and wasn’t able to enjoy our time in the area. I’m grateful that I was healthy this time.
Village life is very hard and very amazing. One older couple who are goat farmers walked two hours just to get to our training sessions!
The people we visit are always telling us how much we blessed them, but in reality, we benefit so much.
Our Little Friend
When we arrived in Marbu the little girl in the in the middle attached herself to Peggy. Her name is Dicki, a common Sherpa girl’s name. Peggy would play an accelerated version of “patty cake” hand game with her. The last night we were in Marbu the little girl asked us if she could run away with us. We told her no but that we would be back to see her. She isn’t from a Christian family, but she lives next to the church. She heard the gospel and accepted a bible. She came for a visit the night before we left and went to the bookshelf in the room where we were staying. She took the gospel in Sherpa in comic book form, for kid’s and began reading to us.
Pray that the seeds of salvation planted in her will take root. We look forward to seeing her again!
Marbu Outreach
While we were in Marbu the local church held an outreach. They called it a cultural event. They invited friends and neighbors from all around. They provided meals for over two hundred people. The program included dance, skits, songs, and the gospel message.
Holy Ground
God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. In Nepal you usually take off your shoes before entering a house. I saw this at the church building in Marbu during the outreach and just had to share it with you. You dont see this every day in the west!
It’s About Relationships
We spent some time in Marbu visiting with believers and non-believers. The village is primarily all Sherpa people. One woman invited us for tea. She isn’t a believer, but greeted us with,”Jaimashi” the traditional Christian greeting in Nepal, it means, Jesus is victorious. Years earlier while the women was pregnant, she had pregnancy complications. The lama and witch doctor told her that either she or the baby would die. Pastor Chhiring (holding baby) found about her situation, and advised his wife who is a nurse. She and a doctor went to the village and delivered the baby boy. He is a healthy eight-year-old.
Spending time in the villages is not only challenging, but extremely heartwarming!
What a Ride!
This is the cart that we rode from the power plant 2000+ feet up the mountain. Pastor Chhiring wanted us to have an adventure. The trip definitely increased our prayer life!
Click here to see some videos.
The Von Raeders in Nepal