On our last day in the village, the church had a small going away party for us. It was so sweet! They gave us each scarves, flower wreaths, and flower bouquets, and they prayed for us and gave us food. It pressed in my heart again how honoring and hospitable the Nepali people are. We then took the super-scary bus ride down the mountain cliffs. It wasn't as bad as before, but it was still scary especially at night. I'm so glad that I won't have to do that again, and I'm praising God for protecting us. It felt nice to be back in Kathmandu. We spent the first two days back in Kathmandu doing laundry and taking showers since we didn't have running water in the village. We also got to book flights back home and get other errands done. On one of our last days in Nepal, we visited this organization that fights against sex trafficking in Nepal and India. It was really inspiring and encouraging to go there. They gave us an overview of their organization, we prayed for them, and some of us bought some merchandise there that they sell to help give the women jobs and to fund the organization. They do sex trafficking prevention as well as care for women who have been affected. It was really cool for me because one of the women who was there was from Minneapolis. She normally works state-side was from Minneapolis, but she said she was in Nepal for 2 months. It was cool to be able to meet her to have that connection and to hear that she sometimes comes to speak at different churches or events. Our ministry contact had us over to his home for our last day in the ministry, and they gave us tons of food- it was called momos and they gave us each a poster of Mount Everest as a going away present- again, showing how hospitable and generous the Nepali people are.
My group after the Nepal going away party they threw for us
On Friday, my team leader told me to meet everyone downstairs to go out for lunch. I assumed that we were going out to lunch because it was our last day as a team because we had heard that we were going to get new teams for the last 2 months. I had been with my team for about 5 months pretty much. When I got down there, the front desk worker asked me "Are you Jacelyn?" And I said yes, and then he gave me a note that had a riddle on it that told me to meet my teammate outside. I realized that it was for my birthday that was in a few days. My team decided to celebrate early with me since my birthday was on a travel day where we?d be on planes and in airports. I loved it! There were a few clues until I was brought to a nice restaurant to have lunch with all of my team. It was so thoughtful and sweet, and I was really surprised because my birthday wasn't until Sunday. As soon as I sat down, the waiter brought me a Coke because my teammate knew that I really liked Coke, and she told me that she told him that I wanted it cold. My team got me a lot of candy and snacks, and they bought me this really pretty silver chain because the chain of my cross necklace had broken. To top it off, they let me order a sizzling brownie with ice cream for dessert. I loved it- it was so thoughtful, and it made me feel loved. I turned 25. Later that day, we found out our new teams, and I like my new team. My team leader is great, and I have 2 girls on my team that I?ve been on a team with before. We're called "Team R&R" (Redemption and Restoration).
The next day, I had a great breakfast of a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and a mocha Frappuccino. It was so good because I hadn't spent money on extra food all month and because we were eating a lot of the same thing. I then hung out with my teammate and friend Megan from Minnesota for a while and walked around the city and did a little shopping. I had gotten close to her in the last five months, but she's not on my new team, so we wanted to hang out. Later that day, my squad all wore white shirts and threw powdered paint at each other. Every month, we do a little celebration to celebrate the birthdays that month, and in India and Nepal they do a festival called "Holly" or something where they throw around powdered paint. It was fun getting lots of colors on our shirts and ourselves.
Powdered-paint birthday celebration (I'm on the the very left in the middle)
So then we started out travel day to Africa! We were told that we were going to first fly from Kathmandu and have a 12 hour layover in New Delhi, India. Then, we'd go from there to Ethiopia for like a 3 hour layover and then get to our final destination of Zambia, Africa. Because we had a 12 hour layover in Delhi, many of us (myself included) were planning to go to the Taj Majal because it?s pretty close to Delhi. It was also my actual birthday that day, so I was pretty pumped to go to the Taj Majal on my birthday. We were told that our flight was supposed to be leaving at like 9am (we had woken up at like 4:30am to get there on time), but when we got there we were told that our flight wasn't leaving until 3:30pm (something got messed up with the confirmation number or something). So we had to be in that airport all day, and we couldn't go to the Taj Majal. Then, when we got to Delhi, we were told that our flight at 2am to Ethiopia was cancelled, so we had to wait all evening there for the airline to get us a hotel to stay in. So my whole birthday was spent in airports. We didn't do much for my birthday that day, but like I said, my team and I had already celebrated it earlier. Many people got me candy, snacks, and Coke and sang me Happy birthday. I also got to skype home to say happy birthday to my twin sister and talk to my family which was awesome. We were all exhausted from travelling from 4:30am to midnight, but we were brought to an amazing hotel paid by the airline! We?re staying in a Best Western in Delhi, and it's so nice and the service is great! They have the most comfortable beds that I think I've ever slept in. They are also giving us free buffet-style food. I?m sharing a room with my friend and teammate Jeannette, and it's been really nice to talk with her. She told me about some of the healings and miracles by God that she saw last month that was encouraging.
So they told us that our new flight wouldn't be leaving until 2am the following day, so we had the entire day in Delhi, so we were actually able to go to the Taj Majal if we wanted to! So I went with 11 others from my squad starting at about noon, and it took us about 3-4 hours to get to Agra, India by a big van. The roads were so nice, and Delhi is so nice and rich compared to southern India where we were last month. We only had about 2 hours to spend at the Taj Majal, but it was a good amount of time because the Taj isn't that big. It was great to see it- it?s made out of marble and has colored stones for decoration. It looks like it?s painted, but it?s the colored stones. The ruler who made it made it for his wife, and the Taj is a symbol of fidelity to some people. We had a tour guide, and he seemed a little cranky for some reason. The trip was a little chaotic because we were trying to manage our time well since we knew we had to be back at the airport later for our flight, but it all went smoothly. We went to this colored stone-cutting place after the Taj which was a family business that helps with restoration of the Taj and sells marble tables. After that, we drove from Agra to Delhi to catch our 2am flight. We stopped at McDonald?s, and I got a lot of food- I hadn't had McDonald?s since Thailand which was about 5 months ago. We put on some music in our van, and the van had blue indoor lights, and we were all dancing and singing. It was sooooooo fun! It was one of the most fun days that I've had on the race.
Me in front of the Taj Majal
We arrived to the airport at around 11pm..and….we found out that we weren't flying that night either!!! Apparently, the airline switched our flight from 2am to sometime earlier, but we were at the Taj and there was no way for them or our squad to reach us (not our fault though), so they told us that were going to stay another night at the awesome hotel which was awesome because I was really tired. It's funny because we have had really smooth travel days, and now going to Africa, we've been delayed like 3 days.
Today, my roommate Jeanette and I went to the hotel bar to get a Coke, and Jeanette told them it had been my birthday, and they gave us free Cokes, and they brought me a cake with a candle on it, and Jeanette had 3 of my squadmates come and sing happy birthday to me, and they got free Cokes too. It was so unexpected and great! I love this hotel! It?s so awesome haha.
Hopefully tonight we're finally leaving for Africa! My team is going to be in Livingstone, Zambia doing "Conservation, Education, and Sports Ministry". I am in great spirits and health and am praising God for all that he is done and all that he will do. .
