There’s no place like home – in Nepal

Wendy departs for Pokhara; husband Simon will follow in two months, returning to the country they love and where they met

“It feels like going back home,” says Wendy Hall, a BMS World Mission worker. Wendy, originally from the American Midwest, is flying out on Friday 30 January, but unlike most couples serving overseas, she’s going ahead of her husband.

Simon will remain in the UK for another two months to complete the first module of his Masters in Education and International Development at University College of London. There he has the joy of studying with students from all over the world and, coincidentally, under a Nepali professor.

Once in Nepal, he will continue the course alongside his work with the Kathmandu International Study Centre’s Equip programme, where teachers learn classroom and student management, child development and much more.

Despite their separate arrivals, their departure to Nepal will return them to the country they love and the place where they met.

“Most people, when they’re leaving for the first time, are saying goodbye to a life they were really settled into,” says Wendy. “But for us it’s more like a goodbye at the end of a vacation. We’re just going back to the life we left.”

They are looking forward to eating the food they so enjoy, seeing the friends they’ve missed, speaking in and learning more of the language they love and, eventually, settling in. “We’re incredibly thankful to God for the opportunity to go to Nepal long-term,” say Simon.

Language study will be Wendy’s primary focus once she arrives in their temporary home outside Pokhara. Since there is a possibility that both Simon and Wendy will also be teaching, they need to have a good grasp of the language. “To be able to teach in Nepali, requires a different level of language than buying groceries or having a conversation,” says Simon.

Working with Equip, a teacher training programme for schools all over the country, will mean traveling to rural areas. So even after they finish their studies, Simon and Wendy are unsure where their home will be.

The farewells have been said and prayers prayed. The bags are packed and the shopping nearly finished. Tomorrow, Wendy will fly to the place she calls home and not too long after her husband will follow. They will learn and teach and spread the hope of Jesus through their lives and work; and our prayers go with them. 


Please keep Simon and Wendy in your prayers as one settles back into her life abroad and the other finishes his studies. Pray for:

• The time apart, that they will be able to remain in contact despite challenges with the internet and power
• Language study as they work to improve their ability to communicate with their community and students
• The transition from language study into their roles and God’s guidance as they serve
• The relationships they have made in Nepal and the ones yet to be built
• Safety as they travel and live in Nepal

This article first appeared on the website of BMS World Mission and is used with permission