Mountains and sparrows
Good morning! I am writing to you from my hammock on the rooftop. I can see the mountains in front of me and I can hear the sparrows behind me. I am grateful to be back in Kathmandu after a season of being in the UK with my family.
Yesterday morning I woke up to my bed shaking. An earthquake, 6.1 magnitude - no one has been reported to have died but a number of houses have been damaged and the fear and trauma are still very real (see the article below for more info).
This is a time of shaking! Physical shaking of the earth, economic shaking, political shaking, spiritual shaking, so much chaos and tragedy happening in the world.. as I have been spending time with God, I felt Him remind me that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. See Hebrews 12:27-29 - God will shake the heavens and the earth, removing what can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken may remain. But we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken! Hallelujah!
It amazes me how, so often, we live our lives totally oblivious to how fragile everything around us is. And suddenly, it's in these times when personal crisis, national crisis and global crisis hits that we realise that we are not as invincible as we thought we were, and how dependent we are on God for every moment.
But the mountains are still in front of me - snow-capped and glorious. I lift my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. And He will not let my foot slip. (Psalm 121:1-3)
Can you hear and see the sparrows in the avocado tree behind me?
If He cares for the sparrows, how much more does He care for me? And for you? See Matthew 10:29-31
He made the mountains and they display the glory of who He is in all of their wonder and vastness. And He made the sparrows, even though they are so small, He cares for them and they feel safe and at home with Him (see Psalm 84:3) And I am much bigger than a sparrow.. and much smaller than a mountain! So whatever happens in this life I know that because He is unshakeable, I can also be unshakeable, as I build my life on Him.
On Friday night I was out on the streets in one of the major tourist areas of the city, sitting with the broken. And at one point I had a puppy in one arm and a toddler in the other arm. Both so small and vulnerable.
As are we! So small and vulnerable and dependent on the God who made us and who sustains our every heartbeat and every breath. God is showing me how small I am and how great He is. How shakeable I would be without Him and how unshakeable He is.
KISC starts again next week, so I have this week to plan and connect with people here and just be! When I left my class at the end of August, there were 22 students. Then it grew to 24, and another 2 will be arriving shortly, putting it up to 26. Therefore the class will be splitting after the break and I will take half of them. Even within my new class of 13 students, they will still be from 8 different nations! A few new members of staff have also arrived in the time that I have been away, so I am looking forward to getting to know them. I love the vibrancy of KISC, how it's always changing, how free we are to pray and worship and how the nations continue to pour into this beautiful school, perched at the top of the world!
There are quite a number of staff positions to be filled.... could God be calling you or someone you know to join our amazing community here? Please spread the word!
Please pray for:
- My family in the UK
- The start of the new term coming up at KISC and the class splitting
- Staff, students and families connected with the school
- New staff that God is calling to come to KISC
- Those I interact with on the streets
- God's provision for me in all ways - spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially
If you feel called to support me as I sow into this nation, you can do so here:
Miss H L Stewart
Sort code: 11-08-62
Account number: 00398628
Or via my Stewardship account (Gift Aid can be reclaimed in this way)
Thank you once again for your continued kindness and support. I love the privilege of getting to take all of you along on this journey with me!
With love
Hannah
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