image
image
   
image
 
blog  |  contact us  |  mailing list  |  our mission  |  donate


12/2007 - Nepal - On the left the old school is torn down, on the right the new is prepared.
A new year... Did I mention last month that we wouldn't stress out? Well, how about we won't stress out too much? December was a pretty tough month. The layers of management on the site and the number of people involved and the language barriers have made the actual process very uncomfortable. However just a few days ago Ryan & his colleague Nitin finally came up with a classroom layout that they think will work. So that's encouraging.


12/2007 - Nepal - Our nativity scene. Note Brian, our friend and chorale director, he is the donkey on the left.
The holidays came and went but not without us making the most of them. Christmas was better than we had hoped. Being so far from family is hard but we were very blessed to spend time with friends here. In fact for 3 days we spent quality time with quality folks.

Christmas eve we had dinner and carols at the home of some American friends. It was really nice. Then on Christmas day we had early dinner with another American family, some Kiwis (New Zealanders), and a few other folks. We dressed up for our own nativity scene. It was pretty funny. Alicia got the job of angel.


12/2007 - At Haatibaan with our housemate Kristina who is headed back to Canada this week.
Just when we thought the good times would end on the day after Christmas another American family invited us up to Haatibaan to have a picnic, play capture the flag, and pray over the city. Haatibaan overlooks the valley. It was a real treat to run around playing capture the flag. For one of the games we had nearly 40 people playing.

Celebrating the birth of Christ by being with family is such an awesome privilege and we are so grateful that so many folks choose to get together and be a family here. We are all so far away from our families, but we are all brothers and sisters. We are very thankful for that.

12/2007 - Nepal - Our friend Khim had his first baby, a son they named Shrimish (we think). Pray for them to adjust to parenthood well and for health.


The last few days also saw us picking up some newcomers from the airport. We are their "link family" which means we help them get acclimated and find everything they need. We are still newcomers ourselves, so it is a little tough to know what is important but it is a privilege to be the first people some new folks from Australia get to meet here. Please pray for this family with us. They appear to be incredibly comfortable and have traveled pretty extensively.


12/2007 - Nepal - Elijah all snazzed up for Christmas.
Our link family had sent some unaccompanied baggage ahead of them. So we decided to try to find it. Ryan didn't have much clue how to do it and our Nepali colleague Nara hadn't done it before either. So we went to the "Air Cargo" building where we were met by a guy who sent us back to the airport where we were met by a guy who sent us to DHL... but just as we were about to leave we spotted the receipt in a binder. "Ah", the man said ... and proceeded to have us sign that we had received the items without damage. We said "we haven't even seen them yet." He said: "this is what you need to do." Then we were sent back to the "Air Cargo" building where the same many ran to the van just by the road.

12/2007 - Nepal - There was a bit of a misunderstanding on our way to Haatibaan that left us stranded for a while, but we found this hand dug quarry and a coconut shell.
He declared it would cost 2500 rupees to claim the items. We insisted that the bill had already been paid. Then the man started itemizing the charges. It turns out he is a private "agent" who goes into the building for us. We aren't allowed in the building he says and so the fees are for his work. Not only that but the shop is closed already and won't open again until the day after tomorrow. So there will be a storage fee also. Anyway, Nara got quite cross with him and we left. Nara hopes to find a different "agent" next time when the place is actually open.

That illustrates very well the quality of business that happens here. There is no recourse, especially for foreigners. Chances are that "agent" has some connection with the legitimate employees inside the building. They may be relatives or even just get a commission on this "agent's" earnings. Whatever the connection it is pretty certain that they will collaborate his story. Without our own connections to trump their connections we have no recourse.

1/2007 - Nepal - We visited Gokarna forest for New Years Day and found this huge tree. There is a sign next to it that says "site of the filming of 'Little Buddah'". Neat.
For them it is legitimate business, to us it is the corruption that keeps this country poor and underdeveloped. Believe it or not every aspect of the society runs this way. Even when we need visas. Same kind of thing.

We're quite blessed to be a tiny part of what God is doing here. Since arriving it has become excruciatingly evident that there is nothing we can do with our own two hands that will improve even a single life here. It is only by the Holy Spirit's supernatural intervention that the principalities and powers we wrestle will be subdued. So we continue to march forward, sharing Jesus in our broken Nepali at every opportunity. Working at a school that has been a blessing to the mission community here since the 80s. Learning more language and culture every day. God we can see that you are moving. Help us to move with You.


12/2007 - Nepal - Christmas morning.
One last fun story. A few weeks ago Ryan was in the van with Nara moving some of the more fragile equipment. Nara asked Ryan in Nepali why he would leave America and come to Nepal. He said America is so clean and nice and Nepal is so dirty and bad. Ryan told Nara that Jesus had sent us here. After correcting the pronunciation and conjugations Nara replies: "Jesus must be angry with you."

That led to a lot more broken Nepali and a bit of seed by the grace of God landing on some fertile soil. Even for Nepali Christians some of the concepts of missions are illusive. Missions is not just about converting people. Without discipleship it is incomplete. Lord use us, for whatever brings you joy.

A song we recorded on our laptop here in Nepal: Use Me.
image
Click any image above for a high resolution version.
User: himalayan / PW: nepal
10/2006 - Nepal 
image
10/2006 - Nepal 


What we are doing? - Serving as teachers at a "study center" in Kathmandu. Learning to speak Nepali and understand the Nepalese culture. Building relationships with locals.

How can you help? - By contributing your love, prayers, and financial support if you are able.


 
back to top |  blog  |  contact us  |  mailing list  |  our mission  |  donate

Contact Us:

image
10/2006 - Nepal 
 

Your Email:
Your Message:

 
back to top |  blog  |  contact us  |  mailing list  |  our mission  |  donate

Our Mission:

imageVIDEO: To watch the video tell us: how fast is your internet?
Fast | Slow | Molasses
image
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."


image
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.

image
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.

image
Nepal 





To partner with us financially you may:

It is tax deductible.

image
10/2006 - Nepal 
 
ICTA Logo 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.


© 2006-2010 - www.himalayan.us