September 28, 2009
Prayer meetings are often a weekly occurrence in the US. The church usually has a fraction of its members come to an hour of prayer, often on Sunday or Wednesday nights. But here, prayer services are daily, around what we would consider lunch time, and go for about an hour each. It’s kind of neat; there are guys there on break from work, women, some kids, etc. We start at 11 and usually go till about 12. Today, though, Chloe and I found out it was a special prayer service.
Right after breakfast (around 9:45), the girls enlightened us to the fact that we were going to church for a special service at 10. Well, by 10, they meant 11. But, Chloe and I had no idea, so we walked over there, only to sit in the church till 11. To be honest, I was ready for a nap! Eating straight carbs for breakfast (and dinner for that matter) leads to a big ol’ crash about 2 hours after breakfast! I suppose I’ll get used to it :). But, around 11:15, right before the praise band started playing, Uncle walked over to us and told us that he wanted us to do “Sunday School” with the kids as they would be distracting after the worship part of the service. Thankfully, he brought colors and paper with him for us to use!
So the praise band played for about 35 minutes, then we prayed and Uncle sent us downstairs with the kiddos! Well, the Nepali woman who came down with us asked, “what are we teaching the children today?” Chloe and I looked at each other, and she jumped right in and asked, “Does anyone know the story of Noah and the Ark?!” A couple of kids started wrestling for mic time, telling about the animals, the boat, the rain, the branch, etc in turn. Glad that they knew what she was talking about, she said, “Ok. Let’s draw pictures from the story!” So, the kids who understood English jumped to it, and those who didn’t watched those who did and quickly figured out that we were making rainbow animals dancing around on multi-colored boats. Not entirely sure they understood the Biblical background, but they enjoyed the colors :).
So, about 10 minutes later, the boys were finished and beginning to wrestle and pinch and hit and cause no end of commotion. So, Chloe, used to this thinking on her feet thing, said “Let’s make paper airplanes!” A FANTASTIC idea. So, they made them (that alone took like 15 minutes, showing each of them how to do it), and she took them outside while the girls and I continued to color. A few minutes later, they came jostling back in, with semi-crushed planes and laughter in tow.
We asked some of the older girls who had come downstairs if they were almost finished upstairs, since we were now pushing 12:30. “No, they’re still praying upstairs.” Well, we were both very thankful that they were so diligently praying, but we were running out of ideas of what to do with 10 children for an unknown amount of time. Seeing as how the planes seemed to be a hit (and took them a long time to learn) I jumped in and showed those interested how to make an Origami star box. This took about 20 minutes, and then we decorated them all bright like the Ark. The boys quickly realized, hey, we can use these as flying UFOs, so soon colors were swirling through the air as the boxes flew between boys. Unfortunately, the amazingness of the boxes wore off as well, and we were back to slapping, pinching, and yelling.
So, when you’ve got nothing else to do, Duck-Duck-Goose (played on your knees; running was just not an option!) is a great solution, and this game brought much laughter and occupied them for probably another 45 minutes. By that time, my knees and back were “paining” me (as the kids would say!), so I said, let’s play ANOTHER game. “Down by the banks” was my solution, and to my dismay, the kids didn’t have a song to sing in Nepali while we went around the circle slapping hands. They rather enjoyed the game though, so Chloe again had the brilliant solution of counting to ten at the end of the song, so the kids would know that if their hand got slapped on 10, they were out! They loved it, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to sing that song so many times in a row. The kids still didn’t know the song, but wanted me to sing it, so over and over and over again I sang, and then they’d count to 10. This went for another 45 minutes (they have incredibly long attention spans for ridiculous games!), and then we were relieved to find the adults had finished. This was around 3, and we had an afternoon snack at the church. Although it was a loud and sometimes a little stressful afternoon with the kids (mainly due to the short notice!), it ended up rather enjoyable, and I made some little friends :). I guess I’ll be more ready for “Sunday School” each week now!
Monday, September 28, 2009
YOU explain free will to a 14 year old Nepali!
September 27, 2009
The Garden of Eden. Such a complicated and yet simple story. You have God, you have man, you have woman. Oh yeah, and that devilish snake enticing mankind to turn on their maker and creator. I understand temptation, yes, but temptation coming from a snake?! Maybe that’s why they’re so often despised and feared... Anyway, Laxuman looked at Chloe and I after dinner, and with a smile said, “Sister, I have a question.” Chloe, realizing what was coming, said “No no no, ask your other sister!” as she said to me, “Good luck explaining free will.” Sure enough, Laxuman said, “Sister, God knows everything that’s going to happen, right? So why did He put the tree and the snake in the garden? He knew that we would choose to sin!”
