The other day I realized my cheeks hurt because I’ve been smiling so much. It’s the greatest pain I think I’ve ever felt.
This past week I’ve been helping out at Shanti Dan—Mother Teresa’s home for mentally challenged women. Most of the women are fairly self-sufficient. They can feed themselves, dress themselves and clean themselves. They just need people to love them.
So that’s what I do every morning. I smile and shake hands and give hugs. And then sing and dance and color. After tea time all the volunteers set up a makeshift beauty parlor where we give massages and paint nails. Occasionally, we do puzzles and build with blocks. Essentially, I help lead a pre-school for adult women who are emotionally disturbed for reasons I weep over as they try to explain in Bengali. But I experience such joy—such unbelievable joy—being with them.
It would be a lie to say that these women are “beautiful.” One has a beard. Several are missing hands and feet. Another lady looks like she is straight out of a horror film. But each morning these dear women come to us shouting “Aunty! Aunty! Aunty!” and embrace us and shake us and tickle us with such passionate abandon. They bless our feet and kiss our hands just for showing up.
And I love them. I really love them. And I am really loved.
It’s been really neat meeting all the volunteers. Every day I get to enjoy women from Ireland, Switzerland, Argentina, Italy, France and Spain. All are deeply affected by the life of Mama T and curious to experience the work she was convicted to do.
Sometime early next week I am hoping to interview the “Volunteer Coordinator” Sister to find out her deal—our 1st day she mentioned quietly to me in passing that when she was my age she was also “particularly fond of the tie-dye.” Legit.
There’s A LOT to do in Calcutta. It’s a lil’ weird being in such a Westernized city. Sometimes I feel like I’m in NYC. There are taxis everywhere and some pretty hip restaurants. Stores like Levi Strauss litter the streets. Poverty lives and sleeps in the alleys. Each time we walk to the “Mother House,” we pass men showering in the streets, women sleeping under torn cloth and babies running around half-naked. Within a few minute walk through the city you will easily encounter all the different castes. And the whole thing so much more significant than upper, middle and lower classes. Your caste is your identity, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.
Since Kolkata [sweet new modern spelling!] is such a bumpin’ town I thought I’d share some of my street highlights…
1. Blue Sky Café—Super rad Indian diner with 500 items on the menu. ALL the Mama T volunteers eat lunch here every day. Get the potato salad!
2. Juice World—Straight up fruit juice shack. Everything from pomegranate lime to mango banana. Just don’t order the iced coffee unless you like strawberry ice cream and almonds….
3. Autorickshaw—The sweetest way to get around town. Smaller than a taxi but more spacious than an old school rickshaw. Recommended capacity = 5 passengers. We fit 7.
4. Volunteer Day! :)—O.K. So this only happens once a year and we happened to get lucky but this international variety showcase featuring the volunteers at Mama T’s homes is one of the most beautiful LOVE fests I’ve ever experienced.
5. Queen Victoria Memorial—But only the gardens outside. Walk through the park with “wild stallions” in the rain to get there and take a picture amidst the sunflowers.
Bonus: Buy Alibaba Peacock Pants at Sunshine across from the Hotel Maria on Sudder Street! Best thing EVER!!!
Tonight we’re attending a celebration with music and dinner at a Sikh Temple near Khaligat. Get excited!
Prayer Requests
-Missionaries of Charity
-Women at Shanti Dan
-Revelation of Jesus to EVERYONE we encounter
-Travel for all the volunteers who are acomin’ and agoin’
-Individual & collective growth according to God’s will
-Sisterhood
-Health [we’re all catchin’ colds :(]
-Safety
I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to “blog” again before we begin our EPIC journey home…BUT there will definitely be one more “namaste” post comin’ along with my “Sister Story.” Stay tuned!
One week left! Sooo good!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
“And rain down Your LOVE on us…”
I’m on a train AND it’s goin’ medium paced AND…
But in all seriousness, I’m on a train in India, pretending I’m a 1st year Sadhu on my way to “Rajwarts”! [Hehe…get it?]
