27.05.07

I had to walk to Patan to see an uncle and his wife.. really good people. got to walk back home with one of their employees. It was great to share testimonies. He said he was really encouraged to talk with someone - I'm not sure who was more encouraged. His family came to know Christ after he was miraculously healed of a paralyzed leg at 8. We ended up stopping for a coke along the 2hr hike home. there was a strike today so not cars on the road which was a HUGE blessing! could finally breathe and take my time walking slowly. I don't know who was more encouraged, him or I? But does that matter, but that God is praised and glorified?

then by God's planning. i met Babukazi whom I haven't seen since the village trip. He told warned me that if i wandered too far in the direction i was going that there was no sideroad to take me home and that it'd be a long walk. He offered to come back on his bike and drive me home, but i decided to walk. I think his mom was with him. Today was most encouraging. I feel much encouragement speaking to other Christians.

In Thamel I exchanged for some more Rupees, it's really bad now @ 63Rs to the dollar. The guy gave me a better deal then even rounded up. He them commented on my bic pen and how great it was, he asked for it. I told him sure after I got his name. People here are more than willing to give yuo their name, cell, email without prompting. also met some other store owner and hopefully will be seeing his factory sometime in the following week when he goes out there.

(Above) Delivry room where over 100 birthday happen annually. This wa taken at Primary Health care and resrrouce centre where the 2 boxes of medical suppleis were greatly received. (PHCRC)

(Above) Dilli was the brother whom I met yesterday, very encouraging talk on the 1.5 hr walk home. there was a strike yesterday complete w/ tire burnings and little kids participating in making sure that not one w/ cars went thru unless they were UN or ambulance or press.

(Above) On village visit

(Above) Picnic in Nepal.

26.05.07

Construction is a heartfelt profession. I love the work that they do and believe that it is essential.

This morning all was relatively quiet. I was going to indulge and crack open another note of encouragement when a call from Sujan came. He said to come immediately. So I ran over. It was nothing he just hadn’t seen me in a while and just wanted to hang out. So we did. We had tea at his place and just sat in his living room. People here are extremely friendly and do a whole lot of just hanging out. Perhaps a bit too much for my liking, sometimes it just seems as if it’s just passing time. Anyway, it was good to share with him about Canadian geography and a bit more about life. I had to leave for church so I left at 0855 to get back home and ready myself for church. Walked to church, was shorter than anticipated. Abinas, host kid, is very energetic so made him do some running in the less polluted areas of town – so that we don’t hyperventilate vehicular exhaust. You must understand that cars will go anywhere. Sidewalks do not exist – only torn up asphalt. I’m not sure how these vehicles survive. Roads here make Spadina a couple years back look like a walk in the clouds. Bikes (motorbikes) will go anywhere as well, just tuck in the mirrors.

Anyway got to church and sat with some other foreigners. Ed and Nicki from the UK and Seth from Minnesota – who came with YWAM in December, but decided to stay til now. He’ll be headed toward the Everest Base with a medical mission team next week. Essentially if you’re willing, people will accept any help they can get.

I see great potential for this country, with the recent changes in government the people here all seem optimistic for a better Nepal.

An elder spoke today. Talked about the authority of JC given to the church and it’s charge to exercise it. I bought a shirt in funding raising support for the new church building which was to be complete for the August 4 celebration of the 50th anniversary. The shirt says: “Not just living but alive!” I’ve come to really appreciate how members at BCBC poured sweat and blood into the building of the church.

After speaking with an older fellow at the church, I asked him to translate for me as I asked the construction worker if I could try carrying a load of bricks. He replied, ‘un-cha’ – the Nepali way of saying OK with the slight nod of the head that I always associate with no. So I gave it a shot. There’s a band that goes to the top of the head and then your load rests on your back. This creates a huge moment force about your cervical vertebrae which is unhealthy just at rest. Once moving depending how well stable your gait is, this may create extra undesired forces. The walk up the narrow ramp left little room for error, next you had to maneuver around a narrow (~1-1.5ft) path to your destination. A slight imbalance to the left or right would send you tumbling a good 3-4 feet with a load essentially around your neck. My load was 20 bricks. I thankfully made it to my destination about 20 metres away but not without a couple of fearful thoughts. But perhaps the greatest achievement was being able to identify with the worker. I didn’t get his name because my translator had left. So I thanked him and returned his gear to him. I really wanted to say more, but perhaps this wasn’t the time. The worker promptly went back to work.

