the ganj.

"In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel." 1 Cor. 9:14

         this past week, i was in a small village called nepal ganj. nepal ganj is a 12 hour bus ride west of nepal. my team and i left early last saturday morning and arrived at the ganj that evening. nepal ganj is known as the hottest place in nepal. i might disagree. i think it might be the hottest place in the world...it was about 115 degrees almost the whole week we were there!
         we met with a missionary who lives there, named Autumn, who led our team that week. everyday we left our hotel at 8am and went to different churches in nepal ganj to teach the women of the church how to share the gospel through henna. we told them different stories from the Bible; such as the creation story, the bleeding woman, and Jesus feeds the five thousand, and drew the story on their hands with henna. the women at these different churches were mostly all believers. we taught them how to disciple women in their communities. having the henna on their hands is a great conversation-starter so we explained the significance of each story and how they can use these stories to ultimately share the message of the gospel. we shared this with over 70 women that week! we made sure they all understood and had a couple of them share with us the way they would to their hindu friends.
        the last day we were in nepal ganj, we went to a place called rescue. it's a restoration facility for women who have been sold into prostitution. we got to meet some of the girls who've been rescued and the women that work there. the girls in the facility were mostly nonbelievers. we got to share the story of the bleeding women with them and gradually shared the truth of the gospel. even though no one came to Christ that day, i'm continuously praying that the Lord would grow the seed we planted at rescue. please be praying for these women as well.

on our drive to nepal ganj. (this is for you, dad)

everyday we had about 20 women from the church

who came to learn about how to share the gospel

through henna.

the first woman i drew the creation henna on, while

explaining what each drawing means and the significance

of the character of God we see in the story of creation.

one morning we went to a zoo nearby called the jew. 

yeah, everything about it was hilarious.

playing duck, duck, goose with the beautiful children

at the orphanage we visited one afternoon.

of course i was in love with every single child at the

orphanage.

how can i forget...happy belated father's day to my 

favorite man in the world. forever i love you, dad.

     this past week was food to my soul. nepal ganj is not the easiest place to be in. however, the times i spent in the small church rooms, cramped with over 20 women everyday, learning more about Jesus, will forever be in my heart. the presence of Jesus was undeniable. the way these christian nepali women hunger for more of Jesus and their eagerness to tell their hindu friends, was so incredible to watch. 

     going to nepal ganj was so humbling. the Lord has been showing me the importance of preaching the gospel to myself daily, because i need it. being in a hard place like nepal, there's a tendency to sometimes make things about myself. He's continuously teaching me to depend on Him alone.

     things might have been hard in the ganj, but the more i lean on Jesus, the more He's revealing to me who He really is: infinitely satisfying. the more i fix my eyes on my Savior, the more joy i find in working with Him for the fulfillment of his eternal plans.

-milcah

"Many of us can not reach the mission fields on our feet, but we can reach them on our knees." 

                                                                                                          -T.J.Bach

   

namaste.

        hello from kathmandu! i left the U.S. exactly a week from today. my travel to nepal went so smoothly...thank you for your prayers. a lady who sat by me on my flight from New York to London was actually a nepali woman on her way to kathmandu as well. how awesome is that? so i got to hang out with her all the way to the kathmandu airport. i'm so thankful for the time i got to spend with her.
        the past couple of days in nepal have been really good but definitely hard and challenging in so many ways already. kathmandu is one of the busiest places i've ever been to. there are so many people on the streets...it can definitely be overwhelming at times. candace, anna grace and i live in a small apartment called apple pie! even though i like the name of the place, we've had so many problems... such as bed bugs, for example, that we've switched rooms three times already. but since we still have bed bugs in our room, we're moving into another guest house next week.
        last saturday, i got to go to a nepali church with one of our field partners, sanga, and her 12 adopted children. (the nepali Christians go to church on saturdays). although the church service was over 3 hours long, i was so encouraged watching the Christian nepalis worship the Lord in their language. from the kids, to the adults, the glory of God was clearly radiating through His precious children. after church, i spent the whole day with sanga and her children. it was the sweetest time i've had in nepal so far.
        on sunday, i went to an international church filled with people from all over the world. it was a great time of fellowship and prayer for the people of nepal. that afternoon, i learned how to draw henna on women and share the gospel while doing it. there's an American girl named holly who lives right beside us and is one of the girls who's leading our trip. on sunday afternoons, she invites nepali women to come to her house and then she tells them about Jesus by telling them a story from the Bible. afterwards, she paints henna on their hands and explains more about who Jesus is and the reason for our faith. it's amazing. i absolutely love sunday afternoons with the women.
       the last couple of days, i've spent much of my time with sanga touring the city, going to two of the largest hindu temples and prayer walking everywhere we go. yesterday, i taught 6th and 7th grade boys and girls about david and goliath. i let them act it out afterwards and we all just had such a great time.

