Day 3 (3/28)

Sorry it has been awhile, my friends . . . my computer decided to die on me, but I am now victorious and back on the blog-front! :) I'll add more pictures after I get them added to this computer . . .

So, Day 3 . . . well, let me just say that getting out of bed was a monstrous task after the exhausting day before . . . whew! But we were excited to see what God had in store for us in the day ahead, and it was a day we had all been looking so forward to!

We started the day in total darkness, due to the rolling black-outs in the city, and we were running late . . . come-on, we're all women trying to get ready! :) We met Ellen and Samundra (one of the translators for the women's day camp) at the Red Dingo, where we had a wonderful breakfast of an egg stack (or something like that - it had an English muffin, avocado, egg, chicken, and hash browns - YUMMY!!) Neil . . . we actually had Dal Baaht . . . and we ate it all down!! ;) We ate as quickly as we could, and then we were off to the Home of Hope, run by a group named Project Rescue.

Ramona, the woman "in-charge" met us there and introduced us to our sweet sisters there. Sue led a short but beautiful devotional on how the many colors in Nepal (their clothes are SO colorful!) reminded her of the many vibrant colors we will see in heaven. The ladies seemed to really respond! We had the chance to pray for and with them, and then we were off to another building where they run their business.

These women are rescued out of forced prostitution - many of them kidnapped as early as age 6 all the way up to about age 14 or 15. Then, they are taken and sold into a house of child prostitution, where they are locked in rooms. If they do not willingly participate in the prostitution, they are beaten and then thrown in cages with rats and cobras. Assuming they survive that, if they still do not participate, they have acid dripped on their skin. I cannot even being to imagine such atrocities, and the condition such women and girls would be in . . . yet, these women had smiles on their faces and such a peacefulness about their demeanor - they were so beautiful. Project Rescue takes the women, and prays with them, counsels them, and helps them through every step of the healing process, reminding them that they are so important to the King of kings - He loves them and is desperate to know them. I could see that each of these women now knew their tremendous worth!!

Once the women are ready, they are given the opportunity to work - making bags, hats, scarfs, paper goods (journals, photo albums) . . . they learn very quickly, and are very good! You can see and even purchase their goods at www.ProjectRescueNepal.com - go check it out!

After we had the chance to see what they did, we were given the opportunity to love on them, spoil them, and make them feel beautiful - we painted their nails (and gave them the polish), did their make-up (and gave them make-up, much to their GREAT delight!), and one of the ladies with us, Katrina, cuts hair, and she gave every single woman a free haircut!! They were so delighted, and blessed - Katrina worked hard to get every single woman taken care of. :) It was so much fun to serve them and love on them - though we couldn't really communicate through words, it was amazing what a touch, a hug, a smile, and little "girl time" can do to bring women together!

When we were done beautifying the ladies, we headed back to the house, where the ladies were going to teach us how to cook Dal Baaht (yes, Neil, real Dal Baaht). They didn't really let any of us learn, but a few of us watched intently, trying to learn! The rest of us (meaning me) decided we wanted to learn how to dance. It was so much fun!! We were far from good, but the ladies playing music for us, and they laughed right along with us, as our sweet sister tried to teach us to dance . . . clumsy Americans!! HAHAHA!! Meanwhile, Katrina, who was exhausted, had sat down to rest, when 2 of the ladies asked if they could massage her arms. They took lotion and began to rub her arms and hands in a great act of humility and service . . . as you can imagine, Katrina was DEEPLY touched, and I believe was changed forever.

Then, lunch was served!! Now, Dal Baaht is a bit spicy for me . . . but I did my best. I also decided to be a good sport and eat with my hands, even though we were offered utensils. This seemed to really delight the ladies, however one woman apparently didn't think I was doing it right, because she first grabbed a handful of food off my plate and ate it (showing me how to do it), and I still didn't get it right (even though I got the food in my mouth), so she then proceeded to feed me . . . yes, people, she picked up some food, and jammed her hand in my mouth!! What could I do?? So, I posed for a picture, laughed, and proceed to eat. :) Humility is good, yes? I think that as the meal went on, I got better, but eating with my hands is definitely not my talent. The Dal Baaht was really good - I even went back for seconds . . . it's true!!

We had such a wonderful time with these women, and connected so deeply and so wonderfully, that we didn't want to leave!! What beautiful ladies with such tremendous testimonies . . .

Then, we were off with Samundra, our new good friend, to khurtas - yes, we did a lot of shopping! We had a great time talking with her, and walking with her ("Cross with Authority!" What she told us to do when crossing the street - you cross any old place, and just have to trust that the cars won't hit you. I quickly got in the habit of asking God for a gap, and He so kindly provided one for me every single time!) Now, if you know me, you know that I am high energy and I function at about 100 miles an hour . . . so, you can imagine what a surprise for me to find someone who functions with even more energy than me! Well, that is Samundra. That girl had more energy than I could keep up with!! And she was so much fun, as well. We looked for jewelry and clothes, and anything we could spend our money on, all while having a great time!

