August 13, 2007
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The first debriefing after the Nepal Project
Yesterday night was the first time for those of us who came back to Boston to gather together and debrief with each other. This get together was the first chance for our team to share, open up to each other, and communicate to each other our feelings, lessons, and insights from being in Nepal all that time. I know personally I desperately needed that time to just share with people who were there with me, who could help each other process all that we’ve seen, felt, and heard in Nepal.
It’s been an interesting experience after coming back from this trip. When we showed up at Mosaic the day after we came back, naturally people wanted to know how was our trip to Nepal, that’s totally expected. The only problem is how do you sum up an experience like Nepal, in which one has gone from great heights of joy and laughter to sorrow, loneliness, and pain? How does one capsulate that in a 5 second blurb and still honor it? Saying catch phrases like “It was amazing!” or “Beyond words!” really feel so small, so inadequate.
What usually ended up happening was all of us, including myself, were sharing the stories and pictures that brought a lot of joy during our time there. We brought up things about Nepal that made us laugh deep inside and made us smile every time we thought about them. We brought up how we really missed the children there, the host family that took care of us. It is good for us to remember these things. We need to remember those memories.
It is simply a sign, though, that all of us are still processing and chewing over the harder stories to bring up. These stories will cause our hearts to fill with sadness, but they ultimately will lead us to seeking God’s wisdom. They’ll lead us in the search in becoming part of the God’s work in Nepal and what is required of us to see His justice, His mercy, His glory be enacted in that nation.
I deeply appreciated the fact that each and every person in the room that night clearly had a love for this nation. Even though we’re just beginning to count and categorize the problems that this nation faces; the challenge that the Church must arise to, I see hope. It is said that faith is the evidence of things unseen. As long as we honor Him by honoring the people of Nepal, I’m confident that His Spirit will continue to prepare the way. One day we will see the evidence of His work in Nepal, no matter how long it may take, we will see it.
