December 23, 2009
Well, it was the first day back to life after the 3 day extended holiday, also known as a strike :). And it started as quite the normal day. Wake up, prayers, study, breakfast, get ready for school, school. Then, when I got home, I headed out with Uncle and Auntie to the Wholesale shop to shop for Christmas gifts for the kids (winter clothes, jackets, etc.). Well, that in itself was an adventure!
We parked on the street in “downtown” Kathmandu and walked through a maze of small streets and alleys to find ourselves in this pavilion filled with vendors selling items at wholesale price, from jackets and scarves to jeans and hats. People milling everywhere, buying this and that for their shop or stand in all parts of the city. I was pretty much useless as I don’t speak Nepali and thus couldn’t negotiate, and I had no idea how to determine what would be best for the kids. So, I had the job of watching the mounting pile of bags, which was just fine with me because it gave me time to just watch people! The small round lady over there must have a clothes store with those jackets, that man probably has a roadside stand that sells mittens and scarves and hats for the cold of winter. That family is looking for jackets for their two young kids, that mother is shopping for her teenage daughter. It can be very interesting to watch people knowing that you have absolutely no idea what they’re saying (outside of the hit and miss words that are familiar to your foreign tongue!).
Finally, with several huge bags full of warmth and joy for Christmas, we headed out, dodging cars and motorbikes and pedestrians with our bags wobbling like two unbalanced sides of a scale! We reached the car, and loaded the bulging tangle of clothes into the back, and headed home. We stopped for an afternoon snack (it always makes me happy when I get buffalo MoMo... soooo tasty!), and then continued home.
As we drove along, I lazily watched the cars passing by, listened to the horns continuously droning, and let my head wander in and out of reality! In my subconscious, I realized there was a bus next to us, right outside my window. Suddenly, I jolted back into the car with the loud crunch of metal on metal with the screams of paint being torn from its original body and relocated to the side of a large bus. All inches from me. My 5 senses seemed to multiply as I realized that we were indeed just hit by a bus!
Uncle stopped the car (in the middle of the road... where else would you stop?!) and the bus stopped as well. Then came the yelling and shouting of determining who was responsible. I’m really not sure how you determine that when there aren’t really observable laws, rules, or general road markings, but they duked it out verbally (soon, a traffic police officer joined the match) for about an hour and a half. Finally they came to the conclusion that they would each pay for 50 percent of the damage done to Uncle’s car (you really can’t tell whether or not the bus had damage because it was already banged up!). Well, about 15 minutes into the arguing match I dozed off again and wandered in and out of consciousness until we finally reconvened our drive home.
There’s something about shopping and driving that just makes me want to sleep, and I guess I got a little extra sleep on this trip! A word to the wise: if you ever live in a foreign country (or America, take your pick!), drive a banged up car (like one you fix with spray paint and a hammer!) so that if you get hit by a big bus without insurance, no worries!
Friday, December 25, 2009
A Different type of Christmas!
December 25, 2009
You know the drill. Everyone in the family puts on their best clothes, bundles up, and heads out to the Christmas Eve service (or Christmas day service; whichever it may be!). Then, you sing a few carols, read Luke 2, if you’re really blessed the children act out Luke 2, light a few candles, sing some more songs, and then head back home to a roasty toasty home with a tree bursting with presents! Well, something like that :). Here, we do things a little different...
To start, our service is on Christmas Day. This is only the second year that Christmas has been recognized as a national holiday, making it all the more sacred! It’s not enclosed by a convenient winter break, so it’s a lone day off in the mist of weeks and weeks of Hindu holidays! Christmas morning, we all woke up at our varied times, and the tumbling up and down the stairs began as the Christmas preparations were in full swing! The church service started at 8 a.m. Nepali time (meaning, 9, 9:30, or 10... basically whenever everything was ready!), so kids were running about, putting on new sweaters, jackets, hats and mittens!
I found out that we were eating breakfast at church, so around 8:15 I headed over there with some kids, only to find them just starting on the food. About a half hour later they were still working diligently on the food, so I headed back home, to see if the rest of the kids were ready to go. Well, I got home and Didi had a four course breakfast ready for me, which I gladly accepted (my stomach still isn’t used to getting up so early and eating so late!), and when I finished eating, I headed back to church with some of the girls. We arrived, and people were sitting here and there, enjoying the breakfast.
Around 11, the service started, and people crowded inside! There were many of my students from school as well as Hindus from around the area who were invited by friends. For a small church, there were over 20 visitors for the service! We sang song after song after song for about an hour. Then, Uncle preached over Luke 2 (some things are the same worldwide!), and then we sang and prayed for another hour or so. Some of the kids danced to Nepali Christmas music in traditional Nepali dresses while others sang songs. Probably the best part was when the kids acted out Luke 2!
Isha played Mary and when she and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem (aka center stage) after checking in with Caesar Augustus, she collapsed quite convincingly on the ground and began moaning like a goat with its head partially severed (yes, I do know that that sounds like now...). The two angels there, Rupa and Asha, held up a sheet for modesty reasons of course. More wailing and howling and about 30 seconds later the sheet dropped, and Mary sat up holding a brown haired, very large headed puppet. If you’ve ever worked on Caraway Street, think of those puppets! All head, no body. Well, Joseph, wrapped in a sheet himself, took the baby Jesus and placed him in the litter box and swung him in the air.
Meanwhile, two shepherds began herding their sheep, who were none other than Raju, Darshan, Rajkumar, Joshua, and several other boys from the church. They were all dressed in their white Karate uniforms and they made some of the best bleating sheep that I’ve ever heard! Suddenly, up popped Shiva as a messenger from God, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket (angels might look different here!), telling them to fear not! He sent them on their way towards Mary and Joseph (who was still swinging Jesus in the air). They arrived and awed over the baby for a few seconds, before turning back to corral their scattered sheep with their bamboo rods! It might have been the most interesting acting of the Christmas story that I’ve ever seen!
Afterwards, we headed outside to eat a feast of fresh goat, curry, rice, spicy pickles and vegetables. People milled about, here and there, meeting friends and encountering new faces! “Merry Christmas” rang through the air as people laughed and talked in the huge tent set up for the party. We ate and ate and ate some more, and then people began heading back inside. People began singing and dancing as everyone gathered back inside! We had some more dances, and the kids did a Bible quiz competition against Krishna’s brother’s hostel kids, and there was more dancing! Finally, we wrapped things up, with a resounding “Merry Christmas!” At this point, it was almost 4 in the afternoon. We had been going for a good 6 hours!
But wait, as the adults headed for safety, the youth and young adults cranked up the Nepali rock Christmas music, and the real dancing began! I felt like I was at one of my friends’ weddings, jumping around, laughing, sweating in the cold air! The Electric slide is a rather versatile dance and if you move your arms right and have enough hop in your step, you almost look Nepali doing it! And then we started the fastest bunny train around the room that I’ve ever been part of. We were literally leaping around the room, music blaring, laughter just peeking over the noise of the music! In and out, up and down, Nepali’s dancing like American’s and vice versa! We danced and danced and danced until we were all out of breath and sore and ready for bed.
About 5:30 we turned the music off and cleaned the church, inside and out, so that it would be ready for church tomorrow! Sweeping, gathering, and burning the trash, close the windows, draw the curtains. Slowly we trickled outside, tired but happy, glistening with sweat! As we headed out, the fading sounds of “Merry Christmas” filled the air for one last time!
Soon after arriving at home, like clockwork, the line went, basking the house in an eerie blackness! This amidst the cries of hunger from the kids (whose metabolisms worked through the afternoon feast far faster than us older people!) and no Auntie or Uncle (they went somewhere after the Christmas “service”) meaning no emergency lighting and no food. So, I rounded up Manisha, and we headed out to a local shop that is open pretty much always. Like a little roadside WalMart. Except not at all. Anyway, we bought currah (dried flakes of rice with no taste), dal mot (a spicy mixture of noodles, small chips, nuts, and lots of flavor), and 4 packages of chow-chow (Nepali Ramen noodles).
Returning home, we crushed the noodles in the package (they’re far better dry in my opinion!) and then mixed everything together in a big bowl. There were 21 kids to feed, so we had to be creative as I have yet to make it to the bank after all the Christmas shopping! Then we scooped it onto the plates with a helping of American Gold Fish on the side, thanks to the generosity of some people from my church (bet you never thought the Gold Fish would become the entre on Christmas, did you?!), and voila, Christmas dinner! I have to admit, it was an unusual Christmas dinner, but everyone was fed, and is now pugio (full), so it worked out! Quite an unforgettable Christmas!
You know the drill. Everyone in the family puts on their best clothes, bundles up, and heads out to the Christmas Eve service (or Christmas day service; whichever it may be!). Then, you sing a few carols, read Luke 2, if you’re really blessed the children act out Luke 2, light a few candles, sing some more songs, and then head back home to a roasty toasty home with a tree bursting with presents! Well, something like that :). Here, we do things a little different...
To start, our service is on Christmas Day. This is only the second year that Christmas has been recognized as a national holiday, making it all the more sacred! It’s not enclosed by a convenient winter break, so it’s a lone day off in the mist of weeks and weeks of Hindu holidays! Christmas morning, we all woke up at our varied times, and the tumbling up and down the stairs began as the Christmas preparations were in full swing! The church service started at 8 a.m. Nepali time (meaning, 9, 9:30, or 10... basically whenever everything was ready!), so kids were running about, putting on new sweaters, jackets, hats and mittens!
I found out that we were eating breakfast at church, so around 8:15 I headed over there with some kids, only to find them just starting on the food. About a half hour later they were still working diligently on the food, so I headed back home, to see if the rest of the kids were ready to go. Well, I got home and Didi had a four course breakfast ready for me, which I gladly accepted (my stomach still isn’t used to getting up so early and eating so late!), and when I finished eating, I headed back to church with some of the girls. We arrived, and people were sitting here and there, enjoying the breakfast.
Around 11, the service started, and people crowded inside! There were many of my students from school as well as Hindus from around the area who were invited by friends. For a small church, there were over 20 visitors for the service! We sang song after song after song for about an hour. Then, Uncle preached over Luke 2 (some things are the same worldwide!), and then we sang and prayed for another hour or so. Some of the kids danced to Nepali Christmas music in traditional Nepali dresses while others sang songs. Probably the best part was when the kids acted out Luke 2!
Isha played Mary and when she and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem (aka center stage) after checking in with Caesar Augustus, she collapsed quite convincingly on the ground and began moaning like a goat with its head partially severed (yes, I do know that that sounds like now...). The two angels there, Rupa and Asha, held up a sheet for modesty reasons of course. More wailing and howling and about 30 seconds later the sheet dropped, and Mary sat up holding a brown haired, very large headed puppet. If you’ve ever worked on Caraway Street, think of those puppets! All head, no body. Well, Joseph, wrapped in a sheet himself, took the baby Jesus and placed him in the litter box and swung him in the air.
Meanwhile, two shepherds began herding their sheep, who were none other than Raju, Darshan, Rajkumar, Joshua, and several other boys from the church. They were all dressed in their white Karate uniforms and they made some of the best bleating sheep that I’ve ever heard! Suddenly, up popped Shiva as a messenger from God, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket (angels might look different here!), telling them to fear not! He sent them on their way towards Mary and Joseph (who was still swinging Jesus in the air). They arrived and awed over the baby for a few seconds, before turning back to corral their scattered sheep with their bamboo rods! It might have been the most interesting acting of the Christmas story that I’ve ever seen!
Afterwards, we headed outside to eat a feast of fresh goat, curry, rice, spicy pickles and vegetables. People milled about, here and there, meeting friends and encountering new faces! “Merry Christmas” rang through the air as people laughed and talked in the huge tent set up for the party. We ate and ate and ate some more, and then people began heading back inside. People began singing and dancing as everyone gathered back inside! We had some more dances, and the kids did a Bible quiz competition against Krishna’s brother’s hostel kids, and there was more dancing! Finally, we wrapped things up, with a resounding “Merry Christmas!” At this point, it was almost 4 in the afternoon. We had been going for a good 6 hours!
But wait, as the adults headed for safety, the youth and young adults cranked up the Nepali rock Christmas music, and the real dancing began! I felt like I was at one of my friends’ weddings, jumping around, laughing, sweating in the cold air! The Electric slide is a rather versatile dance and if you move your arms right and have enough hop in your step, you almost look Nepali doing it! And then we started the fastest bunny train around the room that I’ve ever been part of. We were literally leaping around the room, music blaring, laughter just peeking over the noise of the music! In and out, up and down, Nepali’s dancing like American’s and vice versa! We danced and danced and danced until we were all out of breath and sore and ready for bed.
About 5:30 we turned the music off and cleaned the church, inside and out, so that it would be ready for church tomorrow! Sweeping, gathering, and burning the trash, close the windows, draw the curtains. Slowly we trickled outside, tired but happy, glistening with sweat! As we headed out, the fading sounds of “Merry Christmas” filled the air for one last time!
Soon after arriving at home, like clockwork, the line went, basking the house in an eerie blackness! This amidst the cries of hunger from the kids (whose metabolisms worked through the afternoon feast far faster than us older people!) and no Auntie or Uncle (they went somewhere after the Christmas “service”) meaning no emergency lighting and no food. So, I rounded up Manisha, and we headed out to a local shop that is open pretty much always. Like a little roadside WalMart. Except not at all. Anyway, we bought currah (dried flakes of rice with no taste), dal mot (a spicy mixture of noodles, small chips, nuts, and lots of flavor), and 4 packages of chow-chow (Nepali Ramen noodles).
Returning home, we crushed the noodles in the package (they’re far better dry in my opinion!) and then mixed everything together in a big bowl. There were 21 kids to feed, so we had to be creative as I have yet to make it to the bank after all the Christmas shopping! Then we scooped it onto the plates with a helping of American Gold Fish on the side, thanks to the generosity of some people from my church (bet you never thought the Gold Fish would become the entre on Christmas, did you?!), and voila, Christmas dinner! I have to admit, it was an unusual Christmas dinner, but everyone was fed, and is now pugio (full), so it worked out! Quite an unforgettable Christmas!
A Reason to Celebrate!
December 24, 2009
It’s Christmas Eve, and I can hardly believe that I’m almost halfway through my stay here. As I sit here typing on my computer, listening to TobyMac’s “This Christmas” (you should YouTube it if you haven’t ever heard it!), I can’t help but think of how much I’m blessed with! I miss my family and friends a whole lot, but I also have a huge family around me here, overflowing with love and laughter and joy!
There have been trying times with the kids and there have been times when I wasn’t sure if anything I have done has made one iota of a difference. Living in a children’s home is a different kind of missions work than going out on the streets and belting out the music of the Gospel! There are different battles, from things disappearing from your room (American treats are of high value here!) to your everyday teenage disobedience. I guess that’s where I’ve learned the most; I’ve taught high school math 2 years in the US, but I’ve never lived with 8 teenagers at the same time, thrust into parenthood overnight! And the other kids are well on their way to their teenage years! Balancing the “sister” in me with the “mother” in me has been a tottering act. Teaching kids to love an obey Jesus just isn’t the same as teaching them math.
But as the days go on, I see these small changes, bringing me hope and more joy than I can explain! For instance, any one of the kids can be mad at me for making them do their math homework rather than watching TV and hold that grudge of silence and coldness for over 24 hours. I’ve realized that I can’t let that get to me, so I tend to ignore them when they respond like that (either that or I kindly inform them that they’re acting like a 4 year old!). And then they’ll shock me and the next day they’ll come to me and apologize for their attitude and disobedience without me even bringing it up! Or, one will voluntarily do someone else’s wash or chores, without strings attached. Or they’ll clean a whole waste covered field with a smile alighting on their lips and laughter spilling over the warm air!
And then I think of my coworkers at school. Some have attached themselves to me (I am the white girl from America, after all...) and we talk about life and Jesus and Hinduism and Buddhism a couple times a week. And I get to share my hope and love in life with them, as many don’t see any point in life here, as there seems to be no way up in life (the beauty of a caste system). Not that any have responded outwardly yet , but the seed is there, germinating as God sheds His Son on the soil to bring life! And they were invited to our Christmas program at church tomorrow, and I’m hopeful that at least one will come!
And finally, I think of my friends and family supporting me back in the US. From those willing to buy 15 orphan kids they’ve never met shoes and clothes to those willing to box little pieces of home and send them to me for me to share and enjoy with the kids, so many people have touched and encouraged me from thousands of miles away! There are those days when I’m just ready to come home and I’ll walk into my room and see something sitting out from a friend or will see a couple of the kids playing some game from the US, and my wariness will melt into a smile as I think of all the prayers and love going up for the kids and me!
So for all my thoughts of home this Christmas, I’m truly marveling in how amazing our God is and how far His grace reaches. I took a Bible course last semester called Perspectives, and we talked over and over again about how our God is a God of the nations. And being here in Nepal this Christmas, I can see that! As I worship and praise Him with these believers in a tongue I only vaguely understand, our unity as a body is overwhelming as I think of the God we serve! Whether white, black or brown, man or woman, child or adult, we’re all working for the same goal- to see Jesus high and lifted up! And I pray this Christmas would light a fire for his kingdom!
It’s Christmas Eve, and I can hardly believe that I’m almost halfway through my stay here. As I sit here typing on my computer, listening to TobyMac’s “This Christmas” (you should YouTube it if you haven’t ever heard it!), I can’t help but think of how much I’m blessed with! I miss my family and friends a whole lot, but I also have a huge family around me here, overflowing with love and laughter and joy!
There have been trying times with the kids and there have been times when I wasn’t sure if anything I have done has made one iota of a difference. Living in a children’s home is a different kind of missions work than going out on the streets and belting out the music of the Gospel! There are different battles, from things disappearing from your room (American treats are of high value here!) to your everyday teenage disobedience. I guess that’s where I’ve learned the most; I’ve taught high school math 2 years in the US, but I’ve never lived with 8 teenagers at the same time, thrust into parenthood overnight! And the other kids are well on their way to their teenage years! Balancing the “sister” in me with the “mother” in me has been a tottering act. Teaching kids to love an obey Jesus just isn’t the same as teaching them math.
But as the days go on, I see these small changes, bringing me hope and more joy than I can explain! For instance, any one of the kids can be mad at me for making them do their math homework rather than watching TV and hold that grudge of silence and coldness for over 24 hours. I’ve realized that I can’t let that get to me, so I tend to ignore them when they respond like that (either that or I kindly inform them that they’re acting like a 4 year old!). And then they’ll shock me and the next day they’ll come to me and apologize for their attitude and disobedience without me even bringing it up! Or, one will voluntarily do someone else’s wash or chores, without strings attached. Or they’ll clean a whole waste covered field with a smile alighting on their lips and laughter spilling over the warm air!
And then I think of my coworkers at school. Some have attached themselves to me (I am the white girl from America, after all...) and we talk about life and Jesus and Hinduism and Buddhism a couple times a week. And I get to share my hope and love in life with them, as many don’t see any point in life here, as there seems to be no way up in life (the beauty of a caste system). Not that any have responded outwardly yet , but the seed is there, germinating as God sheds His Son on the soil to bring life! And they were invited to our Christmas program at church tomorrow, and I’m hopeful that at least one will come!