I’ve never traveled by train internationally before so let’s just say I’m pretty darn stoked especially since I’m reclinin’ next to this GINORMOUS window.
And now, what you’ve all been anxiously waiting for…
Y.W.A.M. Varanasi Week 2!!! :)
So this week we all continued to do what we were doing last week. I still had the [mostly] pleasure of teaching 3rd grade. This week was all about DINOSAURS! And Gondwanaland AKA Pangaea AKA the fatty mass that supposedly was comprised of all the continents until Earth’s heated plates shifted everything a gazillion years ago. We got to do all sorts of pretty rad science experiments [which were mostly improvised due to lack of supplies] such as making our own fossils and excavating a chocolate chip cookie. On Thursday, the kids threw all of us teachers a lil’ party to say thanks. They “secretly” had been planning it all week. My students were the rings leaders. They made us special cards and drawings and even a guitar for Aunty Shea. It was super cute.
On Tuesday we all had the chance to go together to the leper colony down the street and around the corner from Wallaby School. Back in the day, it was a totally pimped out facility sponsored by the government for the lepers and their families. Now it has virtually no funding and is run by a former Hindu priest [they’re EVERYWHERE!] who has the disease himself.
Each morning the men “dress” their wounds—the priest takes a small scalpel and cuts away the parts off flesh that have become infected. Many are missing fingers and toes. One man didn’t have a foot. After the wounds were cleansed with iodine, I had the opportunity to wrap them in gauze. It was a very difficult yet undifficult thing to do all at the same time. I don’t want to write about it now, but please ask me about the experience once I’m home. It’s definitely a face to face conversation.
Later that morning we went to visit 93 juvenile delinquents in a local state facility. The boys are convicted of drug dealin’, murder and rape. BUT no one knows if they actually committed the crimes they were sentenced for or were just homeless street kids guilty by association. We awkwardly sang a few “Jesus songs” for them which they somewhat enjoyed and then acted out “Daniel and the Lion’s Den”—our go to story sketch. The real thrill of the afternoon though was when we played “Lion, Hunter, Lady” [the Indian…slightly “inapro-pro” version of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”]. Hunter beats Lion. Lion beats Lady. And well, Lady beats Hunter. I was the girl winner and had to face the boy winner in the finals which is apparently hilarious in an all-boy Indian Juvy. Sadly, I lost it for the Americans, but still had an…er…interesting time.
We finished the day watching the Y.W.A.M. Varanasi children’s ministry staff in action as they led a VBS centered on Noah’s ark to local village children and then we massaged and jammed with the widows employed through Hope Arts [the “Dutch” bakery and handicraft company that provides lonely Indian women with a means to support themselves].
So yeah. It was a pretty cool week. For the most part.
We struggled a lil’ bit as a team this week, but we really had EVERYTHING against us…
1. Week 6— by now any group of people would be a tiddle bit sick of each other
2. Andy’s House— we’ve been living right on top of each in the bottom floor of a Y.W.A.M. missionary family’s house who are currently on furlough
3. The HEAT— did I mention last time that it is hot?
4. Pedro & Friends— a 3rd of us were out for a couple days with parasites and bacterial infections
5. Vulnerability— God’s growing us especially in ways unanticipated which is always what is best but also always what is REALLY hard
BONUS! We miss Kristin. A LOT! Flat Kristin just never seems to cut it…
On Friday we took a redeeming Sabbath Fast. I love how Jesus is still always saving us from ourselves.
Prayer Requests
-Wallaby School—4 teachers just resigned!
-Leper Colony
-Juvenile Detention Center
-Hope Arts
-Simran, David and Laxmi—my 3rd graders!
-Y.W.A.M. Varanasi missionary families [Margreet & Kym, Sangkim & John, all the “Church Planters”, etc.]
-Individual & collective growth according to God’s will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
Yesterday I finished A Simple Path by Mama T. I’m ecstatic for the chance to work at one of her homes. Don’t worry, Dad, I mostly like won’t become a nun and live in the slums of Calcutta for the rest of my life, BUT I can’t say I haven’t thought about it…
O.K. Bye!
