Yakity Yak the Parkers Talk Back

This week has been hard in Nepal. One of our closest friends here in Nepal died this week. His name is Ben (he has the blonde hair in this picture). We wanted to tell you a little bit about this amazing guy. Ben has lived here in Nepal for almost 2 years. He loved the Tibetans and Nepalis of Nepal and Tibet and most importantly loved the Lord with all of his heart. He has been a great friend, encourager, example and climbing partner for Ryan. It is so strange how you can know someone for so short of a time and grow so attached to them. Living in Nepal the people that work here together kind of become your family away from home. There is this unspoken bond between us because we are doing the same work and facing the same challenges and living in the same new culture...in some strange way we understand each other in ways that many others can not. Losing someone from that "family" has been harder than any of us can imagine. We are so overjoyed that Ben is in Gods presence now, living with and worshipping the God that he gave his life to, the God he told so many about in Nepal, the God who knows Ben better than anyone on this earth could. We know Ben is happier now than he has ever been. The hard part is moving forward from here. Learning how to heal and how to process all of this. Learning how to grieve, and help those around us do the same has been especially hard in a different culture. It is amazing how fast life can change. No one knows when their time is up. I pray that we will live our lives for today and not tomorrow. One of my favorite Christian songs for times like this is called "Sit with you a while": "If I could just sit with You a while, if You could just hold me, nothing can touch me though I am wounded though I've died." Ben is now being held in the Fathers arms. What an amazing promise we have in Christ!!!!! We MUST share with those around us so that if they do not have tomorrow we would be able to say that they are in an amazing place more beautiful than earth, being held in the arms of God!!! Thank you for letting us share this with you. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prision to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion --to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they might be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:1-3: Romans 14:9, "To this end Christ died and lived again, that
He might be Lord of the dead and the living." Isaiah 26:19 "The dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers of the dust awake and sing for joy"