And finally, I think of my friends and family supporting me back in the US. From those willing to buy 15 orphan kids they’ve never met shoes and clothes to those willing to box little pieces of home and send them to me for me to share and enjoy with the kids, so many people have touched and encouraged me from thousands of miles away! There are those days when I’m just ready to come home and I’ll walk into my room and see something sitting out from a friend or will see a couple of the kids playing some game from the US, and my wariness will melt into a smile as I think of all the prayers and love going up for the kids and me!
So for all my thoughts of home this Christmas, I’m truly marveling in how amazing our God is and how far His grace reaches. I took a Bible course last semester called Perspectives, and we talked over and over again about how our God is a God of the nations. And being here in Nepal this Christmas, I can see that! As I worship and praise Him with these believers in a tongue I only vaguely understand, our unity as a body is overwhelming as I think of the God we serve! Whether white, black or brown, man or woman, child or adult, we’re all working for the same goal- to see Jesus high and lifted up! And I pray this Christmas would light a fire for his kingdom!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Christmas Presents, a few days early!
December 20, 2009
In a home of 17 kids (give or take a few on any given day!), having will power to hold out with gifts until Christmas is hard. Very hard! And then you add three scheduled days of strikes with nothing to do, and all will power goes out the window! So, last night we did presents :). Quite the experience!
I made the kids a Bible scavenger hunt to find their presents, sending them up, down, inside, outside, from here to there in search for their treasures! We did it after dark, adding another element of fun to the game! Many of the presents were group gifts, games and toys from amazing people in the US, but they all had small gifts from me as well, journals I had made in the US for the girls, balls for the boys, and badminton sets for the boys and girls, and a few other trinkets here and there!
I gave all the kids bags to collect their treasures in as we went, and then we all gathered in the kids dining hall to open them all together! Newspaper (my makeshift wrapping paper) flew everywhere, with balls bouncing and kids shouting with glee! There were the shouts of “what’s this,” “how do you play with that” and “WOW!” It was a lot of fun! And allowing them to open them a day early allows them to play with them during these days of strikes! Which is nice since during the week we have little to no time to play! So, the next few days should be filled with fun and laughter, rather than pencils and math! Not that pencils and math aren’t fun- I think they’re great- but the kids don’t always share my sentiment!
In a home of 17 kids (give or take a few on any given day!), having will power to hold out with gifts until Christmas is hard. Very hard! And then you add three scheduled days of strikes with nothing to do, and all will power goes out the window! So, last night we did presents :). Quite the experience!
I made the kids a Bible scavenger hunt to find their presents, sending them up, down, inside, outside, from here to there in search for their treasures! We did it after dark, adding another element of fun to the game! Many of the presents were group gifts, games and toys from amazing people in the US, but they all had small gifts from me as well, journals I had made in the US for the girls, balls for the boys, and badminton sets for the boys and girls, and a few other trinkets here and there!
I gave all the kids bags to collect their treasures in as we went, and then we all gathered in the kids dining hall to open them all together! Newspaper (my makeshift wrapping paper) flew everywhere, with balls bouncing and kids shouting with glee! There were the shouts of “what’s this,” “how do you play with that” and “WOW!” It was a lot of fun! And allowing them to open them a day early allows them to play with them during these days of strikes! Which is nice since during the week we have little to no time to play! So, the next few days should be filled with fun and laughter, rather than pencils and math! Not that pencils and math aren’t fun- I think they’re great- but the kids don’t always share my sentiment!
Merry merry merry merry Christmas!
December 19, 2009
I never would have expected it, but people go Christmas caroling here! Now, you may picture a small group of people going door to door, which would be the typical American way. But, when in Nepal...
To start, caroling is scheduled. This is partially because most people don’t know their neighbors like we do in the US. All houses are gated in for security reasons, so you can’t just go knock on a door. Well, you could knock on the gate, I suppose, but that would not be quite as effective :)! It’s also because there’s a huge group of people, usually more than 20 or 30 who travel together. And finally, there’s a full sound system. Mics, amps, guitars, drums, it’s all there!
So, they arrive in mass, either by foot, grimacing under the weight of a stage worth of equipment, by a fleet of vehicles, or by a flatbed truck (my personal favorite!), with all the carolers packed on! Then, the 20+ minute unloading, set uping (in Nepal, adding ‘ing’ to any word is legitimate!) process begins, with the neighbors peeking over the edge of their roofs to see what the loud commotion is! Finally, the whole house comes out, sitting on benches, on roofs, on fences, wherever they can find a seat. Then the music begins!
All the songs a familiar, but none are known to me. But most have an awesome beat, which jumps into your feet and the shoe tapping, foot stomping begins! And soon, there are people dancing around the driveway, hands alighting in the air, feet lightly tapping as though through rings of fire! Twirling here and there, moving over and on top of wires, in and out of the beat! For about 30 minutes we sing, and then finally, we give everyone a cup of milk tea and a roll or some other pastry item and sit and talk for about 30 minutes before they head out! Quite an experience :).
I never would have expected it, but people go Christmas caroling here! Now, you may picture a small group of people going door to door, which would be the typical American way. But, when in Nepal...
To start, caroling is scheduled. This is partially because most people don’t know their neighbors like we do in the US. All houses are gated in for security reasons, so you can’t just go knock on a door. Well, you could knock on the gate, I suppose, but that would not be quite as effective :)! It’s also because there’s a huge group of people, usually more than 20 or 30 who travel together. And finally, there’s a full sound system. Mics, amps, guitars, drums, it’s all there!
So, they arrive in mass, either by foot, grimacing under the weight of a stage worth of equipment, by a fleet of vehicles, or by a flatbed truck (my personal favorite!), with all the carolers packed on! Then, the 20+ minute unloading, set uping (in Nepal, adding ‘ing’ to any word is legitimate!) process begins, with the neighbors peeking over the edge of their roofs to see what the loud commotion is! Finally, the whole house comes out, sitting on benches, on roofs, on fences, wherever they can find a seat. Then the music begins!
All the songs a familiar, but none are known to me. But most have an awesome beat, which jumps into your feet and the shoe tapping, foot stomping begins! And soon, there are people dancing around the driveway, hands alighting in the air, feet lightly tapping as though through rings of fire! Twirling here and there, moving over and on top of wires, in and out of the beat! For about 30 minutes we sing, and then finally, we give everyone a cup of milk tea and a roll or some other pastry item and sit and talk for about 30 minutes before they head out! Quite an experience :).
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Over the River and Down the Hill, to the Custom's Office we go!
December 15, 2009
I have the best mother in the world. No, really, I do. Throughout college, she sent me packages every now and then, just because, filled with fun stuff for my friends and me. Well, now that I’m around the globe, every week she sends some sort of mail/package for me. I share her love of the world’s vast mail system. I find it fascinating that with a few little squiggles on an envelope, that envelope will travel from Kathmandu all the way to the other side of the world, all for only 50 cents! But here, I’ve REALLY enjoyed all the packages and post cards and letters from home, because they’re my support when I’m homesick for another Westerner. I hadn’t realized the power of the “senders” of missionaries before, but my respect for them has increased one hundredfold! They are definitely the strength and encouragement behind the world’s missionaries!
Anyway, back to my mom being the best in the world. I had a package from her at customs again, and Krishna’s been really busy with church and Christmas stuff and with the fuel shortage, so he asked me to go pick it up myself. Which I was more than happy to do, since I hate feeling like I’m imposing on him to get a ride across the city- that and I’m a fiercely independent person, so I love the chance to do something for myself! So, he drew a map for me, and I figured, hey, I’ve been there like 4 times already, so I should be fine! And after school, off I rode on our bike.
Well, I’m not the most directionally coordinated person in the States, so put me in a foreign city with another alphabet system and maybe one road sign (in another character system) ever few miles, and I might get lost. There are these roundabouts spitting you out on any one of 3-5 roads and street shops everywhere, creating a vague sense of déjà-vu everywhere you look. Well, I did fairly well on my way to the customs office, only taking the wrong turn twice at one roundabout, realizing 5 or so minutes later that I was pretty sure I didn’t recognize the houses surrounding me. Then, at another roundabout, I stopped and studied the map fiercly, intent on not taking the wrong road again! Fortunately, a kind man who was probably amused by the white girl on the old bike wearing a baseball cap and gripping a sweaty piece of paper as if her life depended on it (which it may have, in reality!) stopped and asked me where I was going. I showed him, and he immediately showed me which road to take, to my relief.
I do have some landmarks in mind as I ride through the city, the biggest being the long bridge over this murky, trash laiden river dividing the districts of Kathmandu (where customs is) and Lalitupar (where I live). And after the bridge comes this statue and then this 10-story tall round pencil of a building which looks like it would fit better in New England as a light house providing the way for ships, but it’s nice for those foreigners who need a tall landmark in a land of 3-story shops.
Well, I made it to the post office and customs in about 45 minutes, and was pleasantly surprised at the ease of claiming my new treasures! After explaining to the customs officials what small white boards are (my mom’s genius idea for helping me tutor 3-5 kids at once!) and that I live in a children’s home, they were incredibly lenient on the custom’s fees, and I managed to escape leaving only 150 rupees (2 dollars, almost exactly) in their hands.
After loading the new treasures into my backpack, I headed off, but I couldn’t go back the same way because the road I came in on was a one way street. So, I headed down the street, recalling buildings and parks from riding as a passenger with Krishna. Slowly, the buildings faded from my memory, and I was completely unsure of where I was. I had thought that riding through Kathmandu on a motorcycle was about as real as it gets, but the bike might be even more real. Up and down hills my legs strained, and I was sure my knees were going to give out if my lungs didn’t beat them to the punch!
Finally, I reached the verdict that there was no way I had ever seen this before, so I wheeled around, riding up and down the hills once more, until I was back into familiar territory. Up this street, down that one, now where is that palace?! Oh! There it is! And there’s the statue! THERE’S THE BRIDGE! YESSSSSSS! I know where I am. And it’s only been an hour and 15 minutes since I left the post office! So, another seamless 20 minutes up and down streets with the confidence of a pro basketball player playing street ball with armatures, and finally, our hostel was in sight. I don’t think it’s ever been so beautiful. As I crackled off the bike, the kids all inquired where I had gone. To the end of the world and back, I thought, but with a laugh I simplified the conversation with a mere “To the post office.” And while I anticipate I’ll take a few wrong turns next time as well, I know I can make it home eventually!
I have the best mother in the world. No, really, I do. Throughout college, she sent me packages every now and then, just because, filled with fun stuff for my friends and me. Well, now that I’m around the globe, every week she sends some sort of mail/package for me. I share her love of the world’s vast mail system. I find it fascinating that with a few little squiggles on an envelope, that envelope will travel from Kathmandu all the way to the other side of the world, all for only 50 cents! But here, I’ve REALLY enjoyed all the packages and post cards and letters from home, because they’re my support when I’m homesick for another Westerner. I hadn’t realized the power of the “senders” of missionaries before, but my respect for them has increased one hundredfold! They are definitely the strength and encouragement behind the world’s missionaries!
Anyway, back to my mom being the best in the world. I had a package from her at customs again, and Krishna’s been really busy with church and Christmas stuff and with the fuel shortage, so he asked me to go pick it up myself. Which I was more than happy to do, since I hate feeling like I’m imposing on him to get a ride across the city- that and I’m a fiercely independent person, so I love the chance to do something for myself! So, he drew a map for me, and I figured, hey, I’ve been there like 4 times already, so I should be fine! And after school, off I rode on our bike.
Well, I’m not the most directionally coordinated person in the States, so put me in a foreign city with another alphabet system and maybe one road sign (in another character system) ever few miles, and I might get lost. There are these roundabouts spitting you out on any one of 3-5 roads and street shops everywhere, creating a vague sense of déjà-vu everywhere you look. Well, I did fairly well on my way to the customs office, only taking the wrong turn twice at one roundabout, realizing 5 or so minutes later that I was pretty sure I didn’t recognize the houses surrounding me. Then, at another roundabout, I stopped and studied the map fiercly, intent on not taking the wrong road again! Fortunately, a kind man who was probably amused by the white girl on the old bike wearing a baseball cap and gripping a sweaty piece of paper as if her life depended on it (which it may have, in reality!) stopped and asked me where I was going. I showed him, and he immediately showed me which road to take, to my relief.
I do have some landmarks in mind as I ride through the city, the biggest being the long bridge over this murky, trash laiden river dividing the districts of Kathmandu (where customs is) and Lalitupar (where I live). And after the bridge comes this statue and then this 10-story tall round pencil of a building which looks like it would fit better in New England as a light house providing the way for ships, but it’s nice for those foreigners who need a tall landmark in a land of 3-story shops.
Well, I made it to the post office and customs in about 45 minutes, and was pleasantly surprised at the ease of claiming my new treasures! After explaining to the customs officials what small white boards are (my mom’s genius idea for helping me tutor 3-5 kids at once!) and that I live in a children’s home, they were incredibly lenient on the custom’s fees, and I managed to escape leaving only 150 rupees (2 dollars, almost exactly) in their hands.
After loading the new treasures into my backpack, I headed off, but I couldn’t go back the same way because the road I came in on was a one way street. So, I headed down the street, recalling buildings and parks from riding as a passenger with Krishna. Slowly, the buildings faded from my memory, and I was completely unsure of where I was. I had thought that riding through Kathmandu on a motorcycle was about as real as it gets, but the bike might be even more real. Up and down hills my legs strained, and I was sure my knees were going to give out if my lungs didn’t beat them to the punch!
Finally, I reached the verdict that there was no way I had ever seen this before, so I wheeled around, riding up and down the hills once more, until I was back into familiar territory. Up this street, down that one, now where is that palace?! Oh! There it is! And there’s the statue! THERE’S THE BRIDGE! YESSSSSSS! I know where I am. And it’s only been an hour and 15 minutes since I left the post office! So, another seamless 20 minutes up and down streets with the confidence of a pro basketball player playing street ball with armatures, and finally, our hostel was in sight. I don’t think it’s ever been so beautiful. As I crackled off the bike, the kids all inquired where I had gone. To the end of the world and back, I thought, but with a laugh I simplified the conversation with a mere “To the post office.” And while I anticipate I’ll take a few wrong turns next time as well, I know I can make it home eventually!
Friday, December 11, 2009
A Brief Tour of Kathmandu
December 9, 2009
While the house was eerily quiet in the exhaustion following the anniversary, Simon (a brother visiting for a few days from the UK who is chairing Feet Ministries of UK), Uncle and I got up early and tiptoed out to drive up to Nagarkot to watch the sunrise. We drove for about an hour, through and around the city, and then up this mountain (for those from Kansas, it was a mountain. the Nepali’s call it a hill!) to the top where there’s this resort and a beautiful view of the valley below. Or, there would be a beautiful view of the valley and the Himalayas surrounding it, but, to my amusement, it was cloudy and overcast. The day we get up early it would be overcast!
We were still able to see some beautiful scenery though, and it was probably the most relaxing place that I’ve been since I’ve been in Nepal. It was totally quiet, with a bird singing here and there, the absence of the constant car horns and shouting allowing the cares and worries of the day to melt away like butter on pancakes. Which is what we had for breakfast! We went to this restaurant in the resort, which had an “American” style breakfast, which was very good! And there was soft instrumental music in the background, relaxing you into the true quietness of the mountain! So, we ate and talked and sat for awhile, and finally we headed out.
Our next stop was to Changu Narayan Village, which has this Hindu Temple on the top of another “mountain.” Simon and I had to pay 100 rupees since we weren’t Nepali in order to go into the village, which I found humorous. But it was so worth it. Basically, this is a group of Nepali people with their own language and very traditional houses and way of life. We walked through the village, snapping photos here and there, admiring the beauty and quietness of this sleepy town only 30 minutes up the mountain from the hectic world of Kathmandu.
This was my first trip into a Hindu temple, and it was, well, not what I expected. I expected this overwhelming sense of darkness, but Satan has cleverly disguised his presence in the sleepy quietness of the idols. As I walked around and saw the idols everywhere, different gods for different people, my heart broke, and I began to pray for the chains that Satan holds over this place of “worship.” I saw rats scurrying about (I had to remind myself not to stop breathing!) and people offering worship to which ever idol they preferred. There was a “holy” place designated for Hindu’s only, and it made me think of how Christ has torn the curtain of the temple, allowing ALL to enter into God’s holiness now. I have a much better picture of what the temple of the Jews must have been like in the Old Testament, with the exception that they only served the One God, and everything they did was for Him.
We finished our day with a trip out to the new land where Uncle’s planning on building another children’s home. He wants to separate the girls into one home and the boys into another (which is a great idea; Nepali girls are just way to pretty to live with other teenage boys!). The land was beautiful, a testament to the glory of God in this dark nation, and we prayed over it before leaving. It’s outside the city, with the quietness of village life, and still the proximity of the city. I wondered if his car would make it on some of the roads though! We’ll see where God leads with this... Hopefully it will be started before I leave :). One day I imagine I’ll come back to visit, and have to travel all over the city to visit my kids!
While the house was eerily quiet in the exhaustion following the anniversary, Simon (a brother visiting for a few days from the UK who is chairing Feet Ministries of UK), Uncle and I got up early and tiptoed out to drive up to Nagarkot to watch the sunrise. We drove for about an hour, through and around the city, and then up this mountain (for those from Kansas, it was a mountain. the Nepali’s call it a hill!) to the top where there’s this resort and a beautiful view of the valley below. Or, there would be a beautiful view of the valley and the Himalayas surrounding it, but, to my amusement, it was cloudy and overcast. The day we get up early it would be overcast!
We were still able to see some beautiful scenery though, and it was probably the most relaxing place that I’ve been since I’ve been in Nepal. It was totally quiet, with a bird singing here and there, the absence of the constant car horns and shouting allowing the cares and worries of the day to melt away like butter on pancakes. Which is what we had for breakfast! We went to this restaurant in the resort, which had an “American” style breakfast, which was very good! And there was soft instrumental music in the background, relaxing you into the true quietness of the mountain! So, we ate and talked and sat for awhile, and finally we headed out.
Our next stop was to Changu Narayan Village, which has this Hindu Temple on the top of another “mountain.” Simon and I had to pay 100 rupees since we weren’t Nepali in order to go into the village, which I found humorous. But it was so worth it. Basically, this is a group of Nepali people with their own language and very traditional houses and way of life. We walked through the village, snapping photos here and there, admiring the beauty and quietness of this sleepy town only 30 minutes up the mountain from the hectic world of Kathmandu.
