So we are sitting in our favorite internet cafe right now next to the hotel, and my dgroup (small group) just had dinner together which is always fun. Now i'm eating a 500 mL (~ a pint) of strawberry ice cream, aka heaven in a container. It's nice to come back to the hotel after a long day of ministry and get ice cream, which is way more available here then in KTM. yum:)
We have been doing a lot of village ministry here, but we have also been doing a lot more other forms of ministry, too. Yesterday we had the annual Day of Serving, where we went out into Pokhara and just asked if there was any way we could help. It was suprisingly difficult to get people to accept our offers for volunteer work. Most everybody thought we wanted a job for money. Side note: the Nepali government came and told everyone in Pokhara that the streets are going to be widened, so everything in the overlaying area must get torn down. The hotel that we are staying at had to remove part of the front desk lobby area, others are being forced to move locations, and the sidewalks all have to be torn up by the people who own the land that is being confiscated. So some groups did physical labor, like tearing up the sidewalks, while others helped sort things into boxes for shopkeepers who are relocating. My group went to help a really disorganized bookstore by alphabetizing their books and dusting them off. Suprising how helpful little acts of service can have such a big effect.
Today we went out to a church-affiliated ministry called the Rainbow Ministry. It's a hang-out place for both Christian and non-Christian kids ages 2-15 to come and chill, play field hockey, swing and play on the jungle gym, and learn Bible lessons. Our team of 37 helped divide approx. 175 kids into 4 groups and rotate them through craft time, songs, story-telling, and games. I was a part of the craft team, and we helped the kids make animal masks out of paper plates, which they then took to storytelling time to participate in the stories of Noah's ark and Daniel and the lions den. We were only working with the supplies we happened to have on hand, and since the majority of our team had a surplus of paper plates, we decided to use those with the crayons Rainbow Ministry had on hand. Games had a fun time. They tried to teach the "red light green light" but they didn't get the concept, understandable given that I have only seen 1 stop light the entire 3 weeks that I've been here.
It's crazy to think that today marks 3 weeks. We only have 1 more week of ministry, then we have a week of debrief that helps us process everything that we have learned and done this summer and prepare to take our ministry back home. Really applies our tagline for the summer "A summer of service for a lifetime of ministry"
On that note, a few prayer requests. I've had to sit out of the last few street performances because my knee has been bothering me so much. I bought a brace here, and I'm taking meds, but they just don't want me injuring it further. Understandable with how much walking we do. It's crazy- we only eat carbs basically here, and we burn through it so fast that we constantly are hitting up the corner grocery store for snacks (like ice cream! and mars bars and white chocolate toblerone;) )
Also, Pokhara is a much more forest-y, nature filled area so everybody who has allergies is basically dying. I thankfully found some allergy meds, but still be praying for us as the group of 10 of us are suffering big time.
Being on such a packed schedule is really wearing us down. We typically wake up around 7 am here and lights out is around 11. Everyone is super tired and worn down, so pray for strength and energy.
As we are now through hump week, it's more difficult to stay here mentally and push through our last week of ministry. Pray that we won't get homesick and we will be strong enough to stay present mentally.
Pray that God opens the hearts of the Nepali people that we will be interacting with.
Only 2 weeks left- so crazy to think about! God has done so much both in me personally, but also in the people of Nepal. Thank you so much for your emails and comments- it's super encouraging to hear from people back home!
We have been doing a lot of village ministry here, but we have also been doing a lot more other forms of ministry, too. Yesterday we had the annual Day of Serving, where we went out into Pokhara and just asked if there was any way we could help. It was suprisingly difficult to get people to accept our offers for volunteer work. Most everybody thought we wanted a job for money. Side note: the Nepali government came and told everyone in Pokhara that the streets are going to be widened, so everything in the overlaying area must get torn down. The hotel that we are staying at had to remove part of the front desk lobby area, others are being forced to move locations, and the sidewalks all have to be torn up by the people who own the land that is being confiscated. So some groups did physical labor, like tearing up the sidewalks, while others helped sort things into boxes for shopkeepers who are relocating. My group went to help a really disorganized bookstore by alphabetizing their books and dusting them off. Suprising how helpful little acts of service can have such a big effect.
Today we went out to a church-affiliated ministry called the Rainbow Ministry. It's a hang-out place for both Christian and non-Christian kids ages 2-15 to come and chill, play field hockey, swing and play on the jungle gym, and learn Bible lessons. Our team of 37 helped divide approx. 175 kids into 4 groups and rotate them through craft time, songs, story-telling, and games. I was a part of the craft team, and we helped the kids make animal masks out of paper plates, which they then took to storytelling time to participate in the stories of Noah's ark and Daniel and the lions den. We were only working with the supplies we happened to have on hand, and since the majority of our team had a surplus of paper plates, we decided to use those with the crayons Rainbow Ministry had on hand. Games had a fun time. They tried to teach the "red light green light" but they didn't get the concept, understandable given that I have only seen 1 stop light the entire 3 weeks that I've been here.
It's crazy to think that today marks 3 weeks. We only have 1 more week of ministry, then we have a week of debrief that helps us process everything that we have learned and done this summer and prepare to take our ministry back home. Really applies our tagline for the summer "A summer of service for a lifetime of ministry"
On that note, a few prayer requests. I've had to sit out of the last few street performances because my knee has been bothering me so much. I bought a brace here, and I'm taking meds, but they just don't want me injuring it further. Understandable with how much walking we do. It's crazy- we only eat carbs basically here, and we burn through it so fast that we constantly are hitting up the corner grocery store for snacks (like ice cream! and mars bars and white chocolate toblerone;) )
Also, Pokhara is a much more forest-y, nature filled area so everybody who has allergies is basically dying. I thankfully found some allergy meds, but still be praying for us as the group of 10 of us are suffering big time.
Being on such a packed schedule is really wearing us down. We typically wake up around 7 am here and lights out is around 11. Everyone is super tired and worn down, so pray for strength and energy.
As we are now through hump week, it's more difficult to stay here mentally and push through our last week of ministry. Pray that we won't get homesick and we will be strong enough to stay present mentally.
Pray that God opens the hearts of the Nepali people that we will be interacting with.
Only 2 weeks left- so crazy to think about! God has done so much both in me personally, but also in the people of Nepal. Thank you so much for your emails and comments- it's super encouraging to hear from people back home!
Hollywood- I'm amazed and so proud of all the work you've done in Nepal! I'm glad you're feeling better from being sick & I'm sorry about your knee- I'll pray for strength and healing! I've got LOTS to tell you and I can't wait to hear all your stories!! Have lots of fun, be adventurous, but most of all, keep on shining for God! I know He's doing amazing things through you and in you! MUM!!!!!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASAAAAAR! - Memphis
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