Their bodies were also shocked by the climate change—the family had barely had time to settle into their new home when the girls came down with severe cold and flu symptoms. Their throats were so sore they could hardly drink water, and they lost their voices. Preston even had to take some of them to the doctor. It was not the type of start anyone would wish for their new ministry assignment.
Called to the Slopes
Ironically, the harsh climate of Pastor Preston’s new home was, in a way, the very reason he and his family had moved there. It was difficult to live in the mountains. So difficult, in fact, that few, if any, missionaries ever made it to the villages and towns scattered among the slopes. But the people hidden among the mountains needed the Good News of Jesus just as much as anyone else.
So, when Pastor Preston’s leaders asked him if he would move to shepherd a fledgling church and ministry in the northern mountains, he said yes. “I am driven by the desire to bring the message of hope and salvation to those who are yet to encounter Jesus,” Pastor Preston shares. For him, ministry in the mountains was an opportunity to bring hope to one of the hardest-to-reach areas of the world.
Danica, Pastor Preston’s wife, supported him in his decision to move north. The couple had come to know the Lord together after God miraculously healed Danica’s younger sister. Now, Danica was willing to risk health and safety for the sake of others who still needed to know Christ’s love. When the time came, she willingly left the life she’d known and moved with her husband and three daughters to their new home high in the mountains.
Sacrificing Comfort
Even after Preston and Danica’s daughters recovered from their initial cold and flu-like symptoms, the family struggled to adjust to the extreme climate of their new home. The clothes they had brought with them were not sufficient for the mountain cold, but it was too expensive to outfit their entire family in proper winter gear. In remote areas like theirs, warm clothes and blankets are precious commodities: A blanket that might cost $15 in a more populated area can cost three times as much by the time it is hauled up to mountain villages. Because of the expense, Preston and his family made do with what they had.
Sadly, when the cold got intense, nights were nearly sleepless, and the family’s constant waking left them feeling weary in the morning. Winter days were hardly better as cold winds cut straight through their clothing. Water—when it wasn’t frozen—was frigid, hurting their hands as they washed dishes. And there was always the risk of getting sick again—constant exposure to the cold meant higher chance of contracting coughs, colds, sore throats and even pneumonia.
For people in areas like Pastor Preston’s, low temperatures often lead to increased sickness, especially for families who lack proper blankets and central heating. According to an article published in Public Health, “Cold indoor temperatures can negatively impact a wide range of health measures, including those related to cardiovascular and respiratory health, sleep, physical performance and general health.” 1 For Pastor Preston and his family, sickness was one of the many sacrifices they chose to make in order to share Christ in a remote location.
Cold Weather Limits Ministry
In addition to threatening Pastor Preston and his family’s health, the cold also hindered his ministry. He didn’t have the proper clothes with which to endure the frigid winter mornings, so he was forced to stay huddled in the comparative warmth of his bed far longer than he wished. Sometimes, when it snowed, he couldn’t get up until 8:00 in the morning. A late start meant less time to travel, which in turn meant that Pastor Preston couldn’t visit as many villages as he wanted to.
When it finally warmed up enough for Pastor Preston to bear leaving the house, his daily ministry required long walks along mountain roads. Wind and cold cut through his clothes, chilling Pastor Preston to the bone and limiting how far he could travel in a day.
“Unless you are protected with warm clothes, it’s difficult to survive here and do ministry here,” Pastor Preston explained. “… Being outdoors throughout the ministry time, … you need at least three or four layers of thermal and inner clothes, some vests and sweaters. And on top of that, we wear the jacket that is good quality. … All these things are very much required to stay outdoors during the winter season here because of cold wind and very low temperatures.”
Fruit from Faithfulness
As difficult as the climate was, Pastor Preston found that people in his new community were curious to hear about Jesus. Few could read or write, so Pastor Preston shared the Gospel verbally with those he encountered. Even in the cold, he faithfully went out into the community, praying each day that the Lord would enable him to meet the people who most needed to hear of Christ’s love.
