Good News

Hello friends and family!
After a whirlwind week, Daniel is home! It was not a brain tumor like the doctors thought (although it could have been and God just zapped it!) but there was a blood clot. He got to come home yesterday which is such a blessing. Praise Jesus! He has a nice scar from the top of his forehead all the way down and around to right in front of his left ear. You can't even tell unless you move his hair to the side. He's doing so well! Hard to believe he had brain surgery just a few days ago.
We have been laying low at the house, I am still trying to get in the swing of things. The culture shock and time differences still leave me sleeping and eating at odd hours. It will come with time I am sure, but its difficult waiting! It was much easier going to Nepal than coming home.
Well, this is a very random post.... but I can't think of anything else to say. We are waiting for the pathology reports to tell us exactly what it was and if there were any cancer cells. I promise to update when I hear.
Thanks for all the prayers!

Homeward Bound

Hello friends and family-
As most of you know, my brother Daniel has relapsed. While in Mexico on a mission trip with my sister, doctors found a tumor in his brain. The last time he had it he was 7, now he is 16. Mom flew down immediately. We are trying to get him out of Mexico as soon as possible because the medical care there is horrendous. He has an MRI scheduled for Monday morning, after which we are hoping he can fly home to WA.
I am currently packed and ready to go. Dave is taking me to Kathmandu on a bus where we will stay the night and hopefully I will be able to catch a flight the next morning to the states. Its going to be a long trip- but I am so happy to be going home to be with my family during this time.
We would appreciate prayers when you think of us, especially Daniel. I am really sad to be leaving Nepal, but know that what I am doing is the best thing. Thanks to all my supporters... next time I write I will be back in the states!
God bless!
Alexa

Chitwan (part two!) and prayer requests

Here is that video from Chitwan.... enjoy!! By the way, my laugh sounds really weird on camera and in my defense, it was only about 6:45 am. :)





Prayer requests:

We just got back from Kathmandu today, whew, what an adventure! I will blog about that later. Dave and Nick headed out to remote Nepal to stay with the Chiapong- natives to Nepal. Kimberly is leaving at 6 am tomorrow morning to go to a remote village for a medical camp. I am in charge of the youngest 3 Beines for the next 2 days! I feel like I have finally begun to take a breath from all this traveling, and now I have a new responsibility. Pray for me, for peace of mind, patience, and wisdom. Two of the youngest Beine boys have been sick for the last three days- so pray that their recovery continues and that there are no relapses on my watch! Second, they are building a mini 'road/path' right on the other side of the Beine's house from mine. It is 7 pm and I still here them out there working. Pray that no problems or difficulties arise from this... I am only good at solving problems in my own language!!!
I leave you with a praise: I have not gotten sick at all! I have had a few mild tummy aches here and there, but that is it!!!! Thank you for all the prayers and support from back home, it has carried me through some rough days emotionally. :)
Oh wait, one more thing... my youngest brother and sister (Daniel and Tori) are in Mexico on a mission trip right now! They will be running a VBS and building a church. Pray for safety and unity for the team, their travels, and for good health. I am so excited for them. :) This is Daniel's first trip out of the country besides Canada.

Much love,
Alexa

Isaiah 40:30-31 "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Chitwan! (part one)

So I realize that it has taken some time to get these up, but here are some pictures from Chitwan (for some reason, my video of our elephant ride won't upload right now). We stayed at the Island Jungle Resort. It was wonderful! We took all back roads to get here, had to turn around a couple of times and then got to our 'boat' to take us across to the island. After a 10 min. hike through the jungle, we came to all the huts where we stayed for an amazing two nights and two days. Hot showers available (sometimes) for about an hour in the evening, no outlets in the rooms, and electricity from only about 6-9 pm. What fun! We were met by two other families from Tansen... so we had a nice, big party of 16. I think this is one of the coolest things that I have ever done in my life. The elephants were definitely the best part!!! I would say that the worst part was the 5:50 am wake-up call; not so cool. :) This is our ride over to the island. :)

Our hike to the huts through the jungle

Nick and Nate bathing with an elephant!



Glorious Sunset in the Jungle seen from the back of an Elephant!


Crocodile!

Elephant safari


Me with the elephants!

So now we are in Kathmandu again for a wedding reception and to meet some friends, back to 12 hours a day with no power. We are here for about a week, I am staying in a different location than the Beine's for this trip. My host is wonderful! She has three boys, and her husband works with Wycliffe. Her garden is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, I think I have posted pictures of it before on my blog.

