We were genuinely sad to leave Surendar and the Bread Omelette Man standing in the rain as we evacuated Saturday night in those 4WD jeeps, but not before we gave each of them a Bible. We will never forget the Sundazed Cottage on Hadimba Temple road in Manali. It was a true refuge amidst the monsoon fury of HImachal Pradesh. And to God alone be the glory, for this testimony of American Christians who made an impression on a few folks in Manali.

Here are a few journal entries from the day Team Yeshua decided to seize an opportunity to flee Manali by night and make the long overland journey back to Leh. The road to Delhi was closed, the conditions in Manali were rapidly deteriorating, and we had already missed our flights back to the United States.

It’s bittersweet to leave Ladakh after such a fruitful time and to bid farewell to our dear brethren here. So much material has gone out, more so than with any prior Team Yeshua. I simply cannot believe it’s almost over. By God’s grace, we have had 156 encounters with lost sheep from the House of Israel, far exceeding all previous Team Yeshua summers. We have witnessed to Gentiles from 26 foreign countries. 17 English Bibles have gone out.  And, the Lord was gracious to us in His own special way.

What a blessing to break in the new cross! We logged 12 walking miles, claiming three high motroable passes—the Taglung La (17,482 ft.), the remote Yar La (16,240 ft.), and the Polongko La (16,305 ft.) We also walked the cross through a nomad camp, from the high point at their mani stone shrine down to the main highway.

Nearly 20 years ago, I met two young Muslim men from Kashmir on the streets of Leh as Jamie and I were pushing Bethany in a stroller up the steep hill of Fort Road. I built a bit of a relationship with them over the ensuing weeks before they had to suddenly depart the area because of a death in the family. On October 11, 2006, I penned these words in my journal:

Team Yeshua made it to Keylong today for a night of acclimatization at 10,000 ft. We got here from Manali several hours faster than with our last volunteer team that came here in 2016. And 2016 was much faster than 2014 when my family and I got stuck for six hours because of a washed-out bridge. The kids were little and tracted everyone stuck there with us. I remember it vividly.

This morning, we finished up a teaching on the general revelation of God that all men in every place have heard. All men have heard from the Lord: CREATION declares there is a Creator. The CURSE of sin declares there to be a problem between the Creator and His creation. And the CONSCIENCE shouts said problem to be personal: There is a problem between the Creator and you. The solution to this grave dilemma is by special revelation, the Word of God. Many have never heard the answer to the problem. That’s why we gotta go tell ‘em.

Two to three days in Delhi is usually about all I can take. As recently as two weeks ago, the heat and the apocalyptic yellow haze would have been so much worse. But, praise the Lord, the monsoon has begun! Temps are in the 80s with some rain here and there. Unfortunately, a lot of rain in the mountains we have to cross means mudslides and washed-out roads. Our overland path crossing the Himalaya, at this point, is uncertain. Prayers appreciated. We head out early tomorrow morning in a 12-seater Tempo, bound for Manali at about 6500 ft in elevation. It’s a 12-hour drive that must start early to avoid Delhi traffic.