Hi!! This will be my last official
blog in Nepal… what?! That’s crazy to me for a few reasons. 1- I’m leaving Asia, a continent I’ve called home for the past 4 months. 2- On my way to Central America I’m going to have a layover in CHICAGO and get to see my SISTER! That feels surreal. 3- I’m entering my 7th month on the race, only almost 3 months left. 4- I’ll be living in the Western Hemisphere for the first time in 6 months. 5- That means team changes. And finally, 6- Life is moving so fast it feels like I’ll be home really soon. Woah. I can’t even wrap my head around all of this, so for now I am just taking it one day at a time!
Speaking of days, the past 7 have been spent in a very special place. A village called Hetauda in the jungle of Nepal, also known as Chitwan National Park! The week consisted of house visits to
encourage the most wonderful people, riding elephants for two hours, eating traditional Nepali foods and so much more! It was fun, relaxing and refreshing for my soul. I really did meet incredible people! Actually, I feel like my time in Nepal was mostly spent meeting and building relationships with the best humans in the world. With that being said, I want the rest of this blog to be dedicated to them! To honor their lives, the impact they’ve had on mine and the memories I’ll keep forever.
Suraj- my friend at the fruit stand! I bought apples from him everyday for almost a month, eventually I got the opportunity to pray over him and his family! He barely knew english but communicated through big, bright smiles.
Titadama-
On our first week we did some crafts called “prophetic doodling”, for some that may sound crazy, and to me it did, but it was legit! You draw a picture of anything, then search for it throughout your day. I drew a picture, for no apparent reason, of a hand with red nail polish holding two flowers with 5 petals- one pink flower, one blue. 10 minutes into our walk, the EXACT flowers I drew were on the shawl of an older woman outside her store! Guess what? She was wearing red nail polish on her thumb. Myself and a few others prayed healing over her body, then she told us that she had a dream the night before of people praying over her and touching her body. Wild. The next day she told us the pain in her hip left! From then on out I said hi to her in passing everyday!
Bita- A old woman at a street food cart who told me I was beautiful. That’s it, the only words she knows in english! Simple yet so sweet.
Buty- A Tibetan refugee living in Pokhara who sells handmade jewelry for a living. she has a 16 year old kid so I gave Buty one of my necklaces to give to her!
Tenzenmendal- Buty’s 16 yo daughter!
Bippin- The craziest, kindest, most charismatic man I think I’ve ever known! The night we met he purposed we do a “tunnel of fire” where he and his buddies arched their arms as we walked through them, receiving prayer in either nepali or tongues… still not quite sure which. It was very interesting! He lives for Jesus and Jesus alone. He values adventure, took us to go PARAGLIDING, and pours into everyone he encounters. A quality dude.
Jasmine- She is 34 and has been a prostitute in a cabin restaurant since she was 21. This hit me hard because I am 21 and I can’t even imagine what she went through. She has been emotionally, physically and sexually abused countless times, yet she is still the MOST bubbly person I have ever met. The morning before I met her, I was on the fence about getting my tattoo, a jasmine flower. my favorite flower. (haven’t gotten the tat yet, so stay tuned!) I prayed that the Lord would show me a sign if I were really meant to get it, hours later I met Jasmine and we instantly connected. We are basically best friends! I got to take her to church and she bought me coffee after, thanking me for spending my off day with her. I played with her daughter and she showed me her home. A tiny room with one bed it was so sad, but she was incredibly happy to have me there! That’s just who she is, someone who is happy no matter her circumstance! We can all learn a little from Jasmine.
Bika- A henna artist in the tourist district of Nepal, Thamel. I met her my first week here and she took my out to get coffee and free henna! She tried to impersonate an American accent by sounding like a drunk valley girl, needless to say, Bika is HILARIOUS. She has the most loving spirit and genuinely cares about everyone she meets! Not mention she is incredible at what she does.
Jenna, David and Manning- Both World Race alumni who are married and living in Nepal as full time missionaries with their sweet baby, Manning! I had the honor of eating homemade meals at their house a few times, babysitting Manning and going on coffee dates with Jenna! I look up to them a lot, they’ve really been the first people to exemplify a Godly and loving marriage, all while being good friends and pouring into me. Soon, they’ll be moving back to Swaziland, but they still need more donations and/ or monthly supporters! If you feel called to, please donate to this amazing couple!
Suzu, Angel and Rabina- For two weeks I was blessed with the chance to go into to cabin restaurants and dance bars to help rescue women from the sex industry. These 3 ladies in particular I met and bonded with in a dance bar! They show off their bodies for a living, but with my presence there it gave them a break. A few days after that we all went out for pizza and ice cream! They acted like kids and were full of spunk!
Mel- An American friend I met here in Kathmandu through another Christian organization called Youth With a Mission, aka YWAM. She lived just across the street from me and I’d definitely consider her to be one of my sisters because Jesus rocks- she encouraged me in ways I never knew I needed to be encouraged, plus we just had a lot of fun when we spent time together (accompanied by Zahli)!
Bippin (a different Bippin, much more laid back) and his church family- In Chitwan we stayed with the most humble family I have yet to meet overseas! They welcomed us into their church, fed us and made sure we were as comfortable as possible! They loved us so well and I’m forever grateful. Please keep them in your prayers, especially when it comes to their income!
Granny- I met a sweet old woman on the village streets of Hetauda! I was drawn to her because she wore a shirt just like my own grandmas. We were told to call her granny, as she grabbed my hand and smiled! She asked if I would stay in Nepal, marry a “dark” man and have her grandchildren. It was absolutely the cutest thing in the world!
And last but not least, Brian (our host here in Kathmandu, and his entire family! There are too many of them to count. I think about 14 living in their house, close to 10 that don’t live with them! I really got to know this family so well throughout my two months here. They poured into us, they accommodated us in the most beautiful team house, gave us fun and life-giving ministry and constantly loved us like we were part of the family. To them, I am eternally grateful. My Nepal experience would have been way different without this amazing family!
So, Nepal, it’s been real. Your people are so rad and I’ll never ever forget them. This was only a handful of those that I encountered! Stay tuned for my letter to Nepal if you want more insight on to what the last two months have been like for me personally! Thank you for reading!