Right now I am waiting for the Beines to come pick me up to go up to a small mountain town for the next two nights. Then, we will come back for the wedding reception, Jake's birthday party, and then back home to Tansen on Thursday. As always, lots going on in this part of the world. :) I'm just trying to soak it all up!

Blessings and peace be upon you! Have a glorious day!

*Ephesians 3:14-21*

The Pokhara side of our vacation...

First day in Pokhara... total culture shock. So many tourists and foreigners and Nepali's that speak English! I had to go back to the guest house and sit for awhile to process it all!

Everybody has a water buffalo, yours is fast but mine is slow. Where do we get them I don't know but everybody's got a water buffalo-oooooooooo!

Happy Birthday Joshua Beine! 6 years old today!

'Holi' day- a Hindu tradition where you throw dye and colored powder and water balloons on each other. :) They still have the color on their skin 5 days later!

A relaxing rest of the day on the 'pontoon' boat in Pokhara. Kimberly and I took a turn at peddling while the boys all stuck in their fishing poles. 4 hours on the lake=BLISS!

Next post: Chitwan pics!

thoughts one February day...

Hello all!
Its been awhile, I'm sorry about that. So much has happened just in the last two weeks... I don't know where to begin! It seems like there is always something happening here. The missionary family here is really connected and we get together often. I love that about this place. I get to interact with so many different believers from all over the world here in Tansen. I can't describe the joy that I feel when we get together and I get to interact with others. This is a huge deal for me because I am most definitely an introvert. But, when you are in a forenig country that is not English-speaking and you get together with English speakers.... you talk as much as you can! :)For example, last week I got to hang out with some girls from Norway. So cool! I learned all about Norway and its people and its beliefs... totally loved it!
Let's see, I think the biggest event over the last two weeks was the Bhaj- which was the hospital's annual picnic. There were easily over 100 people there, mostly Nepali. Lots of awards, presentations, eating, skits, singing, and games. Now me, being a typical American, was thinking 'picnic': Okay, we get there, we eat, then we sing a little and play some games, then go home. No problem. Well, it started at 12:30 pm. We didn't eat until 4 pm! Man, Nepali's like to talk! And the funnest thing was watching them accept their awards for 5 years of service, 10 years of service, retirement, etc. They would walk up proudly and accept the award, bow towards the crowd, and then display their award and gift to everyone; walking around and making a big deal of it. So not what I am used to! The best part of it all was the background music. They stuck on what I would call Childrens' Sunday School music! So as these proud Nepali's accepted their gifts to "Father Abraham, had many sons..." I was just trying not to laugh. What an experience! Oh- the fun of being in a foreign country.
I am starting to understand the language more. I can't really get past "How are you" "Hello" and telling people where I am from, who my parents are, what I do, etc on the speaking side... but I am starting to be able to pick up what is being said. Its really fun when you realize how much is beginning to rub off on you.
Big News: On Saturday, the Beine family and I are heading for Pokhara, a little touristy town (with ice cream and steak!) on a lake about 4 hours from here. I am totally thrilled and plan on buying most of my souvenirs and gifts there. Then, from there (this is the best part), we are going to a wildlife refuge in Chitwan. We are staying 3 days/2 nights in the park at a resort! We are meeting two other missionary families there and I am fully prepared to have a blast! There are rhinos, elephants, tigers, and lots of other 'jungly' animals. Check it out here: http://www.islandjungleresort.com.np/island/index.htm
I think one of the hardest things about being in another country is being away from my family. I am not normally the 'drama queen' type or very moody, but here it is a whole different story. Some days I am up, and somedays I am down in the dumps. Two days ago, I was in one of those slumps. I just seemed to sink deeper and deeper, and I wanted to feel depressed. It was horrible. The next morning (yesterday) I woke up in prayer, and then opened my e-mail to find that five people had sent me encouraging and just really wonderful e-mails that totally lifted my spirits. Then, I opened up my Bible and had a great time just soaking up Scripture. I think it turned out to be one of the most productive days I have had here in Nepal so far. God is great!
Well, I probably won't be on in the next week because of my upcoming adventures. :) I will definitely post some pictures and a lengthy blog when I get back from Pokhara and Chitwan. I will only have a couple days until I turn around to head to Kathmandu for a wedding reception... another most excellent adventure! So my prayer request this week would be for safe travel and good health. The capital city has been having violent strikes this past week so pray for safety especially, that the strikes do not affect us in our travels.
Blessings and peace be upon you.
Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Oh- really quick- my didi (hired help) just came over because she had made a new dish for us to try. It had pineapple, beans, and something else that I have no idea what it is and watched me eat it to make sure I liked it. It was really funny to watch her watching me while talking in Nepali. I have no idea what she said, but it was good and I think I communicated that to her. :) I am so grateful to our didi's. They rock!

