It’s hard to describe Nepal aside from telling you it’s just about everything I could hope for. When we got here for debrief, the difference from India was all around us. Where we had just come from, everything shut down by 6pm, but here we roll in at midnight and the night is just getting started. There are western faces everywhere and so many languages it’s hard to count; the lights are bright on every building and there are Christmas lights and flags strung over the streets. It smells mildly of trash mixed with several food choices and there is loud music playing somewhere (most likely karaoke, judging by the gentleman’s voice). We get to our hostel and are greeted with rooms with beds, western toilets, and warm showers (yay!). I was immediately overwhelmed with all the amazing opportunities here in a very touristy Thamel (subsection of Kathmandu). The restaurants were so hipster and awesome, shout out to OR2K for being awesome and having great food and letting us sit on the floor! There were shops to buy things in everywhere, as well as a multitude of tattoo and piercing places to tempt everyone. And that didn’t include all of the advertised adventures such as flying around Everest ??, bungee jumping, white water rafting, trekking, and so much more. I jumped right in. I shopped, I got my nose pierced, I got some dreads in my hair, I ate great food, I saw Everest, I went to the monkey temple, and I got a new tattoo (sorry mom). In between all that, we also had sessions and one-on-ones (because it’s debrief and all), and that was how I spent my 5 days in Thamel, never stopping and never slowing down.
In my last one-on-one with Fran (our squad mentor) she asked how debrief was going, and I told her I was exhausted. She responded with: “You haven’t learned true rest yet, have you?” Ooh no. If I was telling the truth, I hadn’t even opened my bible since leaving India. I hadn’t prayed, journaled, or spent any time with the Lord for that matter. I was running on empty rather than living in the overflow of His love. I wanted to satisfy all of my earthly desires to see and experience, but that’s not what debrief was for. It’s a time to rest and recharge before going into the next two months, and I had squandered all of that time away. I’m not saying I regret seeing Everest, hanging out with my friends, or the physical modifications that make me feel more like myself, but I am saying that I am mourning the time that I could have grown closer to God and soaked in His love before diving into ministry again. So here I am. We got to our ministry host yesterday afternoon, and we are out of Thamel. It’s still the city, but it’s much less touristy and much more Nepali. I can see the Himalayas from our roof (see picture below), and I am already so in love with the people, this amazing ministry, and this place. God is beginning to redeem that time I lost as I am trying to be more intentional with the time I still have. Nepal is still everything that I wanted it to be, but I’m learning how to appreciate it differently, more deeply, and more fully.
Thanks for stopping by! I am still fundraising and have about $1,898 left until I’m fully funded. To donate you can hit that “donate!” (I know that has been wrong on all my other blogs. Sorry.) Link at the top of the screen. Much love, Lyndie
(please excuse the poor quality of the photo)
As a bonus, this is the view from the roof that I’m sitting on right now
Photos from debrief:
Everest!!
The ally that led to our hostel.
Shameless coffee picture, there were some awesome coffee shops around where we were staying.
Mint lemonade (so good!)
Monkey Temple
Me and Amanda, so ready for our everest flight despite being up at like 5am.
