Upside Down Kingdom

(Catherine on right with a missionary friend in Nepal)

A couple years ago, while helping run an after-school program, my boss and I created a series for the kids called kingdom vs. empires. The theme was loosely based on a podcast we'd both listened to by one of my modern day heroes of the faith, Jamie Winship (you can find the podcast here). It was all about how the world tells us ways to live -- what kind of house we should live in, what we should strive to achieve, how we should treat people and better yet, how we should be treated. But God has another way. A way that says "if you want to find your life, lose it." If you enemy hits you on one cheek, give them your other one to slap too. This feels counter intuitive to our nature. If someone hurts us, shouldn't we want to hurt them too? If someone steals from us, shouldn't we want justice? But not with God. 

I want to share a little bit about one of my other heroes of the faith today who lives like this -- upside down. She doesn't consider the world her home or the place fo her to build her own empire.

When I first heard about Catherine, I was back in Nashville from Africa last summer and looking to start this home goods business. God kept putting Nepal on my heart, so I was praying regularly for the. nation and looking for people to connect with. I got connected to Catherine who had started a clothing business in Nepal to empower local women and also to encourage modesty within modern culture. She had a heart for using business as a means for mission and a deep desire to see the people of Nepal know Jesus . 

I did a deep dive on her instagram and was instantly provoked by her story. 

Nepal was new for her. Before this, she was living in New York City and working as a lawyer! I had so many questions. How can someone just give up their job which they worked so many years and hours of school work to walk the streets of Nepal and share the gospel? Her instagram showed videos of her dancing in the streets with her neighbor kids, laughing in freedom I've only ever known personally in relationship with Jesus. I was both provoked by her obedience and offended in my own flesh. 

She'd gotten rid of her apartment, sold her belongings, quit her job -- all to follow Jesus to the snow-topped Himalayan mountains. To follow him to the villages you can only reach through walking trodden paths, lighting small fires at night and relying on God for warmth and food.

I'm stirred by her faith. Because to leave the life she did couldn't have just been from obedience, it had to be out of love. To love something, and someone more than the life she'd been given. Catherine's faith is one of the biggest testimonies to me of the worthiness of Jesus. He's worth more than just going to church on Sundays or giving an offering to your local food pantry. He's worthy of everything. Catherine is one of the missionaries we support through our collections and it is an honor to partner with her. Last Christmas, she used the money we sent her from sales to purchase bibles for a village she'd been doing ministry in! It was a surprise for the local pastor in the area who'd been praying for exactly this. 

Our current collection still supports Catherine's ministry in Nepal. All proceeds from the products available supports both her and another missionary family serving the community in Northern India. May we all live a little more like Catherine -- knowing he is worth any and everything he asks for us to give up for the sake of the gospel.