I have trouble with free will when talking with people from my church and Bible studies in the US; you can’t imagine the brain pain that went into explaining something I don’t fully understand to a 14 year old Nepali boy speaking English as a second language coming from a background of Hinduism! As confusing as that sentence was, I think my explanation was even more confusing for him. I tried to liken the fact that if God didn’t give us a choice, then we’d be like dolls, who go everywhere with God, but can’t really do anything on our own as we don’t have choice so how can we love God? He followed with me really well, surprisingly, but then he stated simply, “But sister, dolls aren’t alive. I am.” Analogy shot. So I kinda tried again, stumbling a bit here and there, but feeling a little better when he said, “Sister, it’s ok. My pastor and uncle Krishna can’t explain it to me either.” Chloe laughed and said, “When we get to heaven we’ll ask God, ok Laxuman?!” With a grin, he decided that for now that will have to work.
But our conversation didn’t end there. Then came, “Why did people choose to sin in the garden? They knew what God wanted, but they chose the fruit instead!” This one was a little easier. See, we’ve been fighting the battle of the motorcycle recently. There’s often a really old motorcycle parked in the house driveway, so when Uncle Krishna leaves, Laxuman will get a spoon or some other metal object and start the thing. Don’t ask me how. But waiting until Uncle leaves is key. Because, naturally, Uncle does not want a 14 year old boy playing on an old motorcycle. And it’s been hard for me to explain just why that’s wrong to him, and how we should honor those in authority over us, as Uncle is our authority.
But with that question, God gave the perfect opportunity to dive into it! So, with a grin, I said, “Laxuman, why do you wait until Uncle leaves to ride the bike?” A small look of repentance mingled with a smile of excitement as he laughed, “Because Uncle does not want me to ride it!” “But you know it’s wrong to disobey, so why do you do it?” “Oh. Well, Uncle’s not God. He doesn’t know what I’m doing.” Chloe then stepped in, saying, “Well if I kill someone, but don’t tell anyone, have I still done a bad thing?!” Sheepishly, seeing where this was going, Laxuman said, “Yes, I guess so.” She continued, “So if you’re not supposed to ride the bike without asking Uncle, and you do, but he never finds out, have you still disobeyed him?” “But Sister!” Stepping in, I added “No buts Laxuman! I imagine the same reasons you choose to ride the bike helped lead Adam and Eve to sin.” With a sigh, he accepted the answer. I don’t know how deeply it sunk in; he surprised me with the depth of his free will question, but he is still a 14 year old boy, so I won’t be too surprised if tomorrow I hear the bike roar a few minutes after Uncle leaves :).
The Garden of Eden. Such a complicated and yet simple story. You have God, you have man, you have woman. Oh yeah, and that devilish snake enticing mankind to turn on their maker and creator. I understand temptation, yes, but temptation coming from a snake?! Maybe that’s why they’re so often despised and feared... Anyway, Laxuman looked at Chloe and I after dinner, and with a smile said, “Sister, I have a question.” Chloe, realizing what was coming, said “No no no, ask your other sister!” as she said to me, “Good luck explaining free will.” Sure enough, Laxuman said, “Sister, God knows everything that’s going to happen, right? So why did He put the tree and the snake in the garden? He knew that we would choose to sin!”
I have trouble with free will when talking with people from my church and Bible studies in the US; you can’t imagine the brain pain that went into explaining something I don’t fully understand to a 14 year old Nepali boy speaking English as a second language coming from a background of Hinduism! As confusing as that sentence was, I think my explanation was even more confusing for him. I tried to liken the fact that if God didn’t give us a choice, then we’d be like dolls, who go everywhere with God, but can’t really do anything on our own as we don’t have choice so how can we love God? He followed with me really well, surprisingly, but then he stated simply, “But sister, dolls aren’t alive. I am.” Analogy shot. So I kinda tried again, stumbling a bit here and there, but feeling a little better when he said, “Sister, it’s ok. My pastor and uncle Krishna can’t explain it to me either.” Chloe laughed and said, “When we get to heaven we’ll ask God, ok Laxuman?!” With a grin, he decided that for now that will have to work.
But our conversation didn’t end there. Then came, “Why did people choose to sin in the garden? They knew what God wanted, but they chose the fruit instead!” This one was a little easier. See, we’ve been fighting the battle of the motorcycle recently. There’s often a really old motorcycle parked in the house driveway, so when Uncle Krishna leaves, Laxuman will get a spoon or some other metal object and start the thing. Don’t ask me how. But waiting until Uncle leaves is key. Because, naturally, Uncle does not want a 14 year old boy playing on an old motorcycle. And it’s been hard for me to explain just why that’s wrong to him, and how we should honor those in authority over us, as Uncle is our authority.
