One bright day in March a young man awoke at 4:30 a.m. Crystal clear sunlight poured into Jack's room, like a great river leading him to a new day. He was too high up for any river to flow -- springs or small streams, yes, but no rivers. Kurseong, not far from Darjeeling, stood 8,000 feet above sea level, in the foothills of the Himalayas. As he rubbed his eyes in that radiant dawn, he looked out his window to the highest spot on the face of the earth. There, far in the distance, sparkling like a diamond in the sky, shone Mount Everest, The highest mountain in all the world. What a glorious feeling to see that peak in that clear morning light.

Jack was in India for his cousin Marty's ordination. Years before, when Marty had volunteered for the missions, he had been sent to Nepal, where he…