I then had the most encouraging talk with Ashish. A young man of 17 years who turned from a life of drugs and smokes every since coming to the valley. His testimony was most encouraging to here. Despite my enthusiasm for hearing a great testimony and hearing of real struggles of a young man from a Hindu family living as a follower, my heart was still wanting to reach out to the construction workers. Finally as we had cold drinks across from church I could no longer take it. I believe that the 6L of cool liquid on the hot day went a long way in sharing the gospel. It is my hope and dream that this church building project will be a lifechanging project for each of these construction workers. I wasn’t able to converse with these people, but I (as a representative of the collective efforts of the church) certainly do hope to be a blinding light to them. Still need to find some way of sharing this with the church.

From a brief previous discussion with Ashish’s sociology teacher, these construction workers make ~100Rs daily. They work 7 days a week – yes even Saturday which is the national holiday. At cheapest rate, a 250mL coke costs 15Rs, a plate of 10 dumplings will cost 20Rs (mind you the filling is minced everything including bones.), rent is commonly 1500Rs/room/month I’ve learned that when eating buff (Buffalo) meat, you learn that there’s a threshold to the efforts of your chewing. There’s a point when you just have to give up and swallow it. Anyways point is, I’m really hoping that this will be an outlet of God’s love. May God continue to work through the physical construction of a worship centre building!

The remainder of the day was spent more time loitering with others. Apparently, you only write exams once a year here. School classes finish quite early because teachers rush through course material in case of a bandh (strike). These happen quite often (~3x a week) but have been on the decrease.. oh here’s a pic

Spent more time with host kid’s friends… nice to see other people’s homes. One friend who we visited today lives in a traditional Nepali home – one that’s been around for a long time. Many of the houses in Kathmandu were built wherever there was land. That is why roads are so random, there was no city planning and no anticipation for growth. Another reason why so much pollution.

25.05.07

So I prayed for more quality quiet time this morning. I tried to get some quiet time at the home by taking a half day off. It was somewhat unproductive as I began reading ‘Can man live without God?’. Kind of a silly question you if you ask me, to be reading this in a very god conscious country. But perhaps the question is valid as it is talking about God not just a god or des gods. Thinking of giving this to my new bookstore pal I made the other day.

Afternoon was spent on the streets trying to get people who have been on the streets of Chabhill for more than 10 years. The idea is to be able to say that Kathmandu air quality is bad and shown in spirometry. So the sample group are non-smoking males 35-45 that have been shop/street vendors for at least 10 years. We took a break and my host went to a Christian bookstore where I met a fellow Baptist brother named Timothy. I have to go back and visit him cause our visit was interrupted. The testing expedition was soon stopped when a tire-demonstration by the teachers commenced. I was hoping to stay, but my host urged me to move on in the unlikely chance that I’d be hit with tear gas from the army of police waiting around for the signal.

Oh yeah, Chabhill is one of two major entrance/exit points into the Kathmandu valley region. The pollution there has been noticeably high for a long time.

So much for quiet time. I ended up dropping 425Rs to get a pair of replacement pants as my other pants have seemed to outlived their life. While I don’t think anyone in the population would care, I don’t think mooning everyone I walk by is very nice.

Finally got my quiet time in the church while my host practiced. Wrote a short psalm which is what I’ve been considering since struggling with this morning’s psalm reading.

Lord God of all creation
All creation is Yours.
May Your presence in all things
Be acknowledged by Your creation
Your body sings praise to You
In every tongue.
Let praise be raised before you
In every tongue,
In every land
May Your whole body
Shout praise to You in unison

Short and general, but perhaps words have much deeper meaning with experiences that push your experiential appreciation of the definition of your vocabulary.

Also took a shower again today. I’ve knocked water usage to 3L, but the rinse is weak. A bit of soap won’t hurt though. I don’t think people will notice. Once I go out on the street, I’ll be once again covered in particulate matter – there’s just so much dust floating around.

And ants, you can pray that ants stay out of my bed. And also… from earlier today:

Been thinking, it’s almost been 2 weeks in Nepal. While physically here, there are still moments when my heart aches to be at home. There have been frustrations one after another with the latest being a conflicting email from my contact at Kanti Children’s Hospital. But I know like everything else here, it’ll work itself out. Sometimes it’s just so frustration when you’re trying to help but you get slammed for it. I realize that this is what the people at ENPHO face and perhaps this has made them even more bold which is what I love so much about the people there. They have hope and fire to persevere because they are sure of what they hold to. May I also have faith and persevere in the race that has been marked out for me. I love and miss all you family in Canada. Really excited to know that mon companero - the man that persuaded me to broaden my horizons - comes next week! Can’t wait to see you Ernesto!

For confidence for both our loved ones, the people in Nepal are extremely friendly – perhaps too much at times. Their kindness can be somewhat invasive on need for personal space and solitude.

