Well… this blog is late, real late, yet again. My goal was to write a summary of my experiences from each country at the end of each ministry month, but I keep delaying my commitment to write on time; for that, I apologize. As I sit outside our pastor’s house in Busia, Kenya, I have always made time for other activities that did not include blogging. Although I’ve been encouraged to blog more, I have somewhat hesitated to write about my experiences in Nepal.

In short, Nepal was a spiritually dry month for me. I left India feeling pretty good and desperately seeking God. My final prayer before leaving was to witness something amazing from Him. After meeting up with the rest of the squad and being assigned new teams, we boarded a bus and embarked to Nepal. 28+ hours later, we started to descend mountains towards Kathmandu. We were treated to dense forests and beautiful scenery. I was excited. I could not wait to get into ministry.

We rested at our host’s house in Kathmandu for a couple of days then headed eastward to a village for ministry. The bus ride was an unpleasant experience to say the least. On a mountainous, uneven, and windy path, the driver was driving the bus as if he stole it. With narrow lanes, he often blindly went into the oncoming traffic lane to pass other vehicles. Most of us were worried. Our host’s wife (she and her son were traveling with us) asked the driver to not drive so recklessly, however, this did not happen. At about 4AM, we were on a straight road traveling at about 90-100 km/h, as I was trying to sleep, I looked to the front and watched as we were approaching a parked bus that was half on and half off the road. There was no attempt to move out of the way, and in my sleepy state, I realized that we were going to hit it. Hard. Our driver fell asleep and we hit the other bus at full speed.

By God’s grace, nobody in our group suffered any major injuries. A couple needed stitches, and some were extremely sore, but we were all safe. Praise the Lord, right? I chose not to see the Lord’s protection through this accident. What was even more amazing was that the son of our ministry host was sitting at the front of the bus, right behind the door where people enter and leave; also in front of the boy were metal bars that separated him and the door. In an old bus with seat padding that was loose and traveling at higher speeds, the boy came out of the accident without a single scratch. I also remember seeing the door of the bus completely crushed while exiting through the window. It was a miracle. Again, I chose not to see God through this accident.
 
Evidently, we did not go to the village for ministry. Instead, we went back to Kathmandu to rest and prepare for our next assignment: teaching computer classes to pastors and other ministry leaders. During this time, I was also able to lead worship almost daily. The lessons I received in India from various people paid off. We were also given an opportunity to hike mountains to minister to people in villages for about a week. Although head office was concerned about bus travel so soon after our accident, we were cleared to go.

On the first mountain, we stayed with the only Christian believers in the entire village. On a daily basis the family faced persecution. One day while cutting grass, their daughter fell to her death. People in the village stated that God was punishing them for being Christian; they also disallowed them from using a vehicle to bring the body down the mountain to bury her. The believers suffered for not conforming. Despite this, they hold true to their faith and continue to preach the good news to those who were willing to hear.

In the second village, we stayed in a church and were surrounded with other believers; people on fire for God. They brought their sick and we were given an opportunity to pray for them. One man in particular brought his wife for healing. In the past month, she became deaf and blind. The couple were initially Christian; however, they backslid and practiced witchcraft. The husband tried witchcraft as an answer, but her condition got worse. In desperation, he turned back to Jesus and was now asking for healing through the Holy Spirit. We prayed… and prayed… and prayed… nothing. We asked him to pray… still nothing. My prayer was not necessarily for healing, but rather for them to come to understand God’s love. I wanted them to go back into relationship with our savior, if God chose to heal, then great, if not…

Deep down inside, the answer I wanted to see from my prayer in India was a miracle healing. I wasn’t seeing it and I allowed selfish expectations to shake my faith. Not good. Even though God was so present in our bus wreck, like the Pharisees, I chose not to see Jesus right in front of me. In Luke 6, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. He said “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” After healing the man’s hand, the Pharisees were furious; instead of seeing something amazing and acknowledging Christ, the Pharisees chose not to see Him. They were angry that He did not follow old covenant laws. I was blinded and allowed my selfish desires get the better of me.

Back in Kathmandu, we continued computer classes. In particular, I was teaching the leaders how to setup webpages and blogs for their ministries. In the “about” section, I helped write their testimonies, which were amazing. I heard stories of miraculous healings and supernatural changes. I heard the story of a Hindu man who had a dying baby, and in his anguish, cried out to Jesus. The baby was healed and he became a follower, but there were consequences. His family disowned him and he has not seen his father since the conversion.

God’s protection was over us in the accident; we were able to witness and hand out Bibles to people in mountain villages; we heard amazing stories of God’s glory, but I fell back in my faith. The selfishness of wanting to see my expectations fulfilled jaded me and I became bitter. After Nepal, our team flew to Nairobi, Kenya for debrief and to make matters worse, we had three people go home: two voluntarily and one was sent home. Drama ensued. I just wanted debrief to be over so our team could head to the next ministry location and get to “work.”
 
