Farewells

            So, I know it has been awhile since I last updated the blog, but between flying, driving, and very little Internet connection updating has been difficult. I figured I would give you a short synopsis of my last couple of weeks in Nepal and one of the biggest lessons God taught me on this trip. Well, we trained over 130 students in five different areas throughout Nepal, hiked over 140 miles throughout the Himalayas, experienced village life, and met numerous Nepali people. I think some of the highlights for me were visiting the Buddhist Monasteries, spending quality bonding time with the team, hiking, and drinking chai while making friends with the local shop owners. Let me tell you, the Nepali people really know how to make a good cup of tea. It is kind of hard to describe everything that took place over the past month, because it would be more of a book than a blog. However, God really did some amazing things in our team and in my own personal life. Through the team, He taught us how to work together. My team was from three different countries with three very different approaches to life. However, through some disagreements, encouragements, and teachings we learned to work together. It wasn’t easy at times, learning to co-operate is painful at times, but you do it. I think the biggest thing God taught me through my team was that even though people have differences, you could work together.     Each team member had a different idea of a leader and how things should be led. When we sat down and were able to discuss these ideas, we were able to encourage and teach each other valuable lessons as well as new approaches. These are some of the important lessons in life I learned: how to bring a team together, learning to work through disagreements, how to approach someone when they hurt you, and learning to love each other for who they are and not their differences in theology, politics, or approaches to life. Before Nepal my ideas on life, where extremely one-sided and I would preach out of one side of my mouth and at that moment I would be doing the exact thing I told others not to do. I thank God so much for showing me that I was wrong, but what is so amazing to me was that He corrected me in the most amazing and loving way a Father could. 

Before, it always seemed to me that God was waiting for you to mess up, ready to condemn you. In my mind if I tried to do everything right and hold it together, then I would be okay. Being the expert I thought I was, I dealt with issues and problems in my own life the way I thought they should be handled.  However, God came in and showed me how much I needed him. He showed me how my own strength will not suffice and I will always fail. God was never condemning or harsh; rather at first he let me do it my own way as I stubbornly refused to listen to Him. Then, when I failed and realized I couldn’t do this on my own, He came in and taught me. God showed me areas I could work on through experiences with the Nepali people, the dynamics of team, and previous relationships I had.  Through these incidents He exposed the areas where I had failed then spoke to me through His word in how to correct the problems. After that the painful process began. He began to dig deeper to the root of the problem and I was able to find peace in issues I never thought I had. Again, the amazing part of it all was He loved me. In all my mistakes and dirt, He picked me up, dusted me off, and showed me how to learn from them. Life is still a continual process of learning and I know I am nowhere near having it all together, but I can’t wait to see where God teaches me in the next years. If I can share anything, it’s that He is a God of love, no matter where you have been or what has gone in your life He has an endless supply of grace, even for people like me who thought they had everything figured out and in a picture perfect frame. God loves you- just know that.

As of right now I am back in South Africa finishing our debriefing week before we graduate on Sunday. It is almost surreal how fast the time has gone and that I will be heading back to Texas in the next two weeks. I am sad to leave South Africa, it has grown to become home to me. God really blessed me with great friends and amazing memories I won’t ever forget. Along with that He has given me a whole new perspective on life and has opened my eyes to a relationship with Him that I never knew I could have. This experience was life changing and one I would never take back. I’ve learned life lessons in how to adapt to various routines and to do life with different cultures. I know this last blog was a little more serious, but I really hoped to share my heart. I hope you guys have enjoyed the previous blogs.  I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read them. Thank you! I can’t wait to see everyone again!

