Nepal is crazy! It's crazy to wake up every morning and watch the sun rise over the Himalayas, it's absolutely beautiful. Everything here is completely different than what I am used to. I guess I just was so caught up in western culture that I didn't realize that not everyone in the world lives like we do. I mean, I had read about it and seen pictures of the way other non-western cultures live, but you aren't able to grasp it until you actually live in it. One of the most shocking things that I had to get used to was the fact that there is trash everywhere! They don't have garbage cans anywhere, they just throw the trash on the ground or in ditches or in a river. I also had to get used to squaty potties and (cold) bucket showers. I think I've only taken 4 showers since being here, I know that sounds gross, but I've surrendered the right to be clean and to look good and honestly, life is much easier.
Ministry is going so well. The second day here we were in a village evangelizing and right before we were about to go home, a man just came right up to us and asked us if we could tell him about Jesus. We did of course and he became a Christian right there. It was incredible! The people here are really open to hearing about Jesus, but they are really attached to their Hindu culture and that is what's holding them back from accepting him. Be praying that those barriers are broken down! The people are also so friendly and generous. When we go to villages we are almost always invited to have tea or something to eat. It's crazy to think that these people have so little yet they are still willing to offer us what they have. Even when we went to a slum we were invited back by a Christian lady who lived there to have tea. Her "house" was maybe half the size of my bedroom at home. It made me realize how blessed I have been and it also made me decide to never complain again about anything, because I have no right to. Going to the slum was pretty eye opening. I was really not looking forward to it because it was so far out of my comfort zone, but now I'm actually pretty comfortable out of my comfort zone. Anyways first we played some soccer with some of the kids in the slum which was pretty fun, I think they thought we were giants.. (Everyone here is tiny). But then my friend Julie and I found some girls who were about my age and we started talking to them a little bit. One of the girls was clipping her toenails and Julie asked if she had any nail polish so we could paint their nails. She brought it over and before we knew it about ten little girls were flocking around us want their nails painted! The girls loved it so much, I could just see it on their faces. They asked if we could come back the next day and to my surprise, I actually wanted to! It was just so awesome sharing God's love in that way.
We have been really blessed though while being here so far. The base that we are staying at has wifi and they have beds for us which we weren't actually expecting. They have also been feeding us really well. It's a lot of rice and lentils, but we also get a lot of potato and cauliflower curry! That's like one of my favorite things at home! We has chicken at maybe three times a week, but we don't get much meat besides that which was kind of hard to get used to. I'm very thankful for what we get though, and I'm especially thankful for the tea every morning! It's so yummy!
Everything is so cheap here! It's dangerous to go shopping because since everything is so cheap I buy a ton of things but then I end up still spending heaps if money. I bought a really nice inflatable sleeping pad and a couple of fleeces, a North Face and a Jack Wolfskin, and then a North Face thermal which I've worn for a week straight now, it's really warm :). I don't understand how shop owners make any money here because it seems like everyone has their own shop and they all sell the exact same thing, it's very thought provoking.
I almost forgot to tell you guys about the bus system here! Almost every day we take the bus to our ministry location. The "bus" is basically a 13-15 seat van that 25-35 people are crammed into. Sometimes I sit there with 30 other people squished next to me and I think that there is no possible way that more people can fit on this bus, but somehow they manage to get like 5 more people inside, well some of them are hanging out the side I guess. Everyday is a new adventure, and it seems like everyday a new record is set as to how many people we fit inside a bus.
I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed these past two weeks in Nepal, it has made me appreciate everything that I have so much more. Each experience has grown me in some way; squaty potties have given me a deep appreciation for western toilets, holding beautiful babies in the villages we go to has really given me a heart for the people here, and sitting through 4 hour Nepalese church services has made me realize how much I miss my church back at home and how important it is to gather with other believers and worship God. But tomorrow I am off on a new adventure. My team leaves for Dhading tomorrow, and from what I've heard, it's going to be very different then here in Kathmandu. We're taking a four hour bus ride to a children's home in Dhading where we will be staying the night. The next day we will be starting a two day trek to an unreached village. We will stay in that village for five days and then trek back to the children's home and then take a bus back to Kathmandu. Basically I will not be showering for 11 days and I won't be doing laundry either. It's going to be an unforgettable experience, that's for sure. But I'm so excited to share the gospel to an unreached village! That is such an awesome opportunity!
Well that's definitely not everything I've done since being here, but at least you get an idea of how I've been living and what I've been doing these past two weeks! Please be praying for my team as we leave tomorrow, pray that we make it safely and that nobody gets sick while we are there. Also pray that people will come to know Christ as we share the gospel with them!
Okay, hopefully I can blog when I get back from Dhading. I really really miss everyone at home! Love you! See you in two and a half months :)
Here's a picture of my team in the mountains! Sorry there aren't more pictures, I have them but they're on my phone and I don't have wifi on my phone.
Xo, Helen
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