On the way to Busia, I was tired, angry, and didn’t know how much more I could take. Finally, I prayed, processed, and reflected. I started to think, “what was I doing in Korea that made me so on fire for Jesus?” In Nepal, I realized that I rarely read the Bible and never set prayer time for myself. I didn’t seek God at all. I was expecting so much without taking it to God. Even Jesus—the son of Man—constantly took the time to get away from ministry to pray to the Father. Finally, my eyes were opened and I realized that he was present the entire time. The boy who left the bus wreck without a single scratch was the miracle. A peace fell over me and I went back to seeking Him.

In Nepal, I learned to recognize what season I’m going through. Had I went through this kind of month back home, it would have been so easy for me to revert to old vices. However, being on the World Race is different and I was forced to face my struggle with God. With other believers 24/7, I can’t simply run away and God’s made me a better person for it. The question, “what the heck am I doing here?” has subsided, and I realized that through this time, I needed to be on the race as a new Christian. Without this trip, I don’t know how I would have handled this period at home. Thank you so much to all the people who have supported me for this journey.
 
Ministry has been busy, hard, but great this month. My time in Kenya will be written in a different blog hopefully in the near future. Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate your comments, and have a wonderful Christmas.  

Quick note: I wrote this blog before leaving India, but was not able to post it until now. We are currently in Nepal doing ministry.
 
I came to India this month not knowing what to expect. After a month of ministry accompanied with crowded streets, all sorts of funky smells, and spicy food, I absolutely loved my time here. Month 3 hasn’t been easy, and I struggled in my Christian walk, but I know I’m at a place where God wants me to be.
 
Our team joined with YWAM for a second time (first time being in Serbia). After long days of travel, we arrived at the YWAM Bangalore campus. I met so many incredible people here with interesting stories. If you have time, please read Ben’s blog about one of them.  
 
I remember at the beginning of the month, I often thought about how much I missed my home in Seoul. I missed my bed, hot shower, Korean food, my community, family, good friends, etc. I knew that I needed to seek God more and seek reasons why I am in India and in particular, Bangalore. I saw much poverty, beggars, and millions of people worshipping other Gods. I saw people so convicted that their religion and way of thinking was above all others. I started to question why the God I serve was the one true God of this world.

After doing several house visits and teaching kids in the slums, I was frustrated and disappointed. I went back to my mode of thinking before I became a Christian. I thought, “Why would a good God allow this?” Or maybe the better question would be, “Does God care?” If God was everywhere, where was He present in the slums? I thought about my comfortable home that will be waiting for me after I finish the race and compared my situation to the people in the slums. I felt guilty.  As a missionary, with so many people supporting me around the world, I thought that my faith was supposed to be rock solid and infallible. After all, I’m on this trip to spread the Gospel around the world, right? Also, God supernaturally transformed my life, so I should never question him, right? Nope. I questioned the existence of God. The recurring theme of my previous blogs came up again, “what the heck am I doing here?”

Day after day, we worked in the slums facilitating various activities. I didn’t know what I was seeking, but I needed to see more. I spoke to a group of university students, after that, I was able to share my past and lead worship at a drug rehabilitation center. I became desperate to see something from God and before I knew it, my prayer life changed; I started to dive deeper into the Bible; my perspective on certain issues started to change; finally, I felt at peace with my state of mind. In some way, I really wanted God to show up. I wanted to see something where the only explanation would be to say it was from Him.

I met a Korean missionary who served in Bangalore for the past two years, and I shared my thoughts with him. He had similar thoughts in the beginning and also questioned God. One day, as he was serving the kids and community, he realized that these kids were smiling and happy just being in relationship with each other and God. I often thought about happiness in terms of how comfortable I’m living i.e. my home, accessible transportation, my computer, etc. I don’t want to say that my happiness ultimately relied on stuff, but these are items that I felt made my life “good” or “blessed”.

During one of our days of ministry, I met a Christian family living in the slums. They invited us to their house and served tea, biscuits, and some food. I spoke with the daughters and their proud mother showed us her kid’s certificates and good report cards. Their place was small, dimly lit, and crowded; however, they were happy. They were in relationship with our creator and worked on spreading that joy to everyone in the community, daily. People here were so hospitable, and most likely the food we received was probably not easy to come by for them. I was so humbled; I give in my abudance, yet they gave freely.
 
I started to think about my life and tried to place myself in their shoes. What would my faith be like without all the conveniences I currently enjoy? What would my Christian walk look like? I asked myself, “Mike, would you truly be happy and joyful with God if you lived in the slums.” I don’t want to answer that question. So faithless… What does my happiness hinge on? As Jesus said in Luke 6:20, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” That family understood that their ultimate treasure was in heaven. Nothing else mattered.

I have met so many dedicated missionaries at YWAM who live without the same conveniences as me, but are happy in community and with the Lord. They rely on God to provide and enthusiastically serve. I really admire the staff, students, and missionaries at YWAM and other ministries we served. They are people of honor and integrity and it was an absolute joy being with them. Again, I’m humbled.

So, have my questions been answered? Not really. Did I witness something so crazy like faith healing? Nope. Despite this, I know right now I’m in a place God wants me to be. I know more about myself, and what it means to rest and find joy in God. Even though my logic often fights my faith, I do believe God is doing a good work in me. I believe that God wants me to wrestle with these thoughts. I feel fantastic and am loving each day.