But with that question, God gave the perfect opportunity to dive into it! So, with a grin, I said, “Laxuman, why do you wait until Uncle leaves to ride the bike?” A small look of repentance mingled with a smile of excitement as he laughed, “Because Uncle does not want me to ride it!” “But you know it’s wrong to disobey, so why do you do it?” “Oh. Well, Uncle’s not God. He doesn’t know what I’m doing.” Chloe then stepped in, saying, “Well if I kill someone, but don’t tell anyone, have I still done a bad thing?!” Sheepishly, seeing where this was going, Laxuman said, “Yes, I guess so.” She continued, “So if you’re not supposed to ride the bike without asking Uncle, and you do, but he never finds out, have you still disobeyed him?” “But Sister!” Stepping in, I added “No buts Laxuman! I imagine the same reasons you choose to ride the bike helped lead Adam and Eve to sin.” With a sigh, he accepted the answer. I don’t know how deeply it sunk in; he surprised me with the depth of his free will question, but he is still a 14 year old boy, so I won’t be too surprised if tomorrow I hear the bike roar a few minutes after Uncle leaves :).
Mmmm... Give me some of that Red Meat!
September 27, 2009
“Everybody’s got a water buffalo; yours is fast and mine is slow...” Ok, well, maybe not everone has a water buffalo, but people do enjoy eating buffalo meat here. To start the adventure, Lauxman asked Chloe and I if we wanted to go with him to the butcher’s to buy some of this rare but coveted meat. And I was all game; I love buffalo in the US, so why not here, right?
Well, we walked down the street, past all the butchery’s I know and see on a daily basis, and turned onto a street I’ve never been down before. To my complete surprise (and the surprise of my stomache as well!), there, in a vacant plot of land, overgrown with weeds and overrun with wild dogs, we had set up the butcher’s shop. There was a random buffalo leg lying next to the road, and a huge (VERY unsanitary) blue tarp with over 30 piles of chopped buffalo meat, bones and all. Actually, I don’t know why that leg got left out; you eat everything here. Never mind. I don’t want to know what was so awful that even they wouldn’t eat that leg.
So, anyway, back to the piles of meat, bone, and other indiscernible pieces (I don’t know where the skin was... I didn’t ever see it)... on top of each pile was a small black bag, and Chloe and I decided it must contain the “choice” cuts of meat. And there was a man standing in the middle of the piles, smoking, and waving this stick as if to ward off the millions of flies dancing over their new find. He was losing his battle, badly! And all the while, the wild dogs were growling and fighting (real dog fights; not the Michael Vick kind. Real life, “you’ve got a bone and that’s the first bone I’ve seen in years” dog fight). So, when Lauxman finally got his 3 kg of meat for us to take home, I was more than happy to be off from that pristine butchery!
So, we get home, and Lauxman starts chopping the meat into small pieces, with the ease and skill of someone who’s done this hundreds of times before. In humor, he asked Chloe if she wanted a whack at it. She said she would, as long as we didn’t laugh at her with the knife (remember the whole chicken episode?!). We agreed with our fingers crossed, and she began chopping the meat. She wasn’t bad, really!
So, then, she finished the meat, and all that was left was in the little black bag. So, Lauxman asked me, and I said sure, why not. So, I look at the contents, and I knew I was looking at the stomach, but I wasn’t sure what everything else was... probably better, to be honest. So, he shows me how to hold the knife with my feet and rub the meat on the blade to cut it. I was pretty sure I was going to amputate my own finger with this method, but I tried it and did ok.
Pastor Krishna came home when I was about halfway through, and he laughed and said, “Oh, you bought a Hebuffalo!” In confusion, I said, what’s a “hebuffalo?” Looking for help in explaining from his wife and Chloe, his wife attempted to explain more clearly. “From what you’re cutting, it’s a son of a buffalo.” And I definitely thought I was cutting intestines. And my very city-slicker stomach turned a little funny, and suddenly the smell was overpowering. I just stopped and looked at them. And Pastor continued to laugh, and said “We don’t cut that until after we’ve boiled it.” Lauxman was laughing so hard, but he came to my rescue and grabbed all the meat to go boil it and clean it (well, I hope!)! So, I calmly got up, and went to the sink, and scrubbed my hands like they’ve never been scrubbed before. And today, I suppose I will eat the fruits of my labor, or would that be the meats of my labor?!
“Everybody’s got a water buffalo; yours is fast and mine is slow...” Ok, well, maybe not everone has a water buffalo, but people do enjoy eating buffalo meat here. To start the adventure, Lauxman asked Chloe and I if we wanted to go with him to the butcher’s to buy some of this rare but coveted meat. And I was all game; I love buffalo in the US, so why not here, right?