This was my first trip into a Hindu temple, and it was, well, not what I expected. I expected this overwhelming sense of darkness, but Satan has cleverly disguised his presence in the sleepy quietness of the idols. As I walked around and saw the idols everywhere, different gods for different people, my heart broke, and I began to pray for the chains that Satan holds over this place of “worship.” I saw rats scurrying about (I had to remind myself not to stop breathing!) and people offering worship to which ever idol they preferred. There was a “holy” place designated for Hindu’s only, and it made me think of how Christ has torn the curtain of the temple, allowing ALL to enter into God’s holiness now. I have a much better picture of what the temple of the Jews must have been like in the Old Testament, with the exception that they only served the One God, and everything they did was for Him.
We finished our day with a trip out to the new land where Uncle’s planning on building another children’s home. He wants to separate the girls into one home and the boys into another (which is a great idea; Nepali girls are just way to pretty to live with other teenage boys!). The land was beautiful, a testament to the glory of God in this dark nation, and we prayed over it before leaving. It’s outside the city, with the quietness of village life, and still the proximity of the city. I wondered if his car would make it on some of the roads though! We’ll see where God leads with this... Hopefully it will be started before I leave :). One day I imagine I’ll come back to visit, and have to travel all over the city to visit my kids!
The Party of the Year!
December 8, 2009
Anniversary parties. Even amidst the silence of the world due to the Maoists, the preparations for the party went on, and praise God life was back to “normal” on Tuesday for the party! The excitement started for us days before (that whole field cleaning bone burning excitement called serving!) and on Monday, we had some real excitement. That is, we cut the goats to be cooked and eaten the next day.
So, there are these two cute goats tied up outside in the field, grazing in the grass, completely happy with life, totally ignorant of the fact that they’re about to become part of a feast. Out flood the men and boys, armed with these curved knives that are “sharpened” and there’s a huge pot of boiling water. So, they prepare the goats (I had nothing to do with this excitement, outside of taking a few pictures!), and then phwack! And a goat squeal like you’ve never heard. Within a few seconds the head’s off and laying on the ground, and the next one goes. Then comes the boiling water to open the pores enough to scrape off the hair. We then moved them into the yard to wash completely, before blow torching them. I have no idea why, but it was rather interesting watching them torch the bodies and the blackened heads. Then, they began to slice and dice, for a few hours, chopping and whacking over and over again. 30 kgs of meat in all. That’s a whole lot of very fresh meat!
So, now, fast forward from that long aside to the morning of the party. Huge tents are set up, with a long stage at the front with hundreds of chairs lined up on carpet (yep, we rolled out the carpet for the event!). Kids are darting to and fro finishing this and that while the hired workers cook the food for several armies and finish setting up everything. Things slowly fall into place, and as Rami told me, “Sister, the party starts at 10, but that’s Nepali time. Maybe 11, or 11:30 we’ll start?!” There are times when it’s really nice to live in a relaxed time schedule like that!
The party finally starts, complete with pastors from all over Nepal and members of Parliament (who were not Christians) adorning the stage. There are children and friends and grandmas and parents all over the field. We started with a couple of praise and worship songs, and then floated into the pastors of the Feet Ministries Churches giving their annual reports of their church. Some of the kids sang and danced, while others acted out a Bible story, and Isha and Laxman gave their testimonies.
Everything went really well, but Isha stole the show. While I couldn’t understand her, she speaks with a passion and I could read her story on her face. During the parts about her past life, her eyes filled with tears and her voice became choppy. Her words brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and Pastor Krishna was weeping on stage. As she moved on to her time in the home, her words became more fluid, and a smile bloomed on her face as she told of the love and care she’s had here, as this truly is her only home. Even the children were mesmerized with her speaking. One day, I won’t at all be surprised if I hear that she’s a traveling speaker for the Gospel through her testimony!
After everything finished, one of the members of Parliament spoke with Krishna about how impressed he was with the program. The transparency of the organization was evident as they told exactly where all the funds came from and where they went, which he’d never seen before in all his work with religious organizations. Then, he was moved to tears by Isha’s story, and stated that he’d never heard of a child’s life changed like that. He complimented Isha on his way out, bringing a rose hue to her brown cheeks. In a very real way, his life was changed by the Gospel on Tuesday. Not that he’s made a decision for Christ as of now, but he’s seen the transforming power, and his heart is being broken by the true power of Jesus! It was such an encouragement to see God move like that!
Then, the feast began, and we got to eat the goat and more rice than you can imagine alongside pickled spicy relish stuff and fresh sliced vegetables! After seeing God move, nothing could make the day better, but the feast was an awesome way to end a great day! So we ate and talked and talked and ate and slowly people meandered back to their homes. As the sun set, everyone’s hearts were alive with the joy of Christ’s movements while their bodies craved the comfort of their beds!
Anniversary parties. Even amidst the silence of the world due to the Maoists, the preparations for the party went on, and praise God life was back to “normal” on Tuesday for the party! The excitement started for us days before (that whole field cleaning bone burning excitement called serving!) and on Monday, we had some real excitement. That is, we cut the goats to be cooked and eaten the next day.
So, there are these two cute goats tied up outside in the field, grazing in the grass, completely happy with life, totally ignorant of the fact that they’re about to become part of a feast. Out flood the men and boys, armed with these curved knives that are “sharpened” and there’s a huge pot of boiling water. So, they prepare the goats (I had nothing to do with this excitement, outside of taking a few pictures!), and then phwack! And a goat squeal like you’ve never heard. Within a few seconds the head’s off and laying on the ground, and the next one goes. Then comes the boiling water to open the pores enough to scrape off the hair. We then moved them into the yard to wash completely, before blow torching them. I have no idea why, but it was rather interesting watching them torch the bodies and the blackened heads. Then, they began to slice and dice, for a few hours, chopping and whacking over and over again. 30 kgs of meat in all. That’s a whole lot of very fresh meat!
So, now, fast forward from that long aside to the morning of the party. Huge tents are set up, with a long stage at the front with hundreds of chairs lined up on carpet (yep, we rolled out the carpet for the event!). Kids are darting to and fro finishing this and that while the hired workers cook the food for several armies and finish setting up everything. Things slowly fall into place, and as Rami told me, “Sister, the party starts at 10, but that’s Nepali time. Maybe 11, or 11:30 we’ll start?!” There are times when it’s really nice to live in a relaxed time schedule like that!
The party finally starts, complete with pastors from all over Nepal and members of Parliament (who were not Christians) adorning the stage. There are children and friends and grandmas and parents all over the field. We started with a couple of praise and worship songs, and then floated into the pastors of the Feet Ministries Churches giving their annual reports of their church. Some of the kids sang and danced, while others acted out a Bible story, and Isha and Laxman gave their testimonies.
Everything went really well, but Isha stole the show. While I couldn’t understand her, she speaks with a passion and I could read her story on her face. During the parts about her past life, her eyes filled with tears and her voice became choppy. Her words brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and Pastor Krishna was weeping on stage. As she moved on to her time in the home, her words became more fluid, and a smile bloomed on her face as she told of the love and care she’s had here, as this truly is her only home. Even the children were mesmerized with her speaking. One day, I won’t at all be surprised if I hear that she’s a traveling speaker for the Gospel through her testimony!
After everything finished, one of the members of Parliament spoke with Krishna about how impressed he was with the program. The transparency of the organization was evident as they told exactly where all the funds came from and where they went, which he’d never seen before in all his work with religious organizations. Then, he was moved to tears by Isha’s story, and stated that he’d never heard of a child’s life changed like that. He complimented Isha on his way out, bringing a rose hue to her brown cheeks. In a very real way, his life was changed by the Gospel on Tuesday. Not that he’s made a decision for Christ as of now, but he’s seen the transforming power, and his heart is being broken by the true power of Jesus! It was such an encouragement to see God move like that!
Then, the feast began, and we got to eat the goat and more rice than you can imagine alongside pickled spicy relish stuff and fresh sliced vegetables! After seeing God move, nothing could make the day better, but the feast was an awesome way to end a great day! So we ate and talked and talked and ate and slowly people meandered back to their homes. As the sun set, everyone’s hearts were alive with the joy of Christ’s movements while their bodies craved the comfort of their beds!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Hello, World. Nepal is closed today!
December 6, 2009
Hello World. Nepal is closed today. And we might be tomorrow too. But leave a message after the beep, and we’ll get back to you as soon as the Maoists get out of the roads. So, this was my initial reaction to seeing the strike today. Growing up in the US, I knew about labor unions and had heard of strikes, but only from afar, and the US has never seen a strike like this. When the Maoists say “Tomorrow there will be a strike for all of Nepal,” they literally mean, tomorrow the entire country will shut down. Not one or two industries or even businesses, but the whole country comes to a standstill.
Let me give you some background. I honestly don’t fully understand the situation, even after trying to read 3 months worth of local newspapers about everything going on here. But, here’s my best shot. Nepal went through a civil war here from 1995-2006. The Maoists (also known as the Communists, literally) fought against the government for those years, in an incredibly bloody revolution. I’ve looked through books of pictures from those years, and they make me sick, with all the bloodshed and bodies strewn about with what seems like no concern for life.
But, in 2006, they formed a new government and began to rebuild the torn nation. Their initial attempt included mixing all the political parties here (including the Maoists) into the government and trying to work together that way. Nice in theory, a disaster in real life. Back in May, the Maoists pulled out of the government after the rest of the government refused to let former Maoist soldiers be integrated into the Nepali army, and instead insisted that they be kept in camps on their own. Meaning, you basically are back to two entities vying for the power here, and there’s not a lot to keep them in check.
Now, there’s a lot of Indian refugees here (I guess India’s problems are a lot worse than Nepal’s at this point) who are living in the forests/jungles without homes or land or anything. Well, in an attempt to strengthen their party, the Maoists promised these people along with the poorest Nepali’s that they would receive land if they stayed in this forest. So, imagine the strangest village made of makeshift lean-tos and tents sporadically stretched between trees and people milling about everywhere. Well, the government got mad and wanted their jungle land back, so they decided to take action.
Naturally, the people there wanted to fight for the land, which they believe they are entitled to, so they refused to leave when the government commanded them to. So, now you’ve got a whole entire pool of squatters who are refusing to move while the government sent out another army of people to move the squatters out. Well, the conflict turned deadly on Friday, with the government using force to move the squatters, and 3 people ended up dying in the conflict. This has added further fuel to the fire of anger that the Maoists have against the government, leading to where we are today.
The Maoists called a nationwide strike today in order to protest the 3 deaths at the “hands of the government.” So, everything shut down. Maoists can instill a lot of fear here, and 17 vehicles were destroyed and set on fire in the roads here. The streets were vacant of vehicles yet full of people, looking around aimlessly as if not sure where to go or what to do in this time of confusion and silence. Here and there a street shop was open, but the majority were closed, locked tight as if trying to keep out the very air itself. There were fist battles between the police and Maoists, and there’s concern that this will just continue to escalate, especially with the Maoist pulling out of the government all together. The Maoists have declared that they’ll continue to fight as long as the government denies “justice” (whatever that means here!) and the government has stated that they’ll continue to thwart the actions of the Maoists as long as they continue to stir up riots.
Watching the news last night and seeing the flames flowing from destroyed cars, watching battles between the police and the Maoist and hearing the tales of the violence escalating left me thinking we just need to have a huge revival here. I mean, they all need some Jesus in their lives. I can’t play sides, because I really don’t understand the Maoist’s anger or the government’s actions, but from the sidelines, I can see so much hatred and anger here, and I just want to go out and gather everyone together and say, “Here. You need some Jesus. Really. Everything will be better with a little love in your life!” Who knows... maybe one of these kids will do that one day!
Hello World. Nepal is closed today. And we might be tomorrow too. But leave a message after the beep, and we’ll get back to you as soon as the Maoists get out of the roads. So, this was my initial reaction to seeing the strike today. Growing up in the US, I knew about labor unions and had heard of strikes, but only from afar, and the US has never seen a strike like this. When the Maoists say “Tomorrow there will be a strike for all of Nepal,” they literally mean, tomorrow the entire country will shut down. Not one or two industries or even businesses, but the whole country comes to a standstill.
Let me give you some background. I honestly don’t fully understand the situation, even after trying to read 3 months worth of local newspapers about everything going on here. But, here’s my best shot. Nepal went through a civil war here from 1995-2006. The Maoists (also known as the Communists, literally) fought against the government for those years, in an incredibly bloody revolution. I’ve looked through books of pictures from those years, and they make me sick, with all the bloodshed and bodies strewn about with what seems like no concern for life.
But, in 2006, they formed a new government and began to rebuild the torn nation. Their initial attempt included mixing all the political parties here (including the Maoists) into the government and trying to work together that way. Nice in theory, a disaster in real life. Back in May, the Maoists pulled out of the government after the rest of the government refused to let former Maoist soldiers be integrated into the Nepali army, and instead insisted that they be kept in camps on their own. Meaning, you basically are back to two entities vying for the power here, and there’s not a lot to keep them in check.
Now, there’s a lot of Indian refugees here (I guess India’s problems are a lot worse than Nepal’s at this point) who are living in the forests/jungles without homes or land or anything. Well, in an attempt to strengthen their party, the Maoists promised these people along with the poorest Nepali’s that they would receive land if they stayed in this forest. So, imagine the strangest village made of makeshift lean-tos and tents sporadically stretched between trees and people milling about everywhere. Well, the government got mad and wanted their jungle land back, so they decided to take action.
Naturally, the people there wanted to fight for the land, which they believe they are entitled to, so they refused to leave when the government commanded them to. So, now you’ve got a whole entire pool of squatters who are refusing to move while the government sent out another army of people to move the squatters out. Well, the conflict turned deadly on Friday, with the government using force to move the squatters, and 3 people ended up dying in the conflict. This has added further fuel to the fire of anger that the Maoists have against the government, leading to where we are today.
The Maoists called a nationwide strike today in order to protest the 3 deaths at the “hands of the government.” So, everything shut down. Maoists can instill a lot of fear here, and 17 vehicles were destroyed and set on fire in the roads here. The streets were vacant of vehicles yet full of people, looking around aimlessly as if not sure where to go or what to do in this time of confusion and silence. Here and there a street shop was open, but the majority were closed, locked tight as if trying to keep out the very air itself. There were fist battles between the police and Maoists, and there’s concern that this will just continue to escalate, especially with the Maoist pulling out of the government all together. The Maoists have declared that they’ll continue to fight as long as the government denies “justice” (whatever that means here!) and the government has stated that they’ll continue to thwart the actions of the Maoists as long as they continue to stir up riots.
Watching the news last night and seeing the flames flowing from destroyed cars, watching battles between the police and the Maoist and hearing the tales of the violence escalating left me thinking we just need to have a huge revival here. I mean, they all need some Jesus in their lives. I can’t play sides, because I really don’t understand the Maoist’s anger or the government’s actions, but from the sidelines, I can see so much hatred and anger here, and I just want to go out and gather everyone together and say, “Here. You need some Jesus. Really. Everything will be better with a little love in your life!” Who knows... maybe one of these kids will do that one day!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Be Careful What You Teach Your Kids!
December 3, 2009
Serving and learning to serve. This story isn’t about my serving, more about the kids serving and how they’re learning to serve! So, the other day, Rami, Isha and I were out looking for a new Kotessera for me to wear to our anniversary party next week (I guess it’s a pretty big deal, and my only Kotessera that still fits is my one from school, which the girls would not dare let me wear to this party!). So, we went from tailor to tailor, looking for the perfect one. This one is too gaudy, that one is too expensive. This one has too much around the neckline, that one is too thin. And so on and so forth. Isha found hers at the first shop, but I didn’t want to spend a lot on mine, and I wanted to like it a lot. It didn’t seem like too much to ask for!
And then, we found it. The perfect Kotessera for me. The girls immediately stated that I had to get it, and I promptly agreed :). So, I bought it, and then we had to take it to another tailor to have it sewn (Kotessera’s come with three pieces: the material for the top, a complementing material for the big baggy pants, and then a scarf thing; the tailor just cuts it to your size and sews the pieces together for $2-3. amazing, right?!). So, we arrive at the tailor that Aunty and Uncle use. He’s a man from the church, and he made my first Kotessera. Well, we give him the Kotessera material, and ask him if he can finish it by Monday, which he says won’t be a problem.
Then comes the serving. Ready to leave, I had my bag ready and was about to head out the door, when the girls said, “Come on sister! We’re going to help him for a little bit.” Totally confused, I followed them outside, with a big blanket and soap in tow. The girls quickly explained that he needed help washing this blanket because he wasn’t going to have time to wash it. So, we settled into washing it, and Rami said, “See, we have to serve him because he’s part of the family of God and he doesn’t have anyone to help him!” Amazed at her response, I agreed, and we scrubbed and rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed this big blanket for about 30 minutes until it was clean. Never once did I hear either girl complain, at least in English! But I’m pretty sure they weren’t complaining in Nepali either...
Story 2. Our anniversary party is next week, and it’s going to be a huge deal. Members of Parliament are invited, and will probably come, along with pastors from all over Kathmandu and church members and the kids’ principal and friends and so many more! So, the “yard” here is in no way big enough to accommodate all the people, so Uncle decided to have it in the vacant lot next to the house. Problem being vacant means local dump in Nepal. Trash everywhere. Not to mention the land mines deposited all over the grass, waiting for some unsuspecting child to come step in them and bring that lovely smell with them for the rest of the day!
Well, it had to be cleaned, so Tuesday after school, the boys tromped out with these short rounded machete looking knives to cut the grass and surprising smiles on their faces. So, I grabbed as many plastic shopping bags as I could find and headed out to make a game of this grizzly task. So, I gave the boys bags, and we chose a central location as the location of our future trash bonfire. And then we raced to see who could collect and dump the most bags of trash on the pile. Over and over again our bags filled with empty shampoo packets, broken glass bottles, old animal skulls, small scraps of paper, lonely socks, and just about everything else you can think of (and probably a lot of what you wouldn’t think of)! And then to the bonfire pile we’d race, dumping the sack and heading out to do it again. Most of the boys got 15-20 bags of trash collected when all was said and done!
Relieved to be finished and amazed at the transformation in the field, I was all ready to drop a flaming match onto this pile of junkyard treasures when Laxman ruined everything. “Sister, we need to burn it over there. Not here. It will leave a burn mark.” “Laxman!!! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US THIS WHEN WE STARTED?!” “I didn’t think of it until now!” Our huge pile, which was up to my neck, far beyond the height of Raju, now had to be moved about 50 yards away.
I looked around at the other burn spots decorating the ground like black ornaments on a Christmas tree and was about to say “what’s one more black circle?” when Rajkumar beat me to the punch. “Well, we’re supposed to do everything without complaining and arguing, right?” A verse that I’ve been teaching the kids. Thrown right back in my face with a smile and laughter. And so I let out a laugh and said, “Ok, Rajkumar, you’re absolutely right, let’s move it!” So we found these big old bags and used them as small tarps and would pile the trash on, use 2-3 people to carry it over to the new location, and then back to collect more trash.
Finally, about 30 minutes later, we finished once again, and lit the fire. I’ve never been so glad to see a fire burn. Probably killed a few thousand of my brain cells with all the plastics and such in the mix, but hey, I learned to do everything, even moving a pile of bones, plastic and all other wastes without complaining. Be careful what you teach kids- they just might learn it and use it on you!
