Waking up in Nepal

Our second day in Nepal went like this…………

We woke up this morning after a long nights sleep on a bed much harder than I remembered. The power was off at 7:00 last night, so what else do you do? (when you’re jet-lagged any excuse will work) I fell asleep as Kirk was going over his notes to preach at this mornings church service. Most of you know that the Christians meet on Saturday due to government regulations. I am always so anxious to be in the wonderful service with the fellow believers here. It always amazes me that our services are so similar. We know many of the songs–just Nepali words. We’ve also learned some of their songs. It was wonderful to see the faces of God’s precious people. We received a very warm welcome, a homecoming welcome. I’m so thankful for a great interpretor like Pramita who can tell me what is in their hearts and break the language barrier. It is astounding to me, tho, how much can be communicated in a nonverbal fashion and how that prayer transcends language. I’ve prayed for people, wishing I had an interpreter at that moment, and have seen God lift burdens, give peace, and do His work. AMAZING. Kirk’s sermon was about how God reveals Himself to His people by several compound names in the O.T. He is “Our Provider”of salvation as well as our ongoing needs, “Our Banner”, who fights our battles, “Jehovah Shalom”, the Lord our peace and  “Jehovah Rohi”, the Lord our Shepard, to name a few. This was the first of the series. It was a great God-centered time in the word of God. The sense of destiny in these moments is palpable. It is God-ordained that we be here.

My eyes started wanting to close after lunch. My body clock was set on U.S. time which was telling me “Don’t you know it’s 1:30a.m.? Then everyone decided to go shopping. Could I miss an opportunity like this? No way! I pulled myself together long enough for adrenaline to kick in. We drove the familiar streets to Thamel, a shopping district for mostly foreigners like us. Several shopkeepers greeted us like old friends. Yeah, we,ve been there a few times! I had to laugh. Last year I had Christmas money to spend and gifts to buy. This year my budget was much smaller, so temptation awaited around every corner. The fabrics are gorgeous! I did pretty well at resisting. Now I know what I will pay for something and I’ve got the ratio between rupees and dollars correct.

Once again, and thankfully, the power went off early. Our bodies were beyond exhaustion.

Our second day in Nepal went like this…………

We woke up this morning after a long nights sleep on a bed much harder than I remembered. The power was off at 7:00 last night, so what else do you do? (when you’re jet-lagged any excuse will work) I fell asleep as Kirk was going over his notes to preach at this mornings church service. Most of you know that the Christians meet on Saturday due to government regulations. I am always so anxious to be in the wonderful service with the fellow believers here. It always amazes me that our services are so similar. We know many of the songs–just Nepali words. We’ve also learned some of their songs. It was wonderful to see the faces of God’s precious people. We received a very warm welcome, a homecoming welcome. I’m so thankful for a great interpretor like Pramita who can tell me what is in their hearts and break the language barrier. It is astounding to me, tho, how much can be communicated in a nonverbal fashion and how that prayer transcends language. I’ve prayed for people, wishing I had an interpreter at that moment, and have seen God lift burdens, give peace, and do His work. AMAZING. Kirk’s sermon was about how God reveals Himself to His people by several compound names in the O.T. He is “Our Provider”of salvation as well as our ongoing needs, “Our Banner”, who fights our battles, “Jehovah Shalom”, the Lord our peace and  “Jehovah Rohi”, the Lord our Shepard, to name a few. This was the first of the series. It was a great God-centered time in the word of God. The sense of destiny in these moments is palpable. It is God-ordained that we be here.

My eyes started wanting to close after lunch. My body clock was set on U.S. time which was telling me “Don’t you know it’s 1:30a.m.? Then everyone decided to go shopping. Could I miss an opportunity like this? No way! I pulled myself together long enough for adrenaline to kick in. We drove the familiar streets to Thamel, a shopping district for mostly foreigners like us. Several shopkeepers greeted us like old friends. Yeah, we,ve been there a few times! I had to laugh. Last year I had Christmas money to spend and gifts to buy. This year my budget was much smaller, so temptation awaited around every corner. The fabrics are gorgeous! I did pretty well at resisting. Now I know what I will pay for something and I’ve got the ratio between rupees and dollars correct.

Once again, and thankfully, the power went off early. Our bodies were beyond exhaustion.

Just before we arrived back in Nepal, I realized that only ten months had passed since our extended stay of 4 months last year. After our feet touched down on Nepali soil, it seemed as though we’d never left. We were greeted at the airport by a company of our precious Nepali family bearing flower garlands to place around our necks, along with lots of hugs. It was a grand reunion. For a time I forgot about my travel weary mind and body.

We found Kathmandu the same as we left it, the usual traffic mayhem ensuing. Unlike before, we paid very little attention to it, too busy catching up with loved ones. Our next hearty ” welcome” came as we pulled into the gate onto church property. All of the children were standing on the steps of the church clutching flowers to distribute to each of their visitors. I tried to capture this “snapshot” and hang on to it. Their initial response to us, as has been my experience, is a bit formal. They seem to be regrouping in their mind and wondering if we really still love and care for them. I’ve since realized that maybe I come on a little too strong with my hefty hugs. They have suffered so much loss. It seems that they are protecting their hearts from adding any more pain or disappointment. On the other hand, they all looked healthy and many of them had grown quite a bit! There are now 22 that call New Life Children’s Haven their home, along with a few older ones taking classes in higher education. The two youngest boys have only been there several months. There are stacks of applicants but not enough resources.  I am so grateful to all of the wonderful people who help provide these children with food, shelter, and medicine. Somehow, God makes the income stretch. On paper they still do not receive enough to make ends meet. Another huge monthly struggle without financial support is their education.  They are receiving it, but it is an almost daily struggle to provide. There is a small school on the church property. Our children only have to walk a few steps to get there. There is a total of around 80 students. Many of the children from outside that come are not able to or simply don’t pay and there is no money to pay for our kids. The staff remains behind on salary. Somehow, God has kept this school going. Somehow, God gives our dear Pramita (the principal and children’s home director) the strength to endure such hardship. Without the safety net of family or government programs, education is their only ticket out of crushing poverty. Unemployment in Nepal is around 75%. With that said, please pray for the ongoing monthly needs. We are their voice. This a first hand account of the ongoing struggles and triumphs of this little flock in Nepal. Please prayerfully consider how you can help. You can reference back to last years blog to see many of the faces of these precious children and members of the family of God in Nepal.

Thanks for reading and to God be the glory,

Liz