My favorite kind of transportation.

One of my favorite boys at the  Christian nepali church.

Telling the story of the woman who

washed Jesus' feet while drawing henna on their

hands.

Just lovin on some of the precious kids that 

play outside my apartment.

The monkey temple, one of the Hindu temples

we visited. 

Anna Grace and I on top of the monkey temple.

The 6th and 7th graders I had the privilege of 

meeting and teaching God's Word.

            i am so thankful for the opportunity i've been given to come and spend my summer in nepal. this is truly one of the hardest places i've ever been to...but i wouldn't want to be anywhere else. my heart is so heavy as i watch men and women and children bow down to idols and go to temples to become "righteous." there is so much darkness here and i can feel it all around me. there are countless of people who are blind to the truth. so many people who don't know the one true God. so many people who are going to be forever separated from God and are on their way to eternal damnation if they don't come to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. being here and watching this is so hard. harder than i can put into words. my living situation and the lifestyle here doesn't make things easier but at the end of the day, i really don't care about my comfort. i am more concerned about these people's salvation and their eternity. please, please be praying for this nation. beg the Lord to make Himself known and to reveal to His people their desperate need for Him alone. 

-milcah

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for." 
                                                                                                                        Charles Spurgeon
  
    

nepal bound.

          Tomorrow will be the day i leave for Nepal. for those of you who didn't know, i was supposed to fly out last week. however, things didn't go the way I had hoped. actually, mostly everything about this trip has been the complete opposite of how I had thought it would be. praise the Lord i'm not in control of my life!
          A week before we were supposed to leave last week, one of my team member's (Kacey) mom was admitted to the ICU for liver failure. So she decided not to go. And then I came to find out that my passport wasn't going to come in time for me to fly out with the rest of my team, Candace and Anna Grace. so Candace and Anna Grace flew last week but i stayed behind waiting on my passport. thankfully, my passport came in a couple of days later. the church booked me another flight for tomorrow from Atlanta. i'll be flying from ATL to New York City, to London, to Bahrain, then finally to Kathmandu. It's a little over 42 hours of flight with layovers included...which is about 10 hours less than Thailand last summer, so Praise Him!!
         The other fun part is that i get to fly to Nepal all by myself. i'm definitely both excited and nervous. but then i remember the promises of my Savior...to be with me to the end of the age and i'm reassured that i have absolutely nothing to fear. at the end of the day i know my goal for the summer and that's to serve and love the people of Nepal, to be a witness for Christ, and to fearlessly proclaim His name, all for His glory.
        Thank you so much for your continuous prayers and support. please be praying for my travel tomorrow and that i would even meet people in the airport that i can share the gospel to! i will arrive in Nepal early Friday morning!

until then...

-milcah

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." -Psalm 67:1-2

greater things have yet to come.

We are a chosen generation, rise up holy nation, God we live for You. You have called us out of darkness, into light so glorious, God we live for You.


"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Cor. 1:26-31

i am finally home. after getting back to the states last thursday night, my team and i headed down to florida to report about our journey to beach project. after spending the weekend there, we all parted to go home. it is definitely bittersweet being back. as much as i've loved getting to see my sweet family and friends, i still wish i was in thailand longer. i almost feel like i don't belong here because of how different everything has been and will be. however, as i sit and meditate on the wonderful works of our Lord, i get excited thinking about this year and applying everything i've learned this summer in my daily life.

