Trek Update!!

Wow--time is flying by for us! We are down to two weeks left here in Nepal! Some of you may know from our Facebook that we went on a trek last week.. It was one of our favorite things about outreach! Uriah and our friend Ezekiel planned and led an 8 day adventure from Kathmandu to probably the most breathtakingly beautiful place I have ever visited.. Kot Timal is a Village about 3 hours by bus east of Kathmandu. It was a really refreshing trip for us all. We hiked hard for 4 days, and rested hard for 2 days. Even just getting away from the noise and dust of Kathmandu was restful, and we got to have a lot of fun as a team just experiencing new things and seeing new places together. We felt so blessed to get this opportunity!

Some highlights from our trek:

-Hiking straight up a whole freaking mountain!!! (Phil. 4:13-my mantra! Proud that it wasn't cuss words like last time!)

-And hiking part way down.. That day was my favorite hiking day because we could enjoy the views and the hike since it was much easier and cooler. 

-Team bonding--no leaders, only students this time! And we got to know Atma and Ezekiel better! They were really great guides.

-Getting to spend time with a lot of Ezekiel's family, learning more of the Nepali and Tamang languages, laughing a lot, eating and praying together. 

-Experiencing village life with no running water and cooking over a fire.

-Sleeping above all the animals one night. And being woken up at all hours of the night by a rooster.

-Fresh chicken for dinner...

-Visiting an organic farm and eating fresh papaya.

-The day we washed our hair and bathed..the men built us a shower so we could have a little privacy. :)

-Uriah and Ezekiel almost got ran off a narrow path by raging bulls! They jumped up the mountain quickly and Uriah just grabbed what he could--which happened to be a thorn bush! They were both a little shook up, and Uriah had a few scratches, but they were ok otherwise. (Thank the Lord!)
-Camp fires every night!

-Attending a Nepali wedding..We even danced Nepali style to Nepali music. (I don't dance..ever.) 

-Holding baby goats. :)

-Riding on the TOP of the big bus with goats half of the way back to Kathmandu!

-The views.. God is an amazing creator!

We are all getting really excited to go see our family and friends, and had a hard time being motivated to do anything last week after our trek. This week is full of ministry, and next week we have our short team debrief in Pokhara before heading back to do school debrief in South Africa. But we know we have just a little more time here to love people and pray and we want to make it count and finish strong. If you pray for us please pray for that!

Also, please keep our Nepali friend in your prayers. She found out last month that she has a tumor in her neck and she has surgery scheduled for this Friday to have it removed..it is a pretty risky surgery with a long recovery time and she is trusting God, but still a little nervous. We are praying for healing!!

Thanks for keeping up with us thus far.. Enjoy some photos from the trek:

Atma (on the left) and Ezekiel (on the right) have become near and dear to Uriah's Heart!
They were our trekking guides for our Trek!

Right before our first Ascent!!

Beautiful Sunrise!! Taken from Ezekiel's Big Brother's house!

Love the way the yellow mustard seed plants mash with the green wheat!!

Breath Taking View!

Papaya Farm!!

We Couldn't Resist!!

Bridge Shot!

Some of Ezekiel's Family!!

Love This Place!!

Much love<3

Beautiful Nepal

Happy FEBRUARY! Does anybody know where January went?? So much has happened since our last update!

First off, Max and Cambria (two of our four school leaders) paid us a pastoral visit here in Nepal! They stayed a week and we all really enjoyed taking them with us to do ministry and showing them all of our favorite places.. They encouraged us to keep pursuing each other and Jesus and to finish strong! So that's our plan.

Uriah has started spending each morning leading a Bible study with a few men from our church, Fresh Fire. He also had another great opportunity to preach on Saturday. He spoke about faith and seriously killed it! :) He has also been hanging out a lot with his friend, Ezekiel. They do "treasure hunts" (ask God highlight someone to pray for) and spend time at the local snooker/pool rooms. He also has been playing badminton with some of the local kids in the area!

I have spent my time in various ways. One of my favorites: this week I was blessed to work with "Beauty for Ashes", a business that provides jobs for women rescued from human trafficking. The women make scarves and jewelry and bags to sell, and they get paid for their work so they can support themselves and their families. The two days that Anna and I went we joined them for morning devotions, then were put to work washing scarves, packaging orders, and coming up with new ideas for products. They even fed us Nepali food for lunch! We really enjoyed being a part of what God is doing there and hope to get to go back soon.

We have some exciting news from the home front: Two days ago, we got to celebrate the adoption of Uriah's and my 6 new siblings! (I think that grammar is correct.) They're such amazing kids and we have loved them since we met them. If you missed the story, you can click here. P.S. my parents are champs!

