Along with stories from my DTS I want to share about my experiences in India and Nepal because it was what truly changed me. It was here that I found I was so passionate about missions and helping those in need. I learnt a dependence on God I had never known, and in the hardest situations I found rest. It was also during this time I made friends with a lot of amazing people.
Our outreach began in a place called Howrah, in India. We arrived to a place where the poor line the streets, garbage covers everything; a place where the smell is overwhelming and the smog overwhelms every sense. Due to riots and political disturbances, we were unable to leave our hotel and so we made the most of it. We were able to minister to most of the people staying there. After a few days we crossed the river to Calcutta, to realize we had actually been staying in the slums of Calcutta (unbelievable!). It was a whole new world just across the river: a world packed full of cars and people. It was here we spent a couple of weeks working with street kids through a ministry called Kings Kids, working with street women, and were able to pray over the city. I loved being with those kids because even though they have nothing but their clothes, they seem to have so much more than us.
From Calcutta we took a 10 hour train and three hour jeep ride to a place called Darjeeling. We were amazed at the beauty and the cleanliness here. It was a mountaintop town with the most amazing views, the air was crisp and clean, and since there were a lot of foreigners, most people spoke English. Here we were able to work with the local youth associated with a couple of the churches. We spent a lot of time just building relationships with them, and discipling them. Some of them have the most amazing testimonies because they come from a world that is opposed to Christ. In Darjeeling we were also given the opportunity to do backpacker ministry.
From there we split into two teams to do village ministry. My team went to a tea estate called Mim Tea for a week. We were there to run church services each night to encourage, disciple and pray over the peoples of the village. It was here that we saw a couple people come to Christ and saw people healed. God is definately moving in this place.
After a 30 hour bus trip, we had arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. We contributed to the YWAM base there and ran a service. Then it was off to the village. Now I have no idea where this village was apart from it was three hours outside Kathmandu, and a four hour climb up a mountain. The village was the most challenging place for the team because we were forced to live a simple life with people who did not speak English. By simple life, I mean that we cooked food over a fire, slept on tables, and attempted to shower from a well! We were here for over a week, and we were there to run services and build the village a toilet. I can say this was the most influential time because we had much to learn from these people about faith and how to live. They gave so much to us, and it seemed they were the ones discipling us as they worship Christ with everything they had. If the world only lived like them, we might see more of heaven on earth.
We left, exhausted, sleep-deprived, and ready to shower to reach a place called Pokhara. Pokhara is another popular foreigner town with streets lined with shops and hotels. We were able to rest a couple of days and then I departed to do a trek with two other guys and a guide and the rest of the team headed to the YWAM base. The four day trek (called the Poon Hill Trek) was unbelievable, and we were able to minister to all the travellers going through. This was the coldest I have ever been! We then joined the team once again, and spent more time in Pokhara at the base (due to a vehicle strike!) and departed for our last days in Kathmandu before flying back to Australia.
If I could do it all over again I would. I found myself in love with a God who takes care of my every need, even in the hardest times, and I found people to be my passion.
