Go Ye...
After arriving at home, there were many things for me to consider. I had planned only to go and locate a native preacher to support and I had accomplished that. But now my heart was heavy with the feelings I had experienced as I passed so many people while traveling on the bus to western Nepal. I realized that everyone I had passed by had been left behind without hope. I knew that I had to return again to Nepal.
I made plans to return to the school and teach again in June of 2000. But after I had made arrangements to return, because of a difference of opinion between myself and the director, I was informed I could no longer work with the school (The difference was not doctrinal. The director opposed my supporting a local man to preach the gospel). As did Paul and Barnabas, we parted ways and worked in different areas.
I arrived in Nepal in June of 2000. I brought my daughter Rebecca with me so that she could study with the women and children while I would focus on encouraging the churches that had been established on my first trip. We were delayed in Kathmandu for one week because our luggage had been lost and we had to wait for it. While there we met with the Christians in that location and both my daughter and I had several opportunities to teach and share knowledge with the brothers and sisters there. Once our luggage arrived, we continued on to far Western Nepal.
The trip was extremely difficult for me. I became sick two days after I arrived and remained sick until after I returned home a month later. During the stay in Nepal, I lost around 25 pounds. In spite of that minor inconvenience, I was still able to preach and teach most days while I was there. The monsoon rains were beginning and travel was sometimes not easy. But we were able during our stay to visit all the Christians at both congregations and to travel to many villages and begin studies. Some days I would preach as many as four times in different locations. Sermons over there lasted much longer than we usually experience in the USA and consequently we had several 16 to 18 hour days. My daughter said she got tired of hearing the same sermon over and over.
When our time there was over, we began the long bus ride back to Kathmandu to catch our flight home. But the rains had swollen the rivers and one had become impassible, or seemingly so. It took us many hours just to travel three miles to reach the river only to find it swollen and raging. We were traveling on a bus with around forty soldiers who had to get to Kathmandu and so the decision was made to cross the river in spite of the danger. As the bus began to cross, water began to flow into the bus and the current shook the bus violently. Suddenly we dropped into a place where the river had washed away the road and the bus began to be carried away by the current. The tires spun with vigor and the engine roared with all its might as we tried to overcome the fury of the river. We were within three or four feet of a set of falls when the bus finally caught hold and carried us to safety. It was all very exciting.
When we reached Narayangarh we were again delayed by rockslides and impassible roads. It was another day before we could continue on our journey. We arrived back in Kathmandu on Saturday, met with the church on Sunday, and two days later we were on our way home. We had left behind ten Christians in each of the two congregations and warm feelings for many more Napalis we had met while we were there.