I am not comfortable with blogging. There are times where I try to sit down and write a blog that’s inspiring, but the pressure to perform generally results in blank page and frustration. I know this is not right and I need a shift in perspective. In the end, I am going to do my best just to stay real and let you know what has been happening with me. I’m sorry for the lack of updates. I will try to be better and my team has been an encouragement.

Chris and Miriam are our hosts and represent a worldwide Christian organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM). The ministry here is new and the couple is building a network of contacts and ministry opportunities. We are here to help with that process.

Serbia’s dominant religion is Orthodox. Although the theology is based on a solid foundation, tradition (ie additional teachings) and rules set by Priests and the church hinder the general public from having a personal relationship with God. Our first month of ministry is in Uzice, which is a small city (although my teammate Ben Friedman thinks it’s “huge”) with a population of about 65,000 people.

After our arrival and sleeping a night at our ministry location, we drove about 100kms out of town to a campsite to spend a couple of nights to help setup a campsite for kids. For the next 2 ½ days our team moved rocks, cut trees, trimmed hedges, washed benches and tables, carried incredibly heavy rugs up a steep set of steps for storage, etc. We finished all our work just before all the kids came and our team went home without seeing a single one of them. I was tired, sore, and chewed up by mosquitos; however, I was happy. Although we did not participate in the ministry activities directly, we were told recently that about half the kids in the camp came forward to accept Jesus. Praise the Lord!

On Friday, the team had an early morning and went about an hour southeast of our ministry site to help a Serbian family pick raspberries for their business. We met the grandmother, mother, father, and two sons. They were hospitable and I loved being around them. After we finished picking raspberries, they treated us to an incredible meal that included traditional Serbian dishes. Everything was delicious. I also had a chance to connect with the two sons. The older one is currently studying computer science, and the younger is still in high school, but will be going to Belgrade next year to study International Relations. We plan on meeting them again in the near future.

Whether it is picking up trash around town, prayer walking, talking with random people at a lounge, getting schooled in pick up games of basketball with locals, teaching English, or going hiking with new believers, our team wants to be here and make an impact. We are here to create new friendships and help YWAM establish a solid foundation.

Again, I admit that I struggle to blog. I have never done this before. Nevertheless, everyday is a new opportunity to learn. Living in community and giving feedback, being patient, living without all the comforts I enjoy etc. will be challenges, but I look forward to allowing God work in my life.

Serbia has also been a personal blessing – I enjoy personal time with God; bible study with Ben has been awesome; our team is becoming more comfortable with each other; and our hosts are wonderful people. Despite internal struggles of wanting to “perform,” everything feels right.
 

I would like to introduce my team for the next 11 months! Together, we will be working everyday to spread the good news to various countries. During training camp, we did a series of activities to help facilitate team selection, and I am incredibly blessed and honored to be a member of Team 14 Feet! Our name is based on Romans 10:14-15:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news."

Now, introducing...

Hi guys...or ya'll! My name is Staci Weedman and I'm a 26 year old Hoosier, transplanted into Texas after graduate school. I attended Purdue University and studied Biology, Spanish Language, and Animal Science. I am in awe of God most when I'm in nature, around animals, or experience great dedication and commitment from others. My passion is to unite all peoples and cultures under one God and I am excited to experience God's power in so many nations; allowing my heart to be broken and have doors open to do something about it.


 

Hi! I'm Emily Schlichting. I am 23 years old and just graduated from the University of Wisconsin--Green Bay in December. In the past four and a half years I've learned what it really means to love and follow Christ, and God has totally changed my life! My heart longs for everyone to know the hope and love that can only be found in Christ.




 

Hi, my name is Erin Olson and I am from Mitchell, South Dakota. I grew up understanding who God is, but spent most of my youth trying to be good enough. My freshman year in college I realized how much I really needed God's grace and thathas changed my life forever. Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." I look forward to the upcoming year of changing the world by sharing about Jesus' love and demonstrating that love around the world.

Hey Friends! My name is Jenny Measmer. I am 25 years old and reside in Charlotte, NC. I started my relationship with Jesus when I was a sophomore in college and my life hasn't been the same since. I have a passion for missions and seeing lives transformed through the power of the gospel. I am so excited to be a part of The World Race and take the message and love of Christ to the nations.

Hey All! I'm Ben Friedman a 20 year old from Moorestown, NJ who just finished my sophomore year at The University of Alabama. I was an atheist until I got to college, during which time God completely changed my heart. I have a passion for preaching the Gospel and I cannot wait to see where God leads me throughout this next year!




 

Hi, my name is Emily Adkisson and I'm from the beautiful southern city of Charlotte, NC. Growing up in the Bible Belt, my upbringing consisted of endless nights spent at the church in youth groups, Bible studies, and so much more. It wasn't until adulthood (and many struggles later) that I began to understand what it means to be a child of God and what His endless loves for me means. I am now challenged to bring that same love and hope to the nations.
 

Please support our team and keep us in your prayers!