This weekend we had the opportunity to go a village for the weekend! We have a longer visit to Birkhot this upcoming week, but the village we went to Friday/Saturday was the last village before leaving the Kathmandu valley, so it was truly a preview to what was going to come this week. For all of you at home who are thinking, "Hmm, why is this girl on the Summer Service Team emphasizing these village visits so much?," the villages are probably the most opposite thing from the city of Kathmandu. Barely any lighting, hills (covered with mud) everywhere, outhouses with the ever popular squat toilets, etc. Yet more importantly, it's in the villages--especially in Western Nepal--that people have never been exposed to the Gospel. As Rick told us (See "We have friends" if you do not know who I am talking about), this entire area of Asia is described as the "missionary graveyard." These rural areas are on the front lines of mission. In America, the idea of unreached people groups is such a foreign concept, yet in these villages it is everyday life.
Our visit to this village consisted of 3 bus changes totaling probably 1.5 hours, lots of cramped leg room, packed bodies and a little too much B.O. than I care to remember. After, we climbed (yes climbed) the road to the church, once again we were completely overwhelmed by Nepali hospitality. Flowers, Pineapple juice, Tea, biscuits, crackers and a fellowship time followed, complete with Nepali dancing, sharing the Word, and an english song. We then had dinner at the pastor's house and split off into home-stay groups. The girls had an interesting night to say the least, but it was filled with hilarious stories, cramped backs (Nepali houses are not built for tall Americans), and one too many bug bites.
The next morning we woke up at 5:30am. Something I will probably never get used to is the Nepali's love of getting up early. I am completely embracing the college student in me when I say I cherish my sleep. Yet we got up for a good reason--to trek up a mountain with our new Nepali friends. As we finished climbing, though we were slightly out of breath, we were completely in awe of the fact we were actually in a cloud. We then proceeded to worship and pray for the people up there who did not know Christ, all with the Kathmandu Valley beautifully sitting in the background. After a hysterical time climbing down the mountain (I am estimating 12 falls), we went to a church service filled with beautiful worship, even more hospitality, a loving congregation and a sermon by our own Becca on God's blessings in life (Numbers 6).
Our visit to this village consisted of 3 bus changes totaling probably 1.5 hours, lots of cramped leg room, packed bodies and a little too much B.O. than I care to remember. After, we climbed (yes climbed) the road to the church, once again we were completely overwhelmed by Nepali hospitality. Flowers, Pineapple juice, Tea, biscuits, crackers and a fellowship time followed, complete with Nepali dancing, sharing the Word, and an english song. We then had dinner at the pastor's house and split off into home-stay groups. The girls had an interesting night to say the least, but it was filled with hilarious stories, cramped backs (Nepali houses are not built for tall Americans), and one too many bug bites.
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| Our bus ride home was not crowded praise the Lord! Also here are the flowers. |
The next morning we woke up at 5:30am. Something I will probably never get used to is the Nepali's love of getting up early. I am completely embracing the college student in me when I say I cherish my sleep. Yet we got up for a good reason--to trek up a mountain with our new Nepali friends. As we finished climbing, though we were slightly out of breath, we were completely in awe of the fact we were actually in a cloud. We then proceeded to worship and pray for the people up there who did not know Christ, all with the Kathmandu Valley beautifully sitting in the background. After a hysterical time climbing down the mountain (I am estimating 12 falls), we went to a church service filled with beautiful worship, even more hospitality, a loving congregation and a sermon by our own Becca on God's blessings in life (Numbers 6).
We are all so overwhelmed by our experiences in this place, even if it were for a short time. I am so excited to see how God works through us in these final weeks of Summer Service!
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