God at work in Nepal

It has been a very full and productive two weeks. There have been lots of opportunities and challenges, yet through it all I can attest to God’s faithfulness.

The first wrinkle came even before I left home, while sitting in a restaurant having some “daddy” time with my kids. My cell phone rang, and the message was that the airline had cancelled both my outbound and return flights. This caused a dominoe effect, as three other flights on my return were affected by this cancellation. However, God was good and opened a way for my flights to be re-arranged, giving me an extra day here in Nepal. This, I came to realize yesterday, was of His design as it afforded me the opportunity to travel to eastern Nepal to visit an orphan project which may become a Kidstown supported home in the near future. Initially I had informed key leaders that I would not be able to make the trip due to schedule constraints, but with the cancellation of the flight, a window for a visit opened, and I am sincerely glad to have been able to go and see first-hand another place where God is at work.

Over the past two weeks God has given the opportunity to encourage Masaai church leaders in Tanzania, to visit, encourage, strengthen relationships, and develop infrastructure at six Kidstown-supported homes in Nepal, and to explore the possibility of sponsorship at three additional homes in western, central, and eastern Nepal. The schedule has been extremely full, the roads full of bumps and cows, the airplane rides almost more than one can count, and the food of great variety (I do like “daal bhat” & “chapati” for those of you who are familiar with Nepali cuisine!). But one constant was that in each place visited I was with family. When we have Christ, cultural and ethnic differences take a back seat. Christ is our common denominator and so we instantly know that we are with brothers and sisters in Christ.

God has blessed the Kidstown work here in Nepal. Nepal is a country which has struggled immensely in the past. For decades closed to missionary work, Nepal has now opened its doors, allowing a window of opportunity for the church to freely work. Orphanages have proven to be an effective ministry due to their compassionate nature. However, they also afford the opportunity for the leaders to share the Gospel with the kids, disciple them in their faith, and prepare them for a life of service to the Lord. In a country as needy and spiritually dark as Nepal, we must with fervor engage the opportunities God gives us. It may be only a matter of time, given the political volatility of the government, before the doors once again close to foreign mission involvement. What we do now is therefore of great importance.

For those of you who have a heart for Nepal and for seeing God’s Kingdom expand in this place, I encourage you to join one of our Kidstown teams to visit and to catch the vision of God at work in Nepal. Alvin Starkenburg and Mike Hollander, both part of the Kidstown leadership team and seasoned team leaders, are each planning to come to Nepal in 2012 (Mike in February, and Alvin in May). If you are interested in knowing more about either of these opportunities, please let me know. I assure you that you will leave Nepal a changed person. If you come with an open heart and mind, God will surely challenge you to get involved.

So, for all of you who have covered us with your prayers, I sincerely thank you. There have been times of testing, stress, health challenges, and even physical danger, but your prayers moved the hand of God and He faithfully protected us as we moved from place to place. Thank you for joining us in God’s work in Africa and Nepal. We do this work not for our sake, or for the sake of any organization, but simply for the sake of the advancement of His Kingdom.

God bless each one of you,

Matthew

Dr. Matthew Smith
Executive Director