Extensive travel is something neither of us have ever done. As Aussies we don’t think you can really count the east coast of mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, and several decades ago, Papua New Guinea, as extensive travel. So taking a group to Nepal and the Holy Land in 2014 was, for us, an adventurous thing to do. We had thought about going to Israel for many years, and we had thought about going to Nepal for many years, but the time just never seemed right. A couple of years ago though, doing it in 2014 did seem right. God’s timing became evident. With some of Chris’ family being in Nepal for over 20 years, and a strong connection through CMS with Nepal for our church, we also wanted to combine the opportunity for short term mission. So the planning began.

A couple of times over the last decade we had contacted Inner Faith Travel via email, enquiring about trips to the Holy Land. We received information but then never responded or took it up. But this time we were finally serious. We contacted them again, and had great email discussions about what we wanted to do. They had never organised a trip which included Nepal in the itinerary before. We really just needed them to organise the flights to Nepal and we would do the rest through contacts on the ground. We talked with Bruce & Libby, loving family members who have ministered in Nepal for over 21 years with CMS, about the possibilities for learning and sharing in that beautiful country.

In discussion with our friends Don & Lurline Campbell, who had been to Jordan & Israel a number of times, we checked out a number of itineraries for that portion of the trip, and chose one which we thought would be the most suitable for us.

It was all coming together wonderfully, so we organised an Information Night to share our vision with the church family. In the end there were 15 people who felt God’s hand on their life to do this trip at this time – ten for the whole month including the ministry time in Nepal, and an additional five joining in for the Holy Land portion as well. We are so grateful for the people that God gave us – Joan Bird, Elizabeth Hoffmann, Nicole Sellars, Eric Jacob, Joyce & Graham Duncan, Don & Dianne Henderson, Bruce & Wendy Kinnear, Judith & Ivan Wilson and Kelvin Woodrow.

It soon became clear in the planning stages that our time in Nepal needed to be dramatically adjusted to account for the coming reality that Bruce & Libby would not be there when we would be. As family, we felt disappointed that we had waited so long to make a decision to visit them and see their work first hand, and now would miss that opportunity.

But again, God’s timing proved to be right. Bruce & Libby had said to us that planning for time in Nepal always needed Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C. And that’s exactly what we needed.

To have the caring and careful planning help of friends Ruth & Gordon Russell in Pokhara, liaising with people, emailing people, planning all sorts of wonderful things, as well as Bruce & Libby in Australia making connections and planning also, was an incredible blessing to us. Again, we felt God’s timing and provision was perfect.

For the 10 of us that went to Nepal, seeing firsthand the places and people we had prayed for, for so long, was stunning. To see how God has worked in that tiny and extraordinarily beautiful country was humbling and awe inspiring. To witness the commitment of so many to the Gospel being faithfully proclaimed was challenging to our own faith and witness in our own country. To meet Nepali Christians, young and old, with a vibrant faith that has totally transformed them was, I felt, a severe indictment on the Australia church. So many people are complacent about their faith, and in living out their faith. So many Aussie worshippers don’t appear to be too different from your average nominal Aussie. The only difference is that they go to Church. But what we witnessed in Nepal was a vibrant Christian community that not only worshipped each Saturday, but also worshipped and witnessed every other day as well. People were mature in their faith, they could articulate their faith well, they were keen to learn, they were keen to share their faith, and they spurred one another on to growth. It was stunning!

For us to be in a situation of ministering to them was indeed amazing. We had so much to learn from them, but they wanted to learn from us. We trust that in God’s goodness, both happened. We led and shared in a Bible study with missionaries from around the world. We shared two sessions with 15 children in a hostel, and received so much love from them. We were blessed by sharing and leading a training session for the children’s ministry workers from Nayagaun Church, even though that church was so much bigger than our own, and had 10 daughter churches as well. The close to 60 children’s ministry workers all came along thirsty to learn more about what leadership looks like. Nicole excelled in the way she led the children’s ministry at the hostel and at Holy Church, and in how she led the training session for the ministry workers at Nayagaun Church. We realised afresh what a great gift she has, and what a great gift she is! We all learnt so much. To see first hand the work of UMN [United Mission to Nepal], the work of INF [International Nepal Fellowship], the work of KISC [Kathmandu International Study Centre], has so broadened our prayer life. None of us will be the same.

To have experienced the Nepali roads, the culture, both in the city and in outlying villages and towns was awesome. And to also be blessed by seeing the fabulous Annapurnas at a time of the year when they simply don’t appear, was also very humbling. To see the grandeur of those snow clad peaks does something tangible to your insides!

And then to go from lush green monsoonal Nepal to the arid deserts of Jordan literally overnight was another brilliant testimony to God’s awesome power and creative majesty in his world. We all had to adjust to this totally different landscape. But it wasn’t only the physical landscape that had changed. Jordan and Israel have a totally different personality to Nepal, both individually as people, and nationally as a society. Nepalis are mostly shy, whereas Arabs are mostly serious and Jews can be loud and communally chaotic! We had to be very aware of the differences in security and culture.

But what struck me the most was again the public and open witness of their faith. Except this was different to what we saw in Nepal. Very few in the Middle East are publicly ashamed of showing their Muslim or Jewish faith. The Muslim community openly declares that it is time to pray, the Jewish community visibly proclaim their faith through prayer and community living. The number of people we saw with their prayer books praying in public was an incredible challenge to my own faith. One afternoon in the lobby of our hotel, I was sitting at a table with my laptop and book. Beside me was a young teenage boy, standing and praying. It was visible, it was audible, it was public, it was private. Seeing him prepared to so publicly show who he was, rebuked me for the frequency of my own shyness and reticence in letting people know who I am, a sinner, yet loved by God and redeemed by His grace. I was rebuked that I’m so often reluctant to let people know the best news in the universe about Jesus and what He has achieved on the cross. I was rebuked that my prayer life is so feeble.

But without doubt, the biggest benefit in being here was to see, both with my eyes and my heart, internally and externally, the Biblical landscape and the Biblical story. I have gained new life, new vigour, and a new enthusiasm for Scripture.

I found it such a privilege to be in St. George’s Cathedral, to be asked to do a reading from 2 Samuel 5, and I could relate to the reading like I never have before. It was exciting to think that for so much of the Bible, that will now be my experience. I won’t just be reading it, but, to a certain extent, recognising it and relating it to actual places, distances, smells, climate and culture.

I have also appreciated having a very tiny glimpse into the current context here in the Middle East. To meet with people, to hear from Jews, to hear from Messianic Jewish believers, to hear some things from the Palestinian perspective, to talk with Muslims, to see Jewish customs up close and personal, to be in Jewish establishments for Shabbat [Sabbath], and to see, experience and now know the difference that day makes to these highly religious people.

I am different, and I thank God for that. But that is not enough. I want to be more different. The rebuke I have felt, whether it is self-imposed, or Holy Spirit initiated, has made me ‘hunger and thirst’ more for Jesus and his gospel, and to grow more like Him each day. Please God … may that never be fully satisfied or quenched.