Participants:
Series Code: DTF
Program Code: DTF000104S
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00:00 Previously on Destination 1040.
00:02 We are here in the countryside of Rukum, here in Nepal. 00:07 We got here yesterday, so it dropped down into the lower thirties last night. 00:12 Thankfully, we had good sleeping bags. 00:14 They weren't too bad. 00:15 The ground here is really rocky, but there are a few crops that they can grow. 00:20 Rice can't grow up here, it's too cold. 00:24 Many people, they don't know the real situation here. 00:28 And now, you are here, you have a first hand experience. Okay. 00:33 I have great respect for this man here. 00:37 Such a difficult place to work. 00:39 And yet he is 00:41 on fire for the Lord 00:44 Today we leave this place. 00:45 But, I think a piece of our hearts will always be here with these people. 00:51 That's the thing about being a missionary. 00:53 The impact these people have on your life will forever be with you 00:57 until the day you meet again. 01:10 Well, good morning from eastern Nepal. 01:12 Oh, look at this. Oh wow! 01:15 That is a huge snail. 01:18 Okay. 01:21 That was a distraction. 01:47 Hi. Hi. 01:48 How are you doing? Good. Nice. 01:51 What is this all about? 01:52 Laundry. Oh, yeah. 01:55 Very important. 01:57 We have a lot of dirty clothes. We do have a lot 02:00 of dirty clothes. 02:01 Thank you for your hard work doing this. 02:05 Part of foreign travel. 02:21 Well, hello and welcome 02:23 to another episode of Destination 1040. 02:26 Thanks for choosing to spend your time with us today. 02:28 We're looking forward to it. 02:31 This episode is a wrap up episode 02:33 for our time here in the country of Nepal. 02:36 Today we are in eastern Nepal 02:38 and we are headed to visit one of our faithful Bible Workers 02:42 who is making a huge impact in his village and the surrounding communities. 02:54 Namaste. 02:56 Good to meet you, sir. 03:00 The hospitality shown in 03:02 these cultures is quite foreign to people living in the Western world. 03:06 Pair that with a love for Jesus and a love for others. 03:09 And these people have nothing but love for us and the people they work with. 03:14 They are making us lunch. 03:18 If they don't use the gas stove, this is what they use here. 03:21 They have two kitchens. 03:22 This is the second 03:29 Do you miss our kitty? Yes, I do. 03:34 It looks good. 03:36 Yes, it's very good. 03:38 We're having some food that they prepared for us. 03:41 It's quite different here compared to Rukum. 03:44 It's much flatter here. The mountains are smaller, 03:46 but there are some amazing Bible Workers here that we're working with. 03:51 And we're just having some lunch that they 03:57 Flies. 03:58 So what do the people do here mainly for a living? 04:02 Are they are they farmers? 04:03 Agriculture. Farming only. 04:05 One of the reoccurring themes that I have noticed while 04:08 traveling for Gospel Outreach over the years is these Bible Workers live very humble lives. 04:13 They are living on a Bible worker stipend. 04:15 And so it is not unusual for our workers to have their own gardens, 04:19 to keep their living expenses low. 04:21 Can I try? 04:23 Show me how. 04:26 I show you. I show you. Ok, show me, show me. 04:30 Ah, so you. 04:32 And then pull. 04:34 Oh cause it's a saw. 04:35 Yeah., yeah, yeah. 04:39 This family has been blessed with a small chunk of land 04:42 where they are able to grow over 90% of the rice they need for the year. 05:03 After visiting the family's personal field, 05:05 our Bible worker was all too excited to take us to visit 05:09 a well-respected political leader for the area. 05:15 Namaste 05:20 This political leader is not a Christian, but he lives just up the road 05:24 from the local Adventist church, and he became very good friends 05:28 with our Bible worker and his family. 05:36 For several years, he and his family showed no interest in Christianity. 05:41 But our Bible worker and his family became very close friends with him. 05:46 Often times in the late afternoon during the heat of the day, 05:49 you will find this political leader at our Bible Worker's house 05:52 asking him for advice on some matters that he's dealing with. 06:11 One day the political leader was visiting our Bible worker 06:14 and he asked him, Why are you so kind to me and my family? 06:18 Our Bible worker simply responded, Well, you see, sir, it's simple. 06:22 The God that I serve has put a love in my heart for people. 