Here’s another series of pictures from the Race, another chance to peek through my lenses. Most of these are mine but I also snatched a couple from photography-loving friends. I hope these give you a taste of the things the Lord has been bringing about on the opposite side of the globe and that it encourages you and/or intrigues your heart deeper. 🙂 It’s some fun, some adventure, some teammates, some landscape, some ministry, some food all in 18 photos.
In India, prior to boarding an overnight bus to Kathmandu, Nepal 5 squadmates and I decided to fulfill the “tourist” piece of our Indian visas and do some sightseeing. So we took a 14-hr overnight train to the city of Agra, India and look what we found there (need I explain this wonder of the world?)!
Side story: After visiting both Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal, we discovered an additional escapade to top off our already-full day. We prepared to board the overnight train back to Varanasi but learned only 3 of our 5 tickets had been confirmed. So we got cozy. For 9 hours that night, our two thoughtful 6’+ guys sat upright on the top level of the 3-tiered beds with their necks craned, and myself and another girl squeezed side-by-side onto our own 2′-wide bed below them. We slept well the following day/night in Varanasi.
In Kathmandu, Nepal, during a down week we had before connecting with our ministry hosts, we were free to wander…and wander we did! This wall art was pretty close to where we (the whole squad) were staying that week. I enjoyed walking by and reading and rereading this particular quote on an almost daily basis; I very much need to be reminded that I am capable of making a difference, big or small.
Our hosts came and picked us up in this Jeep at the end of our down week. It managed to transport 10 people, 7 daypacks and 7 huge backpacks 8 hours northeast of Kathmandu to a town called Jiri. The road was mountainous, curvey, sometimes gravel, sometimes paved, but consistently with significant damage and bumps. It was also a chance to rub shoulders (literally) with our Nepali welcome party, see glorious mountains we had all been yearning to see and learn more about each other as a newly-formed smaller team.
Another reason I won’t forget the 8-hr ride is because of this. I straddled the stickshift of the manual for 6 of those 8 hours. Safe to say I learned a lot about myself and about my personal bubble during that time!
Introducing the mountain town of Jiri where we frequented during our 3-week stay in the area! This area is home to about 13,600 Nepalese people, mostly Hindu or Buddhist or a combination of the two religions. We stayed with our host, Samuel, farther down the mountain I was standing on when I took this picture.
In rural Nepal, to greet someone you say “namaste” (for non-Christians) or “Jai maci” (for Christians…it means something like “praise Jesus”). The place is stunning and the people are warm and intrigued by foreigners. You can even see some snow-covered peaks off in the distance!!
These kiddos are members of a local Church in Jiri. We got to spend some time with them in Sunday school during the 2 Sundays we were in town. They were about to do a song/dance rendition for us in this picture!
What you’re looking at here is the church building where people meet on Sundays for worship, prayer and preaching. Also where Bible school students meet to study Scripture and worship throughout the week.
Jiri was situated very close to the epicenter of the Spring 2015 earthquake that wrecked so many homes and buildings and lives. This Jiri church building was one of those buildings that was destroyed, and this is a temporary makeshift church before they construct a new one out of concrete. Even though it is small and temporary, after attending church services and Bible classes here, I’ve come to conclude it has the one necessary ingrediant to being a “church building”: a floor area for people to gather together, hungry for the Lord.
We worked out!! But really, some of us did go running pretty consistently in Jiri. Staying fit on the race is harder than it looks sometimes, between the food and convenient walking distances. But I am doing what I can!…but even more importantly and accurately, just doing what I love. 🙂 This particular day, we attempted to outrun a grey then dark blue, consuming wall of water. Clearly, Ryan and I didn’t win, but I had so much fun sprinting down a mountain, glancing occasionally over my shoulder at the blackening sky and laughing while frigid drops of water shocked my face nerves. I know this may sound cliché, but I really felt alive!
After spending a week in Jiri, we trekked out to another village 2.5 to 3 hours away called Trisule. My stomach was not happy with me during the hike (not sure what caused it), but being out and about with my backpack in the mountains made it hard to remain in a slump. Going up and down picturesque mountains was worth it!
I hardly know where to begin with this charming place, with Trisule. Their church building, same with Jiri’s was affected by the earthquake so they meet in the metal building. For the 5 days we were there, my team and I camped out down on a ledge below the church (see other camping blog), and we would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on the short concrete balcony on the side of the church. Really each day looked different and held different activities, but we were always surrounded by cheerful, benevolent Discipleship School students and their teachers. It was a lively environment and community.
Regis (pictured above) was one of our primary contacts in Trisule. Our team thoroughly enjoyed being around him and getting to know him over those 5 days. This day, we happened to run into him in Jiri after we had trekked back, and it was a welcome surprise.
This is dal baht, which is Nepali for lentil stew with rice (they made ours with potatoes, egg and sometimes chicken). We ate this at least twice a day in Trisule, and it was very satisfying. Our guys could not get enough of it (they would ask for seconds and then also eat our firsts when we couldn’t finish…where does it go??)!
The Discipleship school students liked to play volleyball so one day we walked to the local volleyball net (a 15-20min hike) and played 5 or 6 games. I only lasted 2 games before my arms were black and blue.
Upon arriving in Trisule, we were asked to pray for a bedridden man on top of the mountain who had cancer. The nearly 1-mile steep hike up the mountain made it an interesting start. When we arrived, we went into the house and laid our hands on the man and prayed for him. After the prayer, the man walked across the room and sat down upright. Later, we found out when we were praying for him that he suddenly felt a surge of strength and, to show that, he got up and walked across the room. We were told he hadn’t walked in months. One of my teammates, Rosie, then got to tell the man and his wife about Jesus, and before we left the house that day, we committed to coming back to visit the family until we left Trisule. That instance reminded me, again, of the miraculous power of God and of prayer.
Spending a week in Trisule was something truly special for many reasons, but I admit I was missing a newly acquainted friend I had made back in Jiri. Namdu (nearest me) and I hit it off pretty quick, and I found myself wanting to make an effort to reach out and hang out with her more and more (see other blog on the future pastor). She became, despite my dormant hopes and dreams of making lasting connection within a mission structure of travel, a friend during our time in Jiri. I will never forget Namdu, the 19-yr-old Christian Sherpa woman from Jiri Bible School.
Our ministry host, Samuel, is a dignified man of the Lord. He instructs at the Jiri Bible School and church and, occasionally, trekks out to other villages that haven’t heard of Jesus. He has a wife and 3 young daughters he takes care of and loves deeply. And between all of that, he still hosted us and shared his life with us. He desires for people to see God for themselves, to relate to him personally and to be able to teach others about Jesus. It was an honor to live in his house, eat his food, experience his family dynamic, trek across mountains with him, laugh with him, eat with him, hear his story and have him translate for us. We could feel the value that he has for people.
Two words: Corner Kabab. After our 3 weeks in Jiri ended, we said goodbyes that, for me, have been the hardest ones to say thus far. 3 weeks brought a lot more than I thought possible! But we left Jiri in a 15-passenger bus back to Kathmandu, and I reunited with some key squad friends for lunch at an Indian restaurant called Corner Kabab. If I go back to Kathmandu, they will be getting my business on a regular basis. Naan and egg curry. Because nothing says “goodbye, Nepal” like cheap Indian food with your American friends.
