Mission in Nepal, Bangladesh and Singapore
Vassula’s visit of December 2008
As many readers of True Life in God will be aware, and for those of you reading who are not so aware, Vassula requests someone to accompany her on any witnessing mission that she undertakes. This was instructed by Jesus in 1996, as Vassula explains in her footnote of the message of December 24th 1996, “this came like a command” when Jesus said to her, “You are not to go on your own” meaning not to travel alone on the missions to which she gives her yes to do.
I write this as a witness as I believe it to be important to understand, as it is a huge privilege to be asked to accompany Vassula when doing the Lord’s work. I write therefore asking pardon from any reader in the lateness of this report, as in undertaking the opportunity to travel with her in December 2008 to Nepal, a country that she had never witnessed in before, I have neglected to share with the world until now, the wonderful visit that took place. I write now and wish to share the Goodness of God’s work and Love in our time that I experienced and witnessed as a result of Vassula’s visit there. Furthermore with the lapse of time, there is very strong evidence of fruit yielded as a result of this witnessing, photos of which can be shared, as a fruit, with you too.
In the beginning…..
When I was in my kitchen in Scotland one Saturday afternoon in October 2008, chatting to Vassula on the phone, as I do now and then, I didn’t think for one minute that I would come off the phone as if I were dancing on air. The reason?…towards the end of the conversation, she told me that she had been invited to witness in Nepal, for the first time and may well tie in other countries in Asia as part of the same trip, and was thinking to ask if I would be able to accompany her. I was so surprised and yet ecstatic at the thought, on two accounts really. The main one being that to travel and participate with Vassula on one of her missions is for me a great grace as it allows for the opportunity to watch and learn as she shares the messages of True Life in God around the globe; but also to be with Vassula and share the friendship that she has given me, and that we share, and to experience that on familiar “stomping ground”, as I used to work and live in Bangladesh and every now and then would travel to Nepal as it is very nearby.
The next couple of weeks planning saw a programme being pulled together that would also include a brief visit to Bangladesh, as Vassula felt that she wanted to see how the Beth Myriam is developing there, given that it is now 9 years old, having been opened in December 1999. The initial invitation was however from Nepal and all preparations were around this. Imagine the added bonus of hearing that following the mission visit to Nepal, we would end the journey in Singapore, as Vassula’s husband had kindly offered her this part of the trip as a Christmas present, knowing that Vassula could visit her younger son, Fabian, who resides there at this special time. Being so close, i.e. a couple of hours away, and not having been able to see her son would have been hard for her, so it was with wonderful generosity that Per, her husband, suggested this and allowed me to accompany her.
Only two weeks before the trip was to commence, the usual tribulations manifested. There was communication from the organisers in Nepal that the meeting scheduled could no longer go ahead partly because of some opposition that threatened to sabotage any attempt to allow people in Nepal to come and hear Vassula speak and also because of lack of resources, mainly with regards to books being available for the people.
The importance of the books, messages of True Life in God, being available at every witnessing cannot be stressed enough as Vassula can only give the equivalent of an “hor’s d’oevres” in relation to the banquet of love and wisdom contained in the messages that the Lord gives to this generation in these days. People become hungry after this taste and need to be able to access the message in book or audio visual format.
True life in God, however, is not merely the title of the books of messages for this generation, but as Jesus explains in the messages, “”True Life in God” means to dwell in the love of God and in God.
God’s aim is to draw everyone towards Him, to Himself and in Him. The soul cannot live without God, but it takes its life from God. “Come and I shall show you, if you are willing what “True life in God” means. I tell you solemnly, that anyone who lives in love, lives in Me, your God, and I live in him.”
The organisers in Nepal were suggesting that the mission trip be cancelled and in true style with a spirit of fortitude, Vassula replied that the trip will and would go ahead and that the organisers were to continue with their plans and that the people would come…which, is exactly what happened, again proving to me, and I hope to others that nothing can stop this great work of God’s although we will always be sent trials.
Books were arranged to be sent from India and although in Hindi language, could be accessed by many Nepalese, as you will understand from the description of the country of Nepal below.
Nepali (official) & 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects. Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali is related to the Indian language, Hindi, and is spoken by about 90 percent of the population in either native or second language fluency. Many Nepalese in government and business also speak English.
We had departed from Dhaka in Bangladesh just after mid day on 11th December 2008, as Vassula had wished to make a brief stop over trip to visit the Beth Myriam there which continues to sustain itself and grow from strength to strength.
She met with Duleep and the Muslim Imam, who she considers a true friend and she also spent a short while visiting the Venerable Suddananda Mahathero at the Buddhist Monastery in Dhaka where we were invited to a most wonderful lunch and hospitality. It is beautiful to see the love and friendship that the venerable has and demonstrates towards his “sister” Vassula, and for me I can see why they embrace the messages of love contained in True Life in God as readily as they do as I witness them living this love.
