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| 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.
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| 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!
