Nepal

This post could take awhile. i have a lot to say. Nepal was good...so very good. I'll start with a little story. this story could have lots of names...like, "what not to do in Nepal" or "don't be alarmed" or "how to get yourself lost on a hillside in Nepal"

There is this hill called Sarangot, in Pokhara (we went to Pokhara for a little retreat. it was wonderful, beautiful...search in on google, and you'll see amazing mountains. Flikr is being dumb and won't let me post my pics. i've tried 3 times...) Lots of people go to the top of Sarangot to watch the sunrise over the Annapurna range. its really breathtaking. You take a taxi up...and back down. My team and i did that on Tuesday morning...only the problem was i wasn't ready to leave yet. the mountains are just so breathtaking. Plus, nature is a way that i can rest in the presence of God. So, after i got back down, i hung out on the roof of our hotel for a bit, where i could see the tips of the mountains...and then decided i had to get back up there. i just wasn't sure how i was gonna do it. i thought about renting a bike (we'd biked the day before) but i didn't think i could bike up a mountain on a bike with only 1 gear. i thought about a taxi, but i really didn't want to pay so much, and i wanted to walk. so, i decided i'd take a taxi half way and then walk up the road. i took a taxi, and then i inadvertently picked up a guide, which was fine, cause he showed me the way up the hill that was quicker, and not on a road. beautiful hillside. i got to the top of the hill/mountain about 12:30, and hung out there til about 4. it was amazing. the clouds kept shifting, and i had incredible time of just being with God. reading His word, praising him...it was just good. and...all afternoon the mountains never disappeared (usually they do) and then...just before i had to leave, they disappeared completely...which was good. I feel like the whole afternoon was just a gift from God for me. I got to see the mountains, and then he "turned them off" so i didn't have to walk away.

now, my guide had told me that there was a way i could go back to Pokhara, a stone staircase, 3000 stairs...that it was very clear. so, when i got to the stairs, there were some guys who wanted to hire me a taxi, or for me to hire them as a guide. when you are in Nepal and guides offer their services, some might think its a good idea to accept the offer. I thought it would be good to make a joke..."you need a guide" they said. "no i don't" i replied. "yes, the path has changed," "i'll be fine." "you need a guide" "why are there tigers?" "yes, big tigers." "its okay, i'm fast and strong" off i went...my guide had told me to always go straight, never to the left, never to the right...so that's what i did. and i was fine...for about 5 minutes...and then i wasn't on stairs anymore (this should have been my first clue that something was wrong)...and my second clue should have been when there was no longer any clear path...rather lots of small ones...but i just kept going down. i figured i'd be fine as long as i kept moving toward the lake...a pretty big landmark...so i kept moving down. i began to get a bit frantic...and was just moving down, down down, as fast as i could (this is the funny thing about being lost...at the point where you should slow down and think your adrenaline makes you go super fast and in no particular direction). At the point when i was no longer on any sort of clear path, and i was just jumping down layers of terraced farming i should have turned back. most smart people would. i thought about it, but then i saw another path i could use...so down i went...and then i saw the woods. thankfully, I've read the "Backpacker Magazine" survival issue, and even i am smart enough not to walk into woods with out a path, map, sufficient water,a flashlight or anything i'd really need for survival (remember, the plan was to walk on the road). so...i turned back...frantic still, only now moving up at all times. along the way, i was realizing how bad of shape i was in...i was on a terraced farm...not a path, no one near by at all, no one knew where i was, i was alone, so a sprained ankle would be bad news. i'm allergic to bees, and my epipen and oral steroid were both safely stowed in my hotel room...the ONE TIME i'm in the woods! And...keep in mind, i'm not really on any sort of path...and i don't know how much longer i'll have day light. i was pretty scared, and just prayed, "Jesus, guide my steps. give me wisdom to make good decisions, keep the bees away. protect my ankles" I made i back up to a road, and there was an old man right there, and he directed me to the stone stairs...and surprisingly, once i was there, it was clear the whole way. i was a bit nervous til i got to the road, cause i still didn't know about daylight, but i relaxed quite a bit and enjoyed my walk in the woods. i also got to see "rural" Nepal...little houses, and farms, water buffalo everywhere it was really nice, once i found the path. All in all my time of lostness lasted about 45 minutes...plenty long enough for me!

