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. 

New Directions

Goodbye Ocean View

Life this past week has been like a rollercoaster of uncertainty. Our outreach group had been preparing for India, when our plans were suddenly changed. We began our week by visiting the Indian Consulate here in South Africa, had finished our prerequisites for our visas and believed we were all ready to go.  We got a phone call a couple days later saying our visas were denied due to the fact that we were on a volunteer visa in South Africa and not applying for our actual visa in America. So after trying a couple other routes we decided not to press our luck and choose a different location. I don’t quite remember how Nepal came up as an option, but one of our team members mentioned it and with only a week left before our plane took off, we transferred locations. There were a lot of details that came behind this decision; it actually was a weeklong process and a hectic one at that. When you have been preparing for a certain people group, praying for the outreach, and getting your mind wrapped around going to a certain area and then all the sudden a week before you leave, visas get denied, you now have no location for outreach, and the limited funds people had that were spent on the plane ticket and visa fees were going to be lost, life becomes a little crazy. 

However, it was still amazing to see what God did. He brought our team together in a way we never imagined and taught us so many lessons this past week. He taught us the importance of coming together as a team in prayer and hearing His voice. We prayed a fasted many meals together and the final day when we would find out if we were going to India or not, my friend Amanda and I spent a couple of hours at the beach just praying and talking together. We had gone to Kommetjie Beach, which is one of the best surfing spots in the area, and normally when I walk there the waves are rather large. However this particular morning the sea was completely flat and peaceful, there were no waves. It was the first time I had ever seen an ocean like that. We were just filled with this indescribable peace, knowing that no matter where we go or what we do it was all in God’s hands. About five minutes later our leader called and told us that India would not grant us our visas. This time though we just prayed and began asking where He was sending us instead. Then Nepal came up. The great thing about going to Nepal was that we wouldn’t lose the plane tickets and to get a visa all we had to do was get off the plane and we could get our visas there. So our team came together, laid out the different options and began praying about the new location. Some of the other options were Zanzibar, Zambia, Botswana, other areas in South Africa, or Zimbabwe. In addition to a new location, one of the girls gave us a word of knowledge about following the elephant, sounds different, but as we looked into it more we found out that elephants make their own paths. Our theme word steamed from that, which is “unchartered.” As we prayed and the Into Africa team prayed we all had this sense of peace about us going to Nepal, so we changed our tickets and are now preparing for Nepal. I think the most exciting part for me is the unknown. We don’t really know where we are staying or exactly what our ministry is going to do, but I cannot wait to see where the Lord leads us. During our prayer time over the week, we were also taught about the importance about fasting and really hearing the Lord. It was so awesome to hear direction and to see Him work as He directed our footsteps. I cannot wait to share what the Lord does in Nepal. I am so excited to meet the people and learn a completely new culture. Please pray for our team as we head into this new area! We fly out on Sunday and are headed to Khatmandu, Nepal

In other news we finished up our teaching last week and have been just preparing for outreach. We said all of our final goodbyes to people in Ocean View and had a goodbye party at Blou Berg Beach, one of the best views of Table Mountain and Cape Town. I really enjoyed our team and getting to know them. Each person brought a new dynamic to the team and we worked so well together. I am really thankful I have gotten to spend the past two months with them. Most of all of our other free time has been spent preparing for outreach and purchasing things we need for our trip, along with vaccinations and other necessities.

Adventersome

Cape Point

Do you ever feel the urge to try something new? Just to go out on a limb and change something, for example a new hairstyle. That was this week’s newest adventure. I had been looking for a way to really grasp the African culture without leaving permanent ramifications. A big hairstyle for the African women is braids, so I figured that was what I was going to go for. It produces culture, but doesn’t permanently damage my hair and they can come out whenever I choose.  So the process began. The braids took about ten hours to put in, over the period of a week. When I first finished them and looked in the mirror, I freaked out. I have never had this intense of hairstyle and let me tell you it was rather shocking and carried many moments of doubt. After I got over the initial shock and stopped trying to take them out, I began liking them and then people I had never met began giving me compliments. It was so funny, I was at an ostrich farm and a guy came up and asked me if he could take a picture with me because of my hair. It also opened up conversation with so many people. When we went into Ocean View this past week, so many of the kids ran up to me and immediately wanted to play with my hair and many of the women came up to me and I was able to make new friends. It was like a blessing in disguise. I really learned a lot about the different cultures this week and realized if you try something new or try to learn something a culture can teach you, people really appreciate your efforts. I am not saying if you move to completely dive into everything the other culture does, but be smart have fun and try something new, you might be surprised.

Ostrich Farm

In other news this past week we had a lady from Youth with a Mission (YWAM) come and speak on studying the Bible and the importance of the Holy Spirit and the relationship that is important to carry with Him. It was a really interesting class and to me it opened up so many doors to really experiencing Christ and having a deep personal relationship with Him. In Ocean View it was our last outreach and we were saying goodbye to friends before we head out to our different outreaches. However, we made some new friends as well. Some of my fellow students who are planning on staying in Ocean View permanently made many new connections in the Rastafarian community and in a section of Ocean View called Mountain View and they had some incredible stories about the people really desiring to hear about Christ and really opened up to God. It was amazing. We said goodbye and had the people held a braai for us. The hardest goodbye for me was saying goodbye to Maria. We went and prayed with her for her son, then we just spent time talking with her. She is an amazing woman her love and trust for God is incredible. I thank God we got to meet her. It was a huge blessing. All in all it was a really good week just to say goodbye and begin preparing for our next phase.

Yes the camel bit me...

We also had a fun week exploring an ostrich farm and riding camels. We decided to take Saturday and go explore a little bit. We stopped by Imhoff Farm, a farmer’s market, and they had camel riding! So we went for a little ride, then headed on to Cape Point. Our next destination was an ostrich farm to see if we could ride ostriches. However, we couldn’t but we had fun just walking around and looking at the animals. After we returned home my friend Nokhutula and I went to the Waterfront where we just spent time together. It was a really fun and relaxing day. India is just around the corner we leave in a little less than two weeks and I cannot wait, all we are waiting for is our visas! God is so good and I cannot wait to see where He takes me next!