But in all seriousness, I’m on a train in India, pretending I’m a 1st year Sadhu on my way to “Rajwarts”! [Hehe…get it?]
I’ve never traveled by train internationally before so let’s just say I’m pretty darn stoked especially since I’m reclinin’ next to this GINORMOUS window.
And now, what you’ve all been anxiously waiting for…
Y.W.A.M. Varanasi Week 2!!! :)
So this week we all continued to do what we were doing last week. I still had the [mostly] pleasure of teaching 3rd grade. This week was all about DINOSAURS! And Gondwanaland AKA Pangaea AKA the fatty mass that supposedly was comprised of all the continents until Earth’s heated plates shifted everything a gazillion years ago. We got to do all sorts of pretty rad science experiments [which were mostly improvised due to lack of supplies] such as making our own fossils and excavating a chocolate chip cookie. On Thursday, the kids threw all of us teachers a lil’ party to say thanks. They “secretly” had been planning it all week. My students were the rings leaders. They made us special cards and drawings and even a guitar for Aunty Shea. It was super cute.
On Tuesday we all had the chance to go together to the leper colony down the street and around the corner from Wallaby School. Back in the day, it was a totally pimped out facility sponsored by the government for the lepers and their families. Now it has virtually no funding and is run by a former Hindu priest [they’re EVERYWHERE!] who has the disease himself.
Each morning the men “dress” their wounds—the priest takes a small scalpel and cuts away the parts off flesh that have become infected. Many are missing fingers and toes. One man didn’t have a foot. After the wounds were cleansed with iodine, I had the opportunity to wrap them in gauze. It was a very difficult yet undifficult thing to do all at the same time. I don’t want to write about it now, but please ask me about the experience once I’m home. It’s definitely a face to face conversation.
Later that morning we went to visit 93 juvenile delinquents in a local state facility. The boys are convicted of drug dealin’, murder and rape. BUT no one knows if they actually committed the crimes they were sentenced for or were just homeless street kids guilty by association. We awkwardly sang a few “Jesus songs” for them which they somewhat enjoyed and then acted out “Daniel and the Lion’s Den”—our go to story sketch. The real thrill of the afternoon though was when we played “Lion, Hunter, Lady” [the Indian…slightly “inapro-pro” version of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”]. Hunter beats Lion. Lion beats Lady. And well, Lady beats Hunter. I was the girl winner and had to face the boy winner in the finals which is apparently hilarious in an all-boy Indian Juvy. Sadly, I lost it for the Americans, but still had an…er…interesting time.
We finished the day watching the Y.W.A.M. Varanasi children’s ministry staff in action as they led a VBS centered on Noah’s ark to local village children and then we massaged and jammed with the widows employed through Hope Arts [the “Dutch” bakery and handicraft company that provides lonely Indian women with a means to support themselves].
So yeah. It was a pretty cool week. For the most part.
We struggled a lil’ bit as a team this week, but we really had EVERYTHING against us…
1. Week 6— by now any group of people would be a tiddle bit sick of each other
2. Andy’s House— we’ve been living right on top of each in the bottom floor of a Y.W.A.M. missionary family’s house who are currently on furlough
3. The HEAT— did I mention last time that it is hot?
4. Pedro & Friends— a 3rd of us were out for a couple days with parasites and bacterial infections
5. Vulnerability— God’s growing us especially in ways unanticipated which is always what is best but also always what is REALLY hard
BONUS! We miss Kristin. A LOT! Flat Kristin just never seems to cut it…
On Friday we took a redeeming Sabbath Fast. I love how Jesus is still always saving us from ourselves.
Prayer Requests
-Wallaby School—4 teachers just resigned!
-Leper Colony
-Juvenile Detention Center
-Hope Arts
-Simran, David and Laxmi—my 3rd graders!
-Y.W.A.M. Varanasi missionary families [Margreet & Kym, Sangkim & John, all the “Church Planters”, etc.]
-Individual & collective growth according to God’s will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
Yesterday I finished A Simple Path by Mama T. I’m ecstatic for the chance to work at one of her homes. Don’t worry, Dad, I mostly like won’t become a nun and live in the slums of Calcutta for the rest of my life, BUT I can’t say I haven’t thought about it…
O.K. Bye!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
"Because I live in India I..."