As a team, our time in Nepal was great. it was good to be together, to share so many meals with one another...to know one another more. It was also a great time of rest, and change of pace. Khatmandu's population is "only" 1.5 million, compared with the 14-18 million of Kolkata (depending on how you count it). so life was less chaotic there. fewer horns, more open space. Still a lot of need, but different sorts of need. we stayed in the WMF guest room...and had warm showers (it was also cooler there!) and a soft bed...and when i woke up in the morning, i only heard birds singing...no crows, no horns, no engines, no ear-piercing whistles...just birds.

it was also good to experience a different field. the Nepal field has existed about 10 years, and is just different in some ways from our field. it was such a blessing to get to know the Nepali staff, and to hear accounts of what God has done from all the Nepali staff...God has been at work in powerful ways in Nepal the past year and a half...God is bringing freedom (spiritual and from additions) to many of the men that the staff has been investing in. There is a home for these men coming out of addicion. its a partnership with a local Church and WMF...and its amazing! their faith is humbling!

Over and over i'd hear stories of how believers came to know Jesus...and one story i never heard was, "i was raised in a Christian home..." i did hear about men who were hooked to heroine...and when they accepted Jesus, their addiction was immediately gone. I heard about eyesight restored, needs met miraculously, people healed over and over, a family about to commit suicide when someone shows up at their door, had seen them in a vision and came to tell them about the love of God. And in some ways, its hard for me to know how to process these accounts...Nepal is a place where the spiritual realm is very much on the surface, both the Kingdom of God, and the powers of satan...and that is very different from my experiences in America. I was struggling with that quite a bit...how do i respond...how to i process these things. how do my faith tradition and experiences line up with the truths i'm hearing now? And i realized that part of the problem was that i was trying to use logic to understand God...and since when is the love of God, or God Himself logical? So, i'm working at laying down my need to analyze, and to understand...and seeking to be obedient to how God is working here in Kolkata, and in me...whatever that means.

WMF also has a home for girls...really, its a family. Gautham and Raeka (married) have "adopted" 6 girls so far (plus they have 3 biological children)...and their home is just oozing with love...its almost tangible. it was incredible to share life with them for a bit. (the WMF guest room is on the first floor of their home). We got to spend a ton of time with the girls...and we even got to take them all swimming. they'd never been! what an experience that was! Gautham used to have a Momo (a typical Nepali food)restaurant. Thats how he got connected with WMF...Silas went to eat there, Raeka charged him too much (on purpose), and the next time, Gautham apologized and then said, "i notice you bow your head before you eat. from what i know Christians do that. would you tell me about Jesus?"....can you believe it? anyway...there are a lot fo nepali girls in sonagachi...so we had Gautham teach us how to make momos, and we're going to make them and then bring them to the girls. it was so much work...and so fun. we all just sat around making momos (they're dough with meat inside) it was a great afternoon!

Karuna Ghar (the name of hte home) is very full...not in terms of space, but in terms of love and fellowship...joy and peace. the girls were just so incredible and it was good to know them. if you want to know more about the Nepal field, you can find out more at the WMF website. click on countries...and then Nepal.

my time in Nepal was good and filling...and at the same time it is good to be back in Kolkata. good to re-engage in what God is calling me to here. yesterday we had our Sari Bari Easter celebration. the women all came over the Beth, kristen and Sarah's house, and we had lunch and watch "the Passion." Many of the women were amazed at "what Jesus did for me" and i know seeds were planted.

on a "business" note...we have some friends, Jacob and Dana...they went to college with Beth and were here in Kolkata for 3 weeks. we hung out with them a ton...but, the reason i'm telling you this is that they have a web site with some great pics of K-town...they've done a great job of "capturing" what its like here. their website is www.jacobanddana.com and there is a photo tab you can click on...then India :)