Serving and learning to serve. This story isn’t about my serving, more about the kids serving and how they’re learning to serve! So, the other day, Rami, Isha and I were out looking for a new Kotessera for me to wear to our anniversary party next week (I guess it’s a pretty big deal, and my only Kotessera that still fits is my one from school, which the girls would not dare let me wear to this party!). So, we went from tailor to tailor, looking for the perfect one. This one is too gaudy, that one is too expensive. This one has too much around the neckline, that one is too thin. And so on and so forth. Isha found hers at the first shop, but I didn’t want to spend a lot on mine, and I wanted to like it a lot. It didn’t seem like too much to ask for!
And then, we found it. The perfect Kotessera for me. The girls immediately stated that I had to get it, and I promptly agreed :). So, I bought it, and then we had to take it to another tailor to have it sewn (Kotessera’s come with three pieces: the material for the top, a complementing material for the big baggy pants, and then a scarf thing; the tailor just cuts it to your size and sews the pieces together for $2-3. amazing, right?!). So, we arrive at the tailor that Aunty and Uncle use. He’s a man from the church, and he made my first Kotessera. Well, we give him the Kotessera material, and ask him if he can finish it by Monday, which he says won’t be a problem.
Then comes the serving. Ready to leave, I had my bag ready and was about to head out the door, when the girls said, “Come on sister! We’re going to help him for a little bit.” Totally confused, I followed them outside, with a big blanket and soap in tow. The girls quickly explained that he needed help washing this blanket because he wasn’t going to have time to wash it. So, we settled into washing it, and Rami said, “See, we have to serve him because he’s part of the family of God and he doesn’t have anyone to help him!” Amazed at her response, I agreed, and we scrubbed and rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed this big blanket for about 30 minutes until it was clean. Never once did I hear either girl complain, at least in English! But I’m pretty sure they weren’t complaining in Nepali either...
Story 2. Our anniversary party is next week, and it’s going to be a huge deal. Members of Parliament are invited, and will probably come, along with pastors from all over Kathmandu and church members and the kids’ principal and friends and so many more! So, the “yard” here is in no way big enough to accommodate all the people, so Uncle decided to have it in the vacant lot next to the house. Problem being vacant means local dump in Nepal. Trash everywhere. Not to mention the land mines deposited all over the grass, waiting for some unsuspecting child to come step in them and bring that lovely smell with them for the rest of the day!
Well, it had to be cleaned, so Tuesday after school, the boys tromped out with these short rounded machete looking knives to cut the grass and surprising smiles on their faces. So, I grabbed as many plastic shopping bags as I could find and headed out to make a game of this grizzly task. So, I gave the boys bags, and we chose a central location as the location of our future trash bonfire. And then we raced to see who could collect and dump the most bags of trash on the pile. Over and over again our bags filled with empty shampoo packets, broken glass bottles, old animal skulls, small scraps of paper, lonely socks, and just about everything else you can think of (and probably a lot of what you wouldn’t think of)! And then to the bonfire pile we’d race, dumping the sack and heading out to do it again. Most of the boys got 15-20 bags of trash collected when all was said and done!
Relieved to be finished and amazed at the transformation in the field, I was all ready to drop a flaming match onto this pile of junkyard treasures when Laxman ruined everything. “Sister, we need to burn it over there. Not here. It will leave a burn mark.” “Laxman!!! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US THIS WHEN WE STARTED?!” “I didn’t think of it until now!” Our huge pile, which was up to my neck, far beyond the height of Raju, now had to be moved about 50 yards away.
I looked around at the other burn spots decorating the ground like black ornaments on a Christmas tree and was about to say “what’s one more black circle?” when Rajkumar beat me to the punch. “Well, we’re supposed to do everything without complaining and arguing, right?” A verse that I’ve been teaching the kids. Thrown right back in my face with a smile and laughter. And so I let out a laugh and said, “Ok, Rajkumar, you’re absolutely right, let’s move it!” So we found these big old bags and used them as small tarps and would pile the trash on, use 2-3 people to carry it over to the new location, and then back to collect more trash.
Finally, about 30 minutes later, we finished once again, and lit the fire. I’ve never been so glad to see a fire burn. Probably killed a few thousand of my brain cells with all the plastics and such in the mix, but hey, I learned to do everything, even moving a pile of bones, plastic and all other wastes without complaining. Be careful what you teach kids- they just might learn it and use it on you!
Prabin. The other half of Arun.
December 2, 2009
Prabin is joined to Arun at the hip. Arun was one of the first kids in the hostel, while Prabin followed a year or so later. Their ridiculous sense of humor and goofy way of teasing and joking makes you want to laugh just looking at them! Imagine two girls who are joined at the hip (for those of you who knew me through college, picture any one of my three roommates and I, going everywhere together and doing everything together, even as far as teaching in the same city!) and that’s Prabin and Arun. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen two boys who are closer friends and brothers than these two!
Anyway, sorry, that was a tangent in this story about Prabin. So, you have your background: think of Arun’s characteristics, and they’ll apply to Prabin 99% of the time! Prabin’s family lives about 30 minutes from here and he has one older brother along with one younger brother (he calls himself the medium child, which cracks me up! I always want to ask which brother is the well done one and which one is rare!). They live with his mom, and I gathered that his older brother does most of the providing. He has a job working at a bookshop, and Prabin wants to take me there sometime to meet his brother. Again, there was no mention of a father anywhere in the picture, which was not surprising or unexpected. Prabin’s grown up here, so Uncle has become a father figure to him.
Another unsurprising element is that Prabin struggles with school. He’s quick to inform me that he’s not “talented” like the other children, which is his excuse for failure. However, I don’t put up with it (it’s that mean teacher in me again!), and I’m quick to point out that most of the kids are only barely passing and they’re working their tails off to be passing! He quickly realized that I wasn’t going to accept failure due to “lack of talent” as an option, so he buckled down, and actually passed his exam for me! There were times when we had our battles studying (he’s one of my students at school as well, so we had double the fun!), and I was sure there was no way he was ever going to pass, no matter how hard we worked. Then there were the days when he remembered EVERYTHING from the previous day, and I was like where was this two days ago when we were studying?! I think it has everything to do with his mood and is probably affected by my mood as well! But, as I checked his test, I was amazed at how much he remembered and he passed with a 60% (40% is passing here... don’t ask how that’s affected my teaching mentality!). This up from 0% last time. I was pretty impressed :).
I think one of his favorite things to do is to stand on the roof and just look out over the city (that is, when he’s not laughing with Arun!). He’ll stand there, leaning on the fence around the roof, just gazing at the expanse of this Hindu valley. And then in the backdrop there are these mountains rising up, cutting the horizon short and creating beautiful silhouettes at dawn and dusk. He can just stand there, gazing at them and it might be the most serious I ever see him. Not that I’m any different; I can stand there just looking for hours myself. There’s something majestic about God’s glory in creation here while people worship idols. I think it makes one more aware of how much He’s done for us, both through Jesus and through the beauty of creation. One day, I’ll shake him out of his reverie while he’s gazing out over the city and find out what’s trudging through his mind, but for today, we’ll just watch the city and mountains together in a reverent silence...
Prabin is joined to Arun at the hip. Arun was one of the first kids in the hostel, while Prabin followed a year or so later. Their ridiculous sense of humor and goofy way of teasing and joking makes you want to laugh just looking at them! Imagine two girls who are joined at the hip (for those of you who knew me through college, picture any one of my three roommates and I, going everywhere together and doing everything together, even as far as teaching in the same city!) and that’s Prabin and Arun. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen two boys who are closer friends and brothers than these two!
Anyway, sorry, that was a tangent in this story about Prabin. So, you have your background: think of Arun’s characteristics, and they’ll apply to Prabin 99% of the time! Prabin’s family lives about 30 minutes from here and he has one older brother along with one younger brother (he calls himself the medium child, which cracks me up! I always want to ask which brother is the well done one and which one is rare!). They live with his mom, and I gathered that his older brother does most of the providing. He has a job working at a bookshop, and Prabin wants to take me there sometime to meet his brother. Again, there was no mention of a father anywhere in the picture, which was not surprising or unexpected. Prabin’s grown up here, so Uncle has become a father figure to him.
Another unsurprising element is that Prabin struggles with school. He’s quick to inform me that he’s not “talented” like the other children, which is his excuse for failure. However, I don’t put up with it (it’s that mean teacher in me again!), and I’m quick to point out that most of the kids are only barely passing and they’re working their tails off to be passing! He quickly realized that I wasn’t going to accept failure due to “lack of talent” as an option, so he buckled down, and actually passed his exam for me! There were times when we had our battles studying (he’s one of my students at school as well, so we had double the fun!), and I was sure there was no way he was ever going to pass, no matter how hard we worked. Then there were the days when he remembered EVERYTHING from the previous day, and I was like where was this two days ago when we were studying?! I think it has everything to do with his mood and is probably affected by my mood as well! But, as I checked his test, I was amazed at how much he remembered and he passed with a 60% (40% is passing here... don’t ask how that’s affected my teaching mentality!). This up from 0% last time. I was pretty impressed :).
I think one of his favorite things to do is to stand on the roof and just look out over the city (that is, when he’s not laughing with Arun!). He’ll stand there, leaning on the fence around the roof, just gazing at the expanse of this Hindu valley. And then in the backdrop there are these mountains rising up, cutting the horizon short and creating beautiful silhouettes at dawn and dusk. He can just stand there, gazing at them and it might be the most serious I ever see him. Not that I’m any different; I can stand there just looking for hours myself. There’s something majestic about God’s glory in creation here while people worship idols. I think it makes one more aware of how much He’s done for us, both through Jesus and through the beauty of creation. One day, I’ll shake him out of his reverie while he’s gazing out over the city and find out what’s trudging through his mind, but for today, we’ll just watch the city and mountains together in a reverent silence...
Isha. Leader of the Girls.
December 2, 2009
Isha. Isha is the leader of the girls (and at times all children!), and is one of the oldest children. She struggles with school, though, and is only in class 7. She works so hard for school, and excels in a couple of subjects, but science and math cause her no end of worries. Besides Asha, Isha is the girl who is truly an orphan here. She doesn’t have parents, a fact which she hates yet clings to as part of her identity. She feels betrayed by the world, and like she’s not as good or accepted as the other children because she does not have a family in the traditional sense of the word.
However, she is quick to claim Uncle and Auntie as her mother and father, and she calls Benjamin and Joshua her true brothers. She’s been here since she was a young child, so she’s grown up alongside them most of her life! Uncle sees the pain of rejection in her heart from not having her own “family,” and he is quick to do everything he can to fill that hole with his love and truly treats her as his own daughter.
While I would not venture to guess most of the children’s spiritual gifts, I can say with complete confidence that hers is service. She has far more duties that the other girls, and does them with joy and love. I’ve never once heard her complain about having more to do, and she’s quick to help me with whatever I’m doing as well! She loves helping Didi with the cooking, whether it be chopping up vegetables or cooking or serving. She helps serve the kids each meal, patiently waiting for them to finish and then she eats herself!
Her joy in the Lord is evident as she sings her heart out to the Lord, praising Him wherever she goes! She helps lead worship at church, with her voice raised in song and her eyes closed in prayer. You can hear the fervency of her prayers through her voice as she sings, the sound resonating deep inside your heart. She wants to be a singer one day, and can sing for hours on end. The other evidence of her joy is her laughter. When she laughs, joy fills the air and usually there are other people who can’t help but laugh with her! Often, she’ll laugh at something trivial, that most of us wouldn’t have even noticed, but find rather humorous when looking at it from her perspective! One day, she’s going to be an incredible wife and mother, bringing joy, laughter and service to her family!
Isha. Isha is the leader of the girls (and at times all children!), and is one of the oldest children. She struggles with school, though, and is only in class 7. She works so hard for school, and excels in a couple of subjects, but science and math cause her no end of worries. Besides Asha, Isha is the girl who is truly an orphan here. She doesn’t have parents, a fact which she hates yet clings to as part of her identity. She feels betrayed by the world, and like she’s not as good or accepted as the other children because she does not have a family in the traditional sense of the word.
However, she is quick to claim Uncle and Auntie as her mother and father, and she calls Benjamin and Joshua her true brothers. She’s been here since she was a young child, so she’s grown up alongside them most of her life! Uncle sees the pain of rejection in her heart from not having her own “family,” and he is quick to do everything he can to fill that hole with his love and truly treats her as his own daughter.
While I would not venture to guess most of the children’s spiritual gifts, I can say with complete confidence that hers is service. She has far more duties that the other girls, and does them with joy and love. I’ve never once heard her complain about having more to do, and she’s quick to help me with whatever I’m doing as well! She loves helping Didi with the cooking, whether it be chopping up vegetables or cooking or serving. She helps serve the kids each meal, patiently waiting for them to finish and then she eats herself!
Her joy in the Lord is evident as she sings her heart out to the Lord, praising Him wherever she goes! She helps lead worship at church, with her voice raised in song and her eyes closed in prayer. You can hear the fervency of her prayers through her voice as she sings, the sound resonating deep inside your heart. She wants to be a singer one day, and can sing for hours on end. The other evidence of her joy is her laughter. When she laughs, joy fills the air and usually there are other people who can’t help but laugh with her! Often, she’ll laugh at something trivial, that most of us wouldn’t have even noticed, but find rather humorous when looking at it from her perspective! One day, she’s going to be an incredible wife and mother, bringing joy, laughter and service to her family!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Of Chickens and Prabin, a short story
November 29, 2009
A short story with no particular meaning except to make you laugh as I did. Well, maybe not quite as hard as I did, but hopefully you’ll laugh as well... Once upon tonight, we were ready to start devotionals, and all the children were there except Prabin. As Prabin’s well known for his fondness of his bed, I ran upstairs to see if he was asleep in bed. I looked in every boys bed, covers scattered here and there, but no Prabin. So, I ran back downstairs, and found Shiva returning from outside. “Did you find Prabin?” he asked me. “No, and I have no idea where he is, so let’s start without him.” So we went through the whole devotional without any sign from Prabin.
Now backtrack 2 hours. Prabin was being such a good child that he went up into the nice, warm shed next to the chicken coop to study for his history exam tomorrow. In his intense fascination with the history and government of Nepal, he fell asleep in the shed, absorbing the material through the trail of spittle running from his mouth to his book (ok, the last line was added for dramatic effect only; I don’t actually know if he drools while he naps!).
Fast forward an hour. Di, the older brother who lives in the gate house, brought the chickens their feast of rice and vegetable peelings. Noticing that the shed door was unlatched, he did what any good gate guard would do and latched the door shut and then headed back downstairs. Now, it’s not like a doorknob on the door. It’s like those rounded rods on public toilet bathroom stalls that hold the door closed when you slide them in place, meaning you can’t open the door except from the one side. Except in this case, it only opens from the outside (why would you ever need to open the door from the inside?!).
Fast forward 45 minutes. Prabin awakens, finding himself chilled in the cool air of night. Gathering his books, he assumes it’s almost devotional time, not knowing that devotionals started 15 minutes earlier without him. The great thing about devotionals is that all the children are in the devotional meeting. So, when Prabin discovers that the door he left open is now locked, he bangs as hard as he can, but as the shed’s on the roof above the 3rd floor, and we’re in the kids dining room on the first floor, there’s just no chance that anyone will hear him!
Fast forward 15 minutes. After devotional, one of the kids decides to go check to see if he’s in the shed, rescuing him from a night of chickens and cold! As the girls get dinner on the table, Prabin proceeds to inform us of his trials in the shed, while we’re laughing so hard we’re crying! So the next time one of your kids is missing from devotionals, check the shed off the chicken coop- you never know if someone’s locked in there!
A short story with no particular meaning except to make you laugh as I did. Well, maybe not quite as hard as I did, but hopefully you’ll laugh as well... Once upon tonight, we were ready to start devotionals, and all the children were there except Prabin. As Prabin’s well known for his fondness of his bed, I ran upstairs to see if he was asleep in bed. I looked in every boys bed, covers scattered here and there, but no Prabin. So, I ran back downstairs, and found Shiva returning from outside. “Did you find Prabin?” he asked me. “No, and I have no idea where he is, so let’s start without him.” So we went through the whole devotional without any sign from Prabin.
Now backtrack 2 hours. Prabin was being such a good child that he went up into the nice, warm shed next to the chicken coop to study for his history exam tomorrow. In his intense fascination with the history and government of Nepal, he fell asleep in the shed, absorbing the material through the trail of spittle running from his mouth to his book (ok, the last line was added for dramatic effect only; I don’t actually know if he drools while he naps!).
Fast forward an hour. Di, the older brother who lives in the gate house, brought the chickens their feast of rice and vegetable peelings. Noticing that the shed door was unlatched, he did what any good gate guard would do and latched the door shut and then headed back downstairs. Now, it’s not like a doorknob on the door. It’s like those rounded rods on public toilet bathroom stalls that hold the door closed when you slide them in place, meaning you can’t open the door except from the one side. Except in this case, it only opens from the outside (why would you ever need to open the door from the inside?!).
Fast forward 45 minutes. Prabin awakens, finding himself chilled in the cool air of night. Gathering his books, he assumes it’s almost devotional time, not knowing that devotionals started 15 minutes earlier without him. The great thing about devotionals is that all the children are in the devotional meeting. So, when Prabin discovers that the door he left open is now locked, he bangs as hard as he can, but as the shed’s on the roof above the 3rd floor, and we’re in the kids dining room on the first floor, there’s just no chance that anyone will hear him!
Fast forward 15 minutes. After devotional, one of the kids decides to go check to see if he’s in the shed, rescuing him from a night of chickens and cold! As the girls get dinner on the table, Prabin proceeds to inform us of his trials in the shed, while we’re laughing so hard we’re crying! So the next time one of your kids is missing from devotionals, check the shed off the chicken coop- you never know if someone’s locked in there!
Shiva... Dancing between Childhood and Adulthood
November 29, 2009
Shiva. He’s turning 16 in January, and is every bit as much of a teenage boy as any teenage boy you’ll meet in the US. He’s the oldest of the boys and at times seems years older as he tries his best to spring into manhood. But most days, he’s in that awkward stage of too old to be a boy and too young to be a man! It can be rather humorous (though I make sure not to laugh around him!) watching him delicately balance the desire to be treated like an adult with the eagerness to jump into the games of the younger boys!
He’s from Gorkha, the place of my one and only roadtrip up to this point! His eyes sparkle when he thinks of home in the fields of rice patties, the jungle, and the beauty of the land. A darkness settles over his face when he thinks of his childhood there, though. From around 1995 to 2005 Nepal was in a civil war between the Maoists and the Government, to make things very simple! Gorkha was one of the most dangerous places to live, as it was a constant battle zone. He was touched by the brutality of the darkness when the Maoists attacked his grandfather, cutting off one ear, gouging out one eye and then leaving him to die. He was then flown to an army hospital, and lived through all that. I don’t imagine many kids see worse things than that...