So I don’t think I’ve ever sweated this much in my entire life…like really. And I have no idea why my sweat smells like sourdough bread. But it does.
Anyways…
We’re currently in Sarnath—home of Buddha’s 1st sermon! We’ve spent the past week working at the Youth With A Mission [Y.W.A.M.] base cleaning the wounds of lepers, making handcrafts with widows and teaching pre-school through 8th grade at the school for all the missionary kids.
I’ve had the pleasure of teaching 3rd grade. I have three students—Simran, David and Laxmi. They’re all super spunky kids who are unafraid to let me know when the lessons are too BORING! This week we’ve learned everything from how to spell various English “–ar” words to how to identify the three main types of rock [sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic]. The school uses a group home school curriculum. The funny thing is it is a home school curriculum for students in Australia. While the Y.W.A.M. base hosts many international families, none of them are actually from Australia….So essentially we have kids from India, Holland and Malaysia learning about aboriginal dreams and trilobites and responding to homework prompts such as “Because I live in Austrailia I…” School is certainly amusing.
Before we journeyed to Sarnath, we spent the weekend in Varanasi partnering with the ministry of Pastor Jacob—one of Professor Lee’s old friends from previous travels. Pastor Jacob is originally from South Korea. He and his family now live in Varanasi where they minister to “the City of Light” through a home church and computer teaching.
During our few day stay, Pastor Jacob led us on intercessory prayer walks throughout the city. We visited several different temples as well as observed a traditional Hindu prayer ceremony on the ghats. I was amazed at the reverence and irreverence of it all. The Hindu religion has always intrigued me with its mysteriously disciplined practices. The incense. The swaying. The burnt flower offerings. It’s very beautiful to watch. Yet, at the same time, children were still trying to panhandle during the ceremony which was being broadcast behind the crowd on a flat screen T.V. Bizarre.
The more I learn about idol worship—the eerier the whole practice becomes. Praying over the temples was really hard. Some of the shrines we saw looked like they were straight out of a horror movie. Splattered paint. Animal feces. Deranged beggars. I really struggle to understand how anyone could believe that spooky manmade creations could help or harm them. But then again I think about how they must view our crosses and portraits of Jesus. I certainly feel the darkness. Now I wish to understand it.
During our temple tour, Pastor Jacob took us to B.H.U—the largest university in Varanasi—where we had the opportunity to meet with fellow college students to discuss the similarities and differences between our educational experiences. My group ended up being invited into the male dormoritory for future doctors where we shared a lovely afternoon chat over chai and Masala Munch—my new favorite treat! We learned a lot about Hindu beliefs and even got to share about Christianity. I think this conversation was the 1st time in my life that I actually had the opportunity to share the Gospel straight up. We exchanged contact information with the boys and are hoping to continue the exchange over Facebook once we return home. We also got a free motorcycle ride out of it!
Instead of listing my “highs” of the week, I thought this time I would share some definite “Dos” and “Don’ts” in case you ever find yourself in this part of India.
“Dos”
1. Sleep on the roof of your “rest house” [BUT only until 5:30 a.m. when the monkeys come…]
2. Order a Limca
3. Shop at Babba Bob
4. Get a parasite, name him Pedro, go to the Indian doctor, buy meds called “Vomstop” and then take them 3 times a day while chanting “Die, Pedro, die!”
5. Dance in the monsoon
“Don’ts”
1. Expect the fans to work
2. Eat at a restaurant called “Frolickin’ Family Fun”…it’s not frolickin’ nor fun
3. Take pictures with Buddha
4. Spank the cows
5. Flush the squatty potty
Prayer Requests
-Pastor Jacob's community ministry
-True Worship
-Y.W.A.M. Varanasi Staff
-Widows
-Lepers
-Individual & collective growth according to God's will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
Also, please pray for Kristin and her family. When we returned from our stint in the village, she received some tragic news. She is now safe at home, but we ALL miss her dearly.