Just Keep Moving

The Village

Well I don’t even know where to begin with these past two weeks!  They have been the most stretching and crazy weeks I have ever experienced. In a nutshell we have been living in different villages in the Himalayas teaching the JDx program to different church leaders and hiking to different communities in the mountains to pray and to get to know the people. The people have loved the program and really seem to grasp what we are teaching. I guess the best way to describe what we have been doing is to give the general gist of what a visit to a village looked like. We begin by getting on a bus, which is the probably the hardest and scariest part of the entire journey. Everyone gets packed into the bus, 60 people on a 30-person bus and if there is no room inside, you get on the roof. I got the pleasure of riding on the top. It had a nice breeze and was generally comfortable, until the chickens started dying because of heat exhaustion and then you looked over the side and expects to see a road but see nothing because the ground is hundreds of feet down. The other transportation option is motorcycle, and that is your choice ride. Amongst our team we have rotated getting on the bus and riding on the motorcycle with our translator. That is a little glimpse into our transportation situation; it was scary but so much fun at the same time. Anyway after we get to a village, we get situated and begin teaching the following day. Each village has opened their arms willingly. The people open their homes, guesthouses, and offices to provide a place for us to live in. The villagers then provide pillows, blankets, and basically everything we need to function. The thing that stands out to me most are that the Nepali people offer everything they have, even though they don’t even know us. It has been such a blessing and I have met some awesome people. When class begins, we normally have about 25-30 students per session and teach over a period of 3 days, each team member teaching a different value. After the teaching is over we head into the mountains to go to the different communities and take part in fellowship and swallowship (eating a meal together) and then if they ask for prayer we pray for them. The hikes normally take about 3 hours and they are beautiful. The Himalayan Mountains are amazing! I have to say we have had some amazing times in the community getting to know the people. We have prayed for numerous needs and the most interesting one I got to pray for was a buffalo. I have to say I have never prayed for a buffalo before, but what made it all worth it was the people and how they thanked me after for praying for their animal. It showed me how even the things that might seem unusual for us can speak volumes to someone else. Lesson learned: Do not under estimate what God can do through praying for a buffalo. After visiting villages for a couple of days we then begin packing up to head to the next area. That is a general gist of how the past couple of weeks have gone.

In more detailed terms, we have also gotten to experience a villager’s life as well. We got to sleep on mats, bathe in rivers or a bucket shower (whichever you prefer), get water out of tap to wash dishes, difficult bathroom situations, hand washing clothes and just learn to live on what you need, rather than what you want or think you need.  It has been really tough, but good at the same time. Without Internet or electricity you really learn to appreciate your team members and the little things that you take for granted at home. The one thing I became really appreciative over these past weeks was how my mom used to take care of me when I got sick. Due to the new foods and different lifestyle we have been living I got a bad stomach bug. That was probably one of the hardest times cause all you want is to be home, but you can’t. Needless to say, I got better, but am that much more thankful for being home when you are sick. Other than that the hiking and outdoor activities are something you do regularly and when you find yourself inside, you earnestly desire to be outside again.

One of our hikes

I think the most exhilarating thing I experienced was on our day off at the Last Resort. To get to this place you cross over a suspension bridge and as we crossed I learned of their multiple activities they offer such as bungee jumping.  I then learned it was the third highest in the world, now how could I pass that up? Shortly after I found myself in a briefing for bungee and then getting in line to jump. I was the last person in my group to go, so I got to watch every person go before me. I don’t know if that was a good thing or bad, but anyhow my turn finally arrived. I got all strapped in and then looked at the jumping ledge. Before you step on there was a sign that said, “brain behind.” It made me laugh and honestly all fear left and I was just super excited. Then next thing I knew I was walking to the ledge taking a breathe and then all I heard was the wind and my voice echoing as I was yelling very loudly. It was the best experience and I would totally do it again. After the jump our team just spent time relaxing and eating food that did not consist of noodles or rice. It was the first meal we had in a month that didn’t include those items. It was a wonderful day at the resort.

God has been doing amazing things in our team. I really believe the people here are teaching us more than we are teaching them. I have learned so much about who I am as a person and things I want to change. I love the people here, the love they show, and how they live. I really hope one day I can return and visit again! Please keep our team in your prayers as we are heading to our next destination, this one will be more permanent as we are going to stay there until we head back to South Africa. Thank-you again for the prayers!

