Yesterday, Jodi took me through Durbar Square here in Kathmandu. It's a place filled with Hindu shrines and temples - some of them hundreds of years old. It really made me mad. For hundreds of years, these people have worshiped and centered their lives around these worthless pieces of metal and stone, holes in the road - basically anything can be a god. And all the while God has been longing for them to know Him. It really gives a clearer picture of some of the places in the old testament where God tells people to turn from their worthless idols.
Today we leave the city and head for the mountains. We'll be taking two flights to get from Kathmandu to Humla district. I've been told it will be like going back 1000 years. And from the pictures I've seen I'll encounter the the most beautiful scenery I've every seen. We'll be traveling to several villages where Jodi is teaching women how to keep their children from dying of malnutrition. In these villages most people also have never heard of Jesus. We want to let God show Himself to them through us. Please pray for us during this time.
- Daryl
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
feeling the weight
Being back here and being able to share this experience with my husband has been incredible so far. I feel so grateful to be with the people here whom the Lord has given me a love for. I trust this is for a higher purpose and will have a lasting effect on the rest of our lives together.
It seems to happen often in my life, that when faced with a challenging task I struggle with feelings of feeling completely inadequate and ill-equipped. I feel that I may make terrible mistakes and people will see how truly unqualified I am. I know many people must feel this way about things they have to do that seem overwhelming and beyond what they are capable of and along with that, fearing the failure that comes with not being able to perform as needed.
The work to be done in Humla is what weighs on my mind; seemingly more than I can even hope to do. The thought of researching, training, evaluating and performing work with the ultimate goal(or second ultimate goal- the first being that Jesus is glorified and people come to know Him) of having enough food to eat, is a larger undertaking than I am able to do.
Before we left the States, friends prayed over us and one specifically prayed that God would protect our Hope(thanks Jes!). I realize that all of my hope needs to be in Christ and nothing else. If it is, tasks that seem daunting can be accomplished as we begin to realize that dependence on the Lord and His strength to work through us is essential. Phillipians 2:13 is a reminder of this: for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His pleasure.
Remembering that while I not feel adequate to do the work before me, the God we serve is more than capable of doing it and His strength works in me.
It seems to happen often in my life, that when faced with a challenging task I struggle with feelings of feeling completely inadequate and ill-equipped. I feel that I may make terrible mistakes and people will see how truly unqualified I am. I know many people must feel this way about things they have to do that seem overwhelming and beyond what they are capable of and along with that, fearing the failure that comes with not being able to perform as needed.
The work to be done in Humla is what weighs on my mind; seemingly more than I can even hope to do. The thought of researching, training, evaluating and performing work with the ultimate goal(or second ultimate goal- the first being that Jesus is glorified and people come to know Him) of having enough food to eat, is a larger undertaking than I am able to do.
Before we left the States, friends prayed over us and one specifically prayed that God would protect our Hope(thanks Jes!). I realize that all of my hope needs to be in Christ and nothing else. If it is, tasks that seem daunting can be accomplished as we begin to realize that dependence on the Lord and His strength to work through us is essential. Phillipians 2:13 is a reminder of this: for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His pleasure.
Remembering that while I not feel adequate to do the work before me, the God we serve is more than capable of doing it and His strength works in me.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
We made it
We made it from Muncie, IN to Kathmandu, Nepal. It only took 1.5 days and way too long of a stay in the New Delhi airport. But we actually had no complications in our travel, which doesn't seem right. We still feel a bit like we're in a daze, but hopefully after a few more hours of sleep, we'll be in touch with reality. The end.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Going to Nepal
For anyone who reads this blog, but isn't on our email list, here's a copy of an email we sent out about our trip to Nepal in the near future:
Hello family and friends,
You are receiving this email because we (Daryl and Jodi) thought you would want to know about our plans for spending time in Nepal shortly. Most of you have let God work through you to support one or both of us in our lives in the past and we really appreciate you. In case any of you don't know, we are now married - Daryl Winger and Jodi formerly Treese.
Jodi was in Nepal from October '06 to May '07, but in May, the extension of her visa that she hoped for didn't come through so she had to leave the country on 2 days' notice. So, she allowed the Lord to take her back to Muncie, Indiana and fall in love with her good friend Daryl. There has been need for Jodi to come back to Nepal to continue some of the work she had been doing with RIDS-Nepal (Rural Integrated Development Services) since she had left on such short notice. And now God has led us and blessed us with the opportunity to go back together - which also is an answer to Jodi's prayer not to have to go back alone.
We have some plans for our time in Nepal, but nothing is set in stone and we fully expect God to lead us into things we haven't planned on. Here are our tentative plans:
We leave here (Indiana) on April 15th and plan to get back on June 4th.