Finally, in our last update we mentioned Uriah and Josh were heading to Tibet, but they had to cancel due to closed borders. However, our team has a different exciting trip on the horizon, which I will share all about in the next blog. This is a teaser to keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next post.... ;)

“When we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus” -Corrie ten Boom

It's hard to believe we have been in Nepal for more than three weeks! What a crazy, adventurous three weeks it has been.. It feels like we have had to relearn everything: using the restroom, showering, cooking, disposing of garbage, transportation, communication.. On a deeper level, we're learning to love each other deeper, we're learning just how GOOD and faithful God is, and personally, I'm learning the importance of seeing in the Spirit and praying with the Spirit and not trusting what I see. It hasn't really been easy, but I'm so grateful for this time. Also, we found a great place to sooth our homesickness: The Lazy Gringo..REAL texmex!

Get in my belly!

A couple pictures from Boudha Stupa..

God has led us to such amazing opportunities, including spending time at a children's home and a school, praying bold prayers at the nearby stupa, still helping with the feeding program at Banquet House, and the one we are most excited about: He led us to a beautiful church family right near our house! We were all walking last week and a boy walked up beside Uriah and said "Jaimasi" (which is the Nepali greeting between Christians). After a moment, Uriah realized what he said and replied, "You're a Christian!" And the boy said he was and he invited us to his house to meet his family. That is where we learned about this church, called Fresh Fire.

Guys, we attended the church for the first time last week and it was possibly my favorite things since we've been here. It is a small church of maybe 30, and they meet in a single room in one of the buildings about ten minutes from our home. They have welcomed us and loved on us with gifts and much shared food and tea. We were able to pray for the sick among us and God healed several because He's just awesome like that! Today, we joined them for a prayer meeting, where we worshiped and prayed for the country and for the church and for the sick and the lost for two hours!! Then we stayed for tea and donuts and we got to laugh and joke and get to know our new friends. We already deeply love this body. I've never felt so blessed to be a part of something, even just for two months. This is the CHURCH!! 

God is also doing cool things through Uriah and his friend Ezekiel from the church! They both love Jesus and are bold. Here's Uriah's testimony: "Today we asked the Holy Spirit to lead us through Mandikhatar and highlight who he wanted us to talk to, encourage, and pray with. We came to a lady who was 87 years old and had some back issues. We walked with her to her destination and prayed with her once she had a place to sit down. As we were speaking with her, her caregiver came up and began to ask who we were and what we were doing. Ezekiel explained we were led to her by the Holy Spirit and we wanted to pray with her. He then invited them to come to church with us tomorrow. They will be there she said!! As we continued walking Ezekiel took me to where his pastor works. He teaches English at a Christian organization near where we live. Once we arrived his pastor walked over to me and said, "Welcome! Do you mind sharing with my English class a bit about who you are and why you are here?" (SAY WHAT!!!) I said yes, of course, but was a little caught off guard! Turned into me preaching to this class learning English for about an hour and a half. Crazy times!! After that the pastor, Ezekiel, and I spoke about the church's vision and what is to come. It was so fun just being able to listen and encourage and pray with them!!" In the words of our DTS friend Johan: "COME ON, JESUS!"

Uriah and Josh

One last bit of news is that the crazies to the left are currently planning to take a motorcycle trip to Tibet in February! You read that right--motorcycles. (Yikes!) It will probably be a short trip, but they're really REALLY excited about it. They will be going with a group of guys and a guide, and they look forward to seeing more of Nepal and experiencing a little bit of Tibet, as well as the opportunity to release more of God's presence in that place. I'll be sitting out and enjoying an introvert weekend and probably eating some more Lazy Gringo. Bueno. :)

Please pray with us:

-For the Church in Nepal..that they would be encouraged, strengthened, and bold in sharing their faith as God guides. And for continued peace for Christians in Nepal (no government pushback)

-For those who don't yet know Jesus.

-For health in our team..we've been fighting colds and stomach issues since we got here.

-And finally, for Josh and Uriah in their planning and preparation for this trip to Tibet. They need to raise some funds,  get visas and receive God's favor for crossing the border hassle-free.

THANKS for reading and supporting us! Don't forget, we'd love to hear back from you.. Let us know how you're doing and how we can be praying for you! Much love<3

Merry Christmas from Nepal!

Namaste!! One week into our 12-week stay and we're all great, aside from some expected diarrhea and Sarah's wisdom tooth extraction. ;) Nepal is even more beautiful than I remembered..and we're only in Kathmandu!

The apartment we are staying at is a very nice place, located in a quiet part of town, and we have roof access with a great view! We have spent the last 7 days getting settled, getting to know the area and getting acquainted with the neighbors, getting used to the food and currency and new culture, figuring out transportation, trying to learn the language with our little books (yikes), and lots of time worshiping and praying. It has been really fun watching Uriah here..he's in his element with all these new people to get to know and of course everyone loves him!

We were somewhat unsure of what our time here would look like.. Aside from us four students setting Bible-reading goals, we just didn't have any leads, but God is so faithful to guide us! Today, the Lord spoke the same thing to three of us--two of us got an impression while we were doing our Bible readings, and the third was one of our leaders! It was such an encouragement for us. Much of our time here will be strategically praying for the beautiful Nepali people. In addition, we will also likely be attending Banquet House meetings on Thursday, which is fellowship around tea, a clinic for the sick or injured, a teaching, and a hot meal, and we hope to be able to work at a children's home and maybe do some trekking to villages! 