More messed up stuff would be construction workers. Hard hats and steel toed boots? I think not, sandals and a backwards cap if you’re lucky. Petrol lines: taxis line up overnight block traffic.

07.05.21

Sujan came over to save my dignity by giving me a lesson on preparing to meet Nepali people and the need to wear shoes and an ironed shirt. Sujan has been a real blessing saving my butt more than once by explaining Nepali culture to me. The first time was when we ate a meal together he noticed that I was eating very slowly and kind of funny. He proceeded to explain what I was doing wrong and coached me into using my thumb to push the food into my mouth. Needless to say, my eating exponentially increased after that. I no longer had to discretely suck all the food into my mouth.
So Sandip graciously ironed my shirt before heading out. I met Bhushan at 1045. He's a really nice guy. And also extremely busy. Everything at the Environment and Public Health Organization is pretty laxed - but they do pretty good work.

Everything is so efficient in a country with no rules. No ethical boundaries to jump through, no bureaucracy, no nothing. So efficient. Today I was oriented, scanned a couple documents, wrote a proposal, showed someone - got their input and convinced them to help out, then got to do some water testing - this may or may not have been a good thing. Some of the water samples reeked. At first I thought it was because I farted, but when the extremely potent smell lingered, I knew I had met my rival. I soon learned that some of the samples were from the Bagmati and Vishnumati rivers - a place where Hindu's burned the dead and disposed of remains into the river. In order to even test the sample, it had to be diluted to 1:100.

Tomorrow, I'll be going to 6 sites throughout the Kathmandu Valley to collect data on air quality at these locations. I've had the opportunity to meet a couple people at the office already. They are all extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. Please pray that I might be a positive influence on the people here. Most of them don't wear 'tika'. No deep conversations so far, but I Thessalonians 4.

I really enjoy working and had a load of fun in the lab testing water samples today. They developed a lot of waste water treatment systems - Including a bio-sands Arsenic treatment solution that doesn't use electricity. It's a continuous flow solution that utilizes gravity - try looking it up online "Environment and Public Health Organization" (ENPHO). Piyush is also a rival to 'pristine' but at a fraction of the cost. The way they do things here are pretty in your face. They work hard to get results then they take advantage of every opportunity to share this knowledge with the public to try to get them to rally against bus drivers (to lower their emissions) or the government or whoever who is damaging the environment. There is a lot to be learned from this bold attitude. Perhaps I need to develop a greater fervency for the study of Scripture and to make finding known to the world at every opportunity - even to a point of creating own outlets.. actually not creating rather discerning outlet's God has planned.

Ride home was interesting, took the safa (clean in Nepali) tempo. It's a 3-wheeled device barely seats 10 ppl with heads bowed. There are 2 bench seats facing one another paralell to the road. It's rather claustrophobic, but only 8Rs. I was lucky and had only 10 ppl aboard, it was already a bit too cozy for me, but I'm getting used to smelling ppl. Makes me feel less bad about farting.

Changed safa tempo's at RNAC (Royal Nepali Airlines Company (?)) Although, it's no longer royal. I think it's just Nepali airlines.

Anyway, it's really bad here. The streets are full of pollution and it's a really broken city. It seriously pains me to walk through the streets here to see such 'wrongness'. This is partly the reason why I'm so glad to be working for an organization that advocates the preservation of God's creation. I hope to share this with more co-workers.

OH yes, and the ENPHO building produces no waste water. They recycle it ALL (grey and black). Anyway, it for now. Long day tomorrow. Oh yes. Nirita, the lady showing me stuff in the lab and who will be leading the testing at the 6 sites tomorrow was explaining why people are so tired in Kathmandu. There's a lot of NO(sub x) nitrous, nitrogen dioxide, etc. in the air, especially through one intersection that I have frequently walked through. In NA, NO is as an inhaled anesthetic - put two together and that's why I'm tired after walking in the streets. That's also why 8+ hours of sleep doesn't seem to cut it for me.

Prayer items:
1. Physical: I'm eating a lot of CHO and I think my stomach's starting to rebel against the mass quantity of it. Nepali's eat A LOT! They eat plates of rice + CHO. I've limited myself to half a plate.
2. Spiritual: continued quite time in the mornings. It's been difficult to get quiet times here with city streets and very open home atmosphere. But it's been a blessing too. You've probably thinking of saying to me - stop insulting JC. That's what He came for community.

So yes, you can pray that I learn what it means to live in community - likes and dislikes all the same. Reading out of psalms but I think I need to read more. This is a very Hindu dominant country. From the names of people to their dress and traditions it's all Hindu it's a part of being Nepali. There's a celebration of rice for 5-month old girls and 6-month old boys. It's supposed to be the time when they are said to start eating solid foods.

