Up, up, up we drove from Kathmandu, winding along steep mountain roads around countless switchback curves—none of which had guard rails—to visit more villages impacted by the earthquake in Nepal. My ears popped many times as the air pressure changed, but I enjoyed the cool, fresh mountain air (except for the many times we got temporarily stuck behind slow-moving trucks or buses belching out black diesel fumes!). I also enjoyed the spectacular views across verdant valleys to the blue-hued mountains in the distance. Words—and even photos—are insufficient to describe the breathtaking beauty.

A recently-cut dirt road made it possible for us to travel 3 hours to Upper Saidu, another remote village in Southern Chin State of about 35 families. But Stephen had not been feeling well since the night before, so he spent our first full day in Upper Saidu sleeping and recovering.

Today didn't go exactly as planned. I don't think there are any level roads in Chin State—you are either going up or down a mountain. For some reason, none of the roads follow the gentle slopes of the rivers. And the four-wheel drive vehicle we've rented, an older Pajero, apparently hasn't been used for some time for what it was built for.

Our first stop here in southern Chin State is the town of Kamplet, and waiting for us upon our arrival were two indigenous missionaries whom Heaven's Family has supported for a number of years. One of them is Stephen Paing Bu, who was born in a remote village in this region. He is working in a total of 30 villages, most of which are (or were) predominantly Buddhist or animist. Stephen is truly reaching the unreached.

Although I was here just in December, demand for more help from Heaven's Family among the remote villages of Myanmar's Chin State has called me back again. This time we're targeting Christian villages in southern Chin State, which is even less developed than its northern counterpart, and we know that we're in for a challenging trip.

Becky and I are now in northern Iraq. We're not far from the city of Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, much of which is now controlled by ISIS militants. Erbil was attacked by ISIS forces last summer, but was repelled by U.S. airstrikes and Kurdish soldiers. We feel quite safe here—at least 50 miles from ISIS-controlled Mosul (where just a few days ago, ISIS militants publicly executed, by machine gun, 13 teenage boys for watching a soccer match on TV).

Lebanon's Syrian refugees are different, generally speaking, than refugees in places like Africa. Many Syrians fled from very adequate houses and farms. Some had cars, which they drove to the safer places where they now live. Some brought their savings (although many had savings stolen at gunpoint at ISIS checkpoints).

All told during my travels in remote Myanmar, I visited 15 villages where Heaven's Family is serving. In one of those villages, Maul Zawl, we began working about 4 years ago. Among other things, we offered $100 to $200 agricultural loans to every one of the village's 39 families.