The Bazaar (as promised)

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I thought I would start us out with some encouragement from the Scriptures today. :) As it is, people back home are just waking up on Monday morning and I am just going to bed on Monday night! But I did promise some pictures from the bazaar yesterday- so you shall have them!
The bazaar is about a 1o minute walk from here. Very pleasant, gorgeous views of the valley. When you walk over by the hospital is when you get the views of the Himalayas, for those of you who wanted to know. You can't see them unless you go further up the hillside, and if the day is a clear one. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. The bazaar. There are 3 roads in Tansen. The high road, the middle road, and (you guessed it) the lower road. I happen to live off the middle road so if I just take my path up to the middle road and follow it you run right into the bazaar. You have to squeeze through a small tunnel right before you get there. *See picture below* Through the tunnel, you come out onto Steep Street. Why? Because its hecka steep! If you fell, you would probably fall all the way to the bottom. Last time I was there I saw a boy skipping down the road and was like 'Whoa- what a brave kid! I hope that he is really truly skipping and not trying to slow down because unless he runs into something to stop himself, he's going to be skipping for a LONG time!' *See picture of Steep Street above right* Off of Steep Street is Straight Street. This is where my favorite shop is. :) The man who runs it speaks English pretty well and has a fantastic selection for Nepal of chocolate and juice (my 2 weaknesses)! It is called 'The Himalayan Coffee Shop'. I haven't actually bought any coffee there because I brought some from home, but the name reminds me of Starbucks in the States so it is a comfort thing for me. Don't get me wrong, I love stopping at little hole-in-the-wall places... oh wait, everything here is pretty much a hole-in-the-wall! But I also love buying from small vendors along the path for milk and eggs. Here's a picture of the shop.
It still astounds me that a town of this size can be built so high up on a hill. It's so steep, if you fell you would fall for awhile. I laughed when I first started corresponding with people in Nepal because everyone advised me to get evacuation insurance 'in case I fell down a mountain'. I was like, 'yeah right, fall down a mountain-haha funny'. So I got the evacuation insurance and now that I am here, it totally makes sense. I could in fact, fall down a mountain. Other things that still make me chuckle is the fact that the Hindu's have to wake up their gods and put them to sleep at night with a bell. Hinduism is the most common religion here in Nepal. So, every morning you hear bells go off and every evening you hear them again. Personally, I could never trust in a god who I had to put to sleep and wake up again. What if you needed them in the night? Hmm.... And yesterday, Mr. Beine had to shoo off some Nepali women who were picking flowers from his yard for the gods. He said, "Please don't do that" and they said, "It's okay, it's okay" to which he said, "No, it's not okay". They reassured him that it was 'for the gods' but he still shooed them off anyway. Hehe- its kinda funny when you think about it. And today, the boys and I did Valentine's Day Crafts this afternoon to music on my laptop, when I heard another kind of music. I looked out the window with the boys and a Nepali man was serenading me with music and some sort of instrument. I don't know if he was looking for money.... but it definitely was amusing. I think Kimberly might have filmed him sitting in front of my house, singing away. :) It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted money, we get at least 3 visits a week by beggars. Since we are 'bedeshi's' (Westerners) we are seen as being rich. Sadly, I am not- but I don't know how to tell them that because I don't speak Nepali. We normally send them off with food and a smile.
Well, I am rambling again. I did tell you a little bit about the bazaar and there are some pictures, so hopefully you aren't too disappointed in me.
I hope that this week is a joyous one for you!
Blessings-
Alexa

Happy February!