06:27 Now, through the work of the Holy Spirit and this man's curiosity, 06:30 he and his family are now taking Bible studies with our Bible worker. 06:38 When I see just how effective this simple friendship evangelism works 06:44 throughout the world, I realize that we can all do this. 06:48 You don't have to be a pastor. 06:50 You don't have to be a scholar. 06:52 You just need to show 06:53 the love of Jesus to others and allow the Holy Spirit to work. 06:56 So we are in eastern Nepal right now, which is a little different than West Nepal. 07:02 The mountains aren't quite as tall and it's a little warmer here. 07:05 We're actually quite close to the Indian border, Right. 07:09 We're close to the India border? Yeah. 07:11 We're going to see the church. Yes. Which we drove by on the way up here. 07:14 And it was quite nice. 07:16 So I'm looking forward to seeing the inside. 07:25 When I was a young boy. 07:27 My grandmother taught me the ways of witchcraft, 07:30 and that carried on her legacy of being a witch doctor myself. 07:35 After many years of working in this position in my village, 07:39 I came down with an illness 07:41 that kept me bedridden and unable to work. 07:45 For many months. 07:47 I tried everything I knew, but 07:49 I simply wasn't getting any better. 07:53 Finally, out of desperation, 07:55 I traveled to a church in another village. 07:58 How long has this church been here? 08:00 15 years. 15 years? 08:03 I prayed to God and said, 08:06 If you are real and can hear me, please 08:10 help and heal me so that I can take care of my family. 08:14 I felt a peace come over me 08:17 and returned to my home with hope in my heart. 08:22 She's sick. 08:23 Oh, she is sick. Oh, no. 08:25 She's having fever. Oh, no. 08:29 Can we 08:30 Can we pray for her? 08:38 When my health improved 08:39 so rapidly, I was astonished. 08:42 I had never once seen a case like this 08:45 in all my days working as a witch doctor. 08:49 My surprise drove me to begin 08:52 Bible studies to learn more about this powerful God. 08:56 I soon became baptized with my family following my example soon after. 09:03 I was so excited to share with others 09:05 my testimony of this great God I was now serving. 09:10 This convinced me that I must make this 09:13 my full time work to bring people to Jesus. 09:34 There's my sweet wife filming some goats. 09:39 Every time I travel, I'm acutely aware as to 09:43 how silly it is to just film everything. 09:47 But it's important 09:49 because you're trying to tell you a story. 09:51 We're trying anyway. 09:53 Like, here's a pig. 09:54 These are the kind of things that we see here. 09:57 It's very normal. And us filming ourselves Everybody's laughing. 10:01 I know they're laughing at us for a reason. 10:13 And then turn? 10:15 I see. 10:17 Yeah. 10:19 Wow! 10:21 We are making rice flour, it I understand correctly. 10:25 It's sweet. 10:26 Oh, interesting. 10:30 You know, it's so crazy seeing where these people live. 10:33 The little that they have. 10:34 And yet they seem so content and happy about their lives. 10:48 When we, when we come and we film everything. 10:51 What do you guys think? 10:52 Do people not like it? 10:54 Are they okay with it? 10:56 What we think is you guys are going to inspire someone we think like that. Yeah. Yeah. 11:01 To inspire someone. 11:03 He is happy. And he is telling us his photo. 11:09 American people can see his photo. 11:13 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 11:14 He is happy for that. 11:23 Ok. I think we're leaving. 11:26 We're leaving. But it's been a nice visit. 11:28 Yeah, it really has been. Yeah. 11:30 Always good to meet people. Always sad to say goodbye. 11:33 We'll see them again someday. 12:03 Day two here in eastern Nepal. 12:08 We're going to visit another one of our Bible Workers today. 12:11 I'm excited to meet him. 12:13 Yesterday, I wear shorts, 12:15 but today I'm wearing pants because we're riding a motorcycle for many hours. 12:19 And I figured if we wreck 12:21 I would rather have gravel and fibers 12:25 in in me than just gravel. 12:29 Oh, really? Yeah. 12:31 The bikes were very dirty from yesterday, so they washed them. 12:45 So our brother, 12:47 one of the drivers, he's never hungry when we leave the house. 12:50 But as soon as we leave the house, he's hungry for restaurant food. 13:02 What are they doing? They're selling lemons? Yeah. 13:04 Is that what it was? Lemons? Yeah. 13:06 Or limes. Limes. 13:07 They're really limes but everyone calls them lemons. 