Expect more musings, tales and insights from our 2nd week with Y.W.A.M. once we hit Calcutta. We're taking a train! :)
Anyways…
We’re currently in Sarnath—home of Buddha’s 1st sermon! We’ve spent the past week working at the Youth With A Mission [Y.W.A.M.] base cleaning the wounds of lepers, making handcrafts with widows and teaching pre-school through 8th grade at the school for all the missionary kids.
I’ve had the pleasure of teaching 3rd grade. I have three students—Simran, David and Laxmi. They’re all super spunky kids who are unafraid to let me know when the lessons are too BORING! This week we’ve learned everything from how to spell various English “–ar” words to how to identify the three main types of rock [sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic]. The school uses a group home school curriculum. The funny thing is it is a home school curriculum for students in Australia. While the Y.W.A.M. base hosts many international families, none of them are actually from Australia….So essentially we have kids from India, Holland and Malaysia learning about aboriginal dreams and trilobites and responding to homework prompts such as “Because I live in Austrailia I…” School is certainly amusing.
Before we journeyed to Sarnath, we spent the weekend in Varanasi partnering with the ministry of Pastor Jacob—one of Professor Lee’s old friends from previous travels. Pastor Jacob is originally from South Korea. He and his family now live in Varanasi where they minister to “the City of Light” through a home church and computer teaching.
During our few day stay, Pastor Jacob led us on intercessory prayer walks throughout the city. We visited several different temples as well as observed a traditional Hindu prayer ceremony on the ghats. I was amazed at the reverence and irreverence of it all. The Hindu religion has always intrigued me with its mysteriously disciplined practices. The incense. The swaying. The burnt flower offerings. It’s very beautiful to watch. Yet, at the same time, children were still trying to panhandle during the ceremony which was being broadcast behind the crowd on a flat screen T.V. Bizarre.
The more I learn about idol worship—the eerier the whole practice becomes. Praying over the temples was really hard. Some of the shrines we saw looked like they were straight out of a horror movie. Splattered paint. Animal feces. Deranged beggars. I really struggle to understand how anyone could believe that spooky manmade creations could help or harm them. But then again I think about how they must view our crosses and portraits of Jesus. I certainly feel the darkness. Now I wish to understand it.
During our temple tour, Pastor Jacob took us to B.H.U—the largest university in Varanasi—where we had the opportunity to meet with fellow college students to discuss the similarities and differences between our educational experiences. My group ended up being invited into the male dormoritory for future doctors where we shared a lovely afternoon chat over chai and Masala Munch—my new favorite treat! We learned a lot about Hindu beliefs and even got to share about Christianity. I think this conversation was the 1st time in my life that I actually had the opportunity to share the Gospel straight up. We exchanged contact information with the boys and are hoping to continue the exchange over Facebook once we return home. We also got a free motorcycle ride out of it!
Instead of listing my “highs” of the week, I thought this time I would share some definite “Dos” and “Don’ts” in case you ever find yourself in this part of India.
“Dos”
1. Sleep on the roof of your “rest house” [BUT only until 5:30 a.m. when the monkeys come…]
2. Order a Limca
3. Shop at Babba Bob
4. Get a parasite, name him Pedro, go to the Indian doctor, buy meds called “Vomstop” and then take them 3 times a day while chanting “Die, Pedro, die!”
5. Dance in the monsoon
“Don’ts”
1. Expect the fans to work
2. Eat at a restaurant called “Frolickin’ Family Fun”…it’s not frolickin’ nor fun
3. Take pictures with Buddha
4. Spank the cows
5. Flush the squatty potty
Prayer Requests
-Pastor Jacob's community ministry
-True Worship
-Y.W.A.M. Varanasi Staff
-Widows
-Lepers
-Individual & collective growth according to God's will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
Also, please pray for Kristin and her family. When we returned from our stint in the village, she received some tragic news. She is now safe at home, but we ALL miss her dearly.
Expect more musings, tales and insights from our 2nd week with Y.W.A.M. once we hit Calcutta. We're taking a train! :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Harmi, baby! What happened?!?!?!