the Lord has blown me away this summer. i can sit and talk with each of you for hours about everything He's taught me. i wish everyone could have experienced what my team and i have experienced. i expected to learn more about evangelism before this summer and i have...but i never thought i would be able to discover myself and most importantly God in the way i have. i think i went on this trip thinking i knew what i needed to know about myself and about God. i quickly found out i was completely wrong as the Lord rocked my world by showing me the depth of my sin. i realized that i was worse than i ever thought i was. i was able to see sin in my life i didn't think existed...pride being the root of it all. however, the Lord didn't stop there. in the midst of my sin, he showed me the beauty of the Cross. he broke me so he could revive me. he stripped me of my comfort so he could show me how much i really needed him. through this emptiness, i was able to taste the grace of God in a way i've never before. His grace became sufficient. it became abundant. and through it, i was able to find eternal comfort and hope and every good thing i've been given by my Savior.

my chains are gone
i've been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
and like a flood His mercy reigns
unending love, amazing grace.


i also began understanding that i can't ask the Lord to make me more like Him half-heartedly. i can't let go of the things that are easy to let go of and hold onto the ones that are hard. i need to give Him my everything and beg Him whole-heartedly to mold me into His image. and in that moment, i was able to discover the freedom that i'm meant to live in daily. if i surrender every aspect of my life to Him, i'm left with nothing but freedom. His freedom. this is what my God desires for me...to live my life completely surrendered to Him so i can enjoy the gift of life in the beauty of His freedom.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Cor. 3:17


thailand and the people i've met there will forever be in my heart. living in the midst of a lost world has put into reality the greater need that's found outside the U.S. there are people who've never heard of the name of Jesus before and who don't know the good news that ultimately brings everlasting joy. i've realized even more now the responsibility i have as a believer to go and make disciples of all nations. it's not about what i can do or say but the willingness to give God to use me in any way for His Kingdom. it's been so encouraging to see that the Lord is moving in thailand. He's still present even in the midst of those who don't know Him. He's raising up leaders and opening doors to make Himself known. the Christian thai's are a prime example. observing their lives this summer has reflected Christ to me and has challenged me to live my life the same way. they have inspired me and encouraged me to give up everything i am for the sake of the gospel. they've exemplified humility to me in a way that's going to be impossible to forget. God is moving. please continue to pray for the people of thailand...Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city. 


although this part of my journey is over, i still plan on blogging about the next chapter of my life. thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers and support. the Lord is so good to me to have brought you all in my life. there's no way i could've been able to experience these unforgettable two months without you all. i'm praying that through my journey the Lord has given you a deeper understanding of His love for you. i hope He has drawn you closer to Him and given you a desire for more of Him each day. i hope you're encouraged to make Him the supreme passion of your life as you learn to love and imitate Him in your everyday walk.

 

                                     the most amazing team i've ever known. i'm so thankful.

Jesus Christ's kingship will not crush you. He was crushed for you. He followed his thread to the cross so you can follow yours into his arms. -Tim Keller

-milc

my heart will sing no other name, Jesus.

i leave to go home a week from today. it's almost surreal to sit and think about how fast the last weeks have gone by. as i was reflecting over my summer yesterday, i got overwhelmed thinking about how much the Lord has showed me being here. these past two months have been the most challenging yet most incredible months of my life. the Lord has transformed my heart in more ways than one and for this, my heart greatly rejoices in Him.

a couple of weeks ago, our team had the privilege of going to an orphanage where we got to spend some unforgettable time with the precious kids. 

"Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Mark 10:14-16

the past couple of weeks for me has consisted of spending time with the freshman girls. they had what's called "freshy games," which is a competition between each faculty in different types of sports and activities. it was so much fun to be a part of it.

4th of July weekend was a relaxing time with my team as we spent the weekend going swimming and spending the night at a fancy hotel, the Pullman. this weekend was definitely needed and was a great way of rejuvenating. 

as i look back at my summer so far, my heart can't help but overflow with thankfulness. the Lord has been so good to me. His constant love and abundant grace has brought a whole new meaning to my life. being in the midst of a lost world has helped me revaluate my life and the things that are most important to me. i've been realizing more and more each day how important it is for me to constantly be rooted in the Word. i've realized my need for the Lord every second of my life. i've seen how easy it is for me to be swayed by the things of this world and fall so easily to the temptations i'm faced with. i've been learning to dig in the Word everyday as well as treasure His Word for it's the most valuable treasure i'll ever have. what a blessing it is to freely go to my King whenever i want to. also, being around people who have the same heart for the Lord has only encouraged me continually give up everything i am for the sake of the gospel. afterall, there's nothing good in me except Jesus. it's not about what i've done or will ever do but only because of what Jesus chosen to do for me. my heart longs to be more like my Saviors' for in Him, i have everything i'll ever need. 

