Flying next Saturday!

Only hours after my last blog post to you all, we had a call with the director of our school and the upshot is that 6 of us from the UK are flying out to Nepal to serve at KISC next Saturday (21st)!

I'm very excited to be going back and to be able to be "on the ground" in country, even though teaching will remain online for the time being. It will be so lovely to be able to reconnect with the community over there in person. Currently the school site is open for staff to operate from, just not for students, so it will be great to be able to teach from there and interact with my colleagues in person after being away for so long! There is also a brand new group of people moving into the Guesthouse (only 2 of my former housemates remain!) so it will be fun to spend time getting to know people from all over the world. There will be representatives from Nepal, Finland, South Korea, Uganda and the UK!

Much is still unknown about how things will pan out over the next few weeks, let alone the next few months, but this quote from Corrie Ten Boom has been looping around my mind whenever I think about the future. "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

Because I know God and I trust Him, and He knows the future, I do not need to be afraid of it. I pray that this encourages you too. I think that something interesting that has come out of the whole Covid situation is our sudden realisation that we don't know what the future looks like and our frailty as humanity and need for dependence on God and on one another. The truth is, we have never actually known what the future will hold, I think that I was just more under the illusion that I did, before Covid happened. I would happily make plans for weeks and months in advance without thinking anything of it, but now I am looking to God much more for every day and cautious about trying to make any concrete plans for the future!

And I am feeling very peaceful about everything, in spite of the flurry of extra things to get organised like online forms, visa in advance, PCR fit to fly test etc.

I have felt so blessed by your kindness and support. Here is a picture of me being sent out by Kings Church Wokingham. They have me a gift of a roll-out keyboard so I will have my very own keyboard that I can pack into my suitcase and take to Nepal!

And a meal shared with my small group from Holy Rood Stubbington, where I have had the privilege of getting to know and sharing life with people local to the area I have been staying over the last year.

And also an opportunity to share about the love of God at The Gate Reading last Sunday (see video clip below). I am looking forward to being sent out by them this Sunday!

So, as you can see, I am just super blessed to be part of many amazing communities! And the community at KISC really is second to none - people gathering who love Jesus from all over the world, all with a heart to serve in Nepal and input into the missional community. The reality is that because of KISC, families are facilitated to stay longer term and serve in many amazing ways in the cities and villages of Nepal because their children are receiving an excellent education at a Christian school that is accredited in the UK and in the USA.

Please pray for me over the next week in the run up to travelling and as we fly.

• That I will be able to simultaneously teach excellently and invest in my students (we have just completed Week 3 of the new school year) as well as getting organised to travel.

• For quality time with friends here.

• That everything would go smoothly with the PCR test on Thursday.

• For all six of us as we travel together and navigate the various Covid protocols.

• We fly at 10pm UK time on Saturday night, and arrive in the afternoon Nepal time on Sunday.

• For protection, rest, peace and joy!

• For the logistics of everything and for quarantine on the other side.

A couple of you have asked how you can financially bless me in this time, which is so appreciated as I do not receive a salary for teaching at KISC and the small allowance that I do receive is not accessible to me from the UK. My account details are:

Miss H L Stewart

11-08-62

00398628

Thank you to each of you for continuing to follow my blog, for encouraging me, for praying for me and for supporting me in so many ways.

With love

Hannah

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" Philippians 1:3-5