So we just got back from our week in the village! Despite our original plans for Nepal falling through, we were able to team up with Michael and Lupe—a missionary couple originally from Silver Spring, Maryland! :) They first came to Nepal in 2001 through a short-term mission with their home church and instantaneously fell in love with the Nepali people. They have served as church planters in the remote villages of Gorkha ever since.
While Michael and Lupe have passed through the village of Harmi many times on their treks to show the Jesus film to the unreached Hindu communities, they had yet to find an opportunity to minister this particular area. Michael’s Nepali friend, Iswori, is the only Christian in Harmi. He begged Michael often to come and teach English to the teachers at the local elementary school and have fun with the children but their plans never worked out. Insert two certified ESL instructors, three camp counselors, a VBS teacher, a worship leader and several experienced babysitters and suddenly things clicked.
After meeting Michael and Lupe at church on Sunday, we left early Tuesday morning for Harmi. We took a 6 hour bus ride followed by a 2 hour muddy jeep excursion—we got stuck twice. We then hiked another hour to the house where we would spend the next three nights. We all got nice and cozy sleeping 6 people on thatch mats in two 12 x 7 ft rooms complete with a sacred Hindu shrine featuring Krishna, Buddha and special guest star, Jesus!
The next morning we woke and scrambled to create English teaching lesson plans for the teachers as well as a 4 hour VBS program for the children centered on the theme of Super Heroes. We divided into teams to act out Bible stories, create crafts, lead songs and teach games. The first day was pretty difficult as we tried to get a feel for what the kids liked and didn’t like as well as what they could understand since they speak very limited English. In addition, it was the first time most of us had ever done any sort of service with a completely secular organization.
With the exception of Iswori and his family, everyone else in the village of Harmi are practicing Hindus. While most people we met—children and adults alike—were eager to learn about Jesus, they do not recognize Him as their Savior. One night we invited all families in the surrounding area to watch a version of the “Jesus Film” which sparked some interest and questions. Several people asked for Nepali Bibles but we only had our English ones to give them.
I have never in my life wanted more urgently to tell anyone about Jesus. I also have never in my life felt more helpless to be able to do so. Aside from the obvious language barrier, there was a definite shadow cast over the otherwise joyful village manifest in the lurking Hindu priest who frequently poked his head in our classroom windows to see what we were up to. One afternoon, when walking with one of the village boys, Penchandra, I asked him about the village god. He led me to the public shrine where a picture rested locked in cage. I asked him how often the people of the village came to worship this god. Some everyday. Others only on special occasions. As I stood staring into the cage my heart cried. This is what my beautiful new friends believed in. My friends who slept outside on their porch through premonsoon thunderstorms so I could rest dry inside. My friends who fed me countless packs of Nano [Nepali Top Ramen!] and chapatti with bananas because my stomach couldn’t handle anything else. My friends who celebrated starlight dance parties and held onto my arm and laughed and laughed and laughed when they would tell me stories in Nepali that they knew I couldn’t understand.
Now that they have substantial contacts in Harmi, Michael and Lupe plan to visit again in a few months after the monsoon season to continue sharing Jesus in an area where we were the first foreigners as well as the first Christians to visit in decades. I hope the village’s fascination with Jesus will last ‘til then. God is in control.
Some highlights of our week with the “Village People” include…
1. Learning to dance the “P. Diddy”
2. Singing the 13 minute version of “Every Move I Make”
3. Riding a tractor through a river followed by 10 miles of unexpected trekking
4. Catching “june kitties” [fireflies]during lightening storms
5. Learning to become sisters…for REAL
Prayer Requests
-Pechandra, Dipak, Ramona Debi and all the other villagers curious about Jesus
-The lurking Hindu priest
-More English learning opportunities for the teachers and students
-Accessibility to Nepali Bibles
-Future Christian partnerships in Gorkha
-Ministry of Michael and Lupe to the Nepali people
-Individual & collective growth according to God’s will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
We’ll be spending the next few days relaxing in bungalows for our mid-trip retreat in Chitwan National Park. We get to sleep in, eat french fries and ride elephants! Hooray!