Well, it is February now... the month of Groundhog Day, President's Day, Valentine's Day, and Joshua Beine's birthday! I have been incredibly blessed these last couple of weeks. I have met and interacted and fellowshipped with so many wonderful people, its really hard to put into writing my thoughts and feelings. Last night, all the 'bedeshi's' (missionaries) got together for an English service. There were Australians, Koreans, British, American, Nepali, Swedish, and Norwegian families present. How cool is that! I especially love all the accents. :) Then most of us stayed and had dinner there at the guest house, where visitors or short-term missionaries (1-6ish weeks) to the hospital can stay. It was a fun time.
Let's see, the boys and I are on week 3 of homeschooling. I don't think I have talked much about this but after one week in the tutorial (missionary) school, the boys and I along with their parents and much input from our fellow missionaries, decided to come home. There were lots of reasons, one of the main ones being that Nick- the oldest Beine- was not able to come with us to the school. As such, he was left home quite a bit especially when Mr. Beine had not joined us yet. In the end, it has been a great transition. Now I am just settling in with teaching the four boys on my own. I converted my living room into a school room where the youngest 3 and I meet everyday. Nick has his own desk at his house where he works, but still joins us in the morning for the pledge, devotions, a journal write, and morning announcements. I have finally gotten us into a routine! Its been fun to see the boys in this sort of setting and learn about their different learning styles. I have some deep thinkers! But most of all I have noticed that man these boys love to talk!!! I am an introvert by nature teaching in a class of extroverts. How did that happen?!?
Anyway, we still join the missionary school and another homeschool family for p.e on Wednesday and an assembly on Thursday. We led the assembly last week and decided to do a patriotic/ United States theme. The boys sang songs, did a little devotion, recited memorized parts of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and even performed a skit about Francis Scott Key (the author of the Star-Spangled Banner). I was so proud of them that day! Each one of them did an excellent job. :) We had a great time being creative and using our talents to make the assembly a special one. Most of the time, we simply share what we have learned that week and show some of our work. The kids love it and really take ownership of what he/she has created or learned.
Well, tomorrow I am going to try and write again. I went to the bazaar two days ago and took lots of pictures that I would love to share with you all! For now, some prayer requests would be:
1. One of our didi's (hired help) husband of 30 years has been having an affair that she just learned about/ witnessed with her own eyes this week. Please pray for her during this rough time, as she has three children at home to support now on only her income.
2. We have a little boy at the hospital with tetanus and pneumonia, who has been here over 3 weeks. Yesterday we had a day of prayer and fasting for him because he has been steadily getting worse. I would ask you to pray for speedy healing for Narayan- and for all the doctors/nurses who have been caring for him.
3. For good health! I still have not gotten really sick yet which is a huge blessing. However, I got hit hard this weekend with home-sickeness. I think the 'newness' of it all has finally worn off and I long for the comforts of home and a hug from my mom!
Smiles and Hugs!
-Alexa
P.S. You may have noticed my differently-colored/designed blog. I decided it needed more COLOR... and so I have added it. I feel much happier now. :)

