Over a year ago as I was looking at routes for the World Race… The route I am currently on stuck out to me for a few reasons and one of those reasons was Nepal. I have no idea why and even after a month there I still have no idea why and that’s okay. Nepal was beautiful. Maybe it’s the height or maybe it’s the magnitude or maybe it’s the realization that the same God that created the mountains and all their details also created me and all my details… Whatever it is I know this for sure, I belong in the mountains. 
My month in Nepal began with debrief as a whole squad. For one week we got to explore the city of Kathmandu, worship together, be silly, laugh a lot, and just have fun and be full. With debrief also came team changes, however during our last meeting as a team our coach Eileen prayed rest over each of us. Something I knew I desired in Nepal was freedom and I didn’t know what that looked like until that prayer. As Eileen prayed tears rolled down my face as I realized what I really desired was rest, rest in the Lord. Freedom for me looked like rest. 
One of the many city streets that we walked and shopped up and down. Nepal has every kind of knock- off North Face, Patagonia, and any other brand you can name. It’s cray.
Debriefs are like family reunions… You get to see all your family and play. 
This is my new team… team Foveros. From left to right:
Julia, 24 from Missouri.
John, 26 from South Carolina.
Gabe, 22 from Maine.
Christina, 23 from Florida.
Taylor, 22 from Ohio.
Derek, 26 from Wyoming. Derek is the only person from my first team that did not change!
Our month was kinda crazy and we worked in several different places so here it is split into weeks. Our host Reuben had 3 of our teams working with him and he sent us different places.
Week 1: IDP camp
Our first week we lived and worked in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp with victims that had been forced out of their homes because of the recent earthquake. 
Rueben wanted us to experience how people in Nepal live. When we returned from the IDP camp he asked us what surprised us and what angered us. For me the part that is frustrating is the families that live in these camps go through so much red tape just to get money back from the government to get back to their homelands. They have to wait for the government to give them compensation for what they lost in the earthquake and that could take months or even years. So for the time being they are stuck in tiny tin buildings or tarp covered structures.
Pastor Dil is one of the leaders in this specific camp. He helps the families get money so they can collectively pay for their stay there. All the people in this camp came from the same mountain village about a 4-5 hour hike away.
Pastor Dil has 6 children. The oldest is 26 and he has a wife and son of his own. Then he has daughters age 20 and 18, a son that is 12, another daughter that is 7 and his youngest is Amos who is 5. Amos has more energy than any child I have ever met. He is always following a step behind is father. This family is beautiful. Along with losing their home, their crops, their animals, and all that they own, this family also lost their mother and wife who died in the earthquake in May of 2015. 
At the IDP camp every morning we had a kind of VBS type thing. We played games with the kids, told/ acted out Bible stories, and sang songs. 
One afternoon we got to go see a bull fight… It was not as gory as we anticipated, but it was still good. 
Our last night in the camp the community had a going away ceremony/party for us. They gave us bracelets that they made with our names on them. They also made us these beautiful flower necklaces. They had a cake cutting as well, which in other countries means you get fed cake and they usually put some on your face. We were the first group of foreigners to come and live alongside these people. They continually thanked us for coming and living and experiencing everything that they do. This is a picture of the team with Pastor Dil and our translator Premish. 
Week 2/3:
Ulabari orphanage is about a 14-18 hour bus or car ride away from Kathmandu. Rueben’s brother and his wife live and work at the orphanage. Our team along with 2 other teams worked at the orphanage for a few days to help with building. We carried bricks up and down stairs and we helped clean where we could. After working in Ulibari for a few days we headed to Rueben’s home village of Dunge Dunge. Dunge Dunge is a village that is about a 4-5 hour hike through the mountains.
This is my team along with 2 other teams before we began the 4 hour hike into the village of Dunge Dunge. 
We carried everything we needed in our packs that included tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, a few warm clothes. My pack weighed about 20 lbs and mine was one of the lighter ones. 
We tented in Rueben’s family’s backyard for the week. 
While in Dunge Dunge we helped lay the foundation for the teacher housing at the school in the community. This particular school was built by World Race teams in the past. This school was built on this side of the river because children were drowning while trying to cross the river to get to the other school in the village. 
We crossed the river about 14 times while leaving the village of Dunge Dunge. It cut the hike down to about 2 hours instead of 4 hours. 
Every few months we have what they call LDW or Leadership Development Weekend. Basically we meet together as a squad and worship and have sessions. We had one at the end of Nepal to meet back together as a squad and say goodbye to our alumni squad leaders. 
For those of you that don’t know about leadership on the race, we have 2 alumni squad leaders that come on the field with us and help guide us in the first 5 months of the race. So at the end of Nepal we said goodbye to those beautiful friends as we had 3 new squad leaders raised up from our existing squad. Megan and Cabe were our alumni squad leaders and I am so thankful for them both. Two of my most memorable and fun days on the race were with them. In Kenya I trusted Cabe with my life and we spent the day riding around the town of Mombasa on a dirt bike. In India I spent a girl’s day with Megan, shopping and eating and getting our nails done and hair washed. Cabe has taught me about the beauty of adventure and to know your “why” in life, and Megan has taught me about the beauty of connection with others and what it looks like to truly be yourself. One thing I have learned about myself on the race is that I am a realist and often that comes off as pessimistic. However, these 2 have taught me to dream big dreams simply by sharing their dreams. I am so thankful for these soul friends. 
What I learned:
-I learned that until I see myself as worthy of being chosen I won’t allow people to chose me.
-I learned what it looks like to begin to lean and depend on other people in a healthy way by way of lice.
-This is the first month on the race that I was sick. I went weeks with stomach pains that wouldn’t go away no matter what medicine I took. At the end the month I spent a whole day in bed with a fever. Thus far on the race I have been healthy and physically okay, but I learned after this month that being physically unhealthy is the worst kind on the race.
-Listen to the Holy Spirit then follow…. refer to blog post “I thought I missed it.”
-Stop carrying things that are not yours… rest in the Lord, not others.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30
We’re doing the thing!
Much love, Carson