Khatmandu

Well, today is leaving day and how we got this opportunity is a story in itself. Throughout the past week our team has made so many different connections in Khatmandu and one of the main connections we have made was with a pastor here in the valley. My team member, Isaac and I, were asked to come and speak at his local church about All Nations and the reason we are here in Nepal.  I spoke about All Nations and the past two months in South Africa. Isaac preached about Stephen and his dedication to sharing God’s love. He gave such an encouraging message and the pastor loved the passion Isaac had behind sharing the Word and how DBS worked. After the service was over, we went into his office and he started talking about training his leaders. The pastor gave us three different locations in Nepal, where he asked us to go and teach his leaders DBS. He arranged interpreters and accommodations for our team in the different areas as well. The most exciting part is what we are going to be doing. We will be training his leaders for two hours or so in the morning then will be trekking into the surrounding villages in the Himalayas. Some areas could be as long as four hours into the villages. I am so looking forward to these hikes! The first area we are headed to is the Dolkhara region; the beginning of Mt. Everest’s hiking trail. From there we will head towards Chaku (sounds like Chaco) and then possibly head to the Chitwan region and then end in Pokhara. Our group is looking forward to getting out of the city and heading into the mountains! I personally cannot wait to hike and am looking forward to the exercise and clean air! God has been good, I mean again a week ago, we had no idea what we were going to do and now we have the next couple of weeks planned for us. Looking forward to getting in those mountains, please pray for the team.

The electrical

Other than that our week was full of just exploring the territory. We saw different parts of Khatmandu and learned how to walk on their streets and that in it self is an adventure. After one of our visits to Thamel, to get some last minute supplies for our trip, we jumped into a van to head back to the apartment. The van started out with about 10 people, by the end of the trip, the van that holds maybe 15 was carrying 25 people and the driver kept looking in the back seat, where we were sitting, to see if he could squeeze another person into our mix. The seat comfortably held three. There was already five of us back there. Talk about getting squished. We had a bright side though, if the van were to get in a wreck or something we would all be fine, because we were so tightly squeezed in no one would have moved.  We also met some awesome people this week. There is a group above our apartment that is just on fire for the Lord. Most of them have stories, where basically they bought a one-way plane ticket to Nepal and just waited on the Lord to see what they were to do next. The stories they share and the experiences they have had are ridiculous.  Some of them have no support, yet the money has come in to live and they have survived here for some as long as five years. It was so cool to see the faith they have and their obedience to the Lord. I was also really encouraged by some of my friends who recently came to the Lord. Some of their families have kicked them out and people who are supposed to love them unconditionally have physically and verbally abused them. I was so encouraged by the faith that they have and their willingness to basically give up everything to follow the Lord.  

We had a lot of fun this past week as well, just hanging out with the team. One night we were in the room talking and a bat flew in. It was probably the funniest thing that has happened to us, because all three of us ladies sprinted into three different rooms and slammed the doors shut behind us. We left our other team member, Isaac, out in the cold. The funny thing was he had no idea what was going on, basically he just walked in and we all sprinted into different rooms. When he realized what was going on he grabbed a broom and finally was able to get it out of the house. It was really funny to watch though and some of us found we could be professional sprinters. We also hand washed clothes for the first time and learned how to haggle prices. We have had so many stories over the past week it has been crazy. All in all it has been a good week, but I am so excited to head to the mountains. I cannot wait to see the village life we are going to experience there!