Tansen

So, I can hardly believe that I have been in Tansen for over a week. 10 days to be exact. It has been a whirlwind of activity and culture shock and awe and disappointments and praise! First off, our trip here was long! There ended up being a strike, which is called a bandh (bund), so the direct (if you can say direct) route here was closed. We ended up having to go through Pokhara and it took I think somewhere around 11 and 1/2 hours. I told you it was long! Surprisingly, I didn't get 'bus sick' and neither did the boys. Jake and I were in the back of the 'buck'- called this because of the back half of the bus being made into a truck. The rest of our crew was in front of us. Right across the aisle was an Australian couple whom I am so blessed to get to know! They are my age, and have been married only a month. Megan is a med student and working in the hospital, while Gavin is studying to become a pastor. We chatted off and on the entire ride, and I am now priveleged to call them friends. Our bus ride was windy, think Northern California coast, Going to the Sun Road in Glacier, or any other mountainous, treacherous road you can think of! No guard rails, crazy drivers, and buses that just decide to STOP in the middle of the road so someone can go to the bathroom. Yikes!!! We saw a couple accidents: one bus crashed into a house, one fell into a ditch, and one was up on a brick wall. I am told that the hospital here in Tansen has at least one major bus accident a month, where buses literally fall off the side of the mountain. Talk about scary!
Anyways, I am here and still in one piece! Thank you Lord! I'm not sure that I am looking forward to the return trip, but that is not for a few months at least. :) Let's talk about Tansen.
First, our houses. (Be sure to look at my facebook photos!) My house is two stories and has a large attic. I have very small ceilings and even smaller door frames. I am constantly ducking and banging my head, think Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! My fellow missionaries call it the 'doll house'. Those of you who know me understand my pain. Even in American I am rather tall for a girl and here in Nepal I easily pass 90 % of the population. I have gotten used to the stares from the people here and simply smile in passing. The Nepali children are wonderful because they all greet me as I pass-by and sometimes start conversations. I don't understand a word of it, all I know in Nepali is how to talk about where I am from, what I do, and how to say my name! Oh, and how to greet people and say thank you. That's pretty important in my book. So, back to the house, it is furnished. I discovered on my first day that I did not have linens though so I had to take a quick trip to the bazaar (marketplace). There is nothing even close to a Wal- Mart here and the items in stock are so random. There are dozens of stores, some not bigger than closets and certainly none as big as a McDonalds. Most are open-faced out to the street, so merchandise gets covered with dust. There aren't very many vehicles here though. A few buses and motorcycles is all. We walk. Hooray for exercise!
As for cooking and baking, I have attempted three things- all turning out rather well. My fellow missionaries are amazed because most people rely on the didi's (Nepali house help), or don't know how to bake. Well, it certainly is no picnic, but baking is how I relieve stress so I knew that I had to try! I have found it takes at least twice as long- the oven scares me and I find myself praying each time that I don't blow my house up! Plus, doing dishes is a long, long process. To give you an idea, I have found one precious measuring cup and one teaspoon. There are only two pictures on my oven knob, one to light the stove and one that I have no idea what it means. So when a recipe says, turn on the oven to 350 degrees, I have to laugh because there is just no way! Also, sugar here comes in big pieces so to get the right consistency, you have to grind it down into the powder that we use back in the states. I could go on forever about the differences, but you get the idea. What did I bake you might wonder? First, banana muffins. Second, cinnamon apple streusal muffins, then Snickerdoodle cookies. Yum! You have no idea how glad I am that there is chocolate here. The only American chocolate I have found here are Snickers and Kit-Kats (or Scooby Snacks as my dad likes to call them).
Let's see, what else? Let's talk about the didi's, or house help. The Beine's and I employ three didis between us because our houses are so close- about 20 steps from my front door to their side door. Two are solely for cooking, they come on alternate days with Saturday being the 'off day'. Then one comes just for gardening and laundry and house-cleaning. When I was in the states, I had a hard time with this. I was like, "I can cook and clean myself". But now that I am here, I am so grateful for their help. Everything is made fresh here because of the power outtages. Refrigerators simply can't be trusted. It takes all day to prepare the two meals, lunch and dinner. Laundry takes hours to hand scrub and boil water for, and house cleaning is no easy task. Most houses are made out of mud. To say the least, my standards for cleanliness have been altered!
My house is about 10 minutes away from the hospital, and ten minutes away from the bazaar. I'm right smack in the middle. :) We drink milk from cows and water buffalo, and our cheese comes from yaks. I have no idea where the butter comes from, but someone told me it's probably from water buffalo ('buffs' as we call them). It definitely is not like American butter, but its not bad. With the milk since it is not pasturized, you have to boil it and cool it before you can drink it. Another example of how much longer things take here. I have noticed that when I am walking, I normally pass people on the road. There just is no need for 'rush' here. I will have to try and trade my American sense of time and timing for a Nepali one. And let me tell you, it's hard!!!
Okay, I think that this is all the randomness I will leave you with today. I can't remember what I have and have not written! So before I go and repeat everything again, I will wisely stop. God bless you in this coming week, as so many of you have blessed me with your notes and encouraging words. I treasure each one of you that is reading this. Smiles!
P.S Be sure to check out the new pictures and layout of my blog, I had fun with it!

Some pictures of Nepal (Kathmandu and Tansen)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13514&id=100000125930441&l=1c3c3a4f44

For those of you who don't have facebook, you should be able to click on this to view my pictures. :) Enjoy!

Last day in Kathmandu!

Well, today was my final day in Kathmandu... and it was very busy! I finally slept through the night the whole way through! Praise Jesus! I woke up late for here, at 7 am. :) Nepali's I have found wake up early but don't head to work until 9 or 10 am. They like to lounge and wake up slowly. Its really nice actually.

So, after breakfast we all got dressed and made sure our baggage was packed and ready to be taken to the UMN (United Mission to Nepal) Headquarters for our trip tomorrow to Tansen. A truck was coming to pick up our bags- all 14+ of them- for all 7 of us plus the Beines had to buy sheets, comforters, pillows, and towels for their house. So lots of luggage! We left the house around 8:15 to head down the hill to catch a taxi to the Tansen hospital to see if the immunizations were in stock so we could get the shots required for the trip. Thankfully, I got all of them in the states except for one which I needed to get here. We got to the hospital much earlier than planned, even despite the fact that there was a road blocked so we had to take a round-about way. We had to wait until the immunization clinic opened at 9 am- so we waited outside in the glorious sunshine. When it opened, we headed in and found out that there was no Japanese Encephalitis (what I need) but one of the three the Beines still needed was available. We ended up waiting an hour and a half before they got called in for their shots. In the states, the rabies shots would have cost around $2,000 for the Beine family. Here in Nepal, the whole family got the rabies shots for $100. How crazy and amazing is that! What a difference! And I have been noticing that even though we always bargain for the taxis, we only spent $2 coming home today from a friends house that was around 10-15 minutes long. Cheap!

