- You have to clean your carpeted room with a “broom” (a bunch of sticks tied together in a bundle).
- You go to a “picnic” that includes huge pots and pans, two gas stoves, milk tea, veggies, lots of rice, chicken, and many animals: 1 stray horse, 2 goats, 5 dogs, 6 cows and 12-15 crows.
Brandon staring down the grouchy horse.
- At each small local restaurant that you go to there is the option of fried rice, chowmein or momos.
- You get excited when you see a Pizza Hut. You get even more excited that inside Pizza Hut there’s a toilet with an actual seat.
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One Wednesday afternoon consists of washing 32 little Nepali scalps to rid them of lice. Your team washes your own hair soon afterward.
Team Deep Roots is lice free and lovin' it!
- Pigeons built a nest on your tin roof and wake you up every morning at 6am.
- Showers are so cold that you try to avoid taking them.
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You “sacrifice” by eating donuts or Nutella and peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast.
Closest thing to Reese's for breakfast 🙂 But it's kind of healthy, right?
- Children learn “Jesus Loves Me” for the first time and absolutely beam as they sing it. You get goosebumps just listening.
- You have dreams about taking your team to Cookout for a milkshake. (I’m ashamed to say that this one actually happened.)
- You get the opportunity to hug, hold, chase after, eat with, teach and love Nepali children for an entire month.
Holding Sagar, one of the youngest (and the cutest) at Happy Home
- Your teammate needs new socks because hers fell into the squatty potty and past the point of no return.
- One of your biggest fears is running out of hand sanitizer.
- You love hearing your new name: “Hannah Auntie”
- You wake up and walk downstairs to the bathroom only to hear: “Don’t use the toilet yet, I dropped a shampoo bottle down the squatty.” The next five minutes get very interesting, but the problem is resolved.
- Your jogging trip runs past a herd of goats.
- Teammate bonding consists of checking each other’s heads for lice each day. Record: 3 hours with Stephanie, too many lice to count.
Stephanie – the "De-Licenator". She shows them no mercy (and I'm thankful!)
- You get so excited to see Blueberry “Nutrigrain” bars at a tourist grocery store that you buy them before really thinking. The next day you realize that they cost more than your steak, potatoes and steamed veggies from dinner. Really?
- The man across the street is standing on the balcony and chasing chickens off his roof. Literally.
- Your teammate yells at the waiter as he takes your plate away because there’s three French fries left. (We only eat out at nice places a few times)
The Good 'Ol American Hamburger and French Fries (or chips…)
- You play a Bible verse game at dinner where each person recites a verse until they can't think up another one and it ends up lasting the entire dinner, the walk home and a bit more fora total of over 2 hours. The end result is two tired people begging for a truce!
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A fun night out consists of waiting for a crowded bus in the rain, switching buses in a bit of confusion and finally making it to your destination…The Lazy Gringo. What great Mexican food here in Nepal!
A very satisfied, full and lazy Gringa
- Somehow your only squatty potty for 12 people ends up with a spoon, face wash bottle and a green pepper in it.
- You go to church and after 3.5 hours of services you eat lunch with the pastor where he gives you 2 sandwiches apiece that look like this…
Stephanie getting ready to eat this massive chicken "burger".
- You and your teammates discuss the best shower strategies so as not to freeze. Singing, dancing and quick splashes of freezing cold water are the best way to go. You then realize that you’ve been discussing shower strategies and this would never happen anywhere else.
- Bananagrams becomes a nightly tradition as you wait for your meal. It can get pretty competitive at times.
Ben's first win…he had been trying for some time and was really excited!
At the end of this week we will be packing up to move on to country #5 – Kenya! Our team doesn't know much about our ministry there other than we'll be working at high elevations with unreached people groups. It sounds like an adventurous time and we are ready for the challenge.
Please continue to pray for us as we have to say goodbye to so many precious little ones at Happy Home and as we go to a new continent to take the name of Jesus!