Part 2: Nepal

Crazy traffic, evident poverty, deathly showers, and an unknown language greeted us oh so warmly as we entered our second stage of CPx in Nepal. The flights had gone smoothly as we flew from Cape Town to Dubai, then to Khatmandu. Everything seemed all right until I remembered a small detail; we have no clue where we are staying or what we are going to do upon arrival. However, that was not something I needed to know, because God had it all worked out. It was crazy in how a period of five days destination changed, connections were made and people we had never met before opened their arms wide open and welcomed us in whole heartedly.  When we arrived at the airport we filled out the visa application and immigration papers and in a matter of twenty minutes were stamped through with all of the visas and no dilemmas. We grabbed our bags and headed outside. It was the first time culture shock had felt like a slap in the face. The lighting was minimal and outside the airport people filled the parking lot haggling taxi deals. I was so happy in that moment that God had given us a local connection. The locals (again leaving out names on purpose) were at the airport the moment we arrived, had a taxi ready for us and took us to a guesthouse they provided for us. It was such a blessing to our group. As we drove through Khatmandu, again culture shock hit and for me it was quite hard. I think it also had to do with the fact that I was exhausted from our long trip.  Anyhow, I can’t even begin to describe the effect it had on me. I was utterly speechless and my leader kept asking me if I was okay. The new people, culture, smells, and lifestyles just consumed my thoughts as I took everything in. In addition to the newness the taxi driver’s driving nearly made me pass out, I have never been more thankful for speed limits and policemen. Thankfully though we made it and began to settle in the guesthouse. The next morning we slept in to catch up from lost sleep and then headed down to meet a local pastor here. It was so encouraging to talk with him and his wife and to hear their personal testimonies in how God led them to Nepal. We then had our first meal in Khatmandu in a little restaurant down the street from our home. It was delicious, true Nepalese food. Funny thing is over the past couple of days we have gotten to know the owners, because we have eaten there for lunch and dinner everyday. Pretty sure I have tried everything on the menu. Over the past days we have gone into Thamel (sounds like Tamel), one of the main shopping areas, visited a Women At Risk Ministry, and walked throughout the city. In Thamel, we experienced the taxi system (get as many people as you can in, then add a few more), shopped in the square and saw different temples. At the Women’s Ministry, the director led us through the home where they take people in and teach them English, computer, sewing, and candle making. Other than that we have been just walking around and familiarizing ourselves with the city.

The Team 

 After the initial culture shock the first night, Nepal has grown on me like crazy. The views are spectacular, what they call their hills here can be compared to the Rockies in Colorado. When I first saw the “hills” surrounding Khatmandu I was like slightly disappointed because I was expecting these huge mountains. The Nepalese quickly corrected me as they pointed out the Himalayas, my jaw dropped. The mountains are massive. I feel like I could go on for hours about the beauty here, but I won’t all I can say is that it is beautiful. Furthermore, the people here are amazing. Those of you who know me know I have a ton of state pride, especially when it comes to the fact that Texas is known as being the friendly state; yeah Nepal puts Texas to shame when it comes to friendliness. The people here are so welcoming. They do not hesitate to invite you in for a cup or tea, even if they have never met you. The owners of the restaurant, the small grocer down the street, the pastor who provided a home for us, and the guys who have showed us around are excellent examples. In addition, the people are beautiful! The clothes are vibrant and colorful and just talking to these people is an adventure in itself.  Culturally, the majority of the population is Hindu, so the temples, incense, and gods are found on nearly every street and yes we have seen the cows walking down the street. It is a vibrant culture and an exciting one to learn about. The biggest challenges we are facing now are the language barriers. It is very difficult to carry on conversations. Thankfully we have had translators. However, you should see the hand motions that come out when your trying to describe that we left a wallet behind. Anyway please keep my team in your prayers, the culture is new and adjusting has been difficult, but the more we adapt the more exciting it becomes!  

Oh and if you were wondering about the deathly showers, basically the first night we arrived the Pastor told us, make sure you open the window when you shower, because if you don’t the gas from the water heater could kill you and someone had died from it before. Let me tell you, any and all windows we could find in the house and in the shower are left wide open anytime any of us decide to shower.  It is only like this because the bathrooms here are called wet rooms. You find the shower, toilet, and sink all in this little room and the gas heater is in the room as well. So we are taking all precautions to ensure that those windows are open.