07.05.20

pray for patience and sensitivity to the spirit.
- greatly encouraged today on my walk as God reminded me that He works in His time. I met a member of the church on the way home and got to know some of the neighbors.
- everyone really friendly here.
- will also be meting the guy from ENPHO (environment and public health organization) tomorrow. hopefully all things goes well and i can start there tomorrow. the situation here is really painful. it hurts to walk down any street, to see the 'wrongness' hurts so much.

reflectional thought for the day: perhaps can also stick this on blog

regarding photo: cows are holy in this still very Hindu dominant country. This fellow has made his way to a soccer field where kids are playing. No big deal though because animals, vehicles and people all share the same roads and parks. You might be able to see a kid in the background. But notice that there is a rope that is attached to his front leg. This makes it a pain to walk and rather difficult to lift his head. Reflection: do we as Christians have a silly rope tied to us that prevents us from looking forward and keeping our eye focused on God? All it takes is a simple lift of the leg to do free us from it, but are we aware and willing? I need help in seeing things from the perspective of locals here, I've noticed that I bring a lot of unjustified background expectations such as how mission work should go. just got back from village church, so more reflections on the day trek to the church

other photo: what if JC was here? Hindu temple...

07.05.19

Sometime before 0600, the rooster kept crowing again and again. It was a repeated snooze at random intervals - each effectively fulfilling it's purpose.

Anyway finally got up and had our milk tea. Here you either have milk tea or sweet milk tea and usually that's breakfast. Surprisingly, I've gotten used to that rather quicking - this is big change from my usual hearty breakfast. And we were off once again. The water filtration system was put in place once again. This time I ran ahead and filled water to optimize on time. If anyone knows how to loiter or rest, it's the Nepalis. There's never any rushing. Everything is the same. I still feel bad for sometimes making people wait, but it's hardly ever a problem for anyone - I think they are used to it, with the insane amount of things that could go wrong usually always happening.

Anyway, get to the church and fed once again. Service was rather informal in a rectangular room lined with straw mats and supported by bamboo. An aluminium covered laid atop and soil and cow dung were used along the lower half of this 6.5feet high structure. It was very simple, but also very hot. t were enthusiastic about the music, but not so sure how the sermon went. Some people slept, others daydreamed, I'm not sure how many people caught the entire things. Forgive my frankness here, but I think the deacon was all over the place with his message - perhaps it's cause I'm working under my normal skpetical attitude, but I'm really not so sure how we were a blessing to these pepole. I think in order to make this journey more productive, we should spend more time with the people in the church.

Learning of the day: I think I was overwhelmed by all the talking the deacon guy did yesterday. I couldn't understanding, but I guess there's a time to talk and another time not to. During the trek, he didn't say too much - although he did share about how he came to the place he's in now. I actually find him quite interesting - the people here are definitely passionate and driven to share what they know. The skeptical side of me seems to question how intellectual their faith is. That being said the people they reach out to are very simple people and people are coming to the Lord in great numbers. The Lord will work in His way in His time. I'm only to be obedient.

07.05.18

Woke up at 0400 to walk to our meeting place. Got stopped by the police on the way. There's a curfew here that has to be observed. So they become suspicious when 2 boys leave home at 0415 to go to somewhere where the name is unknown. It's a little village in a big country. Anyway, I explained the whole water purification system I had brought and it sufficiently pleased him. He also liked my name or maybe just the fact that I was from Canada. Miss you people at back in temporary (in view of eternity) home.

A bus ride and micro ride (minivan crammed with many people) leave us in a town where controlled arms are strictly prohibited. It's a small village where the road ends that leads to a different raodway that's only open during not monsoon season. We decide to walk since we'll be needing to walk to Babokazi's place. He lives in the middle of what they call a hill - mind you they are Himalayan natives. Seven hours later, we're greated with more curd. I don't really know how they consume this sour vicous liquid. It's supposed to be sweet, but I'm not feeling it. Anyway, there's a meal of fried bread which is fantastic and something my stomach handles quite well. I learn more about farming by observation and learn that hens and pigs eat anything and everything. It's nice having them around. The dog and mountain goats run stray around the home as well. there's buffalo that's tied up.

