"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus' promise of 'Rest for the Weary' is found in this passage in Matthew 28. At times I find myself wandering if this is really true. Of course in my heart and my mind I know that all scripture is God breathed and truth. However, in the day-to-day of my life sometimes I yearn to know this truth more as substance rather than just words penned in red letters. Is the yoke that I have been given really easy? Are the burdens that I often find myself carrying, as I walk beside my battle-weary friends here in Nepal truly light? Or is it my own selfish ambitions and ready-made agendas that are causing those light burdens to become too heavy to bear? I have a feeling that the latter is more true than I like to admit sometimes.
This year has certainly been a battle for me. As I prepare to come home this summer for another visit I am drawn to reflect back over the last year and all that has happened. Here are a few of the memories I hold close to:
-I have watched as many of my beloved Nepali brothers were set free of drug and alcohol addiction and set on-fire by a love for Jesus Christ.
-I have watched as that love dimmed for moments and caused my own faith to falter.
-I have watched as my brothers went through months of Bible school training, maturing and building perseverance in their faith while deepening their walks with Christ.
-I have watched my own faith grow.
-I have watched 10 of my Nepali brothers lose their battle with life and be overcome with addiction and disease to the point of death, 8 of whom went home to be with Jesus. 2 of whom likely did not. 1 of whom I buried with my own hands. 2 whose bodies I wrapped in plastic while crowds of curious people stared on. 1 whose stiff body I sat beside on the curb with friends wailing and mourning. I watched them frantically attempting to light incense and say a few prayers in order to appease the gods and ease his eternal burden. 5 to whom I had a chance to say goodbye, 5 to whom I did not.
-I have watched weary faces brighten with joy – so MUCH joy that families and friends have come to know Christ simply because of it.
-I have seen as many friends taken beatings as I have seen recieve love.
-I have seen my own heart hardened, and softened again.
-I have seen the horror of attempted suicide, and heard the shrieks of demons as they are cast out of a woman's soul by the power of my own prayers.
-I have watched little girls dance who had no hope in the world aside from Jesus.
-I have heard the familiar voices of my family on the phone and longed to be home.
-I have heard the familiar voices of my family on the phone and been thankful to be in Nepal.
All in all it has been a year full of the extremes of life and death; full of eternal battles won and lost. It has been a year that has taught me lessons on how to trust in the Lord through thick and thin, and how to give my burdens over to Him. Some of the lessons have stuck with me, and some I'm sure I will be learning over again. I have felt the power and presence of the Lord at times, and at times I have not. I have had a love and appreciation for the church body at time, and at times I have not. In the end I know that all that I have seen and done this year are mere shadows of what is to come. The hotter the refining fire gets in our lives, the greater the plans the Lord has for you and I. One thing that I have not grown weak in is the trust that God has called me to a purpose that is higher than myself – and that HE will be faithful to complete it. And I am so thankful.
All that being said – I think it's time to come home once again and to regroup and reconnect with friends and family there! I can't wait to see familiar faces, and to be able to speak in a familiar language 24 hours a day, haha. My plans for the summer are to leave Nepal June 18, and to be in Hesston from June 19-July 12. From July 13-23 I will be attending an all WMF staff retreat in Nebraska City, Nebraska and then from June 25-28 will attend a conference in Houston, Texas returning back to Nepal around July 31. If any of you will be in the Hesston area during the time I am home please stop in and see me! Or if you will not be around but have time please give me a call at my parents' house at (620) 327-2274. I would love to connect with as many of you as possible! Pray that my time home will be rejuvenating and that I will receive some much needed physical, emotional and spiritual rest. I am excited!
Pray also for our field's finances as we are coming short in our monthly needs fairly consistently over the past several months. We are in need of some more committed monthly supporters of our field. I know and trust that God is faithful to provide all of our needs. Jesus died so that their will always be enough! He has always provided for every need, and we trust He will continue to do so. Praise Him for His faithfulness.
Thank you all and hope to see many of you soon!
Love from Nepal,
-Brook
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Brook Birch
GPO 8974 CPC 313
Thamel, Kathmandu
NEPAL
Phone (in Nepal) +97719851072733