My home near Baton Rouge is only a few miles from the Mississippi River.  The river was swollen passed flood stage from the snow which melted in the Rocky and Smokey Mountains.  As you can imagine, I kept a close eye on the river this spring, but I also began to think about the source of all this water.  It started with a single, insignificant drop of melting snow.  And then another and another until the rivers and streams that flow into the Mississippi were full of water.

This past month, I was able to take a short trip to Nepal.  Just like the flooding river that started with something insignificant, I saw an area of Nepal that was in a revival started by small, simple acts.  I ministered in Pastor KB Basel’s church which now has over 600 adults attending the Sunday services.  Most of the people in the congregation have become Christian converts one at a time as a result of individual witness – a simple act of evangelism that became something great.

HIV has made its way from India to Nepal, so it has become very common.  I was told the story of a Nepali man named Pahalad who was diagnosed with HIV.  The doctor sent him to a hospice to die in a matter of weeks.  Pastor KB prayed over him, and Pahalad promised that he would serve God if his life was spared.  Four years later, he is now healthy and pastors several churches – a simple act of prayer that became something great. 

Motorcycles are a very economical and practical method of transportation in Nepal.  I saw a picture of four rural pastors.  They were smiling, sitting on brand new motorcycles and wearing new helmets.  They received the new bikes because of an offering from Pastor David Knox at Grove Christian Center in Oklahoma.  These four pastors are now able to minister in four churches each.  That’s sixteen more churches in southwest Nepal – a simple act of giving that became something great. 

It was nine years ago when we made the decision to take care of four Nepali children.  The children’s home in Bhaktapur has maxed out at fourteen children.  I haven’t seen them in while, so I was very excited to be able to spend an evening with them.  We had dinner on the roof of their home and played games.  All fourteen kids are doing well.  They are all ministering in the Church and community, and they have influence in their school.  Who knows how the Lord is going to further use these kids to affect Nepal – a simple act of caring that became something great.

It was because of the success of the children’s home in Bhaktapur that we bought eight acres of land in West Nepal to build an entire village for children.  Once the village is complete, we will be able to care for an additional 100 kids.  Most of the time from our trip was spent in meetings with a team of engineers to help us design the buildings and layout for the children’s village, but I will let Mom tell you more about that in the CompassionAsia newsletter.  Even in the sweltering heat, it was a thrill to be standing in the middle of that rice field as we dreamed of what could be, and now I anticipate that a simple act of dreaming may one day become something great.

Thank you for connecting with us in support and prayer.  Do not look down on the small things you do for the Kingdom of God, but trust Him to multiply your efforts into something great.

Shane