Then, it was off to the Lazy Gringo (hajur? Lazy Gringo . . . hajur? GRINGO . . . . hajur? G-R-I-N-G-O . . . hajur? Aalchhi Bideshi . . . long story - great laugh!!!!) for dinner . . . ah, sweet, sweet, Mexican food. (I mean, Dal Baaht, Neil, it was Dal Baaht.) I don't remember what I ordered, but I do know that it tasted good. I did have a "open mouth, insert foot" moment, when I made a joke about the pinata, only to find out that Todd had made it himself, from scratch . . . it was at this moment that Ellen and I realized we were long-lost sisters - neither one of us has a filter, we just say what we wanna! :) I do have to say, however, that for being made from scratch, that pinata was really good. However, I think I'll be taking with me a pinata the next time I travel to Nepal!

We had lots of fun at dinner - we laughed, we cried (when we found out about the babies being healed), and we laughed some more!!

Then, it was back to the guest house for our devotional and time for some sleep!

Monday - Wednesday morning (3/24-3/26)

I was so excited to leave that waking up at 2 a.m. wasn't nearly as difficult as it normally would be. Of course, I slept on the plane from Phoenix to LA . . . an uneventful flight. Then, I searched frantically for Starbucks in the international terminal at LAX - no luck!! Had to live with McDonald's - UGH!! Spent a few moments "dolling up" Flat Lucy (see picture - notice the nails and lashes . . . she's a beauty!) and then we were on the plane to Hong Kong, where Lucy enjoyed a sandwich and some tunes. (I was bored, people, REALLY BORED!!)


I have never been on a flight longer than about 4 hours, so 15+ hours was quite a stretch for me!! I was in the middle seat, which is NEVER comfortable, and I found myself longing for so many things while I was sitting there basically watching the clock tick-down. I was thanking God for my iPod - a life saver!! The flight ended with me eating a very heavy pasta meal (STUPID), getting over heated, feeling claustrophobic, dealing with some turbulence, dumping out my zip-lock bag of gum and goodies, and barfing - what a joy!!


Then, I found a Starbucks - at the exact moment I knew I couldn't handle it . . . God was laughing - I was put on this earth for His amusement, I think . . . glad to know that I give Him joy! :) Back through security and onto our flight to Bangkok . . . it's actually Tuesday night, now, since we crossed the International Date Line.


Hong Kong to Bangkok was uneventful and then we got to sit in the Bangkok airport for about 10 hours. Alas, no Starbucks, as far as we can tell . . . *sigh* . . . but there is a Thai massage place - a couple ladies paid for a shower - I decided to stay stinky, but I did enjoy a one hour traditional Thai massage . . . I had NO IDEA that my body could bend in such ways!!!! No chance of sleeping - too noisy, cold, and we were just too excited! We met a Nepali man named "Heri" (aka - Harry Potter) who was on his way back home. Then we were on the flight to Nepal . . .

Oh, the flight to Nepal . . . it was so uncomfortable in SO MANY ways!! I was feeling gross, ready to shower, I was tired, and I got stuck in the middle section (though I did get the aisle seat for a short time, until the man between Katrina and I realized we were together and he made me trade him seats - UGH!!) This man was Nepali, and apparently it is the "trend" to hit on foreign women in the hopes of . . . gosh, how do I put this?? . . . adding another notch to the bedpost . . . is that clean enough?? UGH!! I cannot tell you how uncomfortable it was to be sitting next to this man as he told me how "common" it was for a married man to have a girlfriend on the side . . . to which I replied, "Oh, how sad!!!" to which he responded, "the wife doesn't have to know." Good grief. I couldn't run, I couldn't hide, he kept leaning on me, and trying to find out where we were staying . . . I could feel the bile beginning to rise in my throat again - perhaps that would have kept him away . . . until finally we landed in Kathmandu, and I couldn't get off that plane fast enough!!!!!! The one positive thing that happened on this flight was that I met my newest "love" - a little boy, no older than 3 or 4, who was flirting with me between the seats . . . he leaned in, and I leaned in, and he blew me a kiss. When I returned the jesture, he jumped out of his seat, ran back to my seat, and puckered up . . . how could I resist?? I planted a kiss right on his lips, and that was it! We were buddies the rest of the trip . . . look at his beautiful brown eyes - how could I resist??? :)

Once we landed and ran off the plane, we made it through the visa line and through security quite easily, and we even found enough carts for our bags . . . and then came the first miracle of the trip - every single one of our bags - all 12 - made it all the way from Phoenix to Nepal - not a 1 got lost!! Ellen said that was the first time that has ever happened! :) God is good!!