A little while after seeing the brutality of the civil war he came to live at Krishna’s home. After being raised in a Hindu family, he came to see the light of Jesus shining here and became a Christian soon after arriving! He was baptized and has grown in the church since arriving, and now helps lead worship on the guitar. He’s also involved with the youth group here, which is pretty much just what your typical American youth group is, minus all the bells and whistles!
He’s a pretty bright kid, but like most 15 year old boys, studying is not one of his top priorities! He’s recently discovered that girls aren’t just the clothes-washing, food-cooking humans he once thought they were. This has been a new battle for Pastor Krishna, as the oldest children are just reaching “that age.” I figure there are not many things more difficult for a parent than raising kids through their teenage years, and then you multiply that by 15, and I imagine life can be stressful! But the rule for the kids is that they’re not allowed to fall in love until after finishing high school. I think it’s a great rule ;).
So besides girls as a distraction, Shiva also LOVES to play soccer. Whether in sandals, barefoot, or in his new tennis shoes, he darts around the field with the strength and agility of someone who grew up in the jungle! He also enjoys a good game of badminton (a very popular sport here!) and devours the newspaper each morning. However, I am convinced that his favorite sport is scaring me, and when I walk outside at night, I often slow down and listen closely, because one time too many Shiva’s popped out from behind a dark corner or behind the parked car quietly whispering “sister!” Unfortunately, Raju’s learning to do the same, which doesn’t have quite the same effect as it’s rather humorous to hear someone say “SISTER!” in a high pitched 6 year old voice from knee level!
Shiva reminds me of how much I enjoy working with kids who are teenagers. Most of the time anyway. There are still the times when he’s picking on the other kids and acting like a child and I want to pummel him, but usually it’s all good! I know that God’s using his past and present to shape and incredible future for him! And I know he’ll bring light wherever God leads him!
Shiva. He’s turning 16 in January, and is every bit as much of a teenage boy as any teenage boy you’ll meet in the US. He’s the oldest of the boys and at times seems years older as he tries his best to spring into manhood. But most days, he’s in that awkward stage of too old to be a boy and too young to be a man! It can be rather humorous (though I make sure not to laugh around him!) watching him delicately balance the desire to be treated like an adult with the eagerness to jump into the games of the younger boys!
He’s from Gorkha, the place of my one and only roadtrip up to this point! His eyes sparkle when he thinks of home in the fields of rice patties, the jungle, and the beauty of the land. A darkness settles over his face when he thinks of his childhood there, though. From around 1995 to 2005 Nepal was in a civil war between the Maoists and the Government, to make things very simple! Gorkha was one of the most dangerous places to live, as it was a constant battle zone. He was touched by the brutality of the darkness when the Maoists attacked his grandfather, cutting off one ear, gouging out one eye and then leaving him to die. He was then flown to an army hospital, and lived through all that. I don’t imagine many kids see worse things than that...
A little while after seeing the brutality of the civil war he came to live at Krishna’s home. After being raised in a Hindu family, he came to see the light of Jesus shining here and became a Christian soon after arriving! He was baptized and has grown in the church since arriving, and now helps lead worship on the guitar. He’s also involved with the youth group here, which is pretty much just what your typical American youth group is, minus all the bells and whistles!
He’s a pretty bright kid, but like most 15 year old boys, studying is not one of his top priorities! He’s recently discovered that girls aren’t just the clothes-washing, food-cooking humans he once thought they were. This has been a new battle for Pastor Krishna, as the oldest children are just reaching “that age.” I figure there are not many things more difficult for a parent than raising kids through their teenage years, and then you multiply that by 15, and I imagine life can be stressful! But the rule for the kids is that they’re not allowed to fall in love until after finishing high school. I think it’s a great rule ;).
So besides girls as a distraction, Shiva also LOVES to play soccer. Whether in sandals, barefoot, or in his new tennis shoes, he darts around the field with the strength and agility of someone who grew up in the jungle! He also enjoys a good game of badminton (a very popular sport here!) and devours the newspaper each morning. However, I am convinced that his favorite sport is scaring me, and when I walk outside at night, I often slow down and listen closely, because one time too many Shiva’s popped out from behind a dark corner or behind the parked car quietly whispering “sister!” Unfortunately, Raju’s learning to do the same, which doesn’t have quite the same effect as it’s rather humorous to hear someone say “SISTER!” in a high pitched 6 year old voice from knee level!
Shiva reminds me of how much I enjoy working with kids who are teenagers. Most of the time anyway. There are still the times when he’s picking on the other kids and acting like a child and I want to pummel him, but usually it’s all good! I know that God’s using his past and present to shape and incredible future for him! And I know he’ll bring light wherever God leads him!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Anand... "Why?! How?! Tell me more..."
November 27, 2009
When I pray for patience in the mornings, I always know my first test will come from Anand. Don’t get me wrong, I love him and so enjoy hanging out with him, but he knows how to test me! Anand’s favorite game is to mock everything I say. And I’m not exaggerating when I say everything- every word that comes out of my mouth within earshot of him is quickly retorted in a high pitched imitation of me. Most days I can take it and dish some back. Then there’s the occasional day when God’s taught me that it’s ok to look at him and say, “Enough. It’s not funny anymore” in order to maintain my own patience and peace of mind! He’s great at reading my facial expressions, so he usually knows when he’s crossed the line!
Through all the mimicking, though, Anand does a fair share of questioning. He sometimes reminds me of a toddler, asking “why?!” to everything he can think of and then some. He’s not a great student, but he works incredibly hard (he might have one of the best work ethics of all the kids!), and I imagine one day that questioning will lead him to some neat discovery in science or something. He LOVES to learn about America and will spend hours talking with me about anything and everything, from Air Force One to my home in the US.
He’s got a mind that I often wish I had- one that seeks to know the answers for everything and yet will still question the most trivial things! Of all the kids I’ve helped with math, I’m the most proud of him, because while he’s weak in math, he’s willing to sit there and work and work until he understands! And when I give him a formula or theorem, his response is “Why?!” so then we go on to prove it (it’s great practice for me!). He tests what he hears with all that he has to see whether or not he should take it as truth. His faith is not a faith that simply hears and believes, but is one that seeks the hard answers and is not afraid to ask God the hard questions! He’s constantly writing notes in his Bible or flipping through the pages looking for some verse that relates to whatever question is presently at hand!
Through all his questioning, there are still some questions which I don’t have answers to for Anand. The biggest one is the absence of a father. His mother and one of his sisters live nearby (about a 30 minute walk from here), and his mother sells things on the side of the street for a living. Sometimes when we walk to the market, he’ll see her and run up to her and give her a hug and talk with her for awhile. His sisters are older and one is married and he also has an older brother. While I’ve never met someone as inquisitive as Anand, I’ve also probably never met someone so intent on learning! One day, I know he’s going to use that knowledge and understanding to further the Kingdom in unfathomable ways!
When I pray for patience in the mornings, I always know my first test will come from Anand. Don’t get me wrong, I love him and so enjoy hanging out with him, but he knows how to test me! Anand’s favorite game is to mock everything I say. And I’m not exaggerating when I say everything- every word that comes out of my mouth within earshot of him is quickly retorted in a high pitched imitation of me. Most days I can take it and dish some back. Then there’s the occasional day when God’s taught me that it’s ok to look at him and say, “Enough. It’s not funny anymore” in order to maintain my own patience and peace of mind! He’s great at reading my facial expressions, so he usually knows when he’s crossed the line!
Through all the mimicking, though, Anand does a fair share of questioning. He sometimes reminds me of a toddler, asking “why?!” to everything he can think of and then some. He’s not a great student, but he works incredibly hard (he might have one of the best work ethics of all the kids!), and I imagine one day that questioning will lead him to some neat discovery in science or something. He LOVES to learn about America and will spend hours talking with me about anything and everything, from Air Force One to my home in the US.
He’s got a mind that I often wish I had- one that seeks to know the answers for everything and yet will still question the most trivial things! Of all the kids I’ve helped with math, I’m the most proud of him, because while he’s weak in math, he’s willing to sit there and work and work until he understands! And when I give him a formula or theorem, his response is “Why?!” so then we go on to prove it (it’s great practice for me!). He tests what he hears with all that he has to see whether or not he should take it as truth. His faith is not a faith that simply hears and believes, but is one that seeks the hard answers and is not afraid to ask God the hard questions! He’s constantly writing notes in his Bible or flipping through the pages looking for some verse that relates to whatever question is presently at hand!
Through all his questioning, there are still some questions which I don’t have answers to for Anand. The biggest one is the absence of a father. His mother and one of his sisters live nearby (about a 30 minute walk from here), and his mother sells things on the side of the street for a living. Sometimes when we walk to the market, he’ll see her and run up to her and give her a hug and talk with her for awhile. His sisters are older and one is married and he also has an older brother. While I’ve never met someone as inquisitive as Anand, I’ve also probably never met someone so intent on learning! One day, I know he’s going to use that knowledge and understanding to further the Kingdom in unfathomable ways!
Rami... aka, "Moussa!"
November 27, 2009
Rami’s that girl in the front of the class with glasses who’s furiously writing down every word the teacher utters, even if the teacher’s mad and is just talking to himself! But she’s also the girl who can have the whole group laughing in an instant with her simple yet versatile sense of humor! The other teachers have informed me that she’s a very “clever” girl meaning she’s a good student, but she has her moments in class!
Well, Rami’s nickname around here is “moosa” meaning mouse. And it’s actually another great fit, because she always has her hair in this long braid that goes from thick to thin on the way down and looks like a mouse tail! Every day at some point I hear someone shouting “Moosa!” and since 95% of the time it’s Laxman, I quickly hear the retort “Latte!” meaning sweet rice. Not sure where that came from, but it has it’s desired effect as his face contorts and she bursts out laughing. Those two are hilarious to watch. They might be the only two who never fight with each other!
While Rami’s the oldest in terms of school class (she’s in class 9), she seems younger than a lot of the other girls. She’s smaller, and she often seems to shrink into the background. However, all the kids look up to her in terms of studying and school. She’s quick to help with problems on homework and notes that her classmates Shiva and Sunita failed to write down! The other girls love to “dress” Rami up and do her hair (aka, braid it) and everything! Today, one of the girls had the genius idea of braiding her hair into two braids, leading Laxman to double over in fits as he called her a mouse with two tails. He actually fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard!
While Laxman’s her closest brother here, her mother and biological brother live nearby and often come to the same church as we go to. I don’t know the story of her father, but I know that he’s not around, and her mother can’t afford to send her to school so she lives in the hostel where Uncle can provide food, shelter and an education for her. Her mother is so sweet and proud of Rami, and in as much as we could talk, I gathered that she couldn’t be happier for her daughter! When Rami sees them at church, she’ll scoop her brother into a hug and beam at her mom.
I’m beginning to realize that most of the children probably only have a mother. Their fathers either have other wives or are just not there. In a male dominated society, being a single mother trying to raise children would be incredibly hard. But in His grace, God’s given kids like Rami homes to live in where they’re provided for and taught the truth each and every day. And one day, Rami will be a light in whatever job God leads her to, and she will proclaim His truth with the same fervor as Krishna does today!
Rami’s that girl in the front of the class with glasses who’s furiously writing down every word the teacher utters, even if the teacher’s mad and is just talking to himself! But she’s also the girl who can have the whole group laughing in an instant with her simple yet versatile sense of humor! The other teachers have informed me that she’s a very “clever” girl meaning she’s a good student, but she has her moments in class!
Well, Rami’s nickname around here is “moosa” meaning mouse. And it’s actually another great fit, because she always has her hair in this long braid that goes from thick to thin on the way down and looks like a mouse tail! Every day at some point I hear someone shouting “Moosa!” and since 95% of the time it’s Laxman, I quickly hear the retort “Latte!” meaning sweet rice. Not sure where that came from, but it has it’s desired effect as his face contorts and she bursts out laughing. Those two are hilarious to watch. They might be the only two who never fight with each other!
While Rami’s the oldest in terms of school class (she’s in class 9), she seems younger than a lot of the other girls. She’s smaller, and she often seems to shrink into the background. However, all the kids look up to her in terms of studying and school. She’s quick to help with problems on homework and notes that her classmates Shiva and Sunita failed to write down! The other girls love to “dress” Rami up and do her hair (aka, braid it) and everything! Today, one of the girls had the genius idea of braiding her hair into two braids, leading Laxman to double over in fits as he called her a mouse with two tails. He actually fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard!
While Laxman’s her closest brother here, her mother and biological brother live nearby and often come to the same church as we go to. I don’t know the story of her father, but I know that he’s not around, and her mother can’t afford to send her to school so she lives in the hostel where Uncle can provide food, shelter and an education for her. Her mother is so sweet and proud of Rami, and in as much as we could talk, I gathered that she couldn’t be happier for her daughter! When Rami sees them at church, she’ll scoop her brother into a hug and beam at her mom.
I’m beginning to realize that most of the children probably only have a mother. Their fathers either have other wives or are just not there. In a male dominated society, being a single mother trying to raise children would be incredibly hard. But in His grace, God’s given kids like Rami homes to live in where they’re provided for and taught the truth each and every day. And one day, Rami will be a light in whatever job God leads her to, and she will proclaim His truth with the same fervor as Krishna does today!
Learning Discipline at the Hands of 15 Children!
November 24, 2009
Discipline. Something that makes most of us cringe. I’ve heard parents say that discipline “hurts me more than it hurts you!” and I often wondered if there was reality behind that statement! Well, in as much as I love these kids, they’ve been trying me recently. Our biggest battle is the TV room (yes, even in Nepal that fuzzy pictured machine distracts children of all ages!). It’s a rule that the kids don’t watch TV at all during the week except on Fridays. I think it’s a FANTASTIC rule! However, the kids tend to disagree, and have been fighting me on it when Uncle’s not here. I’ll be helping someone with math, and see some little Nepali figure dart by and into the TV room, hoping that I don’t spot their stealthy ways.
Well, this got really old, really fast, because they know they’re not supposed to be in there (they scatter the moment Uncle drives up), and they know I know they’re not supposed to be in there (I come shoo them away every few minutes). So, I simply told them that if I caught any of them in the TV room for the next 2 weeks during exams, they won’t get to go out to eat with the rest of us when exams are finished.
The threat worked great, the first day... then, the kids decided to try me. As I was helping some with math (and they ALL needed to be studying math), I heard the telltale creek of the TV room door and the swift closing of it. In a calm, serene anger, I walked in and told them all to “Get out.” I didn’t yell, or even listen to their arguments as to why they were in there. I merely waited for them to leave. I then realized that I had to follow through with my threat, or else my punishments would become empty words to them. So I pulled them off to the side, and explained to them that they would not be allowed to go with us to the restaurant. Which was so frustrating to me because I just wanted us all to be able to enjoy an afternoon off of school and studying in between terms.
Then, in the evening devotionals, I dove into 1 John 3 with them, explaining why continued disobedience and sin is so upsetting to me. And as I talked, I remembered for the first time in awhile that I’m not here to make them better math students. I’m not here to teach in a school. I’m here to serve Krishna however he needs me to serve, and to teach the kids to love Jesus more today than they did yesterday. If I can teach them math while teaching them about Jesus, awesome, and God’s already shown that He’s using my time in the school to move in some of the other teacher’s lives!
But more important than giving these kids math skills is the reality that they are Jesus’ lights in this world. Teaching them to be light is SO much harder than teaching them to factor polynomials! But I think it’s beginning to set in; I caught one of my girls cheating during her math exam today. I cut marks from her paper and her neighbors paper, but I didn’t address the situation there and opted to wait until we got home. Well, we got home, and I expected a battle to ensue of “I wasn’t cheating! I was just looking around! You’re always picking on me!” (this child and I have had our share of will battles over math, I assure you!). But instead, she came and found me, and before I could say anything, she said “Sister, I’m so sorry that I was cheating. I know it was wrong, and I know I shouldn’t have done it. I’m very very sorry!” Floored, I responded “I forgive you. And I’m so proud of you for taking responsibility for your actions and apologizing on your own!”
I got to see a seed of change today in a young girl’s life. She’s probably the last one I would have expected to voluntarily apologize for something she did, and she’s the one who fights me the most! But yet, God’s Word has caught hold in her heart, and day by day is changing her, right before my eyes! I can assure you, that might have been the coolest thing that I’ve seen in my whole time here!
Discipline. Something that makes most of us cringe. I’ve heard parents say that discipline “hurts me more than it hurts you!” and I often wondered if there was reality behind that statement! Well, in as much as I love these kids, they’ve been trying me recently. Our biggest battle is the TV room (yes, even in Nepal that fuzzy pictured machine distracts children of all ages!). It’s a rule that the kids don’t watch TV at all during the week except on Fridays. I think it’s a FANTASTIC rule! However, the kids tend to disagree, and have been fighting me on it when Uncle’s not here. I’ll be helping someone with math, and see some little Nepali figure dart by and into the TV room, hoping that I don’t spot their stealthy ways.
Well, this got really old, really fast, because they know they’re not supposed to be in there (they scatter the moment Uncle drives up), and they know I know they’re not supposed to be in there (I come shoo them away every few minutes). So, I simply told them that if I caught any of them in the TV room for the next 2 weeks during exams, they won’t get to go out to eat with the rest of us when exams are finished.
The threat worked great, the first day... then, the kids decided to try me. As I was helping some with math (and they ALL needed to be studying math), I heard the telltale creek of the TV room door and the swift closing of it. In a calm, serene anger, I walked in and told them all to “Get out.” I didn’t yell, or even listen to their arguments as to why they were in there. I merely waited for them to leave. I then realized that I had to follow through with my threat, or else my punishments would become empty words to them. So I pulled them off to the side, and explained to them that they would not be allowed to go with us to the restaurant. Which was so frustrating to me because I just wanted us all to be able to enjoy an afternoon off of school and studying in between terms.
Then, in the evening devotionals, I dove into 1 John 3 with them, explaining why continued disobedience and sin is so upsetting to me. And as I talked, I remembered for the first time in awhile that I’m not here to make them better math students. I’m not here to teach in a school. I’m here to serve Krishna however he needs me to serve, and to teach the kids to love Jesus more today than they did yesterday. If I can teach them math while teaching them about Jesus, awesome, and God’s already shown that He’s using my time in the school to move in some of the other teacher’s lives!
But more important than giving these kids math skills is the reality that they are Jesus’ lights in this world. Teaching them to be light is SO much harder than teaching them to factor polynomials! But I think it’s beginning to set in; I caught one of my girls cheating during her math exam today. I cut marks from her paper and her neighbors paper, but I didn’t address the situation there and opted to wait until we got home. Well, we got home, and I expected a battle to ensue of “I wasn’t cheating! I was just looking around! You’re always picking on me!” (this child and I have had our share of will battles over math, I assure you!). But instead, she came and found me, and before I could say anything, she said “Sister, I’m so sorry that I was cheating. I know it was wrong, and I know I shouldn’t have done it. I’m very very sorry!” Floored, I responded “I forgive you. And I’m so proud of you for taking responsibility for your actions and apologizing on your own!”
