Lewis narrowly avoids danger in Nepal

On the way back to Nepal from India, the bus carrying Ted Lewis of Shelbyville and his traveling companions came upon a mannequin in the middle of the road. The mannequin had an object the size of a five-gallon bucket at its feet.

The bus driver slammed on the brakes, bringing the bus to a screeching halt only two feet from what turned out to be a trip wire attached to the booby-trapped mannequin.

"We came within two feet of getting our heads blown off," said Lewis. The driver, now drenched in sweat and trembling with fear, carefully drove around the mannequin and the group continued on its way into Nepal, where Maoist rebels have been trying to overthrow the current government since 1996.

Lewis' missionary trip last month had stops in Nepal, India and Thailand, including the tsunami-ravaged island of Phuket. He preached and led pastor's conferences, and visited Home of Blessing, a shelter for young Thai girls rescued from the sex trade. Home of Blessing was profiled by the Times-Gazette in January. Lewis did not take a team with him last month, however, because of the risk involved in the Nepal visit.

Lewis wanted to visit Phuket to see for sure whether relief funds were getting through, whether work was being done, and whether the people -- not just business owners -- were seeing any benefit. He was reassured to see "an extreme amount of help" being provided by both Christian and secular relief agencies.

But an extreme amount of help is needed. Lewis was staggered by the amount of the destruction caused by the year-end tsunami, saying TV broadcasts and photos can't convey the scope of the destruction.

"It was devastating to see what all has happened," said Lewis. He went to one place where thousands of dead bodies are being stored. Many are migrant workers -- illegal immigrants -- from Bhutan and Tibet, who are undocumented and whose bodies may never be claimed.

Lewis said the economic damage from the tsunami is greatest on the island of Phuket, while the physical damage is greater on the Thai mainland.

"I saw things I could not believe," he said. In numerous photos, he pointed out trees which have been stripped of branches 25 and 30 feet high on their trunks; the limbs were snapped off as the wave rushed past.

At a school destroyed by the tsunami, Lewis saw children attending class in tents while the school was being rebuilt behind them. Some of the children are now orphans, their parents having been killed by the massive wave.

"The tsunami is bigger than one's imagination," he said.

At a hotel called "In On The Beach," the owners -- Buddhists converted to Christianity -- saw the wave coming, and herded all of their guests onto the roof of the three-story facility.

"They saw the big water coming," said Lewis, "and they went to praying."

The water raced through, destroying the hotel's first floor, but the people remained safe. The innkeeper cried as she told Lewis the story. The hotel is already back in service, he noted.

"They still cry," he said. "They're that emotionally torn up."

Lewis was especially moved when he saw the steps which used to lead to a home devastated by the tsunami.

After leaving Phuket, Lewis went to North Thailand to visit Home of Blessing. The facility takes girls as young as 7 and 8 who have been rescued from sexual slavery in Thailand. The home is building a new dormitory which will house 100 more girls. Lewis said $15,000 has been raised this year; the goal is to raise enough to finish the dormitory. The second floor of the facility has been raised and the roof will be finished soon.

In addition to its primary work, Lewis said Home of Blessing has become a hub for Christian ministries in northern Thailand. The Rev. Sayan Kusavadee, who directs the facility, is planning to buy 10 acres next door to the home. The property, which has three houses, will be used as a training center for pastors and Christian leaders.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation, but Lewis said Christianity is spreading like wildfire.

"There are hundreds of churches now," he said.

That was the purpose of Lewis's visit to Thailand -- pastoral training. During this visit, he helped organize pastor's conferences which will be held in November both in Phuket and in northern Thailand. He will return at that time to speak.

Lewis flew from Thailand to Kathmandu, Nepal, where Eliya and Jyoti Pradhan run the Nepal Christian Children's Education Fellowship. Lewis spoke at a pastor's conference in Dharan, Nepal, and his remarks were so well-received that the ministry asked him for copies of three different presentations, so that they could be translated into Nepalese and Hindi and distributed to pastors all over Nepal and northern India.

Lewis preached in Shillong, India, on Easter Sunday. Shillong is a city of 4 to 5 million people located at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.

For most of the Nepal visit, Lewis and company traveled in caravans, protected by the Nepalese military from the Maoist rebels. Their encounter with the booby-trapped mannequin came as they were returning from a side trip to India, and thus were without military protection.

Ted Lewis met this couple in Nepal; they defied the authorities 50 years ago by holding Christian meetings and ended up converting their entire village. (Lewis was not able to provide their names.) [Click to enlarge]

While in Nepal, Lewis met a couple in their mid to late 70s. More than a half century ago, in their village, they led Christian meetings. When the government ordered them to stop, they refused. They were taken to the village square, tied to whipping posts, and beaten with a cat o' nine tails until puddles of blood formed at their feet. They refused to recant and said they would gladly die for their faith. Their persecutors broke down and ended up converting to Christianity, along with the whole village, which -- half a century later -- is still a Christian outpost in Nepal. The elderly couple travels by foot and by bus all over Nepal with the gospel message. Lewis was humbled by their story and felt unworthy in their presence, he said.