So, it was through the doors and into the great big world of Nepal . . . .

Day 1 (3/26)

Once we made it out of the airport, we met up with Ellen and her friend Laxmi, and then we climbed into a "large" van (which barely fit 7 of us and all our luggage - we're women, so you can only imagine the sizes of our bags!!!). We drove to the guess house, just trying to take it all in . . . let me say that one of the very first things a person notices is the traffic . . . let me just say that the lines on the road are not even suggestions, they are simply ignored!! It took a while to get used to the driving, but now that I am, I can honestly say that American drivers no longer look crazy or out-of-control . . . WHEW!!!

The guest house was confortable . . . of course the first thing we all noticed (again, we're women) was that it had . . . WAIT FOR IT . . . Sitty-potties - WOO-HOO!!!! :) Yes, we were all VERY pleased with that fact!! :) We put our stuff down, tried to take a shower (more like a drizzle), and got changed into our khurtas for our first afternoon on the town.

It was SO GOOD to meet Ellen, and just begin to build that friendship with her. . . it's amazing that in 8 short days I could become such good friends with someone, but I really felt that happened. I really miss her. I miss the fact that neither of us has a "filter" - we just say what comes to mind - so we can just laugh about it, and move on! :)

So, Ellen took us shopping, and let me just say that we got the hang of this whole shopping thing REALLY quickly . . . if only shopping was a ministry! We each got fabric for a khurta, and then came the hunt for some tailors that could make them for us. Which wasn't too terribly difficult.

We got to look around, and try to take it in . . . though, I have to say that the details of everything didn't really begin to "sink in" until about day 3. I do remember being the center of attention, and so began the feeling of always having to be "on." Because we stuck out, we automatically drew attention. Then add to the fact that we were wearing Nepali clothes, people really stared and wondered. :) I felt like I constantly had to be careful of what I did, where I stepped, even what I said . . .

We had Dal Bhaat (sp??) for dinner, and let me just say that it burned every single nerve from the tip of my tongue to my stomach . . . I just don't like spicy food. They brought me some curn (basically yogurt that is lemon flavored to which they add some sugar), and that seemed to help. But my throat still hurt . . . I'm a wimp, I know. However, the newness of it all made it bareable, and everyone got a great laugh over the fact that I was such a baby about it!! :)

Then, it was off to the guest house for some much needed devotion time and sleep!!

Ahhhh . . . . .

Day 2 (3/27)

Well, no jet lag so-far . . . but I am still tired . . . this could be a LONG trip!! :)

We started the day with breakfast at the Higher Grounds Cafe. (That is also the name of the cafe at our church . . . I know - Cool!!) If the electricity hadn't been out (they have rolling blackouts - 4-hours in the morning and 4-hours in the evening) we could have had cappucinos, but alas, we had to settle for tea or coffee. :) Now, if Neil is reading this, we had Dal Bhaat for breakfast . . . for the rest of you, we actually enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of coffee, tea and cinnamon rolls - YUMMY!! :)

Then, we climbed into a van with our tour guide, Raju, and headed off to the Hindu temple. I wish I could tell you the name of the temple, but alas, names are not my strong-suit! :) Neil, we hiked long and hard to get into the temple!! Everyone else, we paid $8 and went in the front way, like all the other tourists. We walked past many, many a Nepali hocking their goods. There were monkeys GALORE (all of which freaked out Katrina), all scratching, and picking, and being monkeyish in all they did. We came upon the area in which the poorer can burn their dead, and there was a cremation going on. There was also a man preparing to cremate a parent - we could tell because he was wearing all white with a shaved head. He was going through some ritual with a priest. We moved up the river (their "holy river") and looked at many of the idols. Raju Dai took some time to explain to us how the sacrifices they made corelated with the sin - peacock for lust, water buffalo for pride, etc. We thought this was very interesting and even, somewhat, Old Testament like. We also loved how the animal "fit" the "crime."

We moved up the river a little further to the area into which only Hindus go. We crossed over the bridge and saw that there was another funeral. We could hear the mother wailing for her son (Ellen told us that was the relationship). The man was laying under a sheet, with his feet in the river. Todd told us that they put their feet in the holy river to wash away their sins to prepare them for their next life. When we got to the other side, Raju Dai told us that they put their feet in the water in hopes that it will bring them back to life . . . these two thoughts, combined, hit me very hard, and I began to cry. It just occured to me that God is preparing them, even within their own religion, to know the Living Water - the One who really can wash away their sins and bring them new life!! I was humbled, and amazed to see that God is preparing the Hindu people, and laying the foundation for them to come to know Him!! What an amazing God!! I was also very saddened to think they understood the concept, they just missed the means by which it happened . . . so close, yet so far . . .