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." 

Matt. 16:24-25

-milc

be still.

"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens-what can you do? They are deeper then the depths of the grave-what can you know? Their measure is longer than than the earth and wider than the sea." Job 11:7-9

as i sit in the nearby coffee shop writing this, i can't help but stand in complete awe of the God i serve. He continues to blow me away by how mysteriously and wonderfully He works all things for His glory. today was a clear indication of His sovereignty and how absolutely perfect His timing is.

i experienced the sweetest moment of my life today as i witnessed a girl (Markii) my ministry partner and i had hung out with once before, came to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior. i wish everyone could have seen every detail of what happened today to know how it was all beautifully orchestrated by God alone. it was a normal day at lunch when Markii came to sit with Aw (my ministry partner) and i. i asked her about her weekend and she opened up about family problems and her own struggles. that's all it took. i proceeded to ask her questions about how she dealt with hardships in her life. she responded by saying that she doesn't feel anything anymore, no emotion, so she distracts herself by listening to music or watching movies to deal with problems. i went on to tell her that even though i can't understand her situation, i get through the good and the bad things in my life by embracing to the only hope i have in Jesus. she went on to tell us that she went to church last week for the first time and it was there that she felt something warm in her heart for the first time. Aw and i looked at each other and we were both thinking the same thing..."It's time to pump the Gospel." afterwards, Aw shared her testimony with her and told her why she became a Christian. Markii kept asking questions about sin, heaven, hell, prayer, the Christian life, and so much more. we answered her questions and used visual diagrams to explain some things. after talking to her for a while, Aw turned to me and said, "Ok. She says she's ready to become a Christian." with my mouth wide open and tears streaming down my face, i held her hands tightly as we got ready to pray. Markii repeated a prayer after Aw as i sat there completely still before the Lord, so amazed at His wondrous work. after we prayed, Markii, with tears in her eyes said, "I felt Jesus." she said she had felt like the Lord had been preparing her for this moment since she was a little girl. she always felt like God was drawing her to Himself but she never found anyone to tell her what that meant. she said she got out of class early today, which was very unusual and although she had already eaten, she felt something leading her to go back to the cafeteria. and when she saw us, she knew she was supposed to sit with us. Aw and i couldn't say anything, we couldn't do anything...except be still.

that moment, with the three of us sitting together, holding hands and praising Jesus for our new sister in Christ, was unlike anything i've ever experienced. words can not describe how it was all God. He'd been preparing His daughter since she was a little girl and in His perfect timing, He brought her to Him. i can only imagine what heaven looks like right now as i'm sure the angels are rejoicing over a new saved soul. i praise Him for restoring Markii's life, freeing her from the captives of darkness to His marvelous light, and writing her name in the Book of Life.

Praise His name for He is the only one worthy of all the glory.

                                                                me, markii, and aw

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Isaiah 46:10

-milc

walk by faith.

today is a special day. my beautiful thai ministry partner, Aw, was born today. aw is one of the most amazing people i've ever met. before coming to thailand, i had been praying for my partner and that God would place me with someone who would inspire me to be more like Him. i'm so thankful that the Lord has answered my prayer. aw's life is a beautiful reflection of God's faithfulness. the way she lives her life completely surrendering every aspect of her life to Jesus is something i'm constantly blown away by. i appreciate how open she's been with me about her deepest desires, her struggles, her weaknesses and so much more. but through these conversations, her trust in the Lord has been clearly displayed to me. after accepting Christ as her Lord and Savior three years ago, she spends her time discipling those younger than her and committing her life to telling others about the infinite love she has found in Jesus. one of the many lessons i have learned from aw is what it means to walk by faith. her contentment in the Lord is evident through her smile and even more through her lifestyle. because of this satisfaction in the Lord, she has the kind of faith that's very rare to find. she encourages me to always trust. just trust...that God loves me enough to work everything for my good. she not only says it to me but exemplifies it through her way of life. there's never a day when i don't find myself amazed at the way she applies her love for the Lord through her actions. it's refreshing to be around someone like her and every time i'm with her, i'm inspired to be better.

                                       

                                                             aw with her sweet dad.

                                                       aw and her disciple P(ms.) Rung.

thank you for being you, aw. you're a sweet blessing to me. so thankful you were born today. i love you very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

-milc