I'm extremely encouraged by the father here and the family he has established. He's proud of his 15 month boy and has 2 lovely girls (10 and 12 years) that he's also pleased with. They are well trained by their mother whom he loves dearly. I think he went to go pick flowers for her after dinner - I still don't believe in flowers (Perhaps I need to be educated on the meaning of them) Anyways, I will try to keep this short, but I'm extremely impressed with this family. The father is definitely the head - perhaps it comes with the culture. He has power and authority. He speaks and things get done, if not there is sharp discipline right away. He has force, but isn't afraid to use it. He's used his strength as the more powerful one to ensure a safe and loving household. These are seen in the way he farms and deals with the people in his family and guests. He's one of the 2 men in charge of the church a 1.5h walk away, for non-locals it will take 2-2.5h (times quoted for a good day)

After the meal, we end up gathering together for a time of music worship and edification from the deacon travelling with us. He preaches a message - which I thought was long, but perhaps I didn't understand and was tired. @ 2230, we wash our hands again for a second dinner. I really can't eat at this point cause I'm somewhat tired and was getting ready to sleep. Oh I'm also sunbruned. Anyway, it's a LOT of CHO. I eat a bit, but I'm not sure if they're making fun of me cause I don't seem to eat. (I didn't eat much at lunch for fear of diarrhea showing it's ugly face again during a hike in the rain.)

OH YES! The crux of the day. I had some time to reflect before the first meal about what it means to be poor in spirit. I've concluded that one need not be physically poor to be poor in spirit. However, with wealth and self-dependance as a starting point or as a goal, it becomes more difficult. North Americans would label Babukazi's family as poor. They live in a house without proper windows or ventilation. Their child does not use diapers. In fact, he didn't even have pants when I first met Babu (which means little boy). He was playing among the animals and as the animals poo as required, he would poo as required. But in actually, these people know what they are doing. They know how to love and care for their kids and their neighbours. These people need to walk a good 50 metres down to a watersource and back uphill to their home with buckets full. They also need to hike 1hr to the nearest roadway - during monsoon, I'm not sure what they do since this roadway will be flooded. They wake sometimes beofre 0600 (cause that's when I awoke) to carry out the daily tasks of raising animals. This will required walking 20minutes down to the valley to gather food for the goats/buffalo. You get the picture, these people have to work hard to survive. But this does not make them poor in spirit. Poor in spirit is the way that they choose to see the life that God has given them. They realize that they need God - as self-suffient as they seem to be. They could very well suvive on their own in their sustainable environment. There is no need for hydro, electricity or additional foods which they eat. They are poor in spirit because they are broken before God and have made it a point to ensure that they are aware of that at each moment of life that He grants.

Banepa
Dulikhel
Nepal-Achulu (Babukazi's Uncle's place)
Jhangal theli (church)

07.15.17

Dulikhel with Sandip, Sujan and Rami.

07.05.16

There are seriously too many things to see. On bike it's impossible to see it all. I had a chance to finally go to the Canadian embassy today. Apparently, I've past it every since day, including the very first day I landed. They essentially took a sheet I filled out with emergency contact information. I didn't even talk to someone, perhaps someone will call. Other embassy's looked more protected and inportant - at least that's what it seemed like from the outside.
So walking afforded me to see a lot more detail in the shops that I would normally whiz on by. Still I have limited with time. I muttered enough Nepali to find Kanti Children's Hospital and made it there just in time to take a picture then run home so that I wouldn't be late for church gathering. Silly me forgot that Nepal is in Asia and the time concept or lack-thereof-exsist in this cutlure too...

As I'm sitting here, I discover a hole in my pants. I think it's from sitting on the bike for so long. hmm. I'm guessing this might be a sign to pick up a pair of really cheap pants - hopefully made in Nepal to support local economy. I've become quite proficient at sitting balancing on a bike. All it requires is not moving. I can now sleep whilst holding on.

16.05.07

- 04:11 wake up to help with water collection..
- need to pump water.. back to sleep @ 0500.. took a while to fill, but necessary if want water.
- comes once every 4 days and it’s a free for all. The home here has to compete with people with automatic pumps. So that’s why we’re up at 0400.
- tomorrow we have to get petrol @ 0600. It may take up to 3hrs to get a little scooter tank full
- more loitering around the night market area.. although we didn’t stay past 2000. so things weren’t open. But it’s still awesome to be in the presence of such madness..
ok online so update more later…. Take up too much internet time not good..

15.05.07

21:58

Excursion:
Dakshinkali (place w/ dirty water and temple) near Pharping (south of city)
- walked from there 200m uphill to another Hindu temple (_________) that we weren’t allowed to take pictures @.
back to the same place.

Got some good footage of traveling…
- mountains are beautiful.

