3/2008 - Nepal - A young village boy and his toy, which happens to be a corn stalk.

A little over a year ago our family left Colorado. It seems like yesterday.

On April 2nd we will have completed our first year in Nepal. It seems like a blink. Ever since getting here it has seemed like we are just free falling. Life is a blur going by. Sometimes it is an exciting feature of our lives, other times it can be a bit scary. Either way, we know that it will seem like tomorrow when we will be writing our two year update.

We first want to thank so many of you who have agreed to commit to another year of supporting us in every way. You are a blessing and a partner in this with us. On top of normal monthly budget there are several expenses coming up. We have a health insurance premium due, and Alicia will be starting school in a few months which requires tuition. So your financial help is also very appreciated.

3/2008 - Nepal - We have 3 March birthdays!

The situation here has gone from bad to worse to a bit better. There have been some very volatile developments over the past few months. The rebels in the Terai choked off nearly all petrol into northern Nepal causing some very irrational behavior in our city. Mobs were stopping vehicles, holding down the drivers, and siphoning fuel right out of their tanks! Demonstrations would stop the few vehicles that could actually go anywhere as angry people threw tantrums in the streets. As usual none of the victims had anything to do with the problem.

2/2008 - Nepal - Elijah now sleeps in a bed.

A group in the Terai known as the Madeshis (no surprise influenced by the Maoists) wanted a guarantee of significant representation after the upcoming elections so they shut down the only trade route from India. It sounds strange, but they really are being treated unfairly considering their importance to the welfare of Nepal. An agreement was finally reached just a bit over a week ago. If you remember those old Mel Gibson movies "Mad Max", that's probably a good picture of how the Terai region operates these days. Thankfully, they are appeased for the time being.

2/2008 - Alicia in Mama's shoes.

We still have no power for 30% of the day. We have gotten used to it. The weather is warming up now and the shivering is down to a minimum. School is as busy as ever but PTL, some help has arrived for Ryan. In just a few weeks his new colleague will be sharing some of the ICT duties and helping Ryan's department move into proactive mode instead of reactive mode.

Chandra has been having regular checkups at the local clinic. We found out last month that we have a boy coming. Still haven't settled on a name yet though. Again praise God, Chandra is healthy.

3/2008 - Nepal - Students at youth group.

The kids are doing very well here. Alicia is a sweetheart. She loves her baby brother, she likes trying to read and count, and she is improving her sense of right and wrong. Elijah talks a lot now. He is very sensitive and empathetic. When dada's back is hurting or someone bumps their head, it happens a lot here, he gets very concerned.

2/2008 - Nepal - Sparx students gather for service project weekend.

Ryan, Alicia, and next week Elijah all celebrated birthdays in March. Ryan and Alicia shared the weekend but each got their own cake! Alicia got to go on some rides in a nearby park and Ryan had a party with some friends including our bible study group. Elijah's is on Saturday but we have a school event most of that day. We hope to take him to the zoo soon.

Power just went out. Please remember to pray for Chandra & the baby. Ryan's back has been causing him trouble and he is now paying the price for not taking it easy during the dance class we teach together.

3/2008 - Nepal - Some Indian children have a meal. Despite them speaking Hindi we could understand a bit of what they said. Enough to learn they are mostly one family that live in a room nearby. They beg on the street during the day. Their parents are gone is all we could make out. I think I understood that they are alive, just not in Kathmandu.

God has blessed us with a chiropractor who came to help the mission community here. She thinks the problem is from leaning and twisting at awkward angles to help students and staff with their computers. Please pray for him and the kids. We appreciate your prayers so very much.

Finally, thank you so much for your emails. They are so encouraging. It is easy to be so busy that we forget there is a purpose to all of this. Then we'll get an email reminding us that we are not alone, and that we are a part of something wonderful. It really makes our day nicer when we hear from you. So thanks so much for that.

-ICA

3/2008 - Nepal - Alicia's birthday presents from America.

3/2008 - Nepal - The book came with the stuffed animal!

3/2008 - Nepal - The ride park for her birthday. Choo-choo.

3/2008 - Nepal - Who does this look like?

3/2008 - Nepal - Bouncy thingy, just a few seconds before it deflated. LOL

3/2008 - Nepal - Scary zombie ducks.

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10/2006 - Nepal

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10/2006 - Nepal

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8/2006 - Colorado Springs

God is willing, and in the spring of 2007, our family relocated indefinitely to Kathmandu, Nepal. There we serve at a school and have begun to learn the language and culture of a country in transition.

Nepal's transition is not just political, it is spiritual as well. The vast majority of the country, 95%+ depending on who you ask, is a combination of Hindu and Buddhist. The last 50 years have seen tremendous progress in this Country and we want to continue that work.

The school we spoke of earlier needs our help. Ryan serves teaching IT. Chandra is helping as the primary secretary, but with the kids so young it will not be full time for her.

So here is where you come in. The spiritual climate in the whole region wears heavily on Christians here. One couple we met, whose kids graduated from the school, have been there for over 15 years. They have encountered a lot of challenges, but are still going strong. We believe with them that it takes a foundation of spiritual support to free us to succeed. It is a principle God put in place, that we are truly a body. It is our hope that every one of you will pray for us as often as possible in the years and hopefully decades to come.

Matthew 6:21 - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Nepal

The school cannot pay us to work. Most of the students come from missionary families that survive themselves on the shoulders of their supporters. So we are asking for you to consider allocating some of your treasure to support us. We realize many of you are not in such a position, for you we ask that you pray for us as though you had given us your treasures. If you do support us financially, please pray for us like you have given all you have. Sincere spiritual support is the key to long term missionaries and their success. It is only in believing the Matthew 6:21 (above) and 1 Corinthians 12:12 (the body of Christ) principles that I can rebuke my own pride and ask you to be our partners. Please allow us to climb on your shoulders and go to Nepal to contribute our talents to the move of God there.

The students are nearly all children of nearby ministers involved in medicine, church planting, education, and more. We consider it an honor to help empower these families to stay longer and do more. It will take us years to learn the culture well enough to even begin to communicate well with the locals. So we consider it a double blessing to be in a position to be fruitful as soon as our feet hit the ground. We love the people of Nepal, and we have every intention of being part of local ministry to nationals. It's just great that we can step into this support role immediately. Praise the Lord.

Nepal

Psalm 50:10 - "...for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills."

We believe the principle of Psalm 50:10. God owns everything. He can and will provide for us. We just hope to some degree that you, our brothers and sisters, will be the vessels He uses. In that way we will be part of the vine, exactly where God wants us. Leaning on God and you to achieve things we could never do alone.

Nepal

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10/2006 - Nepal

TO DONATE: CLICK HERE and follow the relevant instructions.

ICTA will issue a tax-deductible receipt the year following your gift. Since all funds given represent a gift to an ICTA mission project, no refunds are available.

Nothing prevents us from receiving contributions directly, however we cannot provide a tax-deductible receipt for such gifts.