Well, we walked down the street, past all the butchery’s I know and see on a daily basis, and turned onto a street I’ve never been down before. To my complete surprise (and the surprise of my stomache as well!), there, in a vacant plot of land, overgrown with weeds and overrun with wild dogs, we had set up the butcher’s shop. There was a random buffalo leg lying next to the road, and a huge (VERY unsanitary) blue tarp with over 30 piles of chopped buffalo meat, bones and all. Actually, I don’t know why that leg got left out; you eat everything here. Never mind. I don’t want to know what was so awful that even they wouldn’t eat that leg.
So, anyway, back to the piles of meat, bone, and other indiscernible pieces (I don’t know where the skin was... I didn’t ever see it)... on top of each pile was a small black bag, and Chloe and I decided it must contain the “choice” cuts of meat. And there was a man standing in the middle of the piles, smoking, and waving this stick as if to ward off the millions of flies dancing over their new find. He was losing his battle, badly! And all the while, the wild dogs were growling and fighting (real dog fights; not the Michael Vick kind. Real life, “you’ve got a bone and that’s the first bone I’ve seen in years” dog fight). So, when Lauxman finally got his 3 kg of meat for us to take home, I was more than happy to be off from that pristine butchery!
So, we get home, and Lauxman starts chopping the meat into small pieces, with the ease and skill of someone who’s done this hundreds of times before. In humor, he asked Chloe if she wanted a whack at it. She said she would, as long as we didn’t laugh at her with the knife (remember the whole chicken episode?!). We agreed with our fingers crossed, and she began chopping the meat. She wasn’t bad, really!
So, then, she finished the meat, and all that was left was in the little black bag. So, Lauxman asked me, and I said sure, why not. So, I look at the contents, and I knew I was looking at the stomach, but I wasn’t sure what everything else was... probably better, to be honest. So, he shows me how to hold the knife with my feet and rub the meat on the blade to cut it. I was pretty sure I was going to amputate my own finger with this method, but I tried it and did ok.
Pastor Krishna came home when I was about halfway through, and he laughed and said, “Oh, you bought a Hebuffalo!” In confusion, I said, what’s a “hebuffalo?” Looking for help in explaining from his wife and Chloe, his wife attempted to explain more clearly. “From what you’re cutting, it’s a son of a buffalo.” And I definitely thought I was cutting intestines. And my very city-slicker stomach turned a little funny, and suddenly the smell was overpowering. I just stopped and looked at them. And Pastor continued to laugh, and said “We don’t cut that until after we’ve boiled it.” Lauxman was laughing so hard, but he came to my rescue and grabbed all the meat to go boil it and clean it (well, I hope!)! So, I calmly got up, and went to the sink, and scrubbed my hands like they’ve never been scrubbed before. And today, I suppose I will eat the fruits of my labor, or would that be the meats of my labor?!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Beautiful Feet
September 26, 2009
Church in Nepal is something to behold. To start, the women sit on the left, the men sit on the right, and everyone sits on the floor. You leave your shoes at the door (as you do before entering any room!). And church is 2 to 3 hours long. Oh, and it’s on Saturday. Sunday is just another day here!
To start, we sing songs, many of which I recognized from the tune, but couldn’t quite remember the English words as they sang Nepali. This is sprinkled with prayer throughout, lasting up to an hour or so. As it was my first week and Chloe’s last week in the church, Pastor Krishna asked us to sing and play a song for church. No pressure, right? We sang How Great is Our God, one of the few overlaps in the songs Chloe sings in Australia and the ones I sing in America.
Then, there was a pastor visiting from Australia (of no relation to Chloe, though they live rather close in Australia) and he preached a sermon on “Beautiful Feet.” We started in 2 Kings 7:3-16, the story of the 4 Lepers sitting outside a besieged Samaria, contemplating whether it was better to starve as lepers in Samaria or to risk everything by seeking the kindness of the enemy camp, the Syrians. Now, understand that lepers were the bottom of society in Samaria. They were unclean, not to be touched, mocked, ridiculed, considered to be like dogs. Now, in Nepal, there is the Hindu Caste system, and in the past untouchables were the lowest caste in the system. Well, a new lowest caste has stepped up to the plate, and they are the Christians. For a devout Hindu, there is nothing lower than one who chooses to love and follow Jesus Christ and Him alone.