Woke up late again.
- Wrote out the Nepali alphabet.
- Had lunch (dahl bhat – rice w/ sweet sauce, potato (a-loo) and beans)
- Went for training – saw more random cows…


Excursion to Dakshinkali temple w/ Sandip, Suzan and his girlfriend (these are the ppl that I’m hanging out most with these last couple days. I’m going to be watching “Final Destination” @ Suzan’s recommendation....
o On the way saw 2 little boys pop their heads out of the open sewage system along the road. Was a horrifying sight to see.
o Perhaps I’ve been slightly dulled after I went to visit the PHCRC. It was there I went on a walk through the jungle. Before getting there, there were 5 little boys playing by a puddle of stagnant dirty water. 2 of them had syringes and were filling them up with muddy water. I was tempted to take them away, but then Sandip (my host) told me quickly to not to bother them for fear that they would scream. Village people (relatives/family) would soon get involved and it could be a potentially ugly seen. I felt bad, so didn’t take a picture. But apparently, pictures are taken quite liberally here. Most people are more than happy to be photographed. Show them the picture afterward and it’s bring the biggest smile to their faces. Oh yes, and greet them w/ “Namaste” and they’ll also smile big.
o @ the temple, there were docks with dried up bases. The upper section had water knee-high that families were playing in as if they were at the beach.
o I’m not sure what to think about the scene
o Trekking around the temple sight was absolutely breathtaking… God is truly amazing. Some of these hills can be difficult to maneuver, but somehow cows make it there. Their dung is there to prove that they’ve conquered these mountains just like mountain goats.
o Newali meal: raw buff slices, ground raw buff, fried intestines, beaten rice, pickled potatos, chui-la
o Prayer meeting with men from the church: they gather each week to pray specifically for the young ppl @ the church (that they would a) read the Bible, b) be actively involved in the church and c) catch and continue the vision of the church)
o Followed by more eating… feast of carbs… my paradise.

Learning about water:
o must pump water to reserve tank, takes about an hour to pump 1000L (no 1000L will take much longer)
o must wake up at 0400 to obtain government supply of water. Must get to it fast, or else none for you.

14.05.07

01:09

(I'm 10:45 ahead of you.)

typing in my room with the nightly symphony of chaos put on by none other than the plenteous stray dogs in the background.

 

Namaste!

 

Things here are great! Apologies for the lack of replies, but been extremely catered to by host family. I've been exhausted at the end of everyday to a point where I'm struggling to stay awake during my history of Nepal or history of the church lesson from Sandip, my super-cool, very friendly and extremely enthusiastic Christian brother and host. I realized now today why…

 

There's a Nepali saying that goes "atithi dava bhauva" – guests are to be treated like a god. This whole spiritual awareness of the Spirit is quite interesting, from the previous mentioned "Namaste" greeting meaning "I great the God in you." There is a Christian truth in both these statements realizing that the Spirit lives within His people, His creation. Matthew 25:35 à (?), Gal 2:20-21

 

Note: we went to a Monastery today. It's beautifully situated in the middle of nowhere. You ride for a good 30 minutes or so up the rockiest path possible. Along the way up, there's a truck coming down, with their wheels just inches from the side of the cliff. One slip and there will be a toppling truck going down the mountain. There are also light orange coloured berries that you can pick and eat (very very sweet – " mito" as the Nepali say) these grow just above the open sewage system that runs along the mountain road. It was dried, up at the time, but since there's no garbage disposal system here, garbage just gets tossed and left in the gutter. Occasionally, you'll get a clot which causes someone to shovel all the trash out to the side of the road to be compacted into the earth by passing vehicles. We had to get off the bikes, because it was too steep to ride up it. Also along the way were many women carrying loads of sand and rock, I think they were headed to a settlement off the road to construction something, but they were extremely happy to be greeted with "Namaste" complete w/ palms together and a small bow. People love to be acknowledged. I hope also that people might learn each others names and be able to use them. God is personal and I'm sure it would go a long way to try and learn ppl's names. That being sad, I'm also having a hard time learning ppl's names here. They are very different. Please pray that I might be able to learn names properly.

 

I met Suzan, Sandip's good friend. Suzan is a guy – very nice guy (who let me ride his bike – yeah!), who is also very knowledgeable. Did you know that second to Brazil, Nepal has the 2nd largest amount clean water? So why, do we have a water shortage in Kathmandu now? Routing is the main problem, due to the poor state of the country. They can also harvest a ton of energy from turbines from water gushing down the mountain, but no one is willing to invest and get invest in getting a system setup. On the way there, there was a constant stream of water coming out of a pipe that was fresh mountain water.

 

The locals keep saying that the locals are rich, but the country is poor. Please pray for selfless leaders to invest in the country.

 

Back to the way up to the monastery, there were others collecting water and bringing them to their homes. Imagine camping in 30 degree weather carrying 10L of water in a metal jug up a steep unstable road for a couple kilometres. You can take a shortcut that is extremely narrow and much steeper but unforgiving should you loose your footing. There's not much to stop you from a dry, dusty, rocky tumble to whatever ends up stopping you.

