So this month has looked a bit different from all of my other months on the Race so far.
We started off with a debrief that posted our squad in a hotel in the heart of Kathmandu’s tourist district for about a week. The debrief hosted several announcements and changes and hangout times as a squad. Our route has changed to the following countries: Swaziland (we land there in a week), South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and China.
Team changes happened. I’m on a new team. We call it the Wolfpack. Currently, there are five members. Next month, there will be four physically present on the field and the month after that we dwindle to three.
I am now a squad leader (SQL) for the squad. I’m still mulling through the changes this means for me and my race but I am beyond thrilled and humbled to serve in this way. And I have the privilege to work alongside our alumni squad leaders, Dan and Poppy and enjoy pursuing all the Lord has for this team and friendship with Jillian Paul and Jeff Ballance.
I have so many more thoughts on the change, but for now, I’ll focus on the Nepal that I have been able to enjoy.
We are in the Nepal the month of their constitutional elections. It has altered our squad’s ministry abilities a bit as there was a transportation strike for nine days and some of us were placed on lockdown for 2-5 days.
Going back a bit, we spent a week in a hotel with the squad. Then the squad spread out across Nepal working with a variety of ministries, many dealing with the horrific truth that sex trafficking is major problem within the country and extending across borders to India.
For a couple of days more, I hung out with Poppy, Dan, Jeff, Jill and our wonderful squad mentor Carly in Kathmandu, getting to talk through the debrief, and changes. We rested a bit and enjoyed time relaxing into the idea that our race will look different from now on.
After this, we split up and I traveled with Jill and Poppy to the north to join Team Asha for a few days. We joined them in ministry, hiking along mountain ridges to host sex trafficking prevention programs for a couple of day and spent time enjoying their company in an area that stole my breath on many occasions. It was gorgeous.
The host family for this team is adorable. The oldest son, Samuel, is the main contact and has great English and ridiculously good humor. His family speaks no English but are extremely loving and joyful. Samuel had other plans for ministry during the month, but had to let them go as the strike closed nearby schools and we had the inability to travel other than walking. We hiked for a few hours and enjoyed mountain views and shared goals as squad mates for what our journeys will look like in this new season. Thank you to Bri, Susan, Kelsey, Emily, Tina and Shelby for letting us share life with you that week. I had a blast getting to know you all better and being able to share in those hikes with you.
Jill, Poppy and I left the town of Kothe after five days to travel south to Team Aliza, living in the suburbs of Kathmandu. We were on lockdown beginning the next morning for the next five days. We did life with the team and their host family, enjoying typical Nepali foods and living on the roof of the family’s house. I got to sleep in a hammock and loved every second of talking and hanging out with Team Aliza. Thanks you Autumn, Terin, Nicole, Kara, Hailey, Rose and Brette for going along with our long team times, playing charades and letting us share in the memories of the birthday songs and Waves of Mercy on repeat.
A few days ago, we left Team Aliza to return to Kathmandu for SQL training. We shuffled our weeks around and are now playing somewhat of catch up to work through Squad Leader training after reuniting with Dan and Jeff.
Nepal has been wonderful experience… and here are some of the reasons I’ve laughed or loved along the way:
Food is all one kind – carbs. And it comes all in one color – yellow beige. Noodles, fried dough, rice, and potatoes. Tasty.
Hiking the hills – old men and women carrying massive baskets of hay, leaves or grass pass me by with ease. They hike these trails every day to live. We huff and puff our way up and down and watch in wonder as these people pass by us.
Laundry is done down by the river in the back yard or at the waterfall a mile down the road. If in the city, I can pay for it to be done, and request it to be done by machine for a little more cash.
With the transportation strike, I may have to walk for 45 minutes each way to get internet. And now I need to get internet more often to have more communication with the AIM HQ at home.
Cell phone reception can be sparse in the hills, so I hold my arm up and walk in circles looking for the spot that held reception the day before.
Chocolate is becoming more important on the race at this point.
My body craves salad. And fresh fruit.
If the inside of the bus is full, I will gladly climb up on top. The ride is more fun and there is space to breathe.
Seeing army patrols and machine guns is not strange. They even may help you travel when there is a transportation strike.
Squatty potties and bucket showers are the norm outside of the city, but when in Kathmandu, thank the abundance of tourists for most places having western toilets and toilet paper.
The city of Kathmandu is a melting pot of cultures and people. It’s not uncommon to find a hippy complete with dread locks, a monk, people seeking true contentment or a good mountain to climb, Chinese and Nepali Buddhists and this month World Racers from R and T squads.
There are stalls every where boasting Nepali crafts and stores selling North Face and other sport company products at ridiculously cheap prices. It’s expected to haggle the shopkeepers.
There are street kids that huff glue in the streets all throughout the night and when they wake up during the day. It breaks a piece of my heart every time I see them. Often they sleep during the day on the sidewalks after getting high at night.
You can buy Reese’s here. But I prefer Toblerones this month.
There are temples and Buddha eyes nearly everywhere. I have to pray whenever I see them because the feeling of darkness and heaviness sinks over me.
The mountains are stunning and while I doubt it, I like to think that one of the snowcaps in the backdrop is Everest, but I really cannot be sure.
I get to hear French and German around me on a regular basis in the city and I love it. I met some soccer players from Cameroon and they told me I have good French. I laughed at that.
For A&J – I didn’t go swimming this month because it would have been a little chilly in the water. There was a river right out back of the church I slept in for one week. We walked in it, but it was really cold. The weather this month was warm during the day and cold at night, so I made good use of my sleeping bag. I would recommend to you two that if you ever do travel this way that you take advantage of an opportunity to white water raft, trek or jump off of a bridge on a bungee jump or the world’s highest canyon swing. I did the canyon swing and had a blast screaming my head off on the free fall. Several of my friends went white water rafting and loved it as well.
Jesus Loves You in Nepali is: Yesule timilai maya garachha
And I still am likely to butcher saying this one.
