FBC Tampa traveled in March, 2018 to Kathmandu, Nepal to serve its partner, Pastor Dan Pokharel and Global Mission Nepal. Upon returning to Tampa, the team members were asked to stand before the congregation and give a short testimony. This is the testimony of Annette Harrington.
Before we left on this mission trip, and since returning, I have had several people say to me “You had a lot of courage to go on that trip.” I thought about that. Was it courage to leave my comfortable home with all the modern appliances, a community with safe water and clean air, traffic laws that maintain order on the roads, a beautiful church sanctuary such as our in which to worship in comfort, so many things we take for granted every day.
Was it courage to go to a country where the homes we were in are not air conditioned, food is often cooked outside over fire in pots and pans that are then washed outside from the unsanitary spicket water and then carried upstairs to their living area; where you drink only bottled water; where many homes do not have flushing toilets or even no toilets at all; where there are no traffic laws, not even stop signs or traffic lights and it is chaos; where families including very young children are transported on motor scooters with no protection, as many as four on the scooter or be dependent on public buses that are so overcrowded that many are standing half out of the doorways and where the air is so polluted you need to wear a face mask outside. This is the daily life of the majority of the people we met who even though were of moderate means, invited us into their homes and prepared our meals. Many of the young pastors we met did not even have a motor scooter to go about town, to meet with their church members. Their churches were one small room, most attached to their home or very close by. For me, going on this trip was not courage; it was a challenge.
Yet these beautiful people of Nepal are happy and ask for little or nothing. They were so gracious and humble we fell in love with them. They pray fervently and passionately, and are on fire for Jesus.
I spent a lot of my time with the women and they were so loving. I was loved on so much it sometimes became difficult to move in the room. Yet I felt I did so little. It’s that they appreciate everything and they knew I loved them.
I listened to their stories and with the time I had, I heard a lot. This is what real courage is, from the voices of some of the women:
- “When I was 10 I was sick and was taken to the witchdoctor (a Hindu shaman) and my parents paid money to the priest and sacrificed animals. I didn’t get well, I felt suicidal, then I found Jesus and I prayed and got well. I married a Hindu man who wouldn’t accept my religion. He tortured me and beat me. After a while he became a Christian, then we had to leave our village and abandon our families.”
- “I came to Christ through my sister. There was family tension. I was bitten, threatened and beaten. My father pulled me off the bus when I tried to go to church.”
- “My son was sick and would faint often. We took him to the witch doctor but he was not cured. Then we called on the Christian pastor and prayed and our son was cured. We started going to church and became Christians. Our third son drowned. My parents said I killed him because we became Christians and that was our punishment.”
- “We were the only Christians in the village. The others didn’t like it so they gathered to banish us from our home. They threw our things out of our house. We could not touch water or be touched and could not visit other houses.”
- “My grandfather drank and would beat my grandmother. My father was a Christian. Once my grandfather got angry and raised his sword to kill my father. We moved away. When we returned, we were not allowed inside their house. We were persecuted.”
Being a Christian in Nepal is difficult for many. It is illegal to convert to Christianity yet one by one Christianity continues to grow. It is said that Nepal has the fastest growing rate of Christianity of any country. Global Mission Nepal continues to grow and plant churches. These Christians are bold with their beliefs in what is most often a hostile environment. This is REAL COURAGE.
We appreciate your comments here and invite you to contact Annette at aharrington813@msn.com.
