You know what?
I don’t really know what to write about Nepal.
It was a really great month.
And… that’s about it.
We lived with a bomb family, had a great ministry, slept in a solid church, lived on a river in the Himalayas, I like my team… it was just all there. Apart from ministry, we had a lot of time on our hands. I wrote a lot, read a lot, drank a lot of chia (tea) and played a lot of ukulele. I spent a lot of time outside, moving and in flannel and that’s my kind of wonderful.
We hiked each day to remote villages. There we’d educate about the deceptions of sex trafficking, share the Truth with people that have never heard it, and encourage believers we came across. Did a lot of preaching and sharing and I found out that I love it. Getting to share my favorite scripture (through a translator) with people that have either (a) never heard it or (b) breathe it, living counter-culturally to the overwhelming Nepali Hindu following… man, it was life-giving.
It seems like most months I’ve been able to look back and be like:
Dang, I really learned _____ this month.
I can’t imagine this month without ______.
I’ll never forget when ______ happened this month.
It’s going to be so hard to leave my relationship with _____.
This month _______ changed the way I’ll live from now on.
I just can’t really fill in any of those blanks this month. It was simple and great — not radically reorienting just plain goodness at hand. I learned a lot about myself, I got a taste of what’s ahead for me, and had a clear mind. It was nice.
Even though there’s no punchy thesis that can sum up the month, no big thing to report, there are so many things I don’t want to forget about this great March in Nepal. So many gently powerful moments that continue to shape my ever-evolving worldview. I don’t want to forget:
Straight jamming with my team, rooftop, armed with guitars and ukes, praising Him for where we were assigned to for the month. Learning and affirming that the appropriate response to any news is worship.
Dad slicing an apple in half with his fingernail & brute strength just to share it with me. One of the most manly and oddly attractive things I’ve seen in all my days.
SWERVIN’ through the mountains in a sketchy off-road SUV, backseat dancing real dang hard to the driver’s playlist. J. Lo & Shakira. Markelle and Derek. Done deal.
Samuel bringing me chia in bed. Every morning. Teaching me that consistency is beautiful sometimes and dangerous sometimes.
The term jungle goat.
Not deep, just funny.
Sharing the Gospel and John 10 our first week with an unreached village. Having to control my giddiness/joy… realizing what makes me giddy and joyful.
This woman:
Dad saying HALLELUJAH! when meals were ready every day… one of the only words he knows in our language. It’s the only one that’s the same in Nepali and English. It’s the same word in every language and that’s beautiful.
Crossing the bridge daily. I won’t forget how the whole thing slowly, yet violently sways when you walk across it… making me feel like I was totally hammered every time. Then I’d see monkeys and herds of goats cross it, too. Then I’d think about drunk monkeys and goats.
The beautiful hike to school each day:
Teaching hilarious vocabulary with Zack. Heisman making the list.
Watching the term go frogs become this classroom’s favorite English phrase:
Watching God redeem a friendship. Being on a team again with Markelle, a teammate I had the first three months, was completely great. We got a second chance at loving each other… we semi-failed the first time around. Now we’re peas and carrots thanks to sanctification.
Giving a Go Ring to a 90-year-old woman. Senile styling.
These faces:
Matthew 28:19ing; baptizing Nepalis in the freezing river.
Samuel, our contact, picking up an affinity for photography and my camera. One picture from the first week, one picture from the last week.
Camping with our team one night on the banks of the river. Sitting around our little campfire singing the truth that there’s no place I’d rather be than here in Nepal, here in Nepalllllll
Dancing with Devyka. She can’t speak, but she can sure dance.
Sitting in a circle on the mini-golf-green-turf church floor, singing DONYABAD JESHU very off-key. Looking over and seeing grandma rock that serene, joyful worship stance of hers.
The electricity going out each day whenever it wanted to. But then there was that one night we got to eat by candlelight.
Riverside everything:
Getting to that point with your co-ed team when you actually talk about any and likely all bodily function openly, without wincing. They all said it would happen… I think we’re officially a team now.
Bungee jumping and feeling so small.
Watching grandpa dance to Derek & Zack’s jam sesh. The most subtle & genuine grooving I’ve seen in all my days.
Hiking to get internet, finding out that my brother got engaged!
Babu’s giggle
Jumping into Tibet, shaking it, then jumping back into Nepal.
Momo. So much momo. Samuel’s undying love for momo. Eating all the momo. Learning to make momo. Joking about momo. Watching the speed at which Samuel eats momo. Never wanting to eat momo again.
Samuel’s catchphrases: How deeere you! I like dat, but I do not like dat. I am full, but I am not full. I am too cold, but I am not too cold. Don’t lie me. I think that it is good.
Flying over Everest at sunrise
These little moments, happenstances and patterns meshed together to form big wonderful.
I loved Nepal. I’ve gotta come back. This place is just real and great.
I’m thankful for dramatically impactful months like February and slow-clap months like March.
Cheers to momo, jungle goats and the heisman,
Darcie