After getting to Kathmandu, Nepal and spending a few days recovering from travel and making arrangements for more travel, we plan to make our way to the remote Humla district, which is where RIDS-Nepal is working.
We will probably spend about 3 weeks in Humla - Jodi continuing to develop the nutrition program and to train others who live there to continue in the work. Daryl will be helping out in any way he can as well as supporting Jodi. RIDS-Nepal has several engineering projects, which I'm sure will interest me (Daryl) and Jodi is sure they will have work for Daryl to help out with.
When we get back to Kathmandu, we plan to visit the churches and ministries and people who have been dear to Jodi's heart and important in her life. They all want to meet Daryl and we're sure God will give opportunities for us to share about what God's doing with us.
As we follow God on this trip, we'd really like you to pray for us. Here are some specific things we'd like prayer for:
* Safety
- There's possibility of a change of government while we're there, which could mean violence.
- Travel within Nepal and to and from.
- Our health
* Discernment for what to do and how to minister without fear of the unknown or unfamiliar.
* Discernment about the future and the possibility of returning to Nepal for a longer time.
* Emotional and relational health
- Culture shock - for Daryl
- Keeping our relationship healthy
* Humility and the heart of Jesus to serve and love those we come in contact with (including each other)
* For Jesus to be known and worshiped by all Nepalis.
Just to be clear, we are not asking for any money. God has blessed us beyond what we expected with all the money we need through wedding gifts.
Thank you for caring and praying for us. You are a part of what God will do through us. If you'd like to keep up on us before and during our trip, we will be updating our blog - hopefully fairly often. Our blog is at http://darylandjodiinlove.blogspot.com . Also, feel free to email us if you want to know more or if God shows you something as you're praying that you want to share with us.
Also, if you'd like to check out RIDS-Nepal, they have a website too: www.RIDS-Nepal.org
Love,
Daryl and Jodi Winger
Hello family and friends,
You are receiving this email because we (Daryl and Jodi) thought you would want to know about our plans for spending time in Nepal shortly. Most of you have let God work through you to support one or both of us in our lives in the past and we really appreciate you. In case any of you don't know, we are now married - Daryl Winger and Jodi formerly Treese.
Jodi was in Nepal from October '06 to May '07, but in May, the extension of her visa that she hoped for didn't come through so she had to leave the country on 2 days' notice. So, she allowed the Lord to take her back to Muncie, Indiana and fall in love with her good friend Daryl. There has been need for Jodi to come back to Nepal to continue some of the work she had been doing with RIDS-Nepal (Rural Integrated Development Services) since she had left on such short notice. And now God has led us and blessed us with the opportunity to go back together - which also is an answer to Jodi's prayer not to have to go back alone.
We have some plans for our time in Nepal, but nothing is set in stone and we fully expect God to lead us into things we haven't planned on. Here are our tentative plans:
We leave here (Indiana) on April 15th and plan to get back on June 4th.
After getting to Kathmandu, Nepal and spending a few days recovering from travel and making arrangements for more travel, we plan to make our way to the remote Humla district, which is where RIDS-Nepal is working.
We will probably spend about 3 weeks in Humla - Jodi continuing to develop the nutrition program and to train others who live there to continue in the work. Daryl will be helping out in any way he can as well as supporting Jodi. RIDS-Nepal has several engineering projects, which I'm sure will interest me (Daryl) and Jodi is sure they will have work for Daryl to help out with.
When we get back to Kathmandu, we plan to visit the churches and ministries and people who have been dear to Jodi's heart and important in her life. They all want to meet Daryl and we're sure God will give opportunities for us to share about what God's doing with us.
As we follow God on this trip, we'd really like you to pray for us. Here are some specific things we'd like prayer for:
* Safety
- There's possibility of a change of government while we're there, which could mean violence.
- Travel within Nepal and to and from.
- Our health
* Discernment for what to do and how to minister without fear of the unknown or unfamiliar.
* Discernment about the future and the possibility of returning to Nepal for a longer time.
* Emotional and relational health
- Culture shock - for Daryl
- Keeping our relationship healthy
* Humility and the heart of Jesus to serve and love those we come in contact with (including each other)
* For Jesus to be known and worshiped by all Nepalis.
Just to be clear, we are not asking for any money. God has blessed us beyond what we expected with all the money we need through wedding gifts.
Thank you for caring and praying for us. You are a part of what God will do through us. If you'd like to keep up on us before and during our trip, we will be updating our blog - hopefully fairly often. Our blog is at http://darylandjodiinlove.blogspot.com . Also, feel free to email us if you want to know more or if God shows you something as you're praying that you want to share with us.
Also, if you'd like to check out RIDS-Nepal, they have a website too: www.RIDS-Nepal.org
Love,
Daryl and Jodi Winger
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