I got to see a seed of change today in a young girl’s life. She’s probably the last one I would have expected to voluntarily apologize for something she did, and she’s the one who fights me the most! But yet, God’s Word has caught hold in her heart, and day by day is changing her, right before my eyes! I can assure you, that might have been the coolest thing that I’ve seen in my whole time here!
Redeeming a Slaughtering...
November 23, 2009
I can’t believe that it’s already the end of the second term here. We have 3 terms and this week and next week are term exams for term 2. Meaning, half days every day as the kids only take one exam per day, and then a 3 day weekend!!! I know, I know, you probably have a 5 day weekend coming up for Thanksgiving, but here in our 1 day typical weekend, 3 days is a whole half of an eternity!
So, the kids came home with their test order papers, and to my mounting dismay, every one of them had math on the first day of exams. Meaning, I was going to have to help 11 kids (the four younger ones don’t typically need help) at the same time. Well, at first I was beyond overwhelmed. In my mind I still have to shake the desire to have every kid understanding most of the material. Here, they have so much to learn in one year (most of which is just repeated the next year with one or two extra steps) and we go so fast that 40% is passing. So I’ve had to retrain my brain to think, “what can I get these kids to understand that will amount to at least 40%?!” Not that I don’t want them to score high- I’d just rather them have a strong foundation in a few things rather than hit and miss knowledge in everything. But then I realized that having all the math exams might mean that I was crazy busy for 3 days, wrestling through algebra, geometry, accounting and so much more with the kids, but then we would ALL get a week and a half off math! That is soooo worth the exhaustion!
So for the 3 days leading up to exams, I segmented my time between classes, flying between kids, spouting off formulas they should have learned 3 weeks ago, and scolding for not learning those same formulas! A square root here and a fraction there, here an x, there a y, math math everywhere! I knew I hit an all time high when 3 girls came to me in the same morning saying they had dreamed about me helping them with math. Now that takes talent to tutor kids from across the house in your sleep! I should charge... easiest money I’d ever make!
The day before exams, though, I had to go to school for a short teacher’s work day. It was like 2 hours long, and honestly, I didn’t want to be there because I knew I had so many kids at home needing help. But, I went, and God once again proved His will is supreme! Our assignment in those 2 hours: count your class tests, and paste the students numbers on their desks (we mix all the classes of students together so they can’t cheat off one another). The counting took all of 5 minutes, with an hour and a half break before we could do the pasting!
I was on the verge of being frustrated with having to sit and wait at the school when I could be at home teaching (I was a little impatient- I had been up till midnight tutoring my class 9 kids and then was back up tutoring the kids around 6!) when one of the other teachers sat down across from me and said, “You’re a Christian, right Miss?!” And my first thought was, “God, now?! I’m exhausted, and my brain isn’t even functioning correctly with all of this math!” And then God scolded me and reminded me that in a typical day I don’t have the chance to talk to my fellow teachers about much of anything, much less God and Jesus.
So, humbled and totally relying on the Holy Spirit to guide me as constructing intelligible sentences was becoming a chore, I smiled and assured him that I am a Christian. He was looking at a picture in the newspaper which spoke of how tens of thousands of animals were going to be sacrificed that day for a Hindu holiday (I think?!) and how futile that seemed. He then ventured to ask if Christians make sacrifices. What a beautiful lead into talking about Jesus as our sacrificed Lamb, right?! Something EVERYONE here understands, as they see sacrifices everyday! Real life (err, death?!), blood spilled sacrifices. Not something too common in America, yes? So we discussed Jesus as our sacrifice for our sins and how Jesus’ blood cleanses us before God. Pretty soon, there were several teachers sitting around, adding comments here and there as we discussed differences in religions and Christianity as a whole!
Crazy how God used a Hindu festival of sacrifices and blood to plant seeds in the hearts of some of my co-workers who are actively seeking a religion to follow. They’ve tried Hinduism and Buddhism, but said that they found them empty (so surprising?!) and are looking into other religions. And when I was most exhausted and most unwilling to do much of anything, God shook me up and said, “Now. I speak through you best when you don’t let yourself get in the way!” I guess you could say that God redeemed my day :).
I can’t believe that it’s already the end of the second term here. We have 3 terms and this week and next week are term exams for term 2. Meaning, half days every day as the kids only take one exam per day, and then a 3 day weekend!!! I know, I know, you probably have a 5 day weekend coming up for Thanksgiving, but here in our 1 day typical weekend, 3 days is a whole half of an eternity!
So, the kids came home with their test order papers, and to my mounting dismay, every one of them had math on the first day of exams. Meaning, I was going to have to help 11 kids (the four younger ones don’t typically need help) at the same time. Well, at first I was beyond overwhelmed. In my mind I still have to shake the desire to have every kid understanding most of the material. Here, they have so much to learn in one year (most of which is just repeated the next year with one or two extra steps) and we go so fast that 40% is passing. So I’ve had to retrain my brain to think, “what can I get these kids to understand that will amount to at least 40%?!” Not that I don’t want them to score high- I’d just rather them have a strong foundation in a few things rather than hit and miss knowledge in everything. But then I realized that having all the math exams might mean that I was crazy busy for 3 days, wrestling through algebra, geometry, accounting and so much more with the kids, but then we would ALL get a week and a half off math! That is soooo worth the exhaustion!
So for the 3 days leading up to exams, I segmented my time between classes, flying between kids, spouting off formulas they should have learned 3 weeks ago, and scolding for not learning those same formulas! A square root here and a fraction there, here an x, there a y, math math everywhere! I knew I hit an all time high when 3 girls came to me in the same morning saying they had dreamed about me helping them with math. Now that takes talent to tutor kids from across the house in your sleep! I should charge... easiest money I’d ever make!
The day before exams, though, I had to go to school for a short teacher’s work day. It was like 2 hours long, and honestly, I didn’t want to be there because I knew I had so many kids at home needing help. But, I went, and God once again proved His will is supreme! Our assignment in those 2 hours: count your class tests, and paste the students numbers on their desks (we mix all the classes of students together so they can’t cheat off one another). The counting took all of 5 minutes, with an hour and a half break before we could do the pasting!
I was on the verge of being frustrated with having to sit and wait at the school when I could be at home teaching (I was a little impatient- I had been up till midnight tutoring my class 9 kids and then was back up tutoring the kids around 6!) when one of the other teachers sat down across from me and said, “You’re a Christian, right Miss?!” And my first thought was, “God, now?! I’m exhausted, and my brain isn’t even functioning correctly with all of this math!” And then God scolded me and reminded me that in a typical day I don’t have the chance to talk to my fellow teachers about much of anything, much less God and Jesus.
So, humbled and totally relying on the Holy Spirit to guide me as constructing intelligible sentences was becoming a chore, I smiled and assured him that I am a Christian. He was looking at a picture in the newspaper which spoke of how tens of thousands of animals were going to be sacrificed that day for a Hindu holiday (I think?!) and how futile that seemed. He then ventured to ask if Christians make sacrifices. What a beautiful lead into talking about Jesus as our sacrificed Lamb, right?! Something EVERYONE here understands, as they see sacrifices everyday! Real life (err, death?!), blood spilled sacrifices. Not something too common in America, yes? So we discussed Jesus as our sacrifice for our sins and how Jesus’ blood cleanses us before God. Pretty soon, there were several teachers sitting around, adding comments here and there as we discussed differences in religions and Christianity as a whole!
Crazy how God used a Hindu festival of sacrifices and blood to plant seeds in the hearts of some of my co-workers who are actively seeking a religion to follow. They’ve tried Hinduism and Buddhism, but said that they found them empty (so surprising?!) and are looking into other religions. And when I was most exhausted and most unwilling to do much of anything, God shook me up and said, “Now. I speak through you best when you don’t let yourself get in the way!” I guess you could say that God redeemed my day :).
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I'm smelling coffee, math is calling just inside...
November 17, 2009
Today was one of those days, where you just feel kind of off from the start, and aren’t quite sure exactly what’s wrong or how to change it. But, I didn’t want to be grumpy and short all day, so I just begged God to change my attitude and heart. I just didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with all the kids and math and everything, and I had about 30 minutes before picking the kids up from school. That and I was so craving the fellowship of another human being my age. But I decided that I’d have to just choose to have joy, even though I totally wasn’t feeling it!
So the kids come galloping home, and God lifts my spirits as I begin to joke and tease them! Raju might be my favorite one to tease, because he now knows enough English to tease back, but not enough to say anything other than “SISTER!” when I scoop him up and swing him around and tickle him mercilessly! I begin my hours of helping with math, and one by one my charges finish up until I’m left with just my class 8 and 9 kids, who are pretty easy to help as their foundations are a little better than the rest. It’s coming near devotional time, though, and this man shows up named Somdesh. He lived at the hostel and was the kids first tutor about 6 years ago! The kids love him, and he’s spent the last few years living overseas somewhere working as a factory manager.
While he’s Nepali so there’s no cultural gap for him with the kids, he also understands the occasional trying times and the many joyful times of living with and teaching 15 kids at once! So, I’m pretty sure God prompted him to invite me to a cup of coffee, which was exactly what he did as we got ready for devotionals. Since one of the kids was leading devotionals tonight, I happily agreed, and we set off for a restaurant just down the road which I’d never noticed before!
We sat down and ordered coffee, and began to just talk about our families and our jobs and life in general! The coffee was AMAZING, and so was the chance just to sit and talk with someone about nothing and everything all at the same time. We got to share some thoughts on God’s church being an international body which knows no boundaries and the fact that God truly is a God of the nations. It was so refreshing! And, I got to have Momo, which is this steamed thing like ravioli, and I had mine with buffalo meat inside. It’s really really good! Then, we had another cup of coffee (I really might become a regular there; it was that good!), and we headed back to the hostel. I felt as though God had literally used a couple cups of coffee and some meat to refill my cup to overflowing!
We got home, and after two cups of coffee, I was pretty wired, which was good because my class 8 and 9 kids had a TON of math left, but they could do most of it on their own. So, I sat there with them, helping this one or that one every few minutes. The hours ticked by, until it was 11. And they were pretty much finished at that point, so I headed back up to my room. Which is where I am now. Writing. And contemplating the grace of God. Because God provided Somdesh at exactly the moment that I needed a friend, and though he’s leaving the country again soon, I have one more friend that I’ll be able to greet by name when we get to heaven! And God filled me to the brim with joy in the form of coffee, Momo, and conversation. I wonder how many other times God’s filled me at just the right moment and I haven’t even noticed?! I think that of all the things I’ve learned here, the thing that I’ve learned the most is to notice God, every day, all day. Because He really is in everything. From a former teacher to a cup of coffee, God fills us up however He chooses! And for that, I am incredibly thankful!
Today was one of those days, where you just feel kind of off from the start, and aren’t quite sure exactly what’s wrong or how to change it. But, I didn’t want to be grumpy and short all day, so I just begged God to change my attitude and heart. I just didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with all the kids and math and everything, and I had about 30 minutes before picking the kids up from school. That and I was so craving the fellowship of another human being my age. But I decided that I’d have to just choose to have joy, even though I totally wasn’t feeling it!
So the kids come galloping home, and God lifts my spirits as I begin to joke and tease them! Raju might be my favorite one to tease, because he now knows enough English to tease back, but not enough to say anything other than “SISTER!” when I scoop him up and swing him around and tickle him mercilessly! I begin my hours of helping with math, and one by one my charges finish up until I’m left with just my class 8 and 9 kids, who are pretty easy to help as their foundations are a little better than the rest. It’s coming near devotional time, though, and this man shows up named Somdesh. He lived at the hostel and was the kids first tutor about 6 years ago! The kids love him, and he’s spent the last few years living overseas somewhere working as a factory manager.
While he’s Nepali so there’s no cultural gap for him with the kids, he also understands the occasional trying times and the many joyful times of living with and teaching 15 kids at once! So, I’m pretty sure God prompted him to invite me to a cup of coffee, which was exactly what he did as we got ready for devotionals. Since one of the kids was leading devotionals tonight, I happily agreed, and we set off for a restaurant just down the road which I’d never noticed before!
We sat down and ordered coffee, and began to just talk about our families and our jobs and life in general! The coffee was AMAZING, and so was the chance just to sit and talk with someone about nothing and everything all at the same time. We got to share some thoughts on God’s church being an international body which knows no boundaries and the fact that God truly is a God of the nations. It was so refreshing! And, I got to have Momo, which is this steamed thing like ravioli, and I had mine with buffalo meat inside. It’s really really good! Then, we had another cup of coffee (I really might become a regular there; it was that good!), and we headed back to the hostel. I felt as though God had literally used a couple cups of coffee and some meat to refill my cup to overflowing!
We got home, and after two cups of coffee, I was pretty wired, which was good because my class 8 and 9 kids had a TON of math left, but they could do most of it on their own. So, I sat there with them, helping this one or that one every few minutes. The hours ticked by, until it was 11. And they were pretty much finished at that point, so I headed back up to my room. Which is where I am now. Writing. And contemplating the grace of God. Because God provided Somdesh at exactly the moment that I needed a friend, and though he’s leaving the country again soon, I have one more friend that I’ll be able to greet by name when we get to heaven! And God filled me to the brim with joy in the form of coffee, Momo, and conversation. I wonder how many other times God’s filled me at just the right moment and I haven’t even noticed?! I think that of all the things I’ve learned here, the thing that I’ve learned the most is to notice God, every day, all day. Because He really is in everything. From a former teacher to a cup of coffee, God fills us up however He chooses! And for that, I am incredibly thankful!
Riding on that Harley... errr, old and broken Honda?!
November 16, 2009
So, my first day to cut hair, and my first day to ride on a motorcycle in Kathmandu, all in the same day! Exciting, right?! I had another package waiting for me at customs, which I figured was small enough to fit in my backpack. So, Prokesh picks me up after school and we’re off! Now, you might remember when I first arrived I wrote about the death laden car ride through Kathmandu to Krishna’s house. Well, on a motorcycle, there’s even more excitement! After all, if you get hit, well, you might be a pancake. Thankfully, though, Prokesh’s bike doesn’t go over like 50 km per hour, so, speed was never an issue!
It’s interesting here- the driver’s of motorcycles ALL wear helmets; NONE of the passengers do. So, here I am, helmetless, thinking if ever my chances of dying were high, this was it! But Prokesh was an AMAZING driver (maybe because I was with him?!), and I actually really enjoyed the ride! There’s something neat about driving through the city, out in the air, so close to other people that you could literally touch them! Feeling the wind on your face, seeing the city as it truly is.
Anyway, we get to the post office, and dance through the hoops of getting my package, and when I get it, my stomach drops a notch while my excitement soars, as it’s a big box! Thrilled with anticipation as to what was inside, I wondered how in the world we’d get it home! Prokesh didn’t seem phased at all though, so I decided not to worry either. So, we finish claiming the package filled with Goldfish, Peanut Butter, Cracker Jacks, and games galore for me to share with my children with amazing haircuts (and the rest of them too!), and then we head out!
Well, he hops on, and on the way there, I had loosely held onto his backpack for peace of mind (not that it’d do a lot of good in an accident, but it was comforting to me!). Well, I climb on behind him, and wedge this box that’s a couple feet wide by about a foot and a half deep in between us, forcing me to lean way back (talk about an ab workout!) and he turned his backpack backwards so I could hold onto the straps. Well, we head off, and hit a traffic jam. My abs just aren’t what they were when I was a swimmer, and I finally had to readjust. So, I balanced the box on one leg, kind of sitting sideways on the bike. Then, I gripped it with both hands in order to not drop it!
Good thing Prokesh was an amazing driver, because it was a whole new exciting experience riding with no hands holding this big box of treasures! It actually was pretty fun, and I wasn’t even worried at that point about wrecking. I was way more concerned with not dropping my pot of gold! Obviously we made it home, more than safe, and Prokesh informed me that we’ll be touring Nepal over winter break! I didn’t ask if we’ll go on his bike, and things tend to change with the wind here, but I’m thinking that it would be incredibly cool to do it by bike! Don’t worry Mom and Dad, we’ll be careful!
So, my first day to cut hair, and my first day to ride on a motorcycle in Kathmandu, all in the same day! Exciting, right?! I had another package waiting for me at customs, which I figured was small enough to fit in my backpack. So, Prokesh picks me up after school and we’re off! Now, you might remember when I first arrived I wrote about the death laden car ride through Kathmandu to Krishna’s house. Well, on a motorcycle, there’s even more excitement! After all, if you get hit, well, you might be a pancake. Thankfully, though, Prokesh’s bike doesn’t go over like 50 km per hour, so, speed was never an issue!
It’s interesting here- the driver’s of motorcycles ALL wear helmets; NONE of the passengers do. So, here I am, helmetless, thinking if ever my chances of dying were high, this was it! But Prokesh was an AMAZING driver (maybe because I was with him?!), and I actually really enjoyed the ride! There’s something neat about driving through the city, out in the air, so close to other people that you could literally touch them! Feeling the wind on your face, seeing the city as it truly is.
Anyway, we get to the post office, and dance through the hoops of getting my package, and when I get it, my stomach drops a notch while my excitement soars, as it’s a big box! Thrilled with anticipation as to what was inside, I wondered how in the world we’d get it home! Prokesh didn’t seem phased at all though, so I decided not to worry either. So, we finish claiming the package filled with Goldfish, Peanut Butter, Cracker Jacks, and games galore for me to share with my children with amazing haircuts (and the rest of them too!), and then we head out!
Well, he hops on, and on the way there, I had loosely held onto his backpack for peace of mind (not that it’d do a lot of good in an accident, but it was comforting to me!). Well, I climb on behind him, and wedge this box that’s a couple feet wide by about a foot and a half deep in between us, forcing me to lean way back (talk about an ab workout!) and he turned his backpack backwards so I could hold onto the straps. Well, we head off, and hit a traffic jam. My abs just aren’t what they were when I was a swimmer, and I finally had to readjust. So, I balanced the box on one leg, kind of sitting sideways on the bike. Then, I gripped it with both hands in order to not drop it!
Good thing Prokesh was an amazing driver, because it was a whole new exciting experience riding with no hands holding this big box of treasures! It actually was pretty fun, and I wasn’t even worried at that point about wrecking. I was way more concerned with not dropping my pot of gold! Obviously we made it home, more than safe, and Prokesh informed me that we’ll be touring Nepal over winter break! I didn’t ask if we’ll go on his bike, and things tend to change with the wind here, but I’m thinking that it would be incredibly cool to do it by bike! Don’t worry Mom and Dad, we’ll be careful!
If you see me with scissors, you might want to run. Fast.
November 16, 2009
When I was little, I had this image of missionaries in my mind as these tribal people who braved all sorts of dangers, fighting off lions and tigers and “uncivilized” people every day! Now, there are definitely some missionaries who probably live like this, but I’m learning that missions work is just as much about the small daily events as the big glamorous ones. This would include those times when the boys have to cut their hair, and there’s no one there to do it...
