Into All The World

Eleventh Hour Laborers
Jun 10, 2016
5 min read

Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Greetings to you in Jesus name. I want to extend to you a hearty Namaste from the regions of the mighty Himalayas and from the home of the majestic Mount Everest. In the providence of God our humble work has carried us to a new and distant field only a few hours to the north of India. The country of Nepal until a few years ago was the world’s only Hindu State. But, in the providence of God a small door was opened recently for the promulgation of the Gospel after many years of instability and political turmoil between the Maoist, and the Marxist parties. We received an invitation to assist the few struggling Adventist companies still alive in Nepal so time ago and by God’s grace we graciously accepted the call. Our believers are mostly housed in mountains away from the cities and remote villages. Some even requiring as much as 2 days hiking through the mountains to access them. Due to this fact and the fact that we were not able to raise sufficient funds to travel as a family this year we thought it best if I advance forward alone without the family at this time. As one might imagine, it is quite difficult to be in a new country with its culture, people, language and food etc. But to be by myself amidst these challenges is a whole new dynamic to me. It is especially hard as I have never spent any considerable time away from my son since he was born 11 years ago or from my wife in our 13 years of marriage. God has nevertheless been gracious to us and has given us the grace to maintain our respective duties while we are apart. As a family we claim the promises of God that such sacrifices will not go unrewarded in the courts of heaven. At certain times in the Christian journey God requires sacrifice in order to sew the Gospel seeds into the regions beyond. Those who thus pledge themselves to labor for the Master at any cost will reap an abundant harvest that will not fail. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. With its ever rising inflation, daily strikes, massive power outages, lack of clean water and ever increasing contention between the Communists and Maoist Governments making it one of the more difficult countries on the planet to live in. Child labor is also an acceptable way of life in Nepal and one can daily see children some 8 or 9 years old working in restaurants as cooks, on buses as conductors, or in shops as general servants etc.

The majority of people in Nepal are of Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan descent. One can also expect to see small numbers of Indians, and East Asians also. Thus far I haven’t seen anyone who has as beautiful a sun tan as I possess. I struggle to find words to express some of the reactions that I have received from people here. The average person here in Nepal is barely 5’2”tall and about 120-130 lbs. One can only imagine their reaction when they come face to face with a 6’ 1” tall 230 giant. Couple that fact with the fact that I am also black and many people even in Kathmandu city, the Capital of Nepal have never seen a black person, why I believe in Nepal I am a mystery of nature and quite possibly one of the lost wonders of the World. The people’s responses have been quite colorful to say the least, if one can imagine everyone in a shop, car, and house or even people standing on the road pointing, whispering and staring, that is life in Nepal for me at the moment. I have even seen people grab their children closely to them as pass me by, or I saw the fear in the eyes of an old lady yesterday who locked eyes with me and proceeded to pass me very, very cautiously in an alleyway. Even some school children came to a stop directly in front of me on the sidewalk and were busy deliberating among them as to who would pass me 1st. I am learning to make light of my present predicament and I am taking my new found fame in stride. I am learning just to wave and say hello to those who are visibly confused at my being, but I think the mere fact that the dark giant can also speak only ads to their state of perplexity. Until a few years ago Nepal was the world’s only Hindu kingdom. It was only a few years ago that the monarchy system was dissolved after more than 240 plus years of existence. The country only recently moved from being a Hindu kingdom to a country governed by a secular system of government. This new system of government is one that offers religious freedom to all religions bodies and faiths. It would seem that throughout the world there is a consistent pattern of this trend repeating itself in various countries. Many countries that had certain political systems in place are now relaxing them and giving way to more secular or moderate forms of government. I think it is a direct fulfillment of Mat_24:14 that says: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Everyone must get a chance to hear the Gospel message before it can be a witness to all nations. That is why it is imperative that we seize the opportunities and quickly advance through the opened doors that God in His providence has opened for us around the world. By the help of God our work in India has expanded greatly and the Region that was once an un-reached, un-entered territory now boasts more than 24 Churches and Companies scattered throughout the Villupuram District with many trained lay pastors and bible workers. When we arrived there, there were only few companies of believers that were still meeting. Many of our Churches were empty on Sabbaths and the people were scattered, many as sheep without a shepherd. Our family moved to India in 2010 under most discouraging and forbidding circumstances not knowing what to expect. Feeling inadequate by a sense of the magnitude of the task of starting the Gospel work in a new place, we gave ourselves to prayer and working 6 days per week in the harsh living conditions of India. Today, our seeds of faith are now beginning to grow into small trees; God has blessed us to see that little truly becomes much when it is placed in the Master’s hand. Our work in India is still ongoing and we plan to physically return there in a few weeks. God has made it clear to us though that we should not center all of our resource in on place, but that we should continually enlarge and expand our territory until the whole world is reached for Christ.

We want to thank you for your prayers in behalf of our humble ministry and we want to ask you that you continually pray for us as we enlarge and advance our work into the regions beyond unto every nation, kindred tongue and people.

We are also happy to report to you that after many months of filing and processing, the 3 Going Forward Ministry is now an official 501-C3 Corporation recognized by the IRS. We can now provide you a tax deductible receipt for any size donation to our Ministry. Thank you so much for partnering with us as we seek to carry the Gospel to the world in this generation. May God bless and keep you in His loving care and may we daily work and live for the Master as He is soon to come. Maranatha. Gavin, Marion & Noah Simpson 3 Going Forward Ministries.