Chitwan: I Hope We See a Tiger

Let me take you back to the summer of 2018. Lisa and I traveled through Dubai to Nepal for the first time, accompanied by three fellow members of my former church, Redeemer Fellowship Church. The trip was in response to an invitation from Dan Pokharel, the Nepali founder of Global Mission Nepal, a church-planting ministry. Dan and I were doctoral students together at Southern Seminary. He often wrote his papers about Nepal, and through them, I came to witness the incredible stories of God’s power in that nation. Over the past few decades, it has felt as though the Book of Acts is being reenacted in Nepal—and Pastor Dan has been at the center of it.

Dan had encouraged me to come and see God’s work firsthand. So we left Evansville and flew to Dubai’s stunning international airport. What we didn’t realize, however, was that our connection to Kathmandu on FlyDubai departed from their regional terminal—a far cry from the luxury of the main terminal and located miles away. To make matters worse, we had a grueling 12-hour layover. After a short visit into the city, we returned to the terminal and waited uncomfortably to board our flight.

This regional terminal was set up with gates on one end and duty-free shops and food options in the middle and on the far side—creating a circular path to walk. The gate seating felt like it had been imported from a Soviet-era airport somewhere in Central Asia: old, hard, and completely unforgiving. Rest was impossible.

Six years later, we returned once again to that dreaded Terminal 2, en route to Kathmandu. The flight was uneventful as we flew over India, but you always know you're getting close to Nepal when the majestic Himalayan Mountains come into view—partially veiled beneath a thick layer of polluted haze.

Kathmandu sits in a valley that traps pollution from surrounding countries. The air quality is poor—one of the worst I’ve experienced. Still, there was an eagerness in our hearts as we landed. Our hotel had arranged an airport pickup, and on the ride to Hotel Vivanta, we shared the gospel with a young hotel employee. In Nepal, Christians greet each other with Jaymasi, meaning “Praise the Messiah.” I asked her if she knew the word. She didn’t, so we began to speak with her about Christ. She mentioned having a Christian friend, and we encouraged her to talk with them and explore more about Jesus.

That approach—simply asking about Jaymasi—opened several gospel conversations throughout our time in Nepal.

Lisa and I stayed in Kathmandu for a night before catching a Buddha Air flight to Bharatpur, a city west of the capital. The plane was a small, twin-propeller aircraft that carried us into the heart of Nepal’s jungle. We were picked up at the tiny airport by Sankar, a brother in Christ, who drove us to Chitwan to meet Pastor Dan.

Though Dan and I had been friends for years, this was my first time visiting Nepal with him. We arrived at his cousin’s house and were introduced to a beautiful ministry led by a woman named Kalyana. Her mission is to rescue Nepali girls being trafficked to India. The ministry teaches them life skills like sewing and cooking while grounding them in the Word of God. We spent time with these girls and celebrated God's love for them through the work of the gospel.

We also met a new friend, Supriya, whose father was a childhood friend of Pastor Dan. She joined us on several excursions in Chitwan. Supriya is not a Christian, so we had the privilege of sharing about Jesus and answering her questions. We deeply enjoyed our time with her.

One of our most memorable experiences was a jungle safari. Supriya, Sankar, Lisa, and I climbed aboard elephants and ventured deep into the jungles of Chitwan. To our amazement, we spotted wild, one-horned rhinos roaming freely. Supriya had hoped we would see a tiger—Chitwan is home to Bengal tigers, and yes, they’ve been known to kill people. Thankfully—or perhaps regrettably—we didn’t encounter one.

The next day would be filled with ministry opportunities, which I’ll share in the next entry. For now, please pray for Kalyana’s ministry. Every year, more girls are trafficked into India and exploited. May God continue using this work to rescue these girls from physical harm and bring them to the hope found only in Jesus Christ.