So, this morning after breakfast, the boys informed me that they needed to have their hair cut short before school (which was in an hour). Problem being Laxman’s the only one who knows how to cut hair and he was gone with Uncle. If we waited until school, it would cost each boy 50 rupees, which we didn’t want to spend. So, the older boys informed me that I only needed to cut Raju, Darshan, and Rajkumar’s hair (meaning they didn’t trust me with the scissors; probably for good reason!).
So Raju comes out in just his pants, his tiny arms and body covered in goose bumps from the cold, teeth chattering, and a slight look of fear encompassing his dark eyes. I start on his hair with a pair of old scissors and a comb, and Arun promptly tells me I’m doing it wrong and grabs the scissors. He then begins butchering Raju’s hair, and I ask him if he knows what he’s doing. He says, “No, I’ve never done this before!” with laughter spilling over. I grab the scissors back and tell him he’s not allowed to touch them anymore and begin to try to fix the damage done.
Well, soon Shiva comes out and says, “Oh, sister! You’re cutting his hair! I will finish it!” Assuming he knows how to cut hair as the oldest boy, I hand over the scissors, as my second mistake of the morning. He spends a LONG time trimming this way and that, and pretty soon Raju’s hair looks decent all around. The one problem: the front was about as crooked as crooked gets. It was hilarious! So, Raju obviously couldn’t go like that, but I had to start Rajkumar’s hair, so I passed Raju off to Bimala who took another pair of scissors to his head. She got it as even as was possible, and he finally looked presentable!
Meanwhile, I had 20 minutes to finish Rajkumar’s and Darshan’s hair, which was just not looking too good. But, practice makes perfect, errrr, slightly better than before, and they improved over time. I combed this way and that, with a snip here and a slice there, and got their hair shorter. There may have been a few dents, but, overall they weren’t terrible. Well, from the front. The backs were a little hilly, but, hey, it was my first trial by scissors in a time crunch!
So, we finish in the nick of time, and all of us run to get ready for school, brushing shreds of hair off us as best we could! And we’re off, and I’m thinking, “gosh I hope no kids make fun of them!” We get to school, and Darshan told me later that all his friends asked him what type of haircut did he get! He answered that he had an “American” cut and everyone in America wears their hair like that! Great response, right?! Now we’re going to have a generation of Nepali’s thinking American’s have the weirdest hair EVER! But it was my first time, and I’m sure when I leave I’ll be an expert! It’s all in a day’s work as a missionary :).
When I was little, I had this image of missionaries in my mind as these tribal people who braved all sorts of dangers, fighting off lions and tigers and “uncivilized” people every day! Now, there are definitely some missionaries who probably live like this, but I’m learning that missions work is just as much about the small daily events as the big glamorous ones. This would include those times when the boys have to cut their hair, and there’s no one there to do it...
So, this morning after breakfast, the boys informed me that they needed to have their hair cut short before school (which was in an hour). Problem being Laxman’s the only one who knows how to cut hair and he was gone with Uncle. If we waited until school, it would cost each boy 50 rupees, which we didn’t want to spend. So, the older boys informed me that I only needed to cut Raju, Darshan, and Rajkumar’s hair (meaning they didn’t trust me with the scissors; probably for good reason!).
So Raju comes out in just his pants, his tiny arms and body covered in goose bumps from the cold, teeth chattering, and a slight look of fear encompassing his dark eyes. I start on his hair with a pair of old scissors and a comb, and Arun promptly tells me I’m doing it wrong and grabs the scissors. He then begins butchering Raju’s hair, and I ask him if he knows what he’s doing. He says, “No, I’ve never done this before!” with laughter spilling over. I grab the scissors back and tell him he’s not allowed to touch them anymore and begin to try to fix the damage done.
Well, soon Shiva comes out and says, “Oh, sister! You’re cutting his hair! I will finish it!” Assuming he knows how to cut hair as the oldest boy, I hand over the scissors, as my second mistake of the morning. He spends a LONG time trimming this way and that, and pretty soon Raju’s hair looks decent all around. The one problem: the front was about as crooked as crooked gets. It was hilarious! So, Raju obviously couldn’t go like that, but I had to start Rajkumar’s hair, so I passed Raju off to Bimala who took another pair of scissors to his head. She got it as even as was possible, and he finally looked presentable!
Meanwhile, I had 20 minutes to finish Rajkumar’s and Darshan’s hair, which was just not looking too good. But, practice makes perfect, errrr, slightly better than before, and they improved over time. I combed this way and that, with a snip here and a slice there, and got their hair shorter. There may have been a few dents, but, overall they weren’t terrible. Well, from the front. The backs were a little hilly, but, hey, it was my first trial by scissors in a time crunch!
So, we finish in the nick of time, and all of us run to get ready for school, brushing shreds of hair off us as best we could! And we’re off, and I’m thinking, “gosh I hope no kids make fun of them!” We get to school, and Darshan told me later that all his friends asked him what type of haircut did he get! He answered that he had an “American” cut and everyone in America wears their hair like that! Great response, right?! Now we’re going to have a generation of Nepali’s thinking American’s have the weirdest hair EVER! But it was my first time, and I’m sure when I leave I’ll be an expert! It’s all in a day’s work as a missionary :).
Monday, November 16, 2009
Food and Brown Play-Dough... it's all the same!
November 14, 2009
Today the principal invited me to eat breakfast with his family. Well, things didn’t quite work out, but I ended up eating at the school hostel with him. There are 45 kids who live at the school all the time, so the cook there is amazing! Anyway, I show up, knowing that I’m going to leave completely stuffed! And I was so right :).
I was handed a huge plate heaping with rice, fried potatoes, and this hot, very spicy pickled relish. Then, there was a plate of fresh sliced cucumbers, carrots, and white radishes on the side. And to finish it off, there was a bowl of spicy chicken. To the principal’s surprise, I dug in with my hands, and he was rather pleased by that! I ate and ate and finally was close to finished when the cook materialized with another heaping serving of rice and potatoes! I was so full, and said “No no! Pukio!” which means “I’m finished!” She just laughed and said “Torre.” which means “Just a little.” To my dismay, the food piled right back on, and I just looked at my new carbs to devour. The principal (who’s a short but large man) just inhaled his food, and finished when I was only halfway through my seconds. He laughed and told me just to finish it at my slow speed. So I worked very hard and finished it all off. I was so proud of myself! It really was incredibly good, though, it was just too much at once!
I decided to give my body all day to work that off, and I didn’t have the typical afternoon snack (which was just as well as we went to FRUITS today!). When we got home, I smelled the amazingness that is Didi’s cooking, which aroused my hunger once again! When she walked in with the pot of food, I did a double take. Instead of the typical curry, there was this mountain of brown play-dough. Ok, maybe not, but it really looked like it. And the kids all flew into a frenzy at the sight of it. “Sister sister! That’s Nepal’s national food!” Great, I thought... I wonder what that is?! Didi smiled and handed me a crusty edge of the play-dough to eat. I cautiously eyed it, contemplating the cost of eating this unknown creation. I decided that if it’s the national food it can’t kill me, so I tried it, and it pretty much tasted like crusty nothingness. No salt, no seasonings, nothing.
But then with dinner, the boys taught me how to really eat it. You dip it into the “soup” drippings that the chicken’s cooked in, which I LOVE. It’s this spicy broth with vegetables and chilies and it’s soo good! So, I dipped it in, and the broth made everything good. Dip, swallow, don’t chew or bite. Those were my instructions. I’ve eaten entire meals without chewing (occasionally the boys “challenge” me to see who can finish their food fastest) in 2-3 minutes flat (I know, my digestive system’s going to be shot when I get home!). But this was a whole new level of no chewing!
I finished and wandered into the kitchen to attempt to find out what this brown play-dough really was. Aunty told me that it’s Brown mountain rice (I guess they mush it up?!) and was surprised that I liked it! It’s all in the chicken broth! It makes all things good :). So, I’ve now had the honor of eating the National Nepali food! So, if I hand you a plate of brown play-dough when I get home with a bowl of soup on the side, just give it a chance! You might just enjoy it...
Today the principal invited me to eat breakfast with his family. Well, things didn’t quite work out, but I ended up eating at the school hostel with him. There are 45 kids who live at the school all the time, so the cook there is amazing! Anyway, I show up, knowing that I’m going to leave completely stuffed! And I was so right :).
I was handed a huge plate heaping with rice, fried potatoes, and this hot, very spicy pickled relish. Then, there was a plate of fresh sliced cucumbers, carrots, and white radishes on the side. And to finish it off, there was a bowl of spicy chicken. To the principal’s surprise, I dug in with my hands, and he was rather pleased by that! I ate and ate and finally was close to finished when the cook materialized with another heaping serving of rice and potatoes! I was so full, and said “No no! Pukio!” which means “I’m finished!” She just laughed and said “Torre.” which means “Just a little.” To my dismay, the food piled right back on, and I just looked at my new carbs to devour. The principal (who’s a short but large man) just inhaled his food, and finished when I was only halfway through my seconds. He laughed and told me just to finish it at my slow speed. So I worked very hard and finished it all off. I was so proud of myself! It really was incredibly good, though, it was just too much at once!
I decided to give my body all day to work that off, and I didn’t have the typical afternoon snack (which was just as well as we went to FRUITS today!). When we got home, I smelled the amazingness that is Didi’s cooking, which aroused my hunger once again! When she walked in with the pot of food, I did a double take. Instead of the typical curry, there was this mountain of brown play-dough. Ok, maybe not, but it really looked like it. And the kids all flew into a frenzy at the sight of it. “Sister sister! That’s Nepal’s national food!” Great, I thought... I wonder what that is?! Didi smiled and handed me a crusty edge of the play-dough to eat. I cautiously eyed it, contemplating the cost of eating this unknown creation. I decided that if it’s the national food it can’t kill me, so I tried it, and it pretty much tasted like crusty nothingness. No salt, no seasonings, nothing.
But then with dinner, the boys taught me how to really eat it. You dip it into the “soup” drippings that the chicken’s cooked in, which I LOVE. It’s this spicy broth with vegetables and chilies and it’s soo good! So, I dipped it in, and the broth made everything good. Dip, swallow, don’t chew or bite. Those were my instructions. I’ve eaten entire meals without chewing (occasionally the boys “challenge” me to see who can finish their food fastest) in 2-3 minutes flat (I know, my digestive system’s going to be shot when I get home!). But this was a whole new level of no chewing!
I finished and wandered into the kitchen to attempt to find out what this brown play-dough really was. Aunty told me that it’s Brown mountain rice (I guess they mush it up?!) and was surprised that I liked it! It’s all in the chicken broth! It makes all things good :). So, I’ve now had the honor of eating the National Nepali food! So, if I hand you a plate of brown play-dough when I get home with a bowl of soup on the side, just give it a chance! You might just enjoy it...
Being White in a Country of Brown...
November 11, 2009
The kids think that any white person is my friend. No really, they do. We can be walking down the street, and we might see a white person or a few walking together, and they immediately say, “Sister! Your friend!” It’s rather humorous in a way... I’ve tried explaining to them that just because we’re white doesn’t even mean we’re from the same country, but that’s a little hard for them to grasp! So, I’ve taken to being quite bold wherever I am, and if I see a white person, I walk right up to them and ask them where they’re from. Crazy, right?!
This has led into some cool conversations with complete strangers who are also my brothers and sisters! To start, a number of people have floated through the church, from Ireland, Sweden, Australia, etc on short term missions work! It’s always fun to see another white face in church! Currently, at Krishna’s brother’s hostel there’s a guy from Sweden helping out. I don’t remember how long he’s here for, but he’s been here about a month, and I think he’s staying longer! It’s funny cause if I see him in the street, he’s always got 4-5 kids in tow, and I’ve got about the same! The kids all know each other, so they immediately start talking as fast as they can to each other in Nepali, and we just laugh and ask each other how life is. It’s pretty great! We’re having some of the same struggles with math weakness at home, so I told him I’d bring him a set of the multiplication cards I made for his kids. He looked relieved and said that’d be amazing (it’s really the little thing that make our days here!)!
Then, some of the girls and I were walking down the street, and there was a group of 3 white (TALL) guys walking towards us, so the girls obviously assumed we were best friends! Laughing, I said I’d never seen them in my life, but if they wanted, I’d go talk to them. To their great concern, I walked up to the guys and said “Hi! Where are you from?!” Now, let me set your minds at ease; one had on a cross necklace, another a Christian t-shirt, and the third just looked like a nice honest guy! I figured I was safe :). Besides, I had 5 girls to back me up, all who’ve studied Karate in school! So, I found out they’re from Germany and Australia! I’m convinced that Australia knows how to do missions and send people out better than anyone else. I don’t know what they’re doing there, but they’ve got it right! I’ve met 4 totally unrelated people/groups from Australia, which I think is way cool!
Anyway, we talked for a bit about why we’re here/what we’re doing, and they live right down the road as well. We invited them to church, but they couldn’t come this week... maybe next week! They’re doing more coffee shop evangelism, I think, which is very different from my “field,” though we have the same goal in mind! Anyway, the Germans were excited to meet an American German, and they totally could say my name perfectly, first try. I think I’m moving to Germany next!
All this to say, knowing there are other young people around me, working the fields and harvesting a crop is more encouraging than you could ever imagine! We’re all in this together, and fortunately, God’s given us a common middle language (I’m spoiled, it’s English!)! That, and America needs to figure out what Australia’s doing right, because they’re sending those kids out right and left! Pretty phenomenal! So just know, when I see a white person on the street, I just smile to myself, for I have yet to meet a white person in this area (not the touristy areas) who’s not here to proclaim the name of Jesus! And that makes my heart very glad!
The kids think that any white person is my friend. No really, they do. We can be walking down the street, and we might see a white person or a few walking together, and they immediately say, “Sister! Your friend!” It’s rather humorous in a way... I’ve tried explaining to them that just because we’re white doesn’t even mean we’re from the same country, but that’s a little hard for them to grasp! So, I’ve taken to being quite bold wherever I am, and if I see a white person, I walk right up to them and ask them where they’re from. Crazy, right?!
This has led into some cool conversations with complete strangers who are also my brothers and sisters! To start, a number of people have floated through the church, from Ireland, Sweden, Australia, etc on short term missions work! It’s always fun to see another white face in church! Currently, at Krishna’s brother’s hostel there’s a guy from Sweden helping out. I don’t remember how long he’s here for, but he’s been here about a month, and I think he’s staying longer! It’s funny cause if I see him in the street, he’s always got 4-5 kids in tow, and I’ve got about the same! The kids all know each other, so they immediately start talking as fast as they can to each other in Nepali, and we just laugh and ask each other how life is. It’s pretty great! We’re having some of the same struggles with math weakness at home, so I told him I’d bring him a set of the multiplication cards I made for his kids. He looked relieved and said that’d be amazing (it’s really the little thing that make our days here!)!
Then, some of the girls and I were walking down the street, and there was a group of 3 white (TALL) guys walking towards us, so the girls obviously assumed we were best friends! Laughing, I said I’d never seen them in my life, but if they wanted, I’d go talk to them. To their great concern, I walked up to the guys and said “Hi! Where are you from?!” Now, let me set your minds at ease; one had on a cross necklace, another a Christian t-shirt, and the third just looked like a nice honest guy! I figured I was safe :). Besides, I had 5 girls to back me up, all who’ve studied Karate in school! So, I found out they’re from Germany and Australia! I’m convinced that Australia knows how to do missions and send people out better than anyone else. I don’t know what they’re doing there, but they’ve got it right! I’ve met 4 totally unrelated people/groups from Australia, which I think is way cool!
Anyway, we talked for a bit about why we’re here/what we’re doing, and they live right down the road as well. We invited them to church, but they couldn’t come this week... maybe next week! They’re doing more coffee shop evangelism, I think, which is very different from my “field,” though we have the same goal in mind! Anyway, the Germans were excited to meet an American German, and they totally could say my name perfectly, first try. I think I’m moving to Germany next!
All this to say, knowing there are other young people around me, working the fields and harvesting a crop is more encouraging than you could ever imagine! We’re all in this together, and fortunately, God’s given us a common middle language (I’m spoiled, it’s English!)! That, and America needs to figure out what Australia’s doing right, because they’re sending those kids out right and left! Pretty phenomenal! So just know, when I see a white person on the street, I just smile to myself, for I have yet to meet a white person in this area (not the touristy areas) who’s not here to proclaim the name of Jesus! And that makes my heart very glad!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Happy Birthday to You, even though I don't know you!
November 8, 2009
Birthdays are a festive time here, with parties and such! Usually we tragically end the life of a goat or chicken early in order to fully commemorate this rare occasion! Well, on Sunday Benita, one of the class 9 girls, turned 17, and she threw a party. I don’t teach class 9, but she insisted that I had to come to her party with the girls from our hostel. So, with uncle’s permission, Isha, Rami, Sunita, and I headed off to her birthday party. When we arrived, most of the class 9 girls were there along with some from classes 7 and 8. Probably around 15 girls in all. I think the boys at home were disappointed that they didn’t get to come!
Well, the girls did a great job of introducing me, though I got a little lost on the “this is my sister’s husband’s daughter” part. Sometimes family ties can be hard to follow, no matter what country you’re in! Then, I was walked into the living room, where I met Benita’s grandparents and parents. Her grandmother pulled me down next to her, and so I sat there for the rest of the evening! All the girls were scurrying about serving food, and I felt like it was my party! But her grandmother had a firm grip on me, and I obviously wasn’t going anywhere!
We did birthday presents in the living room, which was a cultural experience for me. I’ve never fully understood what the smudges of paint (called tikah’s or something like that...) on peoples foreheads meant before now. I knew it was distinctive to Hinduism, but I learned that they signify a blessing from whoever “smudges” you. So, each of her grandparents and parents put some paint on her head and sprinkled flower petals in her hair (still not sure what that means!). And then, they asked me if I wanted a tikah myself. I didn’t want to offend them as I was a guest in their home, but I wasn’t going to take a tikah since it is based on Hinduism (besides the fact that I hate the idea of putting paint on my face!). So, I declined, and to my relief, they laughed and said it was fine.
Benita then delivered an appetizer plate of food, which was really good. At any party here, you’ll have these kind of fried round thick pink things called Prawn or something like that. I can’t really describe how they taste, but they’re pretty good. Then, there was potato curry, alongside spiced chicken. Both were delicious! I was full after eating it, which was unfortunate, because unknown to me, we still had birthday cake and the main course to follow!
The birthday cake was a light chocolate cake with a very light icing with a dusting of coconut. It was amazing! Then, to my slight dismay as I was already stuffed beyond eating more, the girls told me that the buffet was set up in the kitchen and to go get my food. The bright side was that I got to serve myself, so I could serve myself very very small helpings! However, in doing so, Benita’s mother took that to mean she needed to go get me another plate full of food. So, I had rice and more chicken and chips and fried fish and I thought I might be sick. I told her it was all amazing, but when she left the room, I donated some of the food to the girls, who were more than happy to take it off my hands!
