Everyone talks about months five and six being the hardest because you realize you have as many months left on the Race as you’ve been on it. Well if that’s the case, Nepal couldn’t have come at a better time.
There’s nothing like nature to realign our souls. I can hardly put into words the sights that I saw out of seat 28A. The smell of curry began to fade and seemingly out of nowhere, lush green peaks began to appear, interrupted only by the dusty little paths carved into them. I was absolutely glued to my window! After a month of dry, desert heat and sparse greenery, Nepal welcomed us with a cool breeze and breathtaking scenery. The are colorful pennants everywhere. Himalayan peaks jut up in all directions, tucking away the city of Kathmandu like an ancient secret.
An AWESOME friend from the squad, Steve Chun, let me borrow his camera for the month and I don’t think I’ve stopped documenting since he put it in my hands. Every thing you look at is a picture from National Geographic.
Our contact was ready and waiting for us at the airport (rocking an Ohio State sweatshirt), so we hopped into some taxis and headed to our new home. Kathmandu traffic was an adventure. I figured out why they make the cars and buses so flat faced…it’s so you can stop literally millimeters from the vehicle in front of you. My backseat driver instincts were in high gear and you can bet my imaginary break peddle was pushed all the way to the ground. But alas, we made it.
We were greeted by a sea of a sea of plaid skirts, button up shirts, and neat little braids tied up with ribbon as children walked home from school. We grabbed our packs and headed up the stairs. Little did I know just how many there were. Our room is on the fourth floor. That’s four flights of stairs hauling an extra 60lbs of weight. I’m grunting up the stairs, trying to convince myself to be more like Christ and “do everything without complaining” (Phil 2:14) and then I see it. The view from our floor. Out the window, on the rooftop, over the balcony…we are surrounded, on all sides, by the Himalayas. The sleepy little town below us, a suburb of Kathmandu, is reminiscent of the old West with all its little store fronts. Faded advertisements are splashed onto the crumbling brick facades like some vintage wall hanging.
Open rooftops are dotted with lush little potted gardens. Laundry blows gently in the breeze. People bustle about on the streets below and we get a front row seat.
Right now we’re just taking advantage of the time to be in the Word and literally just stare at creation. Ministry starts Monday. I’m excited to see what that looks like! I’ll keep you posted. 