So, this story began to shape a new meaning, as I looked around me, and realized no longer was I in the America where “Christians” are everyday people. Rather, the people around me, myself included, are like the lepers in this story. We have no worth to many Hindus. But as the story went on, the parallels became incredibly beautiful. These 4 lepers decided to go out to the enemy camp, to try to find food to live another day. So they did, and to their great astonishment, God had driven the Syrians away in such a hurry that everything else was left- food, treasures, animals. So, they feasted, this probably being the first time in their lives that they ate so well, as they were the despised in Samaria and were restrained to begging for food at the city gates.
But after awhile, they realized, though they had discovered these riches and supplies, they could not wait until morning to share them with Samaria. So, they rushed back to the king and the very people who shunned them, and brought the life saving good news that God has provided food and supplies and their enemy has fled! As I listened, I began to see the reality of this story in the people around me. They are the shunned of their culture for choosing to follow one God, rather than hundreds of thousands of gods of wood and stone. Yet, they choose to continue to go to the very people who shun them and share the Good News that God has given life once again through His Son Jesus! In a very real way, they are modern day lepers bringing the hope of Salvation to a desperate and dying Samaria.
Isaiah 52:7 is the “theme” verse of the orphanage here; it states, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news...” It’s a verse that I’ve been claiming, and the pastor likened the lepers to those feet who bring good news. There’s a Christian rap song that I love called “Beautiful Feet” by Lecrae (you should Google the lyrics; they’re beautiful!). It’s a story of the desperate situation in America’s streets (and honestly in the world in general), but there is hope because “You hold the truth that saves so run and shout it to the world! They can’t believe in something they ain’t never heard so go, go, go with those beautiful feet!” So wherever you’re at, know that God has sent you out with anointed feet to share his Good News with everyone you encounter! Go, go, go with those beautiful feet :)
Church in Nepal is something to behold. To start, the women sit on the left, the men sit on the right, and everyone sits on the floor. You leave your shoes at the door (as you do before entering any room!). And church is 2 to 3 hours long. Oh, and it’s on Saturday. Sunday is just another day here!
To start, we sing songs, many of which I recognized from the tune, but couldn’t quite remember the English words as they sang Nepali. This is sprinkled with prayer throughout, lasting up to an hour or so. As it was my first week and Chloe’s last week in the church, Pastor Krishna asked us to sing and play a song for church. No pressure, right? We sang How Great is Our God, one of the few overlaps in the songs Chloe sings in Australia and the ones I sing in America.
Then, there was a pastor visiting from Australia (of no relation to Chloe, though they live rather close in Australia) and he preached a sermon on “Beautiful Feet.” We started in 2 Kings 7:3-16, the story of the 4 Lepers sitting outside a besieged Samaria, contemplating whether it was better to starve as lepers in Samaria or to risk everything by seeking the kindness of the enemy camp, the Syrians. Now, understand that lepers were the bottom of society in Samaria. They were unclean, not to be touched, mocked, ridiculed, considered to be like dogs. Now, in Nepal, there is the Hindu Caste system, and in the past untouchables were the lowest caste in the system. Well, a new lowest caste has stepped up to the plate, and they are the Christians. For a devout Hindu, there is nothing lower than one who chooses to love and follow Jesus Christ and Him alone.
So, this story began to shape a new meaning, as I looked around me, and realized no longer was I in the America where “Christians” are everyday people. Rather, the people around me, myself included, are like the lepers in this story. We have no worth to many Hindus. But as the story went on, the parallels became incredibly beautiful. These 4 lepers decided to go out to the enemy camp, to try to find food to live another day. So they did, and to their great astonishment, God had driven the Syrians away in such a hurry that everything else was left- food, treasures, animals. So, they feasted, this probably being the first time in their lives that they ate so well, as they were the despised in Samaria and were restrained to begging for food at the city gates.
But after awhile, they realized, though they had discovered these riches and supplies, they could not wait until morning to share them with Samaria. So, they rushed back to the king and the very people who shunned them, and brought the life saving good news that God has provided food and supplies and their enemy has fled! As I listened, I began to see the reality of this story in the people around me. They are the shunned of their culture for choosing to follow one God, rather than hundreds of thousands of gods of wood and stone. Yet, they choose to continue to go to the very people who shun them and share the Good News that God has given life once again through His Son Jesus! In a very real way, they are modern day lepers bringing the hope of Salvation to a desperate and dying Samaria.
Isaiah 52:7 is the “theme” verse of the orphanage here; it states, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news...” It’s a verse that I’ve been claiming, and the pastor likened the lepers to those feet who bring good news. There’s a Christian rap song that I love called “Beautiful Feet” by Lecrae (you should Google the lyrics; they’re beautiful!). It’s a story of the desperate situation in America’s streets (and honestly in the world in general), but there is hope because “You hold the truth that saves so run and shout it to the world! They can’t believe in something they ain’t never heard so go, go, go with those beautiful feet!” So wherever you’re at, know that God has sent you out with anointed feet to share his Good News with everyone you encounter! Go, go, go with those beautiful feet :)
A Trip to the Zoo and other fun Games!