When we finished eating, it was time to go home, and I thanked Benita’s parents (in Nepali!) for having me over. And they wouldn’t stop thanking me for coming! They told me over and over again that it was their pleasure and honor to have me, and I was welcome to come back any time I wanted. I think it might have been their first time having a “white person” in their home :). It was quite the evening!
Birthdays are a festive time here, with parties and such! Usually we tragically end the life of a goat or chicken early in order to fully commemorate this rare occasion! Well, on Sunday Benita, one of the class 9 girls, turned 17, and she threw a party. I don’t teach class 9, but she insisted that I had to come to her party with the girls from our hostel. So, with uncle’s permission, Isha, Rami, Sunita, and I headed off to her birthday party. When we arrived, most of the class 9 girls were there along with some from classes 7 and 8. Probably around 15 girls in all. I think the boys at home were disappointed that they didn’t get to come!
Well, the girls did a great job of introducing me, though I got a little lost on the “this is my sister’s husband’s daughter” part. Sometimes family ties can be hard to follow, no matter what country you’re in! Then, I was walked into the living room, where I met Benita’s grandparents and parents. Her grandmother pulled me down next to her, and so I sat there for the rest of the evening! All the girls were scurrying about serving food, and I felt like it was my party! But her grandmother had a firm grip on me, and I obviously wasn’t going anywhere!
We did birthday presents in the living room, which was a cultural experience for me. I’ve never fully understood what the smudges of paint (called tikah’s or something like that...) on peoples foreheads meant before now. I knew it was distinctive to Hinduism, but I learned that they signify a blessing from whoever “smudges” you. So, each of her grandparents and parents put some paint on her head and sprinkled flower petals in her hair (still not sure what that means!). And then, they asked me if I wanted a tikah myself. I didn’t want to offend them as I was a guest in their home, but I wasn’t going to take a tikah since it is based on Hinduism (besides the fact that I hate the idea of putting paint on my face!). So, I declined, and to my relief, they laughed and said it was fine.
Benita then delivered an appetizer plate of food, which was really good. At any party here, you’ll have these kind of fried round thick pink things called Prawn or something like that. I can’t really describe how they taste, but they’re pretty good. Then, there was potato curry, alongside spiced chicken. Both were delicious! I was full after eating it, which was unfortunate, because unknown to me, we still had birthday cake and the main course to follow!
The birthday cake was a light chocolate cake with a very light icing with a dusting of coconut. It was amazing! Then, to my slight dismay as I was already stuffed beyond eating more, the girls told me that the buffet was set up in the kitchen and to go get my food. The bright side was that I got to serve myself, so I could serve myself very very small helpings! However, in doing so, Benita’s mother took that to mean she needed to go get me another plate full of food. So, I had rice and more chicken and chips and fried fish and I thought I might be sick. I told her it was all amazing, but when she left the room, I donated some of the food to the girls, who were more than happy to take it off my hands!
When we finished eating, it was time to go home, and I thanked Benita’s parents (in Nepali!) for having me over. And they wouldn’t stop thanking me for coming! They told me over and over again that it was their pleasure and honor to have me, and I was welcome to come back any time I wanted. I think it might have been their first time having a “white person” in their home :). It was quite the evening!
FRUITS...
November 7, 2009
When I was younger and in a youth group myself, my youth pastor taught us this really really cheesy song that is basically just the fruits of the Spirit. It starts with, “Well I’m a fruit, on a big fruit tree,” and goes on to ramble off all the fruits. For weeks, the older kids were asking me to go to some concert with them after church on Saturday, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Each week there was some reason I couldn’t go, whether it be work at home, or teaching other children, or running errands. Finally, this week I got to go with them.
When we arrived, there was this paper sign up that said “FRUITS.” It was my understanding that this was some sort of church meeting place with the concert in the afternoons, so I didn’t understand why there was a signs advertising fruits there. Then I figured, hey, I’m in Nepal, they’re probably just selling fruit here on the side. Well, when we got in, it became apparent to me that it was talking about the fruit of the Spirit, and that was the name of the group that met there! And it was basically this area wide youth group started by this middle aged man and a few other musicians who seek to draw teenagers to the Lord through worship! Cool, right?!
Well, I thought that was cool, but when they actually started playing, I was floored. The first two songs they sang with us were in English, and as a band they were phenomenal! We sang “He is the Lord” and “Days of Elijah” and I don’t know that I’ve heard better compositions of those songs before! Then we sang a few songs in Nepali, some which I knew and some that I didn’t, but they were all beautifully orchestrated! And to hear some 60 or so Nepali teenagers all singing praises together at the top of their lungs was incredible! It’s been awhile since I really was able to participate in corporate worship like that!
Then the band took a break and the leader basically did a devotional with the kids, talking about his life in the Lord (not that I understood; Laxuman explained it to me later!). And from listening to the kids laugh, he must be an incredible speaker. They were riveted on his words, and his facial expressions only magnified his story telling ability. Now, I should give you some background of the leader. He’s in a wheelchair as his legs never developed fully (though that doesn’t affect his guitar playing at all!). He talked to the kids about how our beauty should come from the inside, and in good humor explained that what’s outside doesn’t matter to God, as was evidenced by his body! He spoke of how people all his life had spoken against him because he can’t walk, but he stated that no matter what those people say, they cannot change the beauty that fills him inside because he’s a child of God! I imagine a lot more details were added to season the story from the laughter of the kids, but that’s the basic just of it. His natural joy in life was so obvious to everyone there, and I could just feel my cup overflowing as I praised God with this brother from a totally different walk of life! Since it’s a weekly occurrence, I’m sure we’ll be back again for another refill this week :).
When I was younger and in a youth group myself, my youth pastor taught us this really really cheesy song that is basically just the fruits of the Spirit. It starts with, “Well I’m a fruit, on a big fruit tree,” and goes on to ramble off all the fruits. For weeks, the older kids were asking me to go to some concert with them after church on Saturday, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Each week there was some reason I couldn’t go, whether it be work at home, or teaching other children, or running errands. Finally, this week I got to go with them.
When we arrived, there was this paper sign up that said “FRUITS.” It was my understanding that this was some sort of church meeting place with the concert in the afternoons, so I didn’t understand why there was a signs advertising fruits there. Then I figured, hey, I’m in Nepal, they’re probably just selling fruit here on the side. Well, when we got in, it became apparent to me that it was talking about the fruit of the Spirit, and that was the name of the group that met there! And it was basically this area wide youth group started by this middle aged man and a few other musicians who seek to draw teenagers to the Lord through worship! Cool, right?!
Well, I thought that was cool, but when they actually started playing, I was floored. The first two songs they sang with us were in English, and as a band they were phenomenal! We sang “He is the Lord” and “Days of Elijah” and I don’t know that I’ve heard better compositions of those songs before! Then we sang a few songs in Nepali, some which I knew and some that I didn’t, but they were all beautifully orchestrated! And to hear some 60 or so Nepali teenagers all singing praises together at the top of their lungs was incredible! It’s been awhile since I really was able to participate in corporate worship like that!
Then the band took a break and the leader basically did a devotional with the kids, talking about his life in the Lord (not that I understood; Laxuman explained it to me later!). And from listening to the kids laugh, he must be an incredible speaker. They were riveted on his words, and his facial expressions only magnified his story telling ability. Now, I should give you some background of the leader. He’s in a wheelchair as his legs never developed fully (though that doesn’t affect his guitar playing at all!). He talked to the kids about how our beauty should come from the inside, and in good humor explained that what’s outside doesn’t matter to God, as was evidenced by his body! He spoke of how people all his life had spoken against him because he can’t walk, but he stated that no matter what those people say, they cannot change the beauty that fills him inside because he’s a child of God! I imagine a lot more details were added to season the story from the laughter of the kids, but that’s the basic just of it. His natural joy in life was so obvious to everyone there, and I could just feel my cup overflowing as I praised God with this brother from a totally different walk of life! Since it’s a weekly occurrence, I’m sure we’ll be back again for another refill this week :).
Shoes and MORE!
October 30, 2009
A few weeks after writing about our “football experience” and the lack of shoes, a friend from home let me know that they wanted to buy shoes for the kids along with their Sunday School class! Excited and grateful, I told them that they were more than welcome to buy them, but that it might be much more cost effective to send the money and let us buy the shoes here. It also deleted the possibility of getting stuck at customs for weeks on end! So, with excitement, I told the kids that they would ALL get new shoes! We collaboratively decided that the boys would go for shoes first since some of the girls couldn’t go today, and the girls would go a few days later. There was no way that I could handle taking 15 kids to the market at the same time!
So, Friday after school we headed out to buy school shoes for those who needed them and fun shoes for everyone! You talk about constantly counting... I had nine boys in tow, on a street crowded with hundreds of people and vendors! We walked and walked, and I felt kind of like a shepherd herding my little flock of sheep through unknown pastures with 3000 other sheep roaming our grass! We made it to the school shoes shop, and found the right shoes for the boys, and then it was time for the fun to start!
I allotted each child 1000 rupees (it seemed reasonable to me!), the American equivalent of 13 dollars. With excitement, the boys began talking of how they would buy shoes, pants, sweaters, etc with their rupees. I told them they could buy whatever they chose as far as shoes and clothes go, as long as they stayed under their 1000 rupee budget! So, to my amazement, the kids picked out shoes, for 400-500 rupees. Some got Converse high tops, some got nice tennis shoes, and all range of shoes in between!
The rest of their money had to go to clothes and such. With eager excitement, the boys picked out jeans, and almost every boy got a new pair of jeans. Then, we moved on to sweaters and watches, cleaning out our rupee supply! I’ve never been so impressed with the spread of a few American dollars. And I’ve never been so impressed at the intensity of male shopping! Every boy had a partner that they had to keep in tow, and we darted from shop to stall to street corner, shopping for the best for each boy!
Exhausted, we began the trek home, piled down with bags and boxes and shoes and jeans and watches and smiles and hunger! There’s nothing quite like walking home with more bags than kids, in the pitch black of night, along these highways with no streetlights or stoplights! Very concerned that I was going to lose a kid, the older boys were required to hold the younger boys hands, which they easily agreed to do! When we got to the most major road, which we had to cross to get back to the hostel, I was sure we were all going to die. I’ve never been so concerned crossing the street, but when you’ve got a herd of boys in tow, things are a little more complicated! Needless to say, we made it home alive, hungry, and worn out, but very very thankful for our newly acquired treasures! I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words thank you so much in one night! And the girls were so gracious about it! They’re so excited to go themselves, but they were just as excited about the boys’ treasures. I was very impressed! It made for an incredibly fun and exciting evening!!
A few weeks after writing about our “football experience” and the lack of shoes, a friend from home let me know that they wanted to buy shoes for the kids along with their Sunday School class! Excited and grateful, I told them that they were more than welcome to buy them, but that it might be much more cost effective to send the money and let us buy the shoes here. It also deleted the possibility of getting stuck at customs for weeks on end! So, with excitement, I told the kids that they would ALL get new shoes! We collaboratively decided that the boys would go for shoes first since some of the girls couldn’t go today, and the girls would go a few days later. There was no way that I could handle taking 15 kids to the market at the same time!
So, Friday after school we headed out to buy school shoes for those who needed them and fun shoes for everyone! You talk about constantly counting... I had nine boys in tow, on a street crowded with hundreds of people and vendors! We walked and walked, and I felt kind of like a shepherd herding my little flock of sheep through unknown pastures with 3000 other sheep roaming our grass! We made it to the school shoes shop, and found the right shoes for the boys, and then it was time for the fun to start!
I allotted each child 1000 rupees (it seemed reasonable to me!), the American equivalent of 13 dollars. With excitement, the boys began talking of how they would buy shoes, pants, sweaters, etc with their rupees. I told them they could buy whatever they chose as far as shoes and clothes go, as long as they stayed under their 1000 rupee budget! So, to my amazement, the kids picked out shoes, for 400-500 rupees. Some got Converse high tops, some got nice tennis shoes, and all range of shoes in between!
The rest of their money had to go to clothes and such. With eager excitement, the boys picked out jeans, and almost every boy got a new pair of jeans. Then, we moved on to sweaters and watches, cleaning out our rupee supply! I’ve never been so impressed with the spread of a few American dollars. And I’ve never been so impressed at the intensity of male shopping! Every boy had a partner that they had to keep in tow, and we darted from shop to stall to street corner, shopping for the best for each boy!
Exhausted, we began the trek home, piled down with bags and boxes and shoes and jeans and watches and smiles and hunger! There’s nothing quite like walking home with more bags than kids, in the pitch black of night, along these highways with no streetlights or stoplights! Very concerned that I was going to lose a kid, the older boys were required to hold the younger boys hands, which they easily agreed to do! When we got to the most major road, which we had to cross to get back to the hostel, I was sure we were all going to die. I’ve never been so concerned crossing the street, but when you’ve got a herd of boys in tow, things are a little more complicated! Needless to say, we made it home alive, hungry, and worn out, but very very thankful for our newly acquired treasures! I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words thank you so much in one night! And the girls were so gracious about it! They’re so excited to go themselves, but they were just as excited about the boys’ treasures. I was very impressed! It made for an incredibly fun and exciting evening!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Daily Devotionals, a time to ask and receive!
November 6, 2009
I’m not going to lie, when I first found out that we do devotionals every night, and I was going to lead twice a week, I was a little more than unsure. After all, when I get going, I use words all wrong and sometimes I might even make up words! And, then I expect a bunch of Nepali ESL kids to understand my ranting and raving?! Crazy, right?!
Well, it turns out we’re going straight through Luke, so at least we’re guided. And the older kids have a great grasp of the English language and have quickly picked up on my quirky statements that may or may not make any sense! So, we usually sing a few songs to open, and there’s nothing like 15 Nepali kids singing acapella in a cement box of a room that resounds with beautiful harmonies! I’m learning the songs slowly, and have been writing them down as we go in my own sort of little Black song book. The kids love it and laugh with me at my singing, which is a step below pathetic in Nepali, but I’m trying! Raju’s the one who gets most excited with this huge eye to eye grin when I sing in Nepali. I think it’s because he doesn’t speak very much English, so that’s pretty much the only time he understands me!
Then we charge around the room, each kid reading a verse, and then we take turns breaking it down. To be honest, the days when I don’t lead are like a second quiet time for me, with this Nepali background murmuring. On the days I do lead, I feel bad for the little ones who don’t really understand, but the older kids are pretty good about translating for them. Then after, they can ask the leader questions, which is typically a “No one has questions now let’s eat!” time.
However, for some reason, when I lead, I get the most unusual and interesting questions. One night this week I finished dissecting the passage, and as is tradition, I asked if there were any questions. There was some hesitation, and then one of the kids asked me where Jesus was coming back. “Is he just going to come over Jerusalem and we’ll all meet him there, or will he be everywhere?!” Ummm... let me just say, I had no idea! That led into the question as to why God didn’t tell us when Jesus will come get us, which Laxuman answered beautifully with “because then everyone would wait until then to become Christians and they wouldn’t live for Jesus now!” Which he concluded with asking me how the earth got people on it if Adam and Eve were the only first people. A great question. One to which either leads to “I don’t know exactly” which is where I went or the defining of the word inbreeding, which I really didn’t feel like getting into! Then some asked where we got languages and if we could really reach heaven if we built a tall enough tower. And we finished with how did other religions come to be.
There’s NO Bible study prep course that could prepare you for the questions these kids ask! But, it’s often one of the most entertaining and bonding times we have as a group, because the kids are so real and honest about things they want to understand! One time, one of the older girls asked if it was a sin for a young boy and girl to love each other. Not exactly sure what she meant by love, I asked her to explain, and she said “You know, love each other!” I’m pretty sure she meant “I love you” love, but I sure wasn’t going into any other love with 7 and 8 year olds in the room who don’t always totally get what I’m saying anyway! Well, the older kids figured out why I was flustered, and burst out laughing, assuring me that wasn’t what she meant. I felt bad for the younger kids because they were so confused as to what was going on... My best advice if you come to Nepal and do nightly devotionals with these kids: read the whole Bible before you come :).
I’m not going to lie, when I first found out that we do devotionals every night, and I was going to lead twice a week, I was a little more than unsure. After all, when I get going, I use words all wrong and sometimes I might even make up words! And, then I expect a bunch of Nepali ESL kids to understand my ranting and raving?! Crazy, right?!
Well, it turns out we’re going straight through Luke, so at least we’re guided. And the older kids have a great grasp of the English language and have quickly picked up on my quirky statements that may or may not make any sense! So, we usually sing a few songs to open, and there’s nothing like 15 Nepali kids singing acapella in a cement box of a room that resounds with beautiful harmonies! I’m learning the songs slowly, and have been writing them down as we go in my own sort of little Black song book. The kids love it and laugh with me at my singing, which is a step below pathetic in Nepali, but I’m trying! Raju’s the one who gets most excited with this huge eye to eye grin when I sing in Nepali. I think it’s because he doesn’t speak very much English, so that’s pretty much the only time he understands me!
Then we charge around the room, each kid reading a verse, and then we take turns breaking it down. To be honest, the days when I don’t lead are like a second quiet time for me, with this Nepali background murmuring. On the days I do lead, I feel bad for the little ones who don’t really understand, but the older kids are pretty good about translating for them. Then after, they can ask the leader questions, which is typically a “No one has questions now let’s eat!” time.
However, for some reason, when I lead, I get the most unusual and interesting questions. One night this week I finished dissecting the passage, and as is tradition, I asked if there were any questions. There was some hesitation, and then one of the kids asked me where Jesus was coming back. “Is he just going to come over Jerusalem and we’ll all meet him there, or will he be everywhere?!” Ummm... let me just say, I had no idea! That led into the question as to why God didn’t tell us when Jesus will come get us, which Laxuman answered beautifully with “because then everyone would wait until then to become Christians and they wouldn’t live for Jesus now!” Which he concluded with asking me how the earth got people on it if Adam and Eve were the only first people. A great question. One to which either leads to “I don’t know exactly” which is where I went or the defining of the word inbreeding, which I really didn’t feel like getting into! Then some asked where we got languages and if we could really reach heaven if we built a tall enough tower. And we finished with how did other religions come to be.
There’s NO Bible study prep course that could prepare you for the questions these kids ask! But, it’s often one of the most entertaining and bonding times we have as a group, because the kids are so real and honest about things they want to understand! One time, one of the older girls asked if it was a sin for a young boy and girl to love each other. Not exactly sure what she meant by love, I asked her to explain, and she said “You know, love each other!” I’m pretty sure she meant “I love you” love, but I sure wasn’t going into any other love with 7 and 8 year olds in the room who don’t always totally get what I’m saying anyway! Well, the older kids figured out why I was flustered, and burst out laughing, assuring me that wasn’t what she meant. I felt bad for the younger kids because they were so confused as to what was going on... My best advice if you come to Nepal and do nightly devotionals with these kids: read the whole Bible before you come :).
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