The Journey Begins
On the last episode of Travel the Road:
After traveling half-way around the world, the missionaries arrived in Karachi, Pakistan, the starting point of their 18-month mission. Thirty hours of train and bus rides later, Tim, Will and Joe eventually found themselves in Peshawar, Pakistan. Their initial excitement of hitting the road was quickly tempered as they became fully immersed in the realities of 3rd world living. Pollution, poverty and deeply rooted traditions of the Muslim faith would meet them on every corner. The first several days they experienced a taste of what the locals endure for a lifetime. In many ways the dust storms, dark clouds and heavy rain they initially encountered in Pakistan mirrored the spiritual condition of the people they would later meet.
See a clip from the show: "The Journey"
Change of Plans
Once they arrived in Peshawar, the missionaries soon realized the need to be open to God's will. Following a time of prayer the night before, Tim recalled, "God put something in each of our hearts that we should not go to the Kalasha. We feel instead to go to Tibet and do work there. We're just going with what God has planned for us and we're going to try to accomplish that to the fullest". Tim summarized their future quite simply: "We'll go any direction, any place, anywhere, anytime". With this change of plans, the decision was made and they were off to Tibet.
See a clip from the show: "Change of Plans"
The Challenges of Traveling the Road
From the beginning, the missionaries learned key lessons that would serve them well during their travels. As strangers in foreign lands, they came to realize ministry opportunities do not fall into one's lap. Rather, opportunities to share Christ are birthed out of obedience to God's will, which calls for perseverance and patience. Another lesson was the need for finding a good interpreter. Tim spoke of the frustrations of traveling the road without an interpreter: "One problem we did encounter in Tibet was finding an interpreter. All our spirits are alive. We're ready to start doing some work in the Himalayas, on the plains, wherever God may take us; we're ready to go there and start doing something". Without an interpreter, however, it was impossible to minister to the people, who were very devoted to what they believed in yet open to hearing the truth.
See a clip from the show: "The Challenge"
Miracle Working Power
Upon arriving in Lahatze, China, the missionaries received some powerful news. Here they met a Dutch couple who relayed the healing power of God from earlier in their mission. In Tibet, Tim and Joe had prayed for a Korean girl deathly ill with altitude sickness. Tim said, "As we laid our hands on her, she reacted in a way that she knew something was there, that there was a presence. We had the victory in our hearts that she got her healing". It would be days later when they met the Dutch couple, who confirmed the good news stating, "Before we left we visited the Korean girl in the hospital. The doctor said that there were two Americans inside praying for the girl. And when we came in the evening it seems she was looking really good, much better than in the morning. She was talking and very happy; the day before she was unable to speak and in a pretty bad way. Something happened". Unbeknownst to their unbelieving Dutch friends, the missionaries recognized the power of God and that He had responded to their fervent prayers. This was a humbling yet joyous occasion. They praised God for the report and pressed on.
See a clip from the show: "The Miracle"
A Spiritual Breakthrough through God's Provision
After hearing of the Korean's girl's healing, the missionaries met up with a Pastor (named Ezekial), who leads a church of 250 in the jungle of Nepal. This was the moment they had been waiting for, as God provided an interpreter and the opportunity to minister to the locals. Joe preached to the unreached and reflected on their challenges and God's leading during the first few months as they traveled the road. God's new direction for their mission and His provision increased their faith as the missionaries prepared to move on to the next stop on their journey, Ethiopia.