whaddup homies!
laying in bed for the fourth day in a row cause ya know food poisoning & strep throat are a horrible combination BUT i have plenty of time (in between naps) to write to you all! so here i am.
we leave nepal on friday, but have already left pokhara & are in the middle of our squad debrief in kathmandu.
it’s been a whirlwind of a month & i’ve really tried & struggled to think how i would summarize it for you. so here’s the word for the month: geborgenheit.
“mit dem Ausdruck Geborgenheit wird ein Zustand des Sicherheits – und Wohlgefühls beschrieben. Geborgenheit ist mehr als nur Sicherheit, Schutz und Unverletzbarkeit; Geborgenheit symbolisiert auch Nähe, Wärme, Ruhe und Frieden.”
in other words, geborgenheit is this concept of or a state of security and well-being, but not security like protection and invulnerability. rather, it’s security that symbolizes closeness, warmth & peace. it’s the feeling of comfort when you are in a place where you feel yourself & where you can trust both yourself & others; to exist & feel intensely in the moment.
& that’s what i got to begin experiencing in nepal. after meeting really rad new friends, getting to experience a bit of freedom & just live a life loving those around me to the best of my ability i saw how much happier i was when i could just exist & feel intensely in the moment. while the month definitely had its hardships (sickness, sickness & more sickness) it was also a month of just getting to come alongside people from all walks of life & do life with them. my three best friends were my nepali tattoo artist & two australian guys. none were believers & none are after i left, but i got to plant seeds, i got to love them, i got to show them that not all christians are out to burn them & honestly that’s what i’m proud to say happened this month. there was no big aha coming to christ moment, but you don’t always need those. sometimes it’s just about loving the guy next to you in the way they need it.
so yea nepal was wild. coolest country i’ve been to. coolest mountains in the world. coolest people i’ve met. such fun times & memories. unfortunately, i didn’t take tons of pictures or cool videos. so my video for the month is a compilation of a few cool pictures i took & then just crappy vertical videos that can give you a sneak peak into our daily life. it doesn’t show it all, but it’s the best i can do. honestly i think it’s one of my favorites because it’s not set up or meant to show anything other than to introduce you to new friends & show you how fun & enjoyable life is when you just completely feel yourself & experience life for all that it is. geborgenheit.
check in with ya in myanmar!
madeleine
month 8 video: NEPAL
