30 April 2010

Top of the World

Jomson is NOT the top of the world, but it seemed so to me as I stood on a small plateau surrounded by and in the midst of the spectacular Himalaya. The beauty and majesty of this piece of creation is indescribable and moving to any heart. I do not know exactly how high these mountains are, but high enough that several members of our group had headaches. I did not have any problem. I had the medicine for altitude sickness, but kept forgetting to take it. By the time I remembered, I was having no symptoms and it seemed unnecessary. Few people come here and those who do are intent on trekking or climbing the mountains. But--our group of ten Americans, eleven Tibetans, one Nepali came to bring the gospel to the people who live here. The first village we visited was reached by bus. We packed into the rattletrap vehicle and proceeded onto some terrain that would not be good for those who embrace safety and security over adventure and challenge. The roads were unpaved and gently defined around steep cliffs with barely enough space for the 4 wheels. We looked over the unprotected drops and hoped the brakes were in better condition than the rest of the bus. The possibility that on some occasions two vehicles might need to pass did not seem to be considered by the folks who built the road. We gathered together to pray before Dolma asked permission from a school master to share the gospel with the children. We should not have been surprised that he said, yes. Our kids sang gospel songs in Tibetan and Dolma shared for a few minutes. Each child received tracts which will certainly be taken into the homes. In most cases, the Americans were observers to the actual outreach as we walked along speaking to those who showed interest and offering tracts to almost everyone we passed. It is best for Tibetans to be approached by Tibetans to lessen the perception of Christianity as a western religion. But the Americans were a part of it. We helped train these kids. We funded. We prayed. Our God led. It was a precious blessing to see the fruit in the lives of our kids as Trust Home reaches out and begins to plant the seeds in the remote areas.