13:09 Really cheap. 13:18 These motorcycle journeys were no easy joyride. 13:21 In fact, this journey took us over 13:23 two and a half hours, one way into the high mountains of east Nepal. 13:28 We're getting closer to the church. 13:52 Alcohol consumption is a major problem in the country of Nepal. 13:56 The people in these remote villages don't have easy access to liquor stores, 14:00 so they resort to making their own out of rice. 14:03 Rice is spoiled, rice is there. 14:06 When this water is hot. 14:08 They remove hot water, and they'll put again, cold water. 14:14 This heavy consumption causes so much unrest in families 14:18 as oftentimes things turn to violence while on this strong drink. 14:22 Alcohol in Nepal is very traditional during Hindu festivals and ceremonies. 14:27 During these times, everyone partakes, including the children. 14:31 Sadly, this creates a dependency at a very young age 14:34 and is incredibly damaging to the future of so many young people. 14:40 Our Bible Workers often face the challenge of bringing a message of health 14:45 to these people and educating them on the dangers of alcohol. 14:49 Now, this woman's husband, sadly died just a few short years ago. 14:54 Without the support of her husband working in the fields, 14:56 she has resorted to making and selling alcohol to support herself. 15:34 What is your house life like? 15:41 So. So how long has he been a Go Bible Worker? 15:45 Ten years. Ten years. 15:49 So down in the flatlands, 15:51 It's much easier for Bible Workers to travel long distances 15:54 because they can ride a bicycle or they can have a motorbike. 16:00 But up here, sometimes it's difficult. They have to walk. 16:02 Yes, very difficult to walk and very difficult to visit members homes also. 16:08 because members homes not in one place. 16:14 One place is there, other one place is there. 16:19 She is preparing lunch for all of us. 16:23 These people are so incredibly gracious. 16:28 We are being treated very well in another village once again. 16:32 With all of this amazing food. 16:36 They eat a lot here. 16:37 We can't eat nearly as much to keep bringing food and putting it on the plate. 16:41 No, no, no, no. 16:42 Please no. 16:44 Also. 16:47 The chilies are deadly. 16:48 But lovely 16:51 I do not eat them. 17:00 They want to cut rice also. 17:02 Oh, yeah. 17:04 Okay. Yeah, Let's do that. That would be nice. I'd like to do that. 17:13 Man. 17:13 All right. 17:14 With wait in it, It would be different. Yeah. 17:20 It looks good lady. 17:23 Starting? Yeah. Yeah. 17:24 We start slowly, slowly. bistari slowly. 17:27 Bistari, bistari. 17:32 We are headed to go harvest some rice. 17:36 With our Bible Worker and his wife. 17:39 I would definitely get a headache if there was weight in it. 17:44 This is your home. 18:25 This man's done this a few times. 18:29 City life and village life is totally different. 18:35 You hold it like this. Yes. 18:37 Hold like this 18:40 Oh, yes. Ooh. 18:42 Yes. 19:23 I got myself 19:25 a little covered in seeds, and they're very sticky. 19:29 Kind of like the hound's tongue back home. 19:32 They stick. 19:33 Seems like much worse than the hound's tongue. 19:34 It's worse because it's you can't hardly grab them. They're so tiny and flat. 19:44 My name is Chandra Kumar Rai. 19:46 And for the last ten years, I have been working in the Lord's service. 19:57 I was born into a Hindu family and my father was an alcoholic. 20:02 Often he would come home from the field and beat my mother. 20:06 Our household had no peace and we lived in fear of his wrath. 20:12 When I was 19 years old, I met a beautiful girl 20:15 at a village gathering and fell in love at first sight. 20:22 I soon learned she was a Christian and attended a church over the hill from our village. 20:28 I noticed right away a significant difference in her family. 20:35 They had a peace in their home 20:36 that I had never seen before. 20:49 As I visited her family more often, 20:51 she told me that she could not marry me unless 20:54 I found Jesus and accepted him into my life. 20:58 So I began attending the church 21:01 and taking Bible studies from one of the elders. 21:04 Through this process, I soon found the peace 21:07 that I had seen in this young woman's life. 21:10 This peace was one that passes all understanding. 21:13 And I was convicted and baptized. 