Thank you for praying for our health, for our hearts, and for the Nepali people. We love you guys. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Over & out.

Wait We're Leaving!!!???

-Beautiful View During Our Love Feast!

Its Crazy to think that in 6 days we will be on a plane traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal for our "Outreach Phase" of our Discipleship Training School with YWAM!! Feels like yesterday Kaycee and I arrived here in Capetown!!

"Lecture Phase" Overview

Our "Lecture Phase" has been extremely impacting! Very challenging at times, but challenges are crucial for growing. One of the many things I feel these 3 months have taught me is simply How To Struggle Well. Four months ago I didn't think this DTS was going to benefit me much.... I Was Wrong! This DTS has been so much more than the lectures themselves. I have realized my need to go deeper with God and that He has so much for Kaycee and I. Our marriage has definitely grown a lot. God has revealed tons about how Kaycee and I are to do ministry! There have been tears, laughs, good times, and bad, but I would have not traded these 3 months for anything!!

-Kaycee and I on a really cool hike in Kommetjie,Cape Town

We have been blown away by God's provision for us! Our lecture and outreach fees have been completely paid in full! Such a blessing!! We thank all of you for your prayers and financial support!! We will never be able to express our gratitude to God for placing all of you in our lives!!

Please Please Please continue to pray for us as we travel to Nepal!! (Protection, Favor, Unity, Divine Opportunities, Relationships with ministries and people..etc.) Don't forget to send us your prayer requests as well, as we would love to come alongside you in prayer!!!

We pray you all have an amazing Christmas this year, and look forward to your emails!!!!

uriahandkaycee@gmail.com

Also if you haven't subscribed to our blog yet please do!!! We will update again as soon as we can!!

-Awesome Open Market Called The Biscut Mill.

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." -Corrie Ten Boom

Hi again, friends! It's a beautiful day here in Cape Town! This journey we are on, getting to know who God is and discovering ourselves in the process, is so much fun!

Our team of four students and two leaders will be going to Kathmandu, Nepal on December 14, less than one month now! Here are a few facts about the beautiful country: It is a small country, only about 56,827 square miles. It shares borders with India and China. The capitol is Kathmandu. 31 Million people live in Nepal (2012). Most people speak the Nepali language. Currency: Nepalese Rupee. The two major religions are Hinduism and Buddhism, but Christianity is growing very quickly in the country. Nepal is home to Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain!

Our leaders have been busy working on budgets and visas and housing..seems we have a place to stay with hot showers and a heater in each room--I'm happy! We have also been praying together for team unity and for direction on what to do when we get there. There are lots of options in the way of ministry..some that stick out are children's ministry, women's ministry, perhaps treks to unreached villages, and prayer walks. We will be forming a mission statement and leading an hour of intersession for Nepal this week. Your prayers would also be appreciated.

Our school has one last financial deadline this Friday, where the final R20,000 per student is due. Uriah and I are so excited to report we only need a little over $1,000 total! As a school, there is something like $13,000 needed. Will you please just join us all in prayer that finances will be released, and ask God if he might have you give? We totally believe in Jehovah Jireh, The Lord who provides, and we know he wants to include others in our journey. Please feel free to ask questions via email or Facebook, and please subscribe to our blog if you haven't!

Love you all! Be blessed!

"Small things with great love.." -Mother Teresa

We have been here for 8 weeks and Uriah and I are still doing great down here in South Africa! Living in community has been fun for us, as long as we do a good job of making time for ourselves to rest and be together. We have just been busy with everything we told you about in our last post..class, small groups, and outreach. The past four weeks our teachings have been about the Holy Spirit, Cost of Discipleship, Worldview, and Missions. All have been really good teachings.

I, personally, have been really enjoying the journey that we are on, and a couple of the biggest things for me have been an increased desire to know the scriptures, and more awareness of the Holy Spirit at work in me and around me all the time. He has been affirming me on my journey, and confirming some things that I believe, and opening my eyes to some of the giftings that he has given me. Local outreach in Masi has been going really well, too! I have finally learned all the kids' names and I'm getting to know personalities and the kids have become much more comfortable with our team. I really love hanging out with them.

Uriah has been hanging out with a few men during local outreach, and they spend a lot of time talking about Jesus and reading the word. He says he loves that he is entering a story that's been going on for a long time! He is leaning a lot about the culture of South Africa and has an increasing desire to walk the streets and just love on people!! This week was one of Uriah's favorite teaching weeks because the focus was on missions, but also just the simplicity of the beauty of Jesus. He desires to focus more on Jesus and become completely overwhelmed by his love and desire for deeper relationship!

We want to know what's going on with you, too! Please, please email us any time and let us know how you're doing or if we can pray for you. We are having a good time here, but we still miss you back home! Xo-the Stepps

From our last Sunday "Beach day"..group pic

Kite Festival in Muizenberg

View of Cape Town from Table Mountain. Kaycee climbed to the top!!