The Gospel in the Himalayan Mountains

Trekking in the Himalayan mountains was breathtaking. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I still do no have the words to describe the majesty of those mountains. One of the things that is unique about trekking is that the whole guest house thing allows you to connect with a lot of different people. In each guest house, there is typically only one dining area, which makes conversation very easy. There are lots of opportunities for witnessing in this context. Here are some highlights from our trip.

On our first day, we stopped at a guest house for lunch, where we met a woman named Heather. She actually might read this which would be awesome. Josy and I  were able to talk with her and get to know her. What is interesting is that we basically trekked the same route (though her final destination was Annapurna Base Camp) so over the next three or four nights, we encountered Heather again and again! She says she grew up in the Methodist Church and believes in Jesus but hasn't been to church in many years. We pray that her heart would be stirred and that she would truly put in faith in the blood of Jesus!

At Tadapani, I talked about the Gospel to a Belgium man named Mark. I felt bold at the time and felt that I might as well try. I shared about the global flood as well as the end of the age. He did not want to hear it but I still gave a witness. One thing that I've been learning here is that being a faithful witness simply means declaring the truth. It is not our job or responsibility to save any soul; it is the Spirit's. When we faithfully give witness to the Gospel, hearts either will be softened towards repentance or hardened. Either way, our job is to be faithful.

Finally, on our second day, S* ran into a French Jew named Jonathan, while he was filling up on water. S* immediately recognized that he was Jewish and began witnessing to him. Jonathan was headed the same direction we were so we looked forward to talking more with him. When we arrived at our guest house, Jonathan was nowhere to be found. The next morning, the group decided to hike to Poon Hill, despite the cloudiness  (which obstructs the view of the mountains). Once we reached the top of Poon Hill, not only did the clouds clear out, but we also saw Jonathan there too! We then had a longer conversation about his worldview and beliefs as well as our faith in the God of Israel. Assuming that our time with him was over, we hiked along to our next stop. When we arrived, Jonathan was actually sitting outside at a different guest house. He waved at us. Then, around dinner time, Jonathan walked down to our guest house to talk with us more about what we believe. He was so intrigued and curious that he left for dinner and came back for several more hours of discussion. He says he took 10 years to stop believing in God and that now he believes in formulating his own truth. We shared with him the irrevocable calling of the Jewish people, God's covenant with Abraham, the time of Jacob's trouble, and the hope of the Messiah. We pray that the Holy Spirit would encounter his heart as he treks these mountains in search of peace. We pray that he finds the God of Israel, Hashem. 

~Chris