Recently I (Tamara) went along with about 80 ladies from our fellowship on their annual picnic. I was the ‘Candle of Hope’ in a short skit that illustrated the importance that hope holds in keeping our faith, love and peace ‘candles’ alight. When my faith feels weak, my love seems to have run dry, and I have a restlessness within, then remembering God's promises gives hope “as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb 6:19).
During the picnic, I had a chat with a lady whose face was new to me and she shared her story with me. About six months ago Bel Kumari was so sick she felt like she was dying. She was part of a cult called ‘Sacchai’ (‘Truth’) which teaches you can be a believer while continuing to adhere to practices of the majority religion. While sick she cried out to God and He healed her. That started her on a journey to investigate the real truth. She read the Word, had a vision that confirmed the Word as truth and then came to our congregation with a friend that she knew was a believer and heard the good news spoken. Wow! The Spirit seemed to use every tool in His toolbox on this one!
In South Asia, holy places are often built on mountain tops. This ancient place of worship in Surkhet, our old hometown, is being rebuilt and I got to see the progress made on it when I visited in January. Leigh and I were taking a group of new workers with our partner organisation for an orientation trip, to see the field work of the International Nepal Fellowship in the west
of Nepal.
We’re going through Micah in our weekly gathering, and so I’m mirroring the Saturday morning talks in the mid-week groups at which I speak. Chapter 4 starts off saying “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.” This was another moment for me when, having lived in another culture, the relevance of Scripture to all is highlighted. This verse makes more sense when you live in a country where holy places are on mountains!
As the ladies and I explored this passage, we were all encouraged by the promise of a time when there will be peace between nations, and swords will be beaten into ploughshares and spears into hasiyas, i.e. sickles used very commonly in agricultural Nepal.
by Leigh and Tamara