Talk to you in Varanasi!
P.S. We’re a lil’ behind on our story writing. Sorry! Expect loads in the next week or so. I have two acomin’!
While Michael and Lupe have passed through the village of Harmi many times on their treks to show the Jesus film to the unreached Hindu communities, they had yet to find an opportunity to minister this particular area. Michael’s Nepali friend, Iswori, is the only Christian in Harmi. He begged Michael often to come and teach English to the teachers at the local elementary school and have fun with the children but their plans never worked out. Insert two certified ESL instructors, three camp counselors, a VBS teacher, a worship leader and several experienced babysitters and suddenly things clicked.
After meeting Michael and Lupe at church on Sunday, we left early Tuesday morning for Harmi. We took a 6 hour bus ride followed by a 2 hour muddy jeep excursion—we got stuck twice. We then hiked another hour to the house where we would spend the next three nights. We all got nice and cozy sleeping 6 people on thatch mats in two 12 x 7 ft rooms complete with a sacred Hindu shrine featuring Krishna, Buddha and special guest star, Jesus!
The next morning we woke and scrambled to create English teaching lesson plans for the teachers as well as a 4 hour VBS program for the children centered on the theme of Super Heroes. We divided into teams to act out Bible stories, create crafts, lead songs and teach games. The first day was pretty difficult as we tried to get a feel for what the kids liked and didn’t like as well as what they could understand since they speak very limited English. In addition, it was the first time most of us had ever done any sort of service with a completely secular organization.
With the exception of Iswori and his family, everyone else in the village of Harmi are practicing Hindus. While most people we met—children and adults alike—were eager to learn about Jesus, they do not recognize Him as their Savior. One night we invited all families in the surrounding area to watch a version of the “Jesus Film” which sparked some interest and questions. Several people asked for Nepali Bibles but we only had our English ones to give them.
I have never in my life wanted more urgently to tell anyone about Jesus. I also have never in my life felt more helpless to be able to do so. Aside from the obvious language barrier, there was a definite shadow cast over the otherwise joyful village manifest in the lurking Hindu priest who frequently poked his head in our classroom windows to see what we were up to. One afternoon, when walking with one of the village boys, Penchandra, I asked him about the village god. He led me to the public shrine where a picture rested locked in cage. I asked him how often the people of the village came to worship this god. Some everyday. Others only on special occasions. As I stood staring into the cage my heart cried. This is what my beautiful new friends believed in. My friends who slept outside on their porch through premonsoon thunderstorms so I could rest dry inside. My friends who fed me countless packs of Nano [Nepali Top Ramen!] and chapatti with bananas because my stomach couldn’t handle anything else. My friends who celebrated starlight dance parties and held onto my arm and laughed and laughed and laughed when they would tell me stories in Nepali that they knew I couldn’t understand.
Now that they have substantial contacts in Harmi, Michael and Lupe plan to visit again in a few months after the monsoon season to continue sharing Jesus in an area where we were the first foreigners as well as the first Christians to visit in decades. I hope the village’s fascination with Jesus will last ‘til then. God is in control.
Some highlights of our week with the “Village People” include…
1. Learning to dance the “P. Diddy”
2. Singing the 13 minute version of “Every Move I Make”
3. Riding a tractor through a river followed by 10 miles of unexpected trekking
4. Catching “june kitties” [fireflies]during lightening storms
5. Learning to become sisters…for REAL
Prayer Requests
-Pechandra, Dipak, Ramona Debi and all the other villagers curious about Jesus
-The lurking Hindu priest
-More English learning opportunities for the teachers and students
-Accessibility to Nepali Bibles
-Future Christian partnerships in Gorkha
-Ministry of Michael and Lupe to the Nepali people
-Individual & collective growth according to God’s will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety
We’ll be spending the next few days relaxing in bungalows for our mid-trip retreat in Chitwan National Park. We get to sleep in, eat french fries and ride elephants! Hooray!
Talk to you in Varanasi!
P.S. We’re a lil’ behind on our story writing. Sorry! Expect loads in the next week or so. I have two acomin’!
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