Last weekend we had the joy of hosting Chris & Sam from our BMS Link Missionary family, the Drews. During our morning worship Chris shared a little about what it is like for the family living in Kathmandu, Nepal. He explained the difference in cultures, and we learned how the Nepali people drink from shared water bottles without allow the bottle to touch their lips – with some younger members trying it out, with mixed success.

Chris shared about the devastation suffered at the hands of the earthquake in 2015, with almost 9,000 people killed, 22,000 injured and 500,000 houses destroyed. A huge tragedy for the country, but if could have been so much worse. We were encouraged as he shared stories of God at work in people’s lives – both local Nepali people and in his own family.

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart & wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:13-14

At the end of his message, having shared a little about the church in Nepal & how it is the fastest growing in the world Chris shared some reflections for us as a local church, based on their experiences of the last year & how God has spoken to them.

“The local church is God’s primary agent for change in the world. You are it – and it doesn’t get any better than you! God is in charge – it’s His Church.” – Chris Drew

I was reminded again of Jesus’ call for us to ‘go & make disciples’ and His very clear statement that ‘He will build His Church’. Have we got our focus right?

Chris said that we should not be complacent about doing ‘the small things’ before sharing a story about the spread of the gospel & the planting of a network of local churches. When someone looked into why it had happened in that particular area, it was all as a result of one person praying. Someone needed healing, someone else prayed for them & God healed them. The person who had been healed was so overjoyed that they shared what God had done wherever they went.

We thank God for the Drew family & pray they would know His protection & blessings in equal measure as they return to Nepal to continue their work in His service.