Back to the story, the boys and Kimberly finally got their shots one at a time. The youngest, Josh, cried and cried and cried! Nate was next, and he did pretty well. Then Jake and Nick. When Kimberly went in, I found a book to read to the boys because a few looked a little green. Next thing I knew, Nate was on the floor- he laid down before he actually passed out. He turned so pale that it scared me! After having some candy to suck on and a trip to the bathroom (which had no soap or toliet paper), we set out for the Boehm's house. These are old friends of the Beine family and they have three boys right around the Beine boys' ages. It was a perfect playdate! Their gate surprised me because it looked to be made out of tin. However, once through the gate I was pleasantly surprised. They have a beautiful house and HUGE yard right in the middle of the city. A boy's paradise, complete with trampoline and tire swing which I simply could not resist! We dropped the boys a little before 11 and booked it back to our temporary home to oversee the bags being packed. Then, we caught a lift over to the UMN HQ to meet the director, register Mrs. Beine for medical work (she's a doctor), and confirm our seats on the bus tomorrow. We were served coffee as we chatted and it was wonderful and hot! After that was done in an amazingly short period of time, Mrs. Beine and I walked back to the Boehms house. Mrs. Boehm had made a wonderful chicken pot pie from scratch with a garden salad! Amazing. We never have salad here! The whole meal and conversation was wonderful, I certainly felt refreshed. Her husband is a Wycliffe translator and is currently working through 1 and 2 Thessalonians. After some time, Kimberly and I again left and headed to the bookstore to get some gifts for our host's children. I ended up making my first Nepali purchase all on my own, with my own rupees! It was a fun moment- I got paint brushes for the school out in Tansen. I brought acrylic paint, I just had forgotten the paintbrushes! Then, we went a little farther and bought the most wonderful-tasting oranges that I have ever had! Incredibly sweet. We bought if from a street vendor, picture a farmer's market type of thing. He opened both types of oranges he had for sale and gave us each half. After gathering our purchases, we went back to the Boehms to collect the boys and head home. By this time it was around 4 pm. We got here, were lounging around the house for about an hour and a half, then had a wonderful dinner of fried rice. Last night we had a huge, huge Nepali meal when their church small group came over- so we took all the veggies and rice and meat and dumped it all in a pan to warm. So yummy! I was a little afraid because last night, I tried everything that was prepared- even if I was a little skeptical- and one of the veggie dishes totally lit my mouth on fire! I was like 'ah ah I need water!!! Oh nevermind, there is a water shortage. I will just drink my glass and eat lots of rice! Oh it burns!" Let's just say, any trace of cold I had was burned out of my system!

As much fun as this is, I really should be heading to bed. We have to wake up around 4, 4:30 am in order to catch the bus at 6 am tomorrow morning. I close with some prayer requests:

1) That our trip to Tansen goes smoothly. No roadblocks, no accidents, no getting carsick!

2) That our transition from being a guest in Kathmandu to actually settling in Tansen for the next five months is a smooth one.

3) For good health! Nothing to report so far on my end except for a cold and currently a stomach-ache.

4) That the boys and I can join the school next week and really connect with the other teacher/students. I am so looking forward to our first school day. We run from Sunday-Thursday from 8 am-1 pm. (Saturday here is like a Sunday back home)

I hope this finds you well and happy! God bless, and thank you for your support!!!!

P.S All the pictures are from the Boehm's wonderful house! Isn't the fort awesome???

Kathmandu

Kathmandu. This city is unlike any other that I have ever seen. Today I went with Mrs. Beine and the four boys to the British Embassy on the other side of the city to meet with some friends of hers from previous trips to Nepal. Where I am staying is on the outskirts of Nepal... so we have been mostly staying on the outer edge. Well, today I went right through the heart of Kathmandu. The traffic was horrendous, the air was thick with pollution, and there was trash/dirt everywhere. Vendors were selling vegetables and fruits right on the roads. I can't imagine that you would taste anything but dirt and dust! The streets were packed with people and cars and motorcycles. It took us about 40 minutes to get there by taxi, thank goodness the strike is over. (Yesterday there was a huge strike so no one was supposed to drive on the roads. If you do, they burn your tires and throw rocks at you. Needless to say, we stayed home yesterday!) We got there a little before the meeting time and it was a totally different world stepping beyond the gates into the embassy from the streets. We ate lunch on a huge lawn with a playground and one of the biggest, coolest trees I have ever seen! It is the most perfect climbing tree! And I got to eat FRENCH FRIES right next to it in the glorious sunshine. It had to be about 65-70 degrees today. Brilliant! It felt just like California heat. We ate lunch with Mrs. Beine's two friends and their children. It was a merry party, and I just sat and got to soak up their beautiful British accents. I love listening to people of other cultures. It makes me wonder what I sound like to them. From here, Kimberly and I took a quick run to a 'grocery' store to get some supplies. It was my first time shopping here. So fun! The assortment of goods is totally different than the US, most of it I couldn't read but could guess at what it was. Eggs are sold in containers of 15, 3 rows of 5. And their loaves of bread are much smaller than a loaf of bread in the U.S. I had fun wandering up and down the aisles, even though I knew I was definitely being stared at! I think I am finally getting used to that. We bought ingredients for Spandan's birthday (my host's daughter). She is turning one in about two weeks so we had a little celebration tonight for her. She's adorable! And the chocolate cake was amazing! I have been going through chocolate withdrawals. Plus, there is a sugar shortage in Nepal. So the cake was a definite plus. We baked it in a miracle oven, which is when you have a special cake pan-like Bundt cake- that you put over a stove burner on low heat for about an hour. It tastes different than cake made back in the States but it was still good. :) Happy Birthday Spandan!

