(Jan 29-Feb 5)
This was largely a week of travel and debrief. We left Hyderabad Wednesday morning and flew to New Delhi. It was difficult to say goodbye to everyone. I (Justin) had made a good friend with the translator, Samuel, and it was really difficult to move on. India Christian Ministries has great personnel and incredible local support. Not enough time to express the gratitude we have for their support. When we flew into Delhi we had a twelve hour layover and then the fun began. We made it to a train station at the right time only to figure out that we were at the wrong station and had to go across the city. With an hour before departure we shoved everyone into a compact van and made a 45 min. trek to the other train station. We broke the X-ray machine at security and they eventually waved us through unchecked. Needless to say we boarded our train with about 2 min. to spare. The train was 16 hours long and then we caught a bus from there to Kathmandu which was a 15 hour ride. In brief the bus was the scariest ride I have ever been on, including theme park rides. It was dark, extremely bumpy and exhausting.
Kathmandu has been an interesting place. It echoes the spiritualist/hippie movement of the 60’s and 70’s while maintaining an air of mystery and pilgrimage. Nepal is the birth place of the Buddha and rife with sacred places and sketchy tour guides trying to make a buck. It is a place of crafts, trendy shops, dreadlocks and good eats. We have also begun to see that like some counterpart cities in the states (Austin, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas) all that glitters is not gold. There is an overwhelming sense of moral relativism, despair and cover up as you begin to really look around. It is a challenge for us to keep being faithful and bold in the midst of a comfortable, eclectic and entertaining place.
On the flip side we will not be in the city that much and will be more in the suburbs where things are not so hyped up. We will be spending the month teaching English as well as leading bible studies for women who have been rescued from the sex trade or have AIDS. It is a ministry that tugs at the heart strings and brings to the surface that Kathmandu is as broken a place as any. The making of a place like this leaves every man/woman for themselves and under the veneer of good times and night life are the hidden faces. We look forward to sharing life with these women and their kids for the next month. Pray for our ability to not be fooled, be bold and edify these women in the tenderness of Jesus.
