This November 2018 ServLife’s Donor Relations Coordinator Heather Reid joined a team to travel to Nepal and conduct a two-day children’s program in Kathmandu and west Nepal. Heather shares her story below.

This past November, I went on my third trip to Nepal along with seven people who would become my fast friends. This trip opened our eyes to see what God is doing in another country. My team member Jodi McKenna described it as “an opportunity to go to the opposite side of the world, be changed forever, and have relationships that matter.” Over the course of 11 days, we visited the pastor training school, met the 300 children in ServLife’s sponsorship program, and enjoyed fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ from many different backgrounds.

At the beginning of the trip, we took a tour of the pastor training school. We met the pastors-in-training, learned about their spiritual and vocational education, encouraged them in their mission, and heard amazing stories about pastors from previous training school sessions who had planted churches. On one of the last days of the trip, we got to watch the 14 trainees graduate and be commissioned. Then immediately after the ceremony, we took the new pastors to the bus stop from which they were going to their home villages to start new churches. It was energizing as Christians to watch the pastors go out to push boundaries and take the Gospel to new frontiers.

Spending time with the kids in the homes and schools was another very special experience for us. We put on a program similar to an American Vacation Bible School that included lessons, skits, games, crafts, and songs. Many of the participants were able to meet their sponsor child. During the program we put on, we helped the kids write letters to their sponsors. Jodi recalls a girl coming up to her asking for help reading her sponsor’s letter and writing her own. When she saw the letter with its pictures, she immediately recognized her best friend and her family, so Jodi had the pleasure of helping this girl write a letter to her best friend.

At times, it felt like there wasn’t enough time or space or supplies or like we weren’t able to communicate our message to the kids, but ultimately God’s grace was sufficient to cover anything we lacked. We had so much fun with the kids in Kathmandu and West Nepal. We came away captivated by the sense of family that existed at the children’s home, not just among the kids, but from the adults who love and care for them.

Jodi summed it up, “Going overseas really gives you a bigger picture of what God is doing in His kingdom as a whole. And it was powerful. This is something that is going to impact the rest of my life and I want more people to know about it and experience it.”