I received a text from Amanda Craft on a Friday afternoon in February asking me to lead this trip. I felt that this is what the Lord wanted me to do, but I am a straight-A, perfect attendance kind of student, so that was my only hindrance. Going on this trip would potentially mean that my perfect GPA would no longer be there. I heard the Lord ask, “What’s more important–  your GPA or the Great Commission?” Ouch.

Needless to say, five weeks later, I was on the trip.

This was my 12^th time out of the country. I’ve been to Peru five times, Mexico twice, The Bahamas twice, Spain, Zimbabwe, and Gibraltar. Traveling is not new territory to me. On this trip, however, I was responsible for handling communications and logistics between my team of 10 FUGE staffers, the staff in Kathmandu, the travel agency, and the LifeWay office. I’m a communications major, so this was great experience for me. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me a question within that five-week period, I would probably be able to buy LifeWay.

When we all arrived in the Atlanta airport, I knew this was going to be the trip of a lifetime. I loved my team already. After a plane ride that seemed like forever long, a very sore bottom, and extremely swollen feet, we arrived in Nepal.

Jet lag is a very real thing, so I don’t really remember the first day of our trip, but I do remember that the food was amazing. Kathmandu is a beautifully dark place. The people are captivating, but the spirituality, or lack thereof, is so hard to take in. Growing up in the buckle of the Bible belt, I have never been exposed to so many differing religions…Hinduism, Buddhism, and I’m sure there are others.

While we were on our trek, I think I prayed more than I ever have in my entire life. I prayed for my upcoming FUGE staff, my friends, my family, my legs, my future husband, and everyone in-between. We walked, and walked, and walked some more… 45 miles to be exact. I remember journaling one night while reading the book of Exodus and thinking, “Is this how Moses felt?! HOW CAN SOMEONE JUST WALK FOREVER?!” We only trekked for 6 days; the Israelites did it for 40 years. The trek was honestly so exhausting, but so worth it. The views were breathtaking… because of their beauty, yes, but also because at that altitude, it’s a little difficult to breathe.

On our descent from the top, I ate some kind of bad food. I threw up 13 times that day and still had to hike for 7 miles. I remember praying, “Jesus, if you came back right now, that would be great.” Obviously, Jesus did not come back that day, but He did carry me out of those mountains. My team was such a tangible representative of the gospel that day—from dividing up my supplies and carrying them, letting me sleep on their shoulders, holding my hand, and not being offended when I didn’t want to talk to anyone. The body of Christ really is a beautiful thing, y’all.

To sum it all up, I’ll leave you with 2 points:

1. The Great Commission is more important than your GPA. Or your job. Or your friends. It’s our calling and responsibility as a follower of Jesus, and when He tells us to go, you better get to stepping.
2. The Lord sustains. The power of the Holy Spirit will guide your steps (literally) & breathe life into your lungs.

 

Love,

cg

During late March and early April, eleven FUGE staffers were able to serve in Nepal as a part of our FUGE for Asia missions emphasis. Celia Grace who is serving as the Assistant Director at FUGE at Ridgecrest Conference Center this summer led the trip. CG recently completed her junior year of college at Lee University. The summer of 2017 will be her third summer serving with FUGE