September 25, 2009
Today was a fun filled day of laughter, fighting, and shouting. Well, the laughter and shouting are daily occurrences (even with only 6 kids here, there’s plenty to shout over; and shouting’s not always bad, often it’s just the way to be heard as a little person!). And, well, when you introduce games and the zoo, well, fighting happens :).
To start off, I’ve been teaching the kids one by one the game of speed with cards. If you’ve never played, it’s kinda like Solitaire if you stretch your imagination and tilt your head a little to the side! But, with four kids wanting to play with me, adaptation and mutations happened quickly. So, we changed it into a multiplayer game, and just used more decks of cards. And the kids loved it! So we played over and over, and Chloe jumped in, adding to the excitement. Because she and I have grown up on this game, we typically came in 1st and 2nd, so when one of the kids won, you could probably hear the screaming in Tibet!
Then, we had the brilliant idea of teaching the kids Spoons. Now, if you’ve ever played this game, it can be brutal. Basically, you pass cards around trying to get four of a kind. Then, there are enough spoons (well, we used pen caps) for everyone except one person. The first person to get 4 grabs a spoon, and everyone else rushes in for the rest. The person left without a spoon is out. Now, this game gets really fun when you play on the rooftop (as we were) and then put the spoons (caps) on the other end of the roof. Thankfully, there’s a railing! You’ve never seen kids fight and wrestle so much over a pen cap, I can assure you! But there was much laughter and fun for all!
And then it was time to head off to the zoo! And by time, I mean Chloe and I were ready, and the girls spent 45 more minutes getting perfectly beautiful (I don’t know, I guess if I had known there might be boys I know there I might have cared... probably not though!). So, we set off, walking to the zoo in Kathmandu! Exciting right?! Well, we get there, and because Chloe and I are foreigners, we cost 150 rupees each, while the kids cost 15 or 35 depending on their age. Our total came to 415 Rupees, a mere 5 dollars with a little change on the side! Cheap, huh? Well, they did charge 2 Rupees to use the restroom, so add that on to the cost of the kids. Still rather affordable.
In the zoo. I’m not sure there are words to describe it. The cages for the animals were sad, but kinda funny (I really don’t mean to be mean, but when you see spotted deer living in a fenced area with brick walls on the sides and bricks covering the ground, eating out of a trough, you can’t help but think, “Yes, I am definitely overseas!”). So, there were deer, a few cat animals, a couple of hippos, lots of rodents, and more birds than you can imagine. We walked all the way around, and to conclude the outing, it started raining. No, that’s not right. The loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life rumbled through the earth beneath our feet, and sheets of rain plummeted upon our ringing heads. And the kids were shivering (scratch that, I was shivering!), and we waited for Uncle (Pastor Krishna) and Auntie to arrive. So we waited, and waited, and it rained and rained. You see, in Nepal, “We’ll be there around 3” translates to “We’ll be there within 2 hours of 3.” So, around 5 they showed up, and a herd of drowned rats clambered over to the restaurant to eat dinner. It was quite the outing!!!
Today was a fun filled day of laughter, fighting, and shouting. Well, the laughter and shouting are daily occurrences (even with only 6 kids here, there’s plenty to shout over; and shouting’s not always bad, often it’s just the way to be heard as a little person!). And, well, when you introduce games and the zoo, well, fighting happens :).
To start off, I’ve been teaching the kids one by one the game of speed with cards. If you’ve never played, it’s kinda like Solitaire if you stretch your imagination and tilt your head a little to the side! But, with four kids wanting to play with me, adaptation and mutations happened quickly. So, we changed it into a multiplayer game, and just used more decks of cards. And the kids loved it! So we played over and over, and Chloe jumped in, adding to the excitement. Because she and I have grown up on this game, we typically came in 1st and 2nd, so when one of the kids won, you could probably hear the screaming in Tibet!
Then, we had the brilliant idea of teaching the kids Spoons. Now, if you’ve ever played this game, it can be brutal. Basically, you pass cards around trying to get four of a kind. Then, there are enough spoons (well, we used pen caps) for everyone except one person. The first person to get 4 grabs a spoon, and everyone else rushes in for the rest. The person left without a spoon is out. Now, this game gets really fun when you play on the rooftop (as we were) and then put the spoons (caps) on the other end of the roof. Thankfully, there’s a railing! You’ve never seen kids fight and wrestle so much over a pen cap, I can assure you! But there was much laughter and fun for all!