 

Monastery was beautiful and under construction. Didn't get to talk to monks, busy with things – but allowed us to roam about freely. We stopped at the base to wash up and eat something. It was nice to talk and get to know Sandip, Suzan and his girlfriend better.

 

Praise Him, I've been very well. I took 500mg of Vitamin C 2 days ago, but don't think that it's necessary. What I am afraid of is air pollution. My mouth feels full of particulate matter. I don't want to ever swallow… (@ street level, you literally go right through clouds of diesel. If you were from London you'd probably think that it's someone passed some gas in the fog… that's a bit exaggerated, but when you're close, I kid you not, it's like that)

 

I also got to meet more ppl at the night market – Puza and Indra good friends of Sandip from school. Everyone is well versed in English, Nepali and Newali (if they are Newali). Newali is a language of the native ppl in the Kathmandu Valley area. However, it's weird b/c there are different dialects and if you're from a different part of the valley, people from the other side of the hill won't understand your dialect of Newali.

 

There is a water shortage. Normally, we only get water once/4 days. And all we have is a 1000L storage reserve tank. Not sure if water will come for a while cause it's during the summer before monsoon. Anyway I splurged and indulged today w/ bucket. I think I used about 4L quite impressed. But I was getting very nasty after 5 days.

 

The orientation Sandip's giving me is 100x better than anything any organization could have offered. I'm slowly learning Nepali too. San-script alphabet tomorrow. (I think). Anyways, his school starts at 0600 and goes to 0900. I hope that he doesn't have to go get petrol tomorrow. It's a 3hr ordeal to stand in line to get a couple gallons.

 

We have it real good. We need to count bless'gs and be less self-absorbed in NA. – realize everything we have does not BELONG to us, but is to be used to bless others. I'm absolutely astounded by the hospitality I receive in any home I enter. ( e.g. Steve's home, I go to his room for 5 minutes and his mom comes in with a plate of food spiced potatoes (hot off the pan), homemade banana bread, and chunks of fresh banana with the largest cross-sectional area I've ever seen in my life. They're so tasty too. And before I can finish, an overflowing cup of juice is presented to Steve, Sandip and I. Apparently this is normal – they treat all ppl as if they were a god. Not saying I'm a god, but if Holy Spirit lives in me, then God does live in me.   So perhaps we need to exercise this hospitality. As well, there's a nicely decorated room w/ carpet and places for ppl to sit in every house I've been in. It's nice how they focus on spending time w/ ppl. Ok getting late 0130. Trying to wake up earlier…

 

Back to the symphony….

I'm in...

I've landed and evrything worked out well! Flights were flights,
exciting as per usual. As I landed in Kathmandu, I was greated by a
most informal immigration process. The wait was long and they still
use paper for everything. Monies collected from visas were stashed in
a giant pile of random bills, security personnel were absent and money
hungry porters/taxi drivers were eager to be of service to you.
They'll always ask you for more than you give them. Gave in once,
don't give in again. Very in your face culture - very friendly ppl
tho.

very different:
- ruckus on roads,
- ran over dog today. (he lived, dont' worry, there's tons of stray
dogs here) in fact, they're barking like mad outside.
- it is indeed very dusty and moderately warm.
- i'll also be sleeping on a bed once again.

staying realy close to Kanti Childrens' Hospital (15 min walk), but
far from New Baneshwor.

Tomorrow the Program Coordinator at the Primary Health Care and
Resource Centre (PHCRC) will pick me up with the supplies and I'll be
able to report more on the health care facility then.

Indeed the Lord has been watching over these steps. Luggage went
through at all sites w/o any trouble - and it's all here too. Continue
praising Him.

speaking today with people in this house - very friendly and had my
first meal of dahl bhat - traditional Nepali food (and Momo - buffalo
meat). no diarrhea yet...

It's exciting and also weird in a country where you dont' understand a
lot of the conversation around you - but it's no problem communicating
w/ ppl.
on dialup. more later

in the race,
e
heb12

Learning so far...

Geniune concern is not something you become methodically convince of, it comes about from conviction - a holy discontent that will prompt you to action. Therefore concern demands action.

In applying to volunteer in Nepal I have already learned a lot. I realized that it's not about what I can do for them; but rather I am willing. The situation is so desperate in Nepal that they will take anyone willing to spare time to be of service to the people there. They live in utter desperation and seem to be willing to take whatever you can offer. I was looking at some of my initial emails that I sent out - they looked like cover letters. Then I looked at some of the last emails I've been sending out to people and reflecting on my own attitude and realized that I've become a lot more concerned about people and their state of need rather than self-absorbed in trying to see what I can offer.

This physically poor nation has taught me a lot about survival already. My faith requires action... James 2

speaking of action.. prayer items....