“It was very challenging to leave the house and walk in the open during winter cold and then visit families and share the Gospel with people,” Pastor Preston says. “… It demanded a lot of endurance and willpower. But it never stopped me. … What all clothes I had, I used those clothes, and I went out. …”
As he reached out to his community, Preston established especially strong relationships with migrant workers—hard-working families that had moved to the area because of the many manual labor jobs available. Pastor Preston could empathize with these families: Like him, they were transplants, facing the cold with the few resources they had.
This capacity for empathy is one of the strengths of national missionaries like Pastor Preston. As they visit people and live life alongside them, national missionaries understand people’s needs deeply—sometimes, as in Pastor Preston’s case, experiencing those very same needs themselves.
“The local missionary here knows our struggles and hardship because he has also gone through such experiences,” shares one of the migrant workers in Pastor Preston’s community. “… He has been our help, and he’s been always ready to serve people in need. So, that gives me an opportunity to experience God’s love through his service, through his advice.”
National missionaries’ solidarity with their communities is part of what enables them to share Christ so effectively. In Pastor Preston’s case, his church grew to about 20 members during his first year in the mountains.
A Gift for the Giver
As the winter of 2024–25 descended on the mountains, the cold once again brought obstacles to ministry—but it also provided Pastor Preston with an opportunity to bless his community. Every year, in response to needs associated with the cold, GFA leaders in Nepal plan blanket and winter clothing distributions. They ask local GFA pastors for lists of the neediest people in their communities. Then, based on the funds available, they purchase blankets and winter clothes and work with local pastors to plan and execute distribution events.
When Pastor Preston’s leaders asked him for such a list, he began compiling names. There were so many people in his area living in poverty, it wasn’t easy to choose. But, together with his leaders, Preston selected the 20 neediest families he could think of in his community—each one of them day laborers—and planned to provide each with a blanket.
Yet, even as he planned to bless others, Pastor Preston’s leaders were planning to bless him and his family. On the day of the blanket distribution, Preston’s district leader, Pastor Manja, not only brought the 20 blankets for needy families, but also five full sets of winter clothes—one for Pastor Preston and each of his family members.
It is only because of [ministry partners’] prayers and their support that we are able to share the Gospel in remote and high altitude like this place,
Tools of the Trade
As Pastor Manja handed Preston and his family the bundles of gloves, jackets, hats, shoes and socks, it was as if he were handing each of them a tool kit. At last, Pastor Preston was properly equipped to face the cold and share the Good News. His shoes were especially sturdy, suited for hiking long distances over mountain roads, and his clothing bundle included inner thermal layers in addition to an outer coat.
Wrapped in the protective layers of his new clothes, Pastor Preston could start earlier and withstand the cold longer as he traveled the mountain roads. Whether he was trekking through the mountains, talking with day laborers at their work sites or fellowshipping with believers in their homes, his new clothes enabled him to go farther and stay out longer as he brought the Good News to those still waiting to hear.
For Danica and the girls, the warm clothes were tools to keep them healthy and safe as they continued to live out God’s call in their new community. “These missionaries are successfully serving the Lord in remote places only because of the support and help of their families,” Pastor Manja says about missionaries like Pastor Preston. “… Not only the missionary, but the missionary’s wife, his children—everybody—sacrifices by moving to these remote villages.” Thanks to their new warm clothes, Pastor Preston’s wife and daughters are now better equipped to support and help their husband and father—even in the bitterest cold.
Help Equip Missionaries to Face the Cold
This winter, you can help provide warm clothes to missionaries and others facing severe cold. With the help of winter clothes, national missionaries are equipped to stay the course and continue in their calling to reach those who have yet to encounter Jesus.
“It is only because of [ministry partners’] prayers and their support that we are able to share the Gospel in remote and high altitude like this place,” Pastor Preston shares. With the simple gift of winter clothes, you can help protect and equip brothers and sisters serving in the cold, enabling them to take the Good News farther than it’s ever been before. As a result, many will encounter Jesus—some for the very first time.