And then it was time to head off to the zoo! And by time, I mean Chloe and I were ready, and the girls spent 45 more minutes getting perfectly beautiful (I don’t know, I guess if I had known there might be boys I know there I might have cared... probably not though!). So, we set off, walking to the zoo in Kathmandu! Exciting right?! Well, we get there, and because Chloe and I are foreigners, we cost 150 rupees each, while the kids cost 15 or 35 depending on their age. Our total came to 415 Rupees, a mere 5 dollars with a little change on the side! Cheap, huh? Well, they did charge 2 Rupees to use the restroom, so add that on to the cost of the kids. Still rather affordable.
In the zoo. I’m not sure there are words to describe it. The cages for the animals were sad, but kinda funny (I really don’t mean to be mean, but when you see spotted deer living in a fenced area with brick walls on the sides and bricks covering the ground, eating out of a trough, you can’t help but think, “Yes, I am definitely overseas!”). So, there were deer, a few cat animals, a couple of hippos, lots of rodents, and more birds than you can imagine. We walked all the way around, and to conclude the outing, it started raining. No, that’s not right. The loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life rumbled through the earth beneath our feet, and sheets of rain plummeted upon our ringing heads. And the kids were shivering (scratch that, I was shivering!), and we waited for Uncle (Pastor Krishna) and Auntie to arrive. So we waited, and waited, and it rained and rained. You see, in Nepal, “We’ll be there around 3” translates to “We’ll be there within 2 hours of 3.” So, around 5 they showed up, and a herd of drowned rats clambered over to the restaurant to eat dinner. It was quite the outing!!!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Are You a Christian?!
September 23, 2009
Today we went to one of the local shops to pick up some odds and ends. While there are many closer shops, Chloe and I walk further than necessary because this store says “In God We Trust” on the overhead sign as you walk in. And Chloe said that they sometimes play Christian music in there.
Well, we did our shopping, and walked up to the checkout counter. The man behind it is very friendly, and as we are the ONLY white people in this entire area (this is not even a remotely touristy area, so anyone around here lives here, which makes us stand out!) he recognizes us each time we come in. Well, as we went to checkout, he asked “Are you Christians?” Chloe and I froze, not sure if there were police right around the door, or if the Maoists were nearby waiting to prounce on us. It’s legal for locals to become Christians now, but there’s still a lot of tension with radicals wanting to return Nepal to a Hindu kingdom.
So, we briefly considered the fact that we might get in trouble for answering this question, but then we both responded, “Yes, yes we are Christians.” With a bright smile (and definitely enough joy to qualm our concerns!), he responded “So are we!” With a breath of relief, we laughed and said nice to meet you!
While the chances of anything happening to us are slim to none, there is a very real reality that Christians are actively persecuted here. A few months ago a church in Kathmandu was bombed by radical Hindu’s during their church service, killing 4 and injuring many others. As the church in Kathmandu is really one body (there aren’t petty divisions over denominations; they believe in the same Jesus, what else is there?!), the entire local church in Kathmandu pitched in to help this hurting sister church. In a society where close to 99% of the people are NOT Christians, you can imagine this man’s joy (and ours!!!) when we said, yes, we are one in Christ Jesus with you! I can’t really describe that feeling, knowing that you’ve met a stranger who is your brother and instant friend out of the millions of people who are Hindus and Buddhists and who knows what else here! It’s pretty awesome :).
So, we walked home, and when we got here, I asked Chloe, “How did he know we were Christians?! Do we have some sort of aura about us? All we bought was paper and juice!” And she laughed and said “Look at your t-shirt and mine!” So I did, and I realized we’re not all that discreet; her shirt says something like finish the race strong with a picture of a Bible, Cross, and a reference to Acts; mine says “This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” with a picture of 3 crosses above it and “Christian Business Leaders” below it. Not to mention the fact I have on a cross necklace (thanks to Liesl!). I bet that the A&M Christian Business Leader’s would’ve never expected one of their t-shirts to unite believers in a Hindu nation! Pretty cool, right? So, never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in the body; He’ll use whatever He wants to bring God’s children together!
Today we went to one of the local shops to pick up some odds and ends. While there are many closer shops, Chloe and I walk further than necessary because this store says “In God We Trust” on the overhead sign as you walk in. And Chloe said that they sometimes play Christian music in there.
Well, we did our shopping, and walked up to the checkout counter. The man behind it is very friendly, and as we are the ONLY white people in this entire area (this is not even a remotely touristy area, so anyone around here lives here, which makes us stand out!) he recognizes us each time we come in. Well, as we went to checkout, he asked “Are you Christians?” Chloe and I froze, not sure if there were police right around the door, or if the Maoists were nearby waiting to prounce on us. It’s legal for locals to become Christians now, but there’s still a lot of tension with radicals wanting to return Nepal to a Hindu kingdom.