21:17 At first, my family shunned me and wanted nothing to do with me. 21:22 They told their friends that I was dead. 21:26 But God was working in their hearts 21:28 and as they witnessed a complete transformation in my life, 21:31 they desired that same peace which I had found. 21:35 We just arrived at the church here in Gosth Danda village 21:40 The classic rock structure here in the mountains of Nepal. 21:46 It's so crazy how they stack these stones just 21:51 so perfectly. 21:54 And the walls are really, really thick as well. 21:56 Helps with insulation and in the winter and it helps keep it cool in the summer. 22:03 Today, my whole family has been baptized and my father has given up alcohol. 22:08 They are now an example to their friends and neighbors 22:12 about what God has done for them. 22:24 I have also been blessed to have married that young girl 22:27 who introduced me to Jesus all those years ago. 22:38 She has been a wonderful companion in my life 22:40 and my ministry as well. 22:46 Namaste 22:53 That is a honey bee home. Very natural honey is there. 22:57 So they brought they brought the honey bees 22:59 and they put them there and now they live there. 23:04 Hi. 23:06 His mother 23:07 and his wife and his daughter. 23:12 I want to say thank you to this organization 23:15 for sponsoring us in our work for the Lord. 23:18 Regardless of the money, 23:20 I will always have a fire in my heart for sharing the good news with others. 23:25 But to be sponsored and allowed the opportunity 23:28 to make this my full time work is a very special privilege. 23:49 Yes. Yes. I born here only. Yeah. 23:54 Now, if you have watched any of our episodes here in Nepal, 23:57 you may have noticed that this man has been one of the main characters 24:01 in our episodes. 24:03 His name is Keshab, and he was traveling with us 24:05 a large majority of the time we were here in Nepal. 24:09 Keshab is a pastor in the lowlands here in eastern Nepal. 24:11 And on our return journey from visiting our Bible Worker, Chandra, 24:15 we stopped for a short visit to see where he grew up. 24:19 Oh, There are some yellow ones. Oh, this ones cool. Yeah, Yeah. It's like, Oh, yeah. together. 24:24 Keshab is a very kind, devoted pastor 24:26 who loves the Lord and is always up for an adventure. 24:29 We cannot thank him enough for his assistance during our time in Nepal. 24:33 Oh, brother. Thank you 25:56 As our time here in Nepal was coming to a close, we were feeling quite sad. 26:02 For the three weeks we were traveling through Nepal, 26:04 We grew to love these people. 26:07 We've seen the great need in this country, both spiritual and physical. 26:11 We now better understand the challenges 26:14 our Bible Workers face every single day. 26:19 Something that I have learned through my travels 26:21 within Hindu dominated cultures is that Hinduism 26:24 is more culture than it is religion or belief. 26:28 It is your identity. 26:30 It's where you live and who you are. 26:33 So even when someone is introduce to Jesus and accepts him 26:36 as their personal savior, it is often very difficult 26:39 for them to give up the Hindu culture completely. 26:50 This is one of the biggest challenges our workers face in these cultures. 26:55 But you know what? 26:56 This is something that is faced in every culture. 27:00 So before we leave you today, I want to ask you to ponder this question. 27:05 What is something that I am holding on to in my life 27:09 that is more about culture and less about Jesus? 27:13 If you have a good answer to that question, then I encourage you 27:16 to give that thing to Jesus. 27:18 Let him take that desire away from you. 27:21 Give him the power to work in your life. 27:28 Lastly, I want to ask you to pray. 27:31 Pray for our workers in Nepal, pray for Singerman, for Haiendra, for Chandra. 27:35 Pray that Jesus will give them the strength and encouragement to continue 27:40 spreading this great message of love and hope. 27:54 Hello, everyone. 27:56 Thank you so much for watching this episode of Destination 1040. 27:59 Now, if you have been inspired and blessed by this episode 28:02 and you want to get involved with Gospel Outreach in some way, visit the website. 28:05 goaim.org. And if you want to make a donation 28:09 through watching this show, we ask that if you send in a check mark Destination 28:14 1040 in the memo line or on the website, there's a dropdown menu. 28:17 Select destination 1040. 28:19 That way we can keep track of the funds being raised through this show. 28:23 Have a great day. I'll see you in the next episode. 28:26 We're off to India. |
Revised 2023-10-10