When we first found out we were going back to an area that resembled Bihar, India, I was kind of disappointed. We had just left India and I was relieved to be away from the crowded, noisy streets of India where you see men standing around making the sidewalks their toilets, or the ground covered with trash and the awful smells, the mangy animals running around everywhere, the constant sound of people coughing up phlegm and spitting it out right in front of you, people staring at us everywhere we went and whipping out there cell phones to capture the white people on video.. It was crazy.
However, it didn’t take me long to warm up and fall in love with Nepal. It’s my new favorite place! My days in Nepal have been filled with so much randomness that nothing seems to surprise me anymore! You never know what method of transportation you’ll try next, or the next adventure waiting around the corner to surprise you. Before Nepal I never considered myself very adventuress, but this month has brought the adventurer in me to peek out from behind fear and has left me wanting more.
It all started with the crazy off road adventure up the side of a mountain one night on the way to Kathmandu. I was anxiously sitting on the edge of my seat as we drove around sharp corners and all I could see out my window was the darkness below from the cliffs edge we were driving on. Hills in the distance sparkled with scattered house lights that blurred together with the starry skyline. A few days later we drove back over the mountain in the daylight and got to take in the breathtaking work of our Creator as we wound back over the mountain in awe of the beauty that surrounded us.
We’ve settled into ‘home’ here and have loved that each day holds a new surprise and adventure that seems to top the day before. A typical day in Nepal starts with tea and devotional with the pastor at 7:30 am. Then we have lunch (they don’t call it breakfast) at 8:30. This usually consists of rice, potatoes with cauliflower or cabbage. Oh and there’s usually loud Indian sounding music playing all the time! One of the neighbors plays it continuously on a loud speaker to worship different gods. It’s incredibly annoying but I’ve gotten better at tuning it out.
Around 9 we get ready for whatever ministry we will help with for that day. Sometimes we walk for hours or take various methods of public transportation to villages to hand out tracks (little pamphlets about Jesus) and give short messages or sing songs. Around 1 we have Kazaa (lunch) which is usually rice, potatoes with cauliflower or cabbage. Then we continue with ministry and get home around 5 and then have dinner at 6. Dinner is usually rice with some sides, or chow mein or pancakes with jam (so good!). I thought I would be hungry on the race, but so far everywhere we go people feed us a lot of really good food!
The other day we were supposed to go to the market for ministry to hand out tracks but it had been raining and thundering all day so when it finally let up for a bit we decided to try and make it to the market. After catching a ride on an ox cart we stopped and ran for cover when it really started pouring rain again. There were 8 of us huddled under the ledge of a roof and the people in the house next door let us come over and sit on their covered balcony while we waited for the rain to stop. It never stopped raining so eventually we just ran back home through the rain. It was fun!
The month in a nutshell: We’ve been evangelizing (which surprise! I kind of love), eating sugar cane, riding on the back of motorcycles (3 people on one), riding on top of buses, driving up and over on the side of mountains, hiking up mountains and praying and eating lunch at the top, eating wild Nepali jungle fruit, handing out tracks, laughing so hard I’ve almost peed my pants, holding church services, and telling people about the unfailing love and hope of our Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ.