So, we briefly considered the fact that we might get in trouble for answering this question, but then we both responded, “Yes, yes we are Christians.” With a bright smile (and definitely enough joy to qualm our concerns!), he responded “So are we!” With a breath of relief, we laughed and said nice to meet you!
While the chances of anything happening to us are slim to none, there is a very real reality that Christians are actively persecuted here. A few months ago a church in Kathmandu was bombed by radical Hindu’s during their church service, killing 4 and injuring many others. As the church in Kathmandu is really one body (there aren’t petty divisions over denominations; they believe in the same Jesus, what else is there?!), the entire local church in Kathmandu pitched in to help this hurting sister church. In a society where close to 99% of the people are NOT Christians, you can imagine this man’s joy (and ours!!!) when we said, yes, we are one in Christ Jesus with you! I can’t really describe that feeling, knowing that you’ve met a stranger who is your brother and instant friend out of the millions of people who are Hindus and Buddhists and who knows what else here! It’s pretty awesome :).
So, we walked home, and when we got here, I asked Chloe, “How did he know we were Christians?! Do we have some sort of aura about us? All we bought was paper and juice!” And she laughed and said “Look at your t-shirt and mine!” So I did, and I realized we’re not all that discreet; her shirt says something like finish the race strong with a picture of a Bible, Cross, and a reference to Acts; mine says “This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” with a picture of 3 crosses above it and “Christian Business Leaders” below it. Not to mention the fact I have on a cross necklace (thanks to Liesl!). I bet that the A&M Christian Business Leader’s would’ve never expected one of their t-shirts to unite believers in a Hindu nation! Pretty cool, right? So, never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in the body; He’ll use whatever He wants to bring God’s children together!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Demise of the (poor) Chicken
September 23, 2009 *DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH OR WEAK STOMACHED!!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.* Today we killed a chicken. Well, actually, Didi asked me if I’d like to kill the chicken, and I burst out laughing and said, absolutely not, but I will video it! Then Asa asked me if I’d like to catch it’s blood spurting body after the head was chopped off, and again, my answer was, absolutely not! I will before I leave (cut it’s head off; I probably won’t ever want to run to catch a chicken with a volcano of blood spurting from it’s severed head!), but not today. So, Chloe, the brave and exciting Australian stepped up to the plate. She quickly stated that she was a little squeamish at the idea herself... So, the girls went up to the roof to pick out the chicken. That poor chicken. I wonder if they know that when they’re selected as “The One” they’ll never come back to their friends. I hope not. I hope they’re surprised at their sudden fate. Kinda like The Island (that one’s for you Katie, Phill and Brandee; see I didn’t sleep through that movie!). Anyway, back to the killing of helpless animals... We (ehem... THEY) brought the chicken outside, and Didi came following with this crude thick metal knife and a wood stump. So Chloe bravely stretched the neck over the wood block, and the girls started screaming, “DON’T CUT YOUR FINGER, SISTER! YOUR FINGER! WATCH YOUR FINGER!!!!!!” So, Didi ran over and grabbed the body from Asa, and pulled it out further, to ensure there was enough room to slice the neck. I don’t know if you’ve ever going to kill a chicken, but if you do, please make sure the knife is sharp first! With a “Whaphk!” Chloe brought down the knife! Only to have the chicken quickly retract it’s head and neck close to it’s body! For a split second, no one could figure out what happened, then, we couldn’t stop laughing. The knife had barely made a mark. So, Chloe stretched out the neck again, and “Whaphk Whaphk whaphk...” over and over again, and slowly, the head began to come off! The chicken’s poor little legs thought they were running, but Didi held tight. After over 20 strikes at the poor little soul, Chloe determined that the most humane way to finish this delicate job was to saw the head off. So, she finished the job, and the chicken had not energy left to run. Didi, laughing as hard as I’ve ever seen her laugh, just looked at the head and the body then back to the head, and shook her own head! It was quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve seen since arriving (please don’t take offense, animal lovers, it wasn’t intentional!!!)! With a quite anti climatic finish, Didi laid down the body, and it’s legs just kinda moved as if underwater... and then it rested. After, we sharpened the knife (what? well, when I kill the chicken, we will sharpen the knife beforehand!!!) and Didi began to strip the chicken... We’ll be having that for a few days now. Innards and all! I’ll try to upload the video from it, if it’ll work :). Hope you enjoyed the killing of the chicken!
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