By: Bernadette L. Ramos
Nobody knew it would turn out so great. I did not expect that many of our Jzone student leaders would actually not want to leave Nepal yet on Day 10! I did not expect that three of our student leaders would receive confirmation from the Lord that He is calling them to go fulltime with Jzone as campus missionaries after the trip. The other JZONE team leaders including myself, were so encouraged to see our student leaders sharing the gospel left and right—to Hindus, Buddhists (also in Bangkok), an atheist from mainland China—at Kathmandu University, in airports, in souvenir shops, in hotels, in tourist spots in Nepal and Bangkok. When we got back to Manila, they kept on sharing—in the mall, in their campuses, during our stopover at a gas station on the way back from the JZONE Leaders Retreat a week after Team Omega came back.
There were no complaints about the little and bigger inconveniences in Nepal. There were some relationship friction within teams, but the team leaders dealt with that satisfactorily. The teams worked well together—each member doing what was assigned to him or her, and during times when someone did not or could not do assigned roles, the rest of the team would help pick up the slack. I heard of team members keeping other members accountable for attitudes and behavior that needed adjustment.
God showed his greatness to the teams and individual members way before we set foot in Nepal. Raising at least Php 1.9 million pesos (USD46,500) for the trip within two months through ministry partners from CCF – one student got done raising $2,000 within two days, another within a week, etc., securing parental permission, and in the case of our high school team members, special permission from DFA and DSWD to travel abroad are just a sprinkling of the awesome things God did as the JZONE Campus Missionaries and student leaders took God at his Word that “I will be with you until the end of the age” as we go and make disciples of all nations.
In Nepal, we got to work with partner churches from Kathmandu to Far West Nepal and key cities in between. I was so blessed to hear of how the teams adjusted quickly to changes in schedule and agenda to best serve the needs of our partner churches there! In two churches, the senior pastors were not even around while the Jzone teams were there, but they worked alongside the Nepali youth leaders conducting leadership trainings in evangelism and discipleship, and a couple of youth retreats. We saw new leaders from the churches we ministered to last year—in Kathmandu (Ptr Raju’s church) and Tansen (Ptr Bishnu’s church). We saw how about 20 student leaders have already been raised up in Kathmandu University (whereas there were only four known Christians last year!), under the leadership of Dennis, a former Brahmin priest who we met for a couple of hours last year, imparting vision and praying for him and sister Bishnu, the head nurse at the University.
Team Alpha, who went to Far West Nepal (18 hours one way, going back it was 21 hours on the road) had the privilege of becoming the first foreigner visit a Jhunga tribal village where a small church was located. This tribe is traditionally Satan worshippers and the village is about 5 kilometers to the Indian border.
Team Beta who was assigned to the Kathmandu area, also had the privilege of becoming the first foreigners and non-monks who were allowed to enter the “holy of holies” of a famous Buddhist temple on a mountain. They went around the temple grounds and in the inner sanctuary praying against strongholds! A couple of students from Team Omega experienced demonic oppression, but the experience only affirmed the fact that Jesus, who is in them, is infinitely and incomparably more powerful than the Enemy. One of the students saw in a dream-like vision, that several demons could not enter into his body. Indeed, the three teams saw the same great and awesome God at work in many different powerful ways before, during and after the trip!
We miss Nepal to this day. It is not so much the place, but the people of Nepal who were so eager to hear God’s life-giving and life-transforming Words delivered by inexperienced, young missionaries. The passion and simple faith of our Nepali brothers and sisters were object lessons to all of us of how we take our faith for granted many times. We saw how so many more nations (like Nepal and Thailand) in the world have very little gospel exposure and leadership training in churches.
My personal highlights include seeing how 5 of the JZONE Campus Missionaries who went with me last year, were the ones who led the teams this year and 2 new Campus Missionaries who just got done with the Campus Missionary training were mentored to lead their own teams next year, God willing. Leaders were multiplied for helping make disciples in all nations! Included in that highlight is the fact that we had 23 student leaders with us who grew in character, a worldwide vision for the Great Commission, faith and intimacy with Jesus right before our eyes.
There can be so much more that I can write about to summarize our Nepal trip, but I hope that this gives more of a cohesive picture of what happened. I believe that as the student leaders are now back in their campuses here or starting work in the marketplace, the lessons that they learned through JZONE to the Nations’ mission trip to Nepal will propel them to trust God for the unimaginable in their lives and personal ministries. And if you ask any of them, they probably will tell you they would want to be sent again to all the nations to help make committed followers of Christ who will make committed followers of Christ in their generation.
Thank you for sending us! God bless you!
Live