Luggage: I have plenty of donated medical supplies to ship and struggling to get everything to fit in the 2 check-in bags. I think I'll be grossly overweight/oversized and may require another checkin. Please pray that I might be able to get away with being overweight/oversized. It will be another large expense. After some begging, Qatar Airlines has agreed to match Air Canada's 2 piece check-in allowance. Praise God.
Preparation: Please pray that I can clearly discern and prepare the message for the church there as I go to share about God's work in Brampton, Ontario, and Canada - that I migth be the Spirit's mouthpiece.
Psychological: Please pray that I be centred on Christ and remain fixated on me and what He demands of me.
Loved ones in Canada: that they might be encouraged and continually praying in faith.

Namaste!

from the lonely planet Nepal book

...the Nepali view of the world is dominated by puja; prayer and ritual and a knowledge that the gods are not remote, abstract concepts but living, present beings, who can influence human affairs in very direct ways. Nepalis perceive the divine everywhere, from the namaste gretting that literally means 'I greet the divine inside of you', to the spirits and gods present in tress, sacred river confluences ( dhoban) and mountain peaks.

The notions of karma and caste, when combined a tangled bureaucracy and deep-rooted corruption, tend to create an endemic sense of fatalism in Nepal. Confronted with problems, many Nepalis will simply respond with a shrug of the shoulders and the phrase khe garne? ('what is there to do?'), which Westerners often find frustration.

Very spiritual land indeed.

Correction Notice

For all those keen readers. I am actually not gone yet. My flight plans changed. My travel date is May 10 --> July 25.

Currently, I'm madly scrammbling to deal with airlines to see if they'll let me take extra baggage so that I can get all the supplies donated to me to Nepal. Perhaps I can attach a picture when I get around to finding a camera. And there more coming.

T minus 6:08:00:00

Time: such an interesting concept, but what makes one moment in time more special than another? Should any one moment in time be seen as more valuable than another? (if each moment is but a gift and meant to be surrendered unto God?

My departure time is coming. I will be away from Canada. My homegrown environment that I'm comfortable in. I'll be away from loved ones, conveniences, familiarity - all I will have to rely on is God. you will be missed, but I pray that you'll be encouraged becuase God is alive and present whether we are or not.

Supplies update

So my friend Ernest and I are hoping to bring much needed supplies to the hospitals in Nepal. I have plans to distribute the little supplies we have to Shanti Nepal, Kanti Children's Hospital and Patan Hospital. Today we got another 5 boxes of supplies from the Toronto Western Hospital. Special thanks to Orly there who collected items for donation.

Problem: I just found out that Qatar airways only allows 20kg limit. So I'm going to have to beg them tomorrow to allow me more luggage. I'm hoping that this will be fine. Please keep this in mind as a prayer item. As well, I just found out that another contact has surgical equipment which may be extremely valueable to the people in Nepal. I'm thinking that whatever we can't carry we'll either ship or pay the extra fee to fly it with us. Namaste.

supplies...
Oxygen Therapy:
- Misty Ox High flow-high FiO2 nebulizer (head only - does not come with container)
- masks (no. 4 and 5)
- resuscitation bag
- oxygen tubing
- large volume nebulizers

Sampling lines:
- PVC 10' sampling line w/ male/female luer lock
- PVC 10' sampling line w/ male/male luer lock
- CO2 nasal sample cannula

Ventilator circuits:
- collapsible holder chamber (for delivering MDI drugs to ventilator circuit)
- inline sunction cathethers (12 fr)
- flex tubes
- inspiratory/expiratory patient circuits
- nasal trach tubes
- endotracheal tubes
- tracheostomy tubes
- suction catheters (for tracheostomy)
- suction catheter for (for ETT)

Surgical:
- size 6 sterile latex-powder-free gloves
- size 5.5 sterile latex-powder-free gloves
- IV catheters 16g, 18g, 20g, 22g
- needle free injection hub
- needles 25g, 27g
- sterile cotton tipped applicators

Other:
- wrist/ankle splints
- masks
- gloves
- band-aids
- 12 lead ECG replacement paper roll
- button aids
- alcohol swabs
- blood collection needles
- syringes 1mL,
- gauze
- sample cups

Equipment:
- Laryngoscope (Mac 3)
- peak flow meter

uncertain:
CLAVE connector (piggyback adapter) please email me for a picture.

so much for weaning...

so I was thinking of slowly weaning myself off the balanced diet to a more carbohydrate (CHO) heavy diet - just to spite Mr. Atkins... No. because the Nepali diet is very bland and primarily CHOs. Anyway, last night my parents went out and left me a rack of ribs - that was all I ended up eating.

Oh well, I'll just have to go for a swim later today.