Kagbeni, Nepal
Where to start...I have so much to tell about this quiet little mountain village. It as so drastically different than anything I've ever experienced. This town is in the upper Mustang district which are mostly villages of refugees from Tibet. The people look different and have a different language than the Nepalese from lower lands. I stayed at an inn called the Yak Donald Hotel, yes it was painted red and yellow and had the McDonald's arches on the sign...there was also a "7 eleven" store next door....the effects of American tourism. The inn was nice and I had an amazing view of some of the Mountains out my window. Buddhist prayer flags flap in the strong winds and more cows and water buffalo's to share the streets with. I've gotten used to random animals all over the place. I've also gotten used to not using a garbage....I haven't seen one since I left London. I must admit it was nice to spend 3 days in an enchanted village where modern civilization hasn't touched for the most part. I was adventurous and tried some Tibetan food, which included Yak....I'm not a huge fan. I also climbed up the Golden Hill which is located across the river from Kagbeni. This was a 1000 m straight up climb.....I was terrified and half way up I tried to remember why I decided to do it. But once I arrived my eyes saw the beauty of the Himalayas....endless sights of hills and the sun coming up over snow tipped mountains...it was worth the nerves! And the Lord makes our feet like a deer's anyways :)
This is the school where the day care also is at.
A group of the kids, getting them to stay still for a second was near impossible!
More bubbles with the kids....I'm sure glad I brought these along!
These 2 cuties were both named Tasi....I loved all the kids, but if I had to pick 2 to take home, these would be the ones...just look how adorable they are!."
I wondered why God had sent me on this trek, taking 3 full days to climb high into a remote area. I think my role was mostly supporting Kp and his wife. These are two beautiful servants for the Lord. They have forsaken all to reach the people of their country. Kp has the heart and boldness for evangelism, but not the training and Bible knowledge. It was really cool to just do Bible studies with the 2 of them and hear their stories, the questions they had, etc. I was able to encourage and love them, teaching them all I knew. Isaiah 52:7 says "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news." This verse describes these 2 servants wonderfully and completely. Pray for them, life is already difficult in Nepal, even more so being a Christian and doing mission work amongst an unreached people group that is resistant to the gospel. I couldn't imagine a more selfless way to live a life.
Oh...I did get a chance to witness to the two teenage girls that are interested in Jesus. They were difficult to talk with because they were sent to this Inn by their families from Pokhara to work for 3 years (they were too poor to do anything else)...so because of their commitment, they didn't want to do anything that could questionable to the owners. I was able to give my testimony to Jamuna and read some scripture to her that I thought would speak into her heart. She had tears in her eyes and she said she would like to know more about Jesus...but it wasn't God's time. Kp is going to get them a Bible and continue to talk with them. Pray for Jamuna and her sister Ganga (they are the 2 girls on my left in the picture below). These girls really touched my heart and I was so sad to say goodbye!
Jamuna is the one directly on my left...the girl in pig tails and the 2 boys were the children of the owner of the inn I stayed in.
During the last couple days I also got a chance to meet several other visiting trekkers from many different countries. I had amazing opportunities to share about the love of Christ. I discussed the existence of God with an atheist musician from France and a Russian-Jewish girl from Israel. I also got to give my testimony to a farmer from New Zealand. It was an eye-opening time for me to talk with people from all over the world, coming from different walks of life. I have a much different world view and a better handle on how other's view Americans. I am so thankful that the Lord took me so far out of my comfort zone and took me on this amazing journey. He continues to amaze me more and more.
More to come.....
Kagbeni had many dark alleys like this one, but with great views all around!
The town view from across the river...when I climbed the Golden Hill.
The day care I worked at for 3 days was incredible. I don't have a lot of experience with this age group 3-5 years, so I didn't have a lot to compare with. But these kids were a kick to play with. We played with balloons, bubbles and stuffed animals. We attempted to play Frisbee outside, but mostly the kids just wandered about doing whatever they pleased. In many ways it was heartbreaking to observe these kids. They were dirty and had different behavior than American children. They used violence and hit each other a lot. Tibetan Buddhists have a lot of break down in the family life because of their beliefs (too much to go into now). A lot of families have 2 fathers (brothers marry one wife to keep the wealth in the family because they are so poor). One day two sisters came into the room who were children of poor workers from a distant village. I took a real concern to these two for some reason. They were even different than the others, almost a sad, fearful temperament. I looked down at their feet and I almost started bawling. A 5-year old and 3-year old should not have feet that looked like theirs. After class I went out and washed their feet and put some cream on them....their skin almost came off. This was a tough reality for me...there was nothing I could do about parents in poverty neglecting their children. Below are a couple pics of the day care...I'll make another post with more pictures of the beautiful children of Kagbeni!
This is the school where the day care also is at.
A group of the kids, getting them to stay still for a second was near impossible!
More bubbles with the kids....I'm sure glad I brought these along!
These 2 cuties were both named Tasi....I loved all the kids, but if I had to pick 2 to take home, these would be the ones...just look how adorable they are!."
I wondered why God had sent me on this trek, taking 3 full days to climb high into a remote area. I think my role was mostly supporting Kp and his wife. These are two beautiful servants for the Lord. They have forsaken all to reach the people of their country. Kp has the heart and boldness for evangelism, but not the training and Bible knowledge. It was really cool to just do Bible studies with the 2 of them and hear their stories, the questions they had, etc. I was able to encourage and love them, teaching them all I knew. Isaiah 52:7 says "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news." This verse describes these 2 servants wonderfully and completely. Pray for them, life is already difficult in Nepal, even more so being a Christian and doing mission work amongst an unreached people group that is resistant to the gospel. I couldn't imagine a more selfless way to live a life.
Oh...I did get a chance to witness to the two teenage girls that are interested in Jesus. They were difficult to talk with because they were sent to this Inn by their families from Pokhara to work for 3 years (they were too poor to do anything else)...so because of their commitment, they didn't want to do anything that could questionable to the owners. I was able to give my testimony to Jamuna and read some scripture to her that I thought would speak into her heart. She had tears in her eyes and she said she would like to know more about Jesus...but it wasn't God's time. Kp is going to get them a Bible and continue to talk with them. Pray for Jamuna and her sister Ganga (they are the 2 girls on my left in the picture below). These girls really touched my heart and I was so sad to say goodbye!
Jamuna is the one directly on my left...the girl in pig tails and the 2 boys were the children of the owner of the inn I stayed in.
During the last couple days I also got a chance to meet several other visiting trekkers from many different countries. I had amazing opportunities to share about the love of Christ. I discussed the existence of God with an atheist musician from France and a Russian-Jewish girl from Israel. I also got to give my testimony to a farmer from New Zealand. It was an eye-opening time for me to talk with people from all over the world, coming from different walks of life. I have a much different world view and a better handle on how other's view Americans. I am so thankful that the Lord took me so far out of my comfort zone and took me on this amazing journey. He continues to amaze me more and more.
More to come.....
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