From Sam

This is my first blog post. I'm not sure what everyone has been blogging about so far, but I will try to not repeat everyone else.

I was fortunate to be in the group to do the longest hikes so far. We had a 6 hour hike one day and a 5 hour hike two days later. I guess I didn't train for these hikes like I should have, but I don't know how one could possibly prepare fully enough. The hikes are straight uphill for hours, full of switchbacks, cliffs and rivers. The going is tough, the feet become blistered, the legs get tired, but it is all worth it. When you find yourself taking a break halfway up a hill, you just have to marvel at God's creation. The sights in Nepal are unlike any we have in the States. I try to take pictures, but they just can't do justice to the view.

The views are not what makes these hikes worth it however. The ability to spread the Gospel to the people in these villages is the great blessing that God has given us on this trip. Not only children, but adults also crowd into the church buildings. Not only Christians, but many villagers who have not been exposed to the Gospel sit in to listen. The opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ to these people is a great blessing.

When we leave a village, I sometimes wonder if the Holy Spirit converted anyone, or if anyone learned anything, or if we failed in our mission. It's in these times that I think about the promise that God made to us in Isaiah 55: "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in  the  thing for which I sent it."

This is a promise from God, so we can be assured that the Gospel we preach will work for the purpose God intends. It is a comfort to know this. On the hikes, I often feel inadequate to be spreading this message. I can get a bit ornery when I'm sore and tired, sometimes we bicker, we all do lots of things to remind us how sinful we are.

But God promises to use the Gospel when we teach. The quality of our lessons does not matter. Our gestures or visual aides do not matter. The smoothness of our speech does not matter. But the message which we preach does matter. That Jesus Christ died to save these people is what matters. It is comforting to know that despite all of our insufficiencies, God will bless these people through the Gospel.

Please pray that the Lord would send His Spirit to these people, to create, sustain, and strengthen faith among them. Please also pray for all the mission helpers, as we have had some sickness and blisters. Also please thank the Lord that he has so greatly blessed us on our trip so far, and pray that he will continue to bless us.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers and for following our blog.

In Christ,
Sam Rodebaugh