We spent some time praying for the country of Nepal - praying from the high places. Praying that they would come to new life, to know the Living Water . . . praying for the people to have the peace that Christ alone can bring. Then, we were on our way to our next stop. On our way out, the man that had been preparing on our way in was in the process of cremating his mom (??) on our way out . . . one thing that I think the Nepali people really do right is mourning. They take a full year to mourn the loss of a parent . . . I think that we just rush it too much. 2 weeks and we're supposed to "get on with life" and it's just not that easy. It takes time, and I think that we should allow ourselves that time to grieve and heal and miss our loved ones. I think that's healthy and good, and something we should really consider.

Next we were on to the Tibetan Bhuddist temple. It was so beautiful, with so many colors. The temple in the center of the area was surrounded by prayer wheels - each engraved with the 6 stages of life leading to Nirvana (I think . . . Raju was talking so fast, I kind of missed part of the explanation - feel free to comment on this and let me know what they really are!). The people walk around the entire thing, turning each wheel, and with each rotation, it sends up a prayer. There were also prayer flags everywhere which sent up a prayer with each gust of wind. We weren't able to spend as much time in this place, but we did walk once around and pray. I think the thing that struck me most in this place was the unpersonal feel of it - that everyone was sending up the same, exact prayer . . . when God really delights in our personal relationship with us. He wants to know us, and He wants us to know Him. He wants us to talk to him - tell Him our hopes and fears, what makes us happy and angry, what we love, what we hate, what we doubt, and everything else . . . He longs for personal conversation . . .

From there we went to lunch (Neil, it was Dal Bhaat), and then we went to the baby orphange. Oh, those sweet, sweet children! I started my time in the orphanage with some of the older kids who were very sick with high fevers and runny noses and all that other fun stuff. Ellen told the head woman to call the Dr. and she would pay for it, to have all the sick babies looked at. Some of the kids were eager to come and sit with me (most were not in the mood to play), and some just wanted to be snuggled by the women who worked and lived in the orphanage (most of them are orphans themselves). I spent a while in that room, just loving on the kids, and holding them. Then, I moved up into the infant room. It was there I met my sweet Anu. We were able to change their clothes and diapers (those of you who donated clothes and diapers -THANK YOU! The ladies in the orphanage were so happy and blessed to get them!) One baby, who was about 1-1/2 months old and had Downsyndrome, had such a bad diaper rash that we had them leave the diaper off of her to air her out a little, and she made the funniest face - it was like she just couldn't believe how great it felt! :) HAHA!! I was able to change and hold Anu, snuggle her, and feed her a bottle (at this point I was completely in love!). The babies were just precious!! I had a difficult time, though, because the sanitation isn't the same - everyone just held the sick babies and the healthy ones without washing hands or anything . . . and they bundled the babies in layer after layer, for fear that if the slightest breeze got on them, they would get sick.

Though the orphanage was Hindu run, we asked if we could pray for the children before we left, and the head woman said we could. We prayed for their health and safety and for the women who were working there. When we were done, we were all crying, and the woman who ran the place was also crying. Ellen gave her a hug, and we were on our way. The lady called the next day and told Ellen that by the time we walked out the gate, all of the babies were healed and completely well - when the Dr. came he found nothing wrong with any of the children! A miracle . . .Isn't God amazing?! The woman then asked Ellen to come and tell her about this God we pray to. Please, pray that this woman and each of the ladies there would be discover and be transformed by the passionate love of God, transforming the entire house into a place where children who have literally been thrown away or just abandoned, can grow up in the knowledge and love of God.

We then headed back to the guest house to freshen up for dinner at Todd and Ellen's friend's house - Ruth and Dinesh. It was quite a long walk to their house, and (as you can tell from the length of this post) it was a very long day, so by the time we got there we were all very tired. The electricity went out almost immediately, so we dined by candlelight. They served us a wonderful meal of Dal Bhaat (yes, it really was Dal Bhaat), and then Ruth shared her story of having been persecuted - thrown in prison for 14 months at the age of 16, for sharing the love of Christ. She was beaten and abused so badly that she cannot even have children. Though, she and her husband were blessed to have adopted a beautiful baby girl named Amanda. :) We were all SO TIRED that we were having a very difficult time staying awake - with full tummies, and a dimly lit room, it was actually quite humorous to see how we each tried our very hardest to stay awake and listen intently. I found myself moving constantly in order to stay awake. There were others who were doing the nod, and those who literally were almost falling over!! We so desperately didn't want to seem rude, but we were just exhausted!!

When we were done, we fought over who got to pay for the taxi rides back to the guest house!! :) We got back, had our devotional time, and we each fell into bed, ready to get some much needed sleep . . . zzzzzzzzzz . . . .