ServLife Nepal’s mission worker, Udaya Bhatta, faced a long road to Bashaha Kailali where he would first experience, then share, his conference message of “Give Then Receive.” Navigating what became perilous travel, riots, hunger followed by the challenge of torrid weather, Bhatta kept his eye on the goal even when his plans were so allayed that they seemed unlikely to happen at all.
“The one who walks in the will of God is the winner of the goal,” comments the zealous Bhatta, who serves the people of Nepal through the work of ServLife International. “My goal was to do the will of God by sharing his Word in Bashaha Kailali.”
It was a goal that Udaya didn’t lose sight of, even when his journey to Bashaha Kailali dead-ended in mutiny. A man had been accidentally killed by a car traveling on the same road as Bhatta’s bus. Outraged, local villagers were decrying the tragedy and blocking the road. By dark, their grief and confusion had become insurrection that was finally subdued hours later by peace talks and the abetting of local police. Amid the chaos, there was no access to food, mounting temperatures and a growing anxiousness about what might come next.
But eventually the crowds subsided, the roads cleared and Bhatta’s bus was able to arrive in Bashaha Kailali where he spent the day readying himself to share his message of hope with other Nepalese pastors and villagers.
“When we reached our destiny on Wednesday, my friends came to receive me and there was great celebration,” says Bhatta. “The people had built tents for our conference, there was wonderful spicy food and the villagers were so thankful for the ServLife’s work.”
The conference then proceeded without interruption. But during the middle of the night, the mild weather gave way to whipping winds and rain followed by hail.
“An old woman came to me; she was very afraid,” Bhatta remembers. “This weather was worrying the farmers. The water and hailstones would destroy the rice paddies before harvest.”
Moved by the tears and pleas of the old woman, Bhatta began to pray.
“I asked God, Please stop this rain, this hail. Please remember these people,” Udaya recalls. “I told the woman, Do not be afraid. God listens to prayers of faith and necessity.”
And then the rain slowed, the winds calmed and no more hail fell.
What was left, though, was deeply saturated ground and a conference that needed to continue. But with no place for the people to sit, it was uncertain how things could proceed. With few options, the conference organizers prepared to feed the attendees before adjourning.
About this time, a villager approached Udaya. The man told him that he had intended to offer his tithe of straw but had not done so yet. Now, the man said, would be the right time to pay his tithe. Without delay, the muddy ground was covered in layers of straw.
“The people rejoiced and worshipped God. Then they sat down and learned more from God’s Word,” says Bhatta. “But we had already learned from God the lesson I was teaching. We had already learned that it is good and right to give our best to Him and to others. And then we worship in even greater ways when we receive from Him.”
(Source: ServLife News)