Hey everyone! I know its been a while since I last posted a blog, but I’ve been trying to process everything that has happened since leaving India. Here’s a quick run through of the past 2 weeks in Nepal.
Our first week here was spent in Thamel, a touristy neighborhood of Kathmandu where we had debrief. Debriefs are time for us to relax and process our last months of ministry. India was hard for lots of people, myself included, so we decompressed and caught up with people on the squad we hadn’t seen in a while. The cold of Nepal was brutal the first week, coming from a hot and humid climate did not make the transition easier. I bought a fake North Face jacket to get me through the next 2 months, and ate mo:mos everyday. Mo:mos are dumplings, served steamed or fried, filled with either veggies, chicken, or buffalo. My favorite mo:mos are steamed veg, I’ve been vegetarian since India (except for that one time I accidentally ate a chicken heart) and I don’t miss meat like I thought I would. So debrief consisted of lots of dumplings and honey lattes with friends. The last night in our hostel I got a raging fever, and heat is not a concept Nepali people are familiar with, so I put on all my clothes and zipped myself into my sleeping bag, and my bunkmates sleeping bag. Even with all my clothes and 2 sleeping bags, I was still shaking. I really felt like a wimp because it was probably around 50F, but when I had a fever in India I didn’t even need a blanket. The next morning we moved to our ministry site for January, and let me tell you, feverishly hiking around Thamel with your pack on is not ideal. Once or twice I thought I might collapse in front of some beautiful European tourists in all my dirty World Race glory. Seriously, my pants had a massive hole in the crotch but I was so weak I didn’t bother changing (and I didn’t change for 2 more days after that!). Showers are not heated here either, so you can imagine I don’t bathe frequently.
Fast forward a hour or two, I made it to our new home, claimed a bed, and watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the rest of the day while eating veg mo:mos, gotta keep the streak alive. January is “manistry” and “womanistry” month, which means the guys do ministry separate from the women. We said our goodbyes at the hostel, and we will reconnect in February. Coming from a co-ed team, this means I have a new team for the next couple weeks. I am ministering alongside the girls from the other co-ed teams, Katie, Katherine, Mily, and Megan. Here are their blogs if you want to check them out!
katieimhof.theworldrace.org
katherinewestmoreland.theworldrace.org Emilyduncan.theworldrace.org Megansmith.theworldrace.org
Our second week in Nepal was our first week of ministry, and we spent lots of time with kids, whether it be at slums or soccer fields. We went to 2 different slums, did a Jericho march around a Buddhist temple, and played soccer with street kids, which ended in a traditional Nepali meal. Guess what? Nepali food involves lots of rice! The one food I was running away from followed me. It’s okay, I’ve reconciled with rice, our relationship is improving. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right? Pray for me.
This coming week we are doing primarily women ministry, which will look like visiting dance bars and cabin restaurants and buying a woman’s time. Our goal is to bring light and hope into one of the darkest industries in Nepal, one woman at a time. Human trafficking is a hot topic that you hear about in school, but to face it head on is unnerving. I’m scared. I’ve read ethnographic reports in school, but nothing can prepare you better than prayer. Pray that the girls of gap M will be able to break down walls and give women new life in Christ and options for rehabilitation through the ministry we are partnering with. Although its been a while since I blogged, I have put pictures on Facebook and Instagram, so you should check those out if you missed them, Nepal has been amazing so far. Thanks for reading this long update, enjoy your hot showers and heaters Washingtonians!