Let's see, oh- on the way home from the Embassy to the Shresthas (my host family for the week I am in Kathmandu) there was a little excitment. Traffic was more insane than usual because it was about 4 o'clock. We needed to stop by a fruit stand to get some of the items we missed off our list, so we asked the taxi driver when we got in if he wouldn't mind one stop on the way. Of course, he didn't because it meant more money for him! Anyway, we found a fruit stand and pulled over. Kimberly got out and I stayed with the four boys in the taxi- it wasn't like we could move anyway with the five of us crammed in the backseat. Right before she got out, I started thinking... this taxi driver better not pull anything and try to drive off. I don't have any money! And I don't know the way home! And I don't speak Nepali!!!! So, Kimberly got out. We waited about 10 seconds and then the driver pulled out into the traffic! I was like, oh my word! What do I do? Maybe I can knock him out of his seat and I can drive back to Kimberly. But I can't move! I have a boy sitting on my lap and three next to me. Well, maybe all of us can jump out of the car! No no never mind scratch that. We would all get run over.... As these thoughts and more were running through my head, I realized his blinker was on. Okay, okay, maybe he was just getting to a better place to pull over. Yes! That was it. Thank the Lord! We waited about 30 more seconds and he did it again! This time the boys were getting a little panicky- 'why are we going? we have to wait for mom!' Thankfully, he stopped just ahead and Kimberly came running up and got into the car. So that was my stressful situation of the day. I am happy to say that we all made it back, no taxi driver tried to abduct me today!

My big ideas of the day: it helps to stay in big groups and not try to be Miss Independent here. And I really have to trust God. My faith has been growing so much stronger just in these last few days. The dependency on God here is real. There is so much confusion and chaos that sometimes you have to just say, 'Okay God. Here I am. I'm trusting in you for guidance and protection because thats all I can do. I have no control so I am giving it all to you." I think in America, I lose sight of that far too often. I can be Miss Independent and can rely on myself. Sometimes I feel like I put God on a shelf and just pull Him out when I need Him. But He is so much more than that. I'm loving where I am at right now. And I am loving Nepal. There are no real words to express how grateful I am for this opportunity, and how much I have realized all that I take for granted in the US. On the way home, before the taxi story, I saw three boys who couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old, all smoking cigarettes on the side of the road. Wow. There were dozens of people around, and no one was trying to stop them. Rather, the people were almost encouraging them! As if the polluted air in this city wasn't enough. No wonder the life expectancy here is only in the 50s or 60s.

Alright, I have started rambling a bit. I am tired. And I realize it is only 9 pm but I am heading to bed. Good morning to all of those in the states. My clock says its about 7:25 am on the west coast. How weird that I have already lived the day that you are about to live. Here's to it being filled with the Spirit! I sign off with this:

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you"

Hello blog!

