I deeply apologize for the lack of blogs lately, we’ve had considerably spotty internet access during the end of our time in Tanzania and coming into Nepal. We are now safe and sound at our ministry site in Nepal, though getting here was typical World Race travel.
We departed Dar Es Salaam, flying to Doha, Qatar, and then on to Delhi, India, where we enjoyed a 10-hour layover before coming on to Kathmandu, Nepal. Our new team spent a couple days with another team before departing Kathmandu for our ministry site, of which we knew little more than as a mountain village. Our team of five, accompanied by our great 15-year-old translator Ajay, is dropped off at the side of a highway, where we are told we will be flagging down the bus that will take us on the 5-hour drive to the village. After waiting about 30 minutes with a close eye upon our bags, our bus pulls up, immediately prompting questions as to how we’re exactly supposed to fit, let alone our huge bags. They lug our packs onto the roof, for which we say a quick prayer for protection, and are ushered through a packed bus to some seats. Cozy would be a bit of an understatement.
The bus ride is fairly uneventful (perhaps that’s just my strange new World Race standards speaking) for the first 4 hours or so, when it really starts to get interesting. After the river crossing, which was bizarre enough, our bus begins to ascend the mountain side. As if our rocking ride weaving around roads with hardly a shoulder before a cliffside wasn’t exciting enough, it soon begins to drizzle. I somehow manage to doze off around this time, being awoken soon to slightly panicked voices of “the bus is stuck.” Unsure if I’m still dreaming, I note the spinning wheels and nothing but open space outside of the nearest window. After about an hour of trying to unload the bus and a good number of the passengers attempting to push, it is concluded that this bus will not be ascending the mountain today. Of course, what better alternative than to walk the rest of the way. Accompanied by a group of locals that are eager to help us with our belongings, we begin our trek to our home for the month. You should never wake up on the World Race thinking you know what the day will hold.
We are presently perched on the side of a gorgeous Nepali mountainside, staying with a pastor here over a small congregation. There is something undeniably different about this place, which I think is more than just the pleasant temperature shift that allows for jeans and a sweatshirt during most hours of the day. For some reason I can see myself coming back here, whatever that may mean. Communication is a large struggle, as our only translator is our 15-year-old companion, but that has made for great opportunities to grow together as our new team. Pray for unity, fruitful ministry opportunities, and for God to show up in unexpected ways!
