Kathmandu, Nepal – Wednessday, January 21, 2009 – 4:08AM
I am fifteen minutes away from being exactly half a day off from the world I so recently left behind. This provides a significant challenge. After almost a full forty-eight hours of traveling Todd and I arrived last night in the mountainous capital on the top of the world. Sleeping on a plane is never the fully satisfying rest of a stationary bed, and therefore although I had spent a good deal of the trip behind my eyelids, I was exhausted. As soon as we had finished supper at the Bhatrikoti’s place, Todd and I fell into our beds for some much needed rest. The time was about 8:30pm standard Nepal time. Todd had been unable to sleep more than a few hours during the long flights and hence, though 7 hours later I awoke fully refreshed and ready to track down a few yaks, Todd still slumbers. My challenge now will be to dress without lights and without noise, something Aaron knows full well I am not very good at.
While we ate last night the Bhatrikoti’s filled us in on some of the work and challenges they face here. Last year when the communist government took over Nepal and threw out the King this nation which used to be a strictly a Hindu nation became a secular nation, in which the government supposedly take no stance on religions. Almost immediately a group of extreme Hindu radicals began to form with the express purpose of restoring their nation to strict Hinduism. They have set off some bombs in the land including one at the airport which was the cause of increased security when Todd and I landed. Raju and JB have also received threatening phone calls from them as have many of their pastor friends in the area. We pray for their continued safety even as they continue to dedicate their lives to the Lord in this hostile environment.
Since our visit last year they have been sharing the Lutheran doctrine with many of their pastoral friends and acquaintances. Many of them are interested to hear what we have to say, and JB is estimating somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 people will be gathered today to listen as we explain Lutheran doctrine. The plan for today is to go through a brief outline of what it means to be saved by Grace alone through Faith. We are also scheduled to give seminars where we give a quick overview of the catechism. There are on the other side many who tell JB and Raju that this new doctrine is bad and they want no part of it, even accusing the Bhatikoti’s of joining with us purely for the sake of money. One of the most difficult things for them to accept is the idea of Infant baptism, which is for the most part a completely foreign idea here in Nepal. Many of the pastors have never heard of such a thing as baptizing infants and don’t want anything to do with it. We pray that the Lord may open their eyes to understand the full truth of His Holy Scriptures.
Kathamndu at the moment is cold and dark. Not the bitter cold of a Wisconsin deep freeze, but the slight chill of an early September morning. It is rather invigorating. The city’s power plants are having great difficulty keeping up with the demand and the people are consequently without power sixteen hours of the day. The streets are therefore not the fake dark of a well light city, but the deep darkness of an abandon Nebraskan road. At least they are when there are no cars coming. The electric lamp which my parents gave me for Christmas and which by some miracle I managed to bring over without breaking will be very helpful if and when Todd decides to stir
Even as I sit here waiting for the Sun and Todd to arise and the craziness to begin I realize that today is the start of my new year. The weeks at home with my family brought a pleasant and warm end to my first year abroad, now I face a new one. This one will be much shorter than the last since I will be home again in August, but I pray that the Lord will make it more fruitful according to His will and use me as He sees fit for the extending of His kingdom. There is so much work to do not only here for me but back in the States and everywhere else in the world for others as well, I pray that the soft love of the risen Son may heat, energize, and strengthen each and every one of you for the journey that lays ahead.
In His name,
Matthew Ude