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The country of Nepal
Nepal is landlocked and a strategic location between India and Chinese-occupied Tibet. It has extremely diverse terrain ranging from fertile plains and broad valleys to containing eight of the world’s ten highest peaks.
It is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 40% of GDP. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower and tourism.
More recently, however, political instability-five different governments over the past few years-has hampered Kathmandu’s ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest.
Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors remain poor due to the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
The people of Nepal
The population is 23,200,000 (2001 census) Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharus in the southern Terai region. The Indo-Nepalese migrated from India and are ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups, which account for nearly 80% of the population. The Tibeto-Nepalese account for the remainder and trace their origins to central Asia and Tibet, including the Gurungs, Magars and Tamang in the west, Rais and Limbus in the east, and Sherpas and Bhotias in the north
Religion: 90% Hindu (official state religion) 5% Buddhist, 3% Muslim, 2% Other (Christian, indigenous & animistic practices) While Nepal is the only Hindu country in the world, Hinduism has synthesized with Buddhism in Nepal. As a result, Buddhist and Hindu shrines and festivals are respected and celebrated by all.
Arriving In Nepal
Nepal has a climate that ranges from subtropical summers with mild winters in the southern lowlands to an alpine climate with cool summers as well as severe winters in the mountains.
When we arrived it was a beautiful December afternoon with brilliant sunshine, and a cold fresh “snow-breathed” nip in the air that breezed its way down from the surrounding Dragons teeth peaks of the surrounding Himalayan mountain range.
Vassula was greeted by the organising team and immediately drowned with an array of beautiful flowers and silken kerchief type scarves that is a tradition for people arriving and departing from Nepal.
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We were quickly transported to the hotel in Kathmandu where Vassula would stay and later in the afternoon, a familiar and very welcome face arrived at the hotel, that of Fr Stephen Rafael, Catholic Priest from Calcutta, who had agreed to be a Spiritual Companion on the trip in Nepal.
Fr Stephen was clad in woollens as he experienced the cold in a very strong way, coming from hot and humid West Bengal and he was the source of great smile and laughter as he sported a Nepalese woolly hat that covered his head and ears. Both Vassula and I had belly aching laughter at times when we saw him as we revelled in the great winter and warm sunshine and acknowledged and incongruence in the attire with the sunshine, although when the sun goes down in winter in Kathmandu, it is cold.
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The first evening was about meeting with prayer group members and organisers of the mission trip to Nepal, namely Christiane Plompen and Joseph Naraula who was to translate for Vassula at her meeting the following day.
Christiane had mentioned that the Bishop, Monsignor Anthony Sharma was unable to come to the meeting arranged for the clergy, from the respective churches in Nepal, the following day so Vassula suggested that she go to him and asked if Christiane could lead the way to his house. We duly left and once we located his humble residence, which was without heat and power due to the daily load shedding that takes place, Vassula had an extremely warm and comfortable reception from a the Bishop who was empathic and openly discussed the state of the church in its political context in Nepal and generally about living the Gospel and doing acts of faith so as to be witnesses to Christ in a country that is has both political and religious constraints due to some of the factors described in the paragraphs above about Nepal
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The following morning on 12th December, following a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast we welcomed another beautiful dry crisp fresh morning in the Nepalese capital.
Christiane, Carolyn and others form the prayer group had arranged a short visit for Vassula to go to Patan Durbar Square in Kathmandu. This is the plaza opposite the old royal palace in the three main cities in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and. The square is filled with temples.
The prayer group members and organisers arranged this so that she could flavour the old buildings and stupas of the capital and experience the hustle and bustle of the narrow side streets busy with people’s daily lives and activity.
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Shortly after this at 11am, Vassula was taken to Assumption Church in Kathmandu, the only Catholic Church that there is, but itself a most splendid building and visually stands in keeping with the local architecture of the city.
The members of the clergy who arrived represented the Kathmandu Spiritual church, Parish Priest of the local Catholic Church, UCA news reporter, Protestant Nepali church, Baptist Church and some nuns from the Catholic Church and representation from the national human rights commission of Nepal.
Fr Stephen introduced Vassula at this meeting in which she described the approach of her Angel in 1985 and went through the explanation as to how her Angel Daniel prepared her for when God approached her. Vassula explained to the clergy that when this happened and she was allowed to experience seeing herself with God’s eyes, she felt like a leper when she saw herself and shared that this was the beginning of her purification. She continued to explain how this went on for about three years when she continued to doubt what was happening to her and said that she was kind of rejecting what was happening to her and yet she knew that she was being formed by God for the mission that was to be given to her.