Namaste

Namaste: My soul honors your soul. I honor the love, light, beauty, truth, and kindness within you because it is also within me. In sharing these things there is no distance and no difference between us. We are the same. We are one.

This is how you say hello and goodbye in Nepali language. With every person you meet, you are saying "I see you as God's child, just like me." I love this so much. I found this to be such a good representation of our Nepal adventure.

The people of Nepal have seen more than their share of hardship. Less than one year ago, the earthquake that hit central Nepal killed more than 8000 people, totally devastating some entire villages. Every person we met had an earthquake story to tell. One told us he was out trekking and had to run to find shelter in a cave. Over the next week as he tried to get back to the city he was without any food. Another told us of the primary school that collapsed. He spent more than a month sending food and water into a crevice to try to feed the children that remained trapped below the rubble. Even now, the damage is obvious. Buildings lay in crumbles, houses have lost walls, some roads are impassable.

Besides the natural disaster they've weathered, even more hardships exist. An electricity shortage in the country leaves most buildings with power for only about 8 hours a day. We became used to sudden power outages and even luxury hotels offered hot water for showers for only specific periods (usually 2 hours/day). An expat from Pakistan we met told us how much more difficult it had been in the winter when no heat was available.

Water itself is an issue. In one town, water flows only once every four days. We visited on a water day and saw women filling huge water jugs to last them for cooking, bathing, and washing.

 A recent petrol crisis has also left a major fuel shortage. Lines for gas were 50+ motorbikes long. Only a ration of fuel is given and when the station runs out for the day, many leave without to try again tomorrow.

Roads are indescribable. There is literally one road east to west in the country which winds through the mountains along a river. The roads are barely one lane wide with huge trucks trying to pass each other into oncoming traffic. Mix in livestock wandering into the road, people riding onto the top luggage racks of buses, gatherers walking carrying huge loads of firewood, and construction that directs you off-road onto dirt and needless to say, we saw multiple wrecks. I am beyond grateful for our driver who safely got us to our destinations.

In the jungle, there are even more concerns that are almost incomprehensible to me. Many small villages exist near the national park where wild animals remain a real problem. 20 tiger attacks occur every year. Just let that sink in. Every year, more than 1 person a month is attacked by a wild tiger. I am speechless. That number is actually a big improvement from the past. We learned that tigers often mistake people gathering wood and vegetables in the jungle for deer or other prey. Crop and livestock fields have towers in the middle where a farmer sleeps at night with a fire underneath to scare away predators.

Despite all these difficulties, the people of Nepal were BY FAR the nicest and most welcoming people I've ever met. They are friendly, loving to share their culture and stories and asking about ours. As male children are quite revered in the culture, I felt like a celebrity at times with people blessing us, hugging Owen especially, and asking to take pictures. I'm pretty sure we are all over Nepali Facebook this week!

The beauty of the country is breathtaking -- how can you not love Everest and the Himalayas-- but it was the people that I absolutely loved. We have such different experiences and perspectives, but we are the same. The more we travel, the more I understand that we are all God's children. The elephant guide, the drum player, the woman carrying water, we are all worthy and deserving of respect. I love that my boys live that. Barrett's life-plan of the week is to live in Nepal leading expeditions. Their horizons are so wide, I can't wait to see where they end up and how they serve God.

 I have a tendency to get caught up in my little world. My problems seem big. I convince myself that my efforts or money or circumstances have earned me something. My selfishness and sense of entitlement shine instead of God's light. How can I be true to my beliefs, to what God has required of me if I don't afford the same mercy and love to others as God has given me?

I have a confession, I am not an adventurous girl. I prefer comfort, safety, a beautiful beach and a fruity drink. But I have three incredibly important boys in my life that want and need more. I want them to become men who see who people are, not what they do or where they
are from. I want them to trust God and turn from fear. I want them to know that we are all the same. Namaste.

"a new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

PS I can't highly recommend a visit to Nepal enough. It is safe, friendly, and beautiful. Despite some of the difficulties, Nepal is warmly open for tourists. Putting money into rebuilding their tourist industry is a helping hand to rebuild the country. If you are interested, I am happy to share our hotel and guide recommendations with you.