Steve and I returned safely from our short trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan, the “Land of the Dragon,” but it turned out to be an unexpected odyssey. On Tuesday night, Pastor Aaron (our Bhutanese contact in Thimpu and “tour guide”) told us that our plan to leave on Wednesday by driving south had met an obstacle. The road had been washed out by a devastating landslide, caused by monsoon rains. Several people had been killed in the disaster and it would be several days before the road was opened. Aaron and our other hosts scrambled to come up with an alternate route, though this was difficult in a mountain country that has very few roads to begin with. The plan was to start out Tuesday night (the 12th) and drive a western route that would take us far away from our intended destination of Siliguri. We were turned back, however, at the first security checkpoint since we didn’t have the proper authorization to exit the country from a new border crossing. (Visas in Bhutan are very restrictive: you are allowed to enter on a specific day at a certain place and exit on a specific day from a certain place — no variations allowed.) We spent another night in the guest house and the next morning obtained the new visa authorization to take a different route. We were told that this was the first time the government had approved tourists to travel through this region and exit from this border crossing.

We headed out on the morning of the 13th. We needed to exit the country that day, as our visas expired on the 13th. We traveled through the most beautiful mountain rain forests, with deep gorges and high waterfalls. Along the way we met believers and prayed with pastors. Our trip was further delayed, however, when we came upon a landslide that was still in progress. Within an hour the road was cleared and we continued on our way.

By evening we arrived in southern Bhutan, in the town of Geylephug, well to the east of where we had first intended to exit the country. No Indian taxis were available. This region of India — the state of Assam — is known for bandits and tribal violence, so our plan was to get an Indian military escort when we crossed the border, but these were available only on certain days. Without a taxi we had no choice but to stay an extra night in Bhutan before crossing over and continuing on to our destination of Siliguri. We needed permission to do this, however, since our visa had expired. Fortunately, the local Bhutanese pastor knows the immigration official, and so we paid a house visit at night. The official granted us permission to stay in the country one night beyond the expiration date. Steve and I slept under mosquito nets in the pastor’s home. We were blessed by the extraordinary hospitality of this family. Pastor C.P. has experienced much persecution in his ministry there in southern Bhutan and it was a real privilege for us to fellowship with him and his wife.

The next morning, on the 14th, the official stamped our exit visa (and post-dated it to the 13th!). We began our day-long trip across Assam and then West Bengal, India. We traveled safely through the many security checkpoints along the way, dodging potholes on roads that we shared with every imaginable vehicle from rickshaws to elephants. We arrived in Siliguri the evening of the 14th. Along the way we were able to call Pastor Ram in eastern Nepal and inform him of our delay. The BTCP graduation in Nepal had to go on without us. We were disappointed, of course, that we weren’t able to reach Nepal for that part of our ministry plans, but God had clearly intended something different for us. We experienced the abundance of God’s grace in His provision of safe transportation, willing officials who accommodated us in our difficult travel situation, and the opportunity to see a part of Bhutan that was closed to tourists (let alone missionaries). We were especially blessed to have the opportunity to see the underground Bhutanese church and to encourage pastors and believers in remote areas. Pray for Bhutan and for the progress of the Gospel in this unreached part of the world. Bhutan is a place where even many educated people (not to mention villagers in mountain districts) have never heard the name of Jesus. Remember especially the believers there who put themselves at risk every day for the cause of Christ. Steve and I felt unworthy, though deeply grateful, to receive their hospitality. Their only concern was for our welfare. Our two-day, 19-hour road trip across Bhutan and India had been one long reminder of the goodness of God.

We stayed in Siliguri on the night of the 14th. The following morning, before flying home, we met with Pastor Ram (who came across the border into India). We also visited Pastor Sagar’s home and prayed with him at his church. We then made a short visit to the Himalaya Bible School, where we delivered a word of encouragement to about 20 Bible students. Many good things were accomplished in that last busy morning as we shared our visions for ministry there and planned for future trips. We arrived home in Lynchburg in the early afternoon of the 16th. We very much appreciate all your prayers for us as we traveled. Pray for future opportunities for us to return. We have seen the need to stand side-by-side with our brothers and sisters in Bhutan — to be “fellow helpers” with them (3 John 8). We have also seen the need to train pastors, to ground them in biblical truth and equip them with the ministry tools they need to establish the church in the ”Land of the Dragon.” – Mike

Inside a house church in Thimpu, where Steve and I taught pastors and church leaders.

A sacred site to Buddhists, there are 108 chortens (temples) at this site above Thimpu. Dochula Pass is about 10,000 feet elevation (notice the clouds).

 

We came upon this landslide, still in progress, as we traveled through southern Bhutan.