Dear Partners in the Gospel,
Greetings to you from the Himalayas!
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
From land, food, and shelter to a righteous path of salvation, God provides for those who follow His commandments. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
The mission trip of Dec 2020 is our most unforgettable trip of the year. The passion of reaching the most unreached lives of the hidden mountains is the reason that awakens us every moment. By the Grace of God and His guidance, our ministry is bringing about impactful transformations in native people’s lives and communities. We are grateful to God for His provision, love, and support. We feel honored to be a channel of blessings between our native people and our generous partners.
We want to let you know how your generosities are transforming the Himalayas. Our desire is that these reports will bless and inspire you as we take you along with us on our mission trip to the Himalayas. Be assured that, welfare, prosperity, and blessings over you, your family, and your ministry are always part of our regular prayer.
Ice-breaking
To most of us on the RHMI team, this was our first-ever experience to break the ice on a road. To the inhabitants of the capital city of Kathmandu, such situations are rare. No sooner had we started our journey, within the next 20 minutes we encountered thick ice that obstructed our way. Our jeep could not get any traction on the ice that had formed during the previous night. We had no other options but to try to break it up. Fortunately, as we were aware this could happen, we had a digging bar, pickaxe, and spade. It was such a disappointing situation for us. For the whole day, we tried our best to clear the road even by pouring table salt to melt the ice, but it didn’t help. We were already losing our energy and started feeling dehydrated. Our vehicle finally got stuck in an icy pit.
The phone call in mountain
We could not get the jeep out, so we decided to call another vehicle from the mission field we were going to. We returned to the valley walking another 2 hours and climbing 1 hour to another mountain-top before we finally got a cell phone network. After contacting several possibilities that were not able to help, we had no option other than to carry our luggage and walk. Half of our team were waiting in the spot where our luggage was unloaded. Since it was impossible to travel on the icy road, we decided to take our vehicle back and park it at the inn until our return.
Walking
As our plans were changed, we decided to continue on. We carried all our belongings and started hiking on that difficult road in the dark twilight. Some of our team had had no experience in hiking in the steep mountains and were unable to carry such big loads as we had. By this time everyone had lost their energy while breaking the ice and it was very difficult for some of us due to fatigue.
So, we rested for a while and ate our travel food, which provided us energy to continue our journey.
Yakshed
After walking for many hours, with very dim lights, we decided to stay in a cowshed on our way. But it wasn’t easy to reach there either. We had to climb down through steep mountains into a valley. That evening was a real concern for me because some of the team were not even in a condition to move on. One of our team also suffered hypothermia. Finally, when we reached the Yakshed, we prayed for him, worshipped God, thanked Him for His providence, ate delicious food, and then slept. Praises to the Lord for everything.
Praises to the Lord for everything.” “In the morning we were all refreshed by the sleep and we all came our of that shed smelling like Yaks.” All praises and glory to God, for He kept His hand of protection over us through the freezing, desolate mountains at nearly 6000 m altitudes.
The journey was not easy at all. The lack of an adequate amount of oxygen in the thin air was making it much more difficult to walk. Nevertheless, the passion and trust in the Lord were energizing us as we went. It was the moment where God whispered to me, “This year is the Year of Maturity.”
His clear voice made me continue with confidence with my brave team. Thank you, partners, for your incredible prayer and sacrificial support, without which we would never make it possible. May God bless you.
In the next report, we will continue our journey from the cowshed to remote villages high in the Himalayas.
With all my gratitude,
Pastor Haron and the entire RHMI families.
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