The transition into Month 2 has not been a smooth one. When we left Sielmat, India, we missed a flight and by the time we landed in Delhi, our visas had expired… by a half hour. Squadmates and I had passed out on the airport entrance floor at 2am, exhausted by travel and not knowing what to do at this point. I was woken up at 3am, my teammate telling me we were going to a hotel to nap, eat, shower, etc. We finally made it to Kathmandu the next afternoon and settled in by 8pm, rejoining the rest of our squad.
Debrief was somewhat restful. It was hard to recharge and reflect when the city had so much to offer. I bought so many warmer layers, a shawl. I flew over Mount Everest at 630am … It was too exciting to pass up. As a result, I arrived to our new ministry site this week burnt out and completely exhausted. Thankfully, our ministry host Reuben, gave us our first day as a rest day – we could nap, do laundry, use internet- whatever we needed to. So I did just that, and it gave me some time to reflect and prepare for the weeks ahead.
We stayed in a little duplex house for a few days to rest and get acclimated to the culture. On Tuesday, we made our way to the mountains – an 11 hour drive in a micro-bus. In short, we took an 11 hour roller coaster. We all swayed and bumped as the van whipped around corners as we traveled up mountains. People were getting sick (including myself, I had to ask our translator to tell them to pull the bus over… my teammates are having a field day with it) and people’s moods plummeted. But, we eventually made it to Reuben’s sister’s home and set up our things.
For the past couple days we have been doing construction work around the house. We moved piles of dirt to make a driveway, carried heavy bricks up 6 flights of stairs, and in an hour we are going out to the fields to pluck rice and plant potatoes. Reuben’s sister wants to start an orphanage here, so we are helping that become a reality. On Friday, we will pack our bags yet again and literally cross rivers and head further into the mountains towards a school. We will do ministry there, as well as construction work for about 6 days, and head back down the way we came. We will arrive back into our little half home in Kathmandu right around Thanksgiving. We head to Vietnam on December 3rd.
Needless to say, we will be seeing a lot of Nepal and be constantly moving. Sometimes I feel like I’m spinning in a circle at warp speed. It’s been difficult switching sleeping arrangements so frequently. You can never truly unpack or truly settle in- you have to pack up and go before you have a chance to catch your breath. I am adapting however, and the people I am coming to meet are constantly moving me. The Lord has blessed me so much this month and has also pushed me, and we’re only half way done. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us this month.
