Hey Fam
Well it is time to travel to phase 2 of this 63 day journey.
Napal is a great teaching and training venue. The core leadership here want to be better equipped to take the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Globe. The globe is here - so many tourist, and business people from all over the world and groups of folks escaping something (society,structure,authority and looking for their higher selves - I guess) but by their appearance I think it puts them in the Yeti family (look up Yeti).
The leaders here have great inroads for ministry to the Buddhist and Hindu followers.
They are surrounded by them, so you know what that means "they can all get away"
Our team is a Downline Team(Downlineministries.com) lead by (2015) alumnus Kevin Johnston (K-Diddy) I got to know and became tight friends with Kevin over the past 18 years - we connected on the Emmaus Walk 98 and have been kicking it every since - up close and personal (good brother - close brother- duck popper eating brother.)
Appreciate it Emmaus
This is his 3rd trip here. He did a excellent job leading and helping us navigate all the travel and teaching venues. Plus he kept us well fed, and that is real important to me - we got to get our eat on out here. The other DL team members were Lauren O'Dell (DL Little Rock) Chris Potte and Sam Watson (Memphis)
They were prepared and delivered - Chris taught the Security of the Believer and Sam taught 20 Biblical Clarification, Lauren taught the 10 Qualifications of a Disciple - maker to the ladies.
They taught their lessons multiple times. ( You must be ready to deliver when you arrive - no time for prep after you get boots on the ground (jet lag, travel etc..)
Kevin has built a great relationship with the key man - Anand Tamang (his beautiful wife's name
Is Chiri - like Cheerio without the "o") Anand has a vast network of Pastors and leaders in the cities and in the hard places like the mountainous villages - (you got to put on your big boy and big girl stuff - you got to have your mind right and be in good physical shape to go up in there or you gonna be wanting yo mama) hard travel, hard living (for us) but for them - it is everyday living. " I wrote a letter to my parents last week to thank them for allowing me and my brothers to be rough and tumbling boys and enjoy the adventures of living on a farm and exploring all day in the woods and riding our ole crazy horse and pony (Trigger - he was (mean- would buck and run you through trees and bite) and Lightning who was one eyed and 2 steps slower than smoke -?how he got the name lighting still makes us scratch our heads) and for allowing us so much time with the grandparents - who had no running water - had wood stove for heat and cooking (summer and winter) and had out side toilet (or fence row - some of you Ole school know what I am talking about)
That prepared me for this stuff man.
We trained in Itahari (50 trainees) and Bhaktapur Katmandu (35 trainees)
People would travel great distances and sit and sleep on the floors in the building where the training took place (no heat) They are amazing people in pursuit of the teaching of the Word of God.
What a great responsibility for us to be ready to deliver - when they have endured the elements (cold as a mug up in here) and sit on a concrete floor -to listen to what God would have to say. So we must be prepared to give them what God has to say not what we want to say "rightly divided" Word. 2 Timothy
2:15.
The plan is to come back here this year in
November 2-7, 2016 Anand will identify
5 ministry couples - we will meet somewhere (hopefully Pokhara) and train them for 5 days - and they will reproduce the training all over the country. (Really looking forward to this - it is a special time when we are able to get couples together - We will teach them disciple making and how to rub feet , crack them toes back -,gonna mess them up to the good)
Linda and Lauren taught the ladies and really set them in motion with a vision to disciple other ladies. Lauren is an adventurous capable, talented young lady and a great teacher. The ladies here are very small in stature and majority of them are skinny - so they wandered how and where Linda got her thickness (if you do not know what that means - ask a African American - thick is a good thang) I said that is babies, beans and bread(corn bread) "I ain't mad" (in some villages in Africa - mo thick means mo cows means rich daddy)
Kevin and the team will head toward the house on the 12th with a stop in Abu Dhabi and Linda and I will head toward South Africa to be with a long time friend and missionary church planter, disciple maker - Koos Basson and his beautiful wife Jen. We will meet Jon and Traci Sullivan, Big Barrett Jones and some NFLers and their wives for a time of training and equipping. We will train and teach and do devotionals on these huge 5-10k farms for the workers before they go to work (some farms have 100s)
We will train and teach in churches and in schools.
Then end with a couple nights in a lion park (sleeping amongst the lions - they roar all night - if something goes down - I hope they are not to fond of dark meat - plus they can get more pounds on the hoof from the NFL football players)
Next week: Find someone with a need and steward your resources toward that need. (Groceries, tank of gas,help on utilities,school clothes, pair of shoes, coat,blanket,book etc...)
Last week: I wrote 2 letters
1. To my parents - letting them know how much I love and appreciate them - and them being great examples - and loving us no matter what we did or did not do
2. Christopher Williams "Big Tune" - a young man that I have had a chance to disciple for 8yrs at West Tenn. State Prison. He was Transferred to a facility in East TN. and is establishing disciple making in that facility (Tunes field and it is a global field).
Over a 8 year period - we have had several men from Memphis travel 90min one way once a week to disciple men at WTSP.
Now God has done a "diaspora"
A scattering - the state is transferring these guys everywhere - now the ones that caught it can disciple all over the state. God can get it done - even behind bars - if He has faithful men.
Prayer and Appreciation
Prayer
1. Anand & Chiri Tamang and family - as they raise their family and build and equip the body of believers in Napal
2. The DL team as they travel for home.
3. Fuel for Napal (there is a shortage here)
4. Linda and I as we travel to South Africa.
5. For the training in South Africa
6. The areas here in Napal still recovering from the 2 Earthquakes
April 25 & May 12 2015
7. Linda (sinuses)
Appreciation
1. For you that are constantly praying for us
2. That we get to see God's handiwork in creation (Mt.Everest!!!)
3. Health, food and water
4. Heat and hot water - 2nd leg of Napal trip.
1st leg - everything in the cold
Eat,sleep,bathe - no heat
5. Good drivers - here if they get an inch they taking it