Its my second day in Nepal... and let me tell you it has been quite an experience so far! I got here on Thursday afternoon, which is late Wednesday night in Spokane. There is a 13 hour, 45 minute time change from there to here. We are ahead and it seems so strange to be talking to family back home when they are in a different day than me. :)
Let me see.... lets start with when I left Spokane on Tuesday morning. We went to the Beine's house at 5 am (they are the family I am traveling to Nepal with) and loaded up their things. We got to the airport on time and our flight left at 7 am. We had to get de-iced of course, it is Spokane after all, and then we were off. We stopped in Oakland, then L.A and changed to the international terminal. Thank goodness Mr. Beine was observant because our bags were only checked through to Thailand! After about 45 minutes, that mess was cleared up and we got through security to find lunch before our 14 hour flight. Yes, you read it right, 14 hours in one small little cramped seat. Oh the joys of travel. :) The plane was 3, 4, 3 seats across the row. We sat on the right in the seats for 3 people. Mr. Beine and Nate were in the front, Nick and Jake were next, then me in the window seat (hallelujah!), then Mrs. Beine and Josh behind me. It was a bummer that we weren't all sitting together across a row... but it was fun to pass on messages from the back to the front by poking the person in front of you. The announcements were given in at least three different languages, we all had a little screen in front of us with music, movies, tv shows, and a map of our flight, and the flight attendants were all little Asian women in cute outfits with flawless makeup and perfect hair. And yes, 14 hours later they still looked just the same as when we got on. Lame. I sat next to a boy who must have been close to my age and an older gentleman on a totally packed flight. We could not understand one another, and they slept most of the time. When I did finally get out to use the lavatory, we had to wake up the poor old man. When I got back, he had fallen asleep. The whole plane was dark, and I didn't want to cause a scene... so I nudged his arm. The boy sitting next to me came back then and we both tried to wake him up. We were giggling like mad by the time he woke up about 2 minutes later. Ah! What fun! The food- well, the food wasn't so bad. We had two choices and they fed us all the time it seemed. My only complaint was that for one meal, which was breakfast but definitely not the time for breakfast, we had to choose between an omelet and rice something. I chose the omelet and ate just the fruit and roll that came with it. Yum! The two men next to me got the rice thing. It seriously looked like rice soup with granola, and then they put seaweed something on it. Uh! Gag me!
We finally got to Taipei, Taiwan and by this time my clock was way, way off. We had about a two hour layover, so I took the boys and we ran the hallways for awhile.... right in front of the Gucci and Prada shops. Haha- those employees were dressed to the nines and we were in day old sweats and sneakers. I bet they wished they could have been us!
After Taipei, we went to Bangkok and had an 8ish hour layover there. We got a hotel room in the airport and took showers and got to lay in a real bed. I say 'lay' because there really was no sleep involved. My body was so out of whack! We woke up, had breakfast, and then Mr. Beine paid for Mrs. Beine and I to have a shoulder and foot massage! So wonderful! An hour of treatment cost about 18 dollars! Love it. Apparently massages are BIG in Thailand.... so I am totally looking forward to our vacation there on our way home to Spokane in June. :) It was in this airport that I noticed that I am much taller, much blonder, and practically shout American when I walk into a room. People watched us wherever we went. I felt like a doll on display!
Anyhow- we made it on our delayed flight and thats when the fun began. The flight attendants wore lime green, hot pink, and all sorts of brightly colored Nepali clothing. The writing on the wing was in hot pink, and all our dishes for the meal were hot pink. Fabulous! If I was a flight attendant, it would be for Thai Airways. Nick was my seating buddy and we laughed the entire flight. We found this exercise guide designed for sitting on a plane and had a ball trying to out-do the other person. My first glimpse of the Himalayas was AMAZING! Can you say HUGE! The splendor of it all... God really had fun with these mountains. You couldn't help but praise Him as you took in the sights. What a great God we serve!
We landed, taxied to the end of the runway, and disembarked. No concourse, no terminal, no nothing. We then walked to a building to get our visas and stood in line for about half an hour. Now, in Nepal and most Asian countries, personal space is non-existent. I stood in line for my visa and the Japanese man behind me kept pushing me. He was older, tiny..... and I had a big backpack. No, I did not knock him over but oh- I thought about it. He ended up taking MY receipt for my visa, and I had Mr. Beine go get it back from him so I wouldn't do something I would regret. We were on hour 40 with about 5 hours of sleep- and anyone who knows me can really sympathize with me here. There is a reason my family calls me a grizzly bear in the morning. I'm happy to say that no harm came to the Japanese man from my hands. :)
Well, we got through there, got our luggage (a miracle it all came through!) and headed outside to meet our host, Dwarika, who was our transportation. He brought his son and friend who had a large van that is sorta designed like an old-school station wagon. By the time we got everyone in and our luggage, I could not see the boys seated in the back. Oh, but I could hear their squeals around every turn. Drivers here drive fast. And crazy. And, well, stupid sometimes. No one obeys traffic laws because I doubt there are any. Motorcyles, taxis, tractors, bicyclists, pedestrians, buses, fancy foreign cars... its all here. And they are all maniacs. I was scared silly but would not allow myself to close my eyes because I feared that I would miss something. It was/is alot to take in, my first time being out of the U.S and all. We finally did safely make it to our destination and then struggled to stay awake the rest of the day. I think we all made it to dinner, and then all crashed from exhaustion as soon as the last bite was taken.
Well, its time for afternoon tea. :) Hope you had fun reading!