A Vietnam Vet Found in Kathmandu

As Bill prayed during his morning quiet time in early May of 2012, a verse came to mind, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19) At the time, the words didn’t connect for him. He had a steady job and all bills were paid.

Within the week, however, Bill learned that a government contract had not yet been renewed, forcing cutbacks. And he was laid off. As he reeled from the news, the verse came back to him; words that came to life in a new way.

Trusting God wasn’t anything new to Bill. He committed his life to Christ at church when he was ten. His dad died two years later, however, and his mom turned to alcohol. With little parental supervision, he wandered city streets at night. After high school, he joined the Marines, hoping to make a difference in the world.

He graduated with honors from Paris Island and earned another stripe before leaving Camp Pendleton. So when he arrived in Vietnam, he was assigned to the Provost Marshal’s office in the city of De Nang.

“When I chose the Marines,” he recalled, “I went in for the right reasons. I enjoyed the freedoms we have in this country and knew that under communism, other people wouldn’t have them. I was idealistic, grateful, patriotic—and dysfunctional after years of living with an alcoholic mom.”

“War gives you a place to blame and hide,” he continued, “So I was soon influenced by the corruption around me. I became hardened as the months passed. And about ten months into my tour, almost broke.”

“I had gone to part of the city that served as a staging area for the incoming dead and wounded. Helicopters hovered overhead, waiting for a place to land. I walked among the injured and saw a friend of mine from Paris Island who had been blown to bits. I held his hand before going outside and weeping due to the ugliness of it all.”

“I cried out to God that night and know He heard me. But I still needed a lot of healing. My mom had sent me papers from back home that reported talks of a truce when people were getting killed all around us. The government reported what they wanted people to hear. And while I respect that there were those who were against the war, my life was on the line because I wanted to help.”

When he got home, Bill felt pressure—like many Vietnam Veterans—to bury the memories. He quickly abandoned his uniform and battled serious confusion. Between the societal rejection and the realities of war, the emotional baggage became too much to bear.

Bill succumbed to the hippy lifestyle and lived the next two years in a drunken blur.. When his mother died from the ravages alcoholism, he received a small inheritance and decided to leave home.

He flew to Europe and traveled slowly to Greece, Pakistan and on to Iran. He wandered the world doing drugs, sleeping in parks, living with hippies, and trying to find life.

He found it—or rather God found him—in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A short illness forced him to stay in a local hospital. While there, a man visited him who was connected with a house run by YWAM (Youth with a Mission). The visit led Bill to find a Bible in the hospital library. The familiar stories brought comfort so not long after he was released from the hospital, he visited the YWAM home. Missionaries offered him a place to stay but only after a short quarantine to rid him of lice.

While he was resting in a basement room, a couple from England arrived. They had traveled to India after following an inner nudge from God. While visiting the YWAM location, they asked if there was anyone else at the house. The locals replied, “Just the crazy American guy down stairs.”

The next day, the couple met with Bill and prayed. And when they prayed, something happened. Bill remembers them saying, “We have no power of our own. But there is power in the name of Jesus Christ. And in His name, we bind the fear and darkness that have plagued your life.”

“I felt things fall off of me,” Bill recalled. “I was different. My hardened heart began to soften.”

Bill left for England soon after and lived in community with the couple and other believers who prayed for him and spoke life as God continued a deep healing. He met his wife Rosemary there and they’ve served God together ever since.

So when Bill came home with no job last year and the two faced the financial challenge, they knew where to turn—they knew to pray. Because the same God that heard Bill’s cry in Vietnam and met him in Kathmandu was more than able to provide their every need.

And He did with a bonus—after six months, the government contract was renewed and Bill got his job back.

“My God will meet all your needs…”