Notes from Nepal

Dear all,

This morning we awoke to a thousand sounds of the city. Ringing bells, carpenters hammering away, people talking, others chanting. Its really warm and a haze of mist and city grit hangs over Kathmandu, so much so that we could only see the Himalayas early this morning, when the air was crisp and cooler. Yesterday, we took a taxi from the airport to our guest house and got a sneak peek of city life - people driving like maniacs on bicycles, motorcycles, small buses and 3-wheeled cars. We have been told that, in Kathmandu, people don't drive on the left or the right-hand side of the road, but the side that is easiest. This translates into what looks like controlled chaos, a destructive choreography or pedestrian near-misses, kooky automobile horns, and seatbelt-less drivers of all things petrol powered. Its absolutely terrifying to cross the road, but you soon realize that people make allowances for you and slow down, swerve in front of another car or stop altogether (which is less likely).

On our way back from the markets this morning we passed by a gentleman who could only see out of his left eye, as the entire right side of his face was swollen with various tumours that hung like large individual potatoes, the color of flesh from his head. They looked incredibly heavy, and there is no doubt he would be considered cursed and outcast by those living here, yet, he walked with his head lifted high. We just weren't expecting to see this, and I think it especially shocked us. We prayed silently for him, and wished we could speak the language so we could greet him and speak with him. Never in my whole life have I wanted to become a doctor, or surgeon so that I could relieve suffering by removing deforming tumors or mending cleft pallets and lips. We believe that prayers for healing are as good as any doctor's miracles, and sometimes what seems like a small thing, like prayer, actually brings about the most lasting and transformative change.

Life so far....England & Nepal

We are long overdue for giving an update of what we have been up to since we finished our Master's program in Oxford. Amazingly, the day we turned in our dissertations we saw double rainbows outside our bedroom window. Neither of us have had that happen after turing in school work! After our program we took a trip to Scotland (see previous entry on blog) before moving down to London from Oxford.

Currently, Ian is working for Tearfund in London, which is an international development organization (NGO) that specializes in disaster management and poverty eradication. Ian is working in the international human resources department for this organization. Monica, has been tirelessly applying for development jobs internationally. It has been a joy to be living abroad, yet it does bring its own challenges. We have been living in temporary accommodation from month to month, which is a stretch for any person trying to plan ahead. Ahh, life in faith.

We are also preparing to go abroad to Nepal from October 13th until November 4th, where we will both be working with a UK organization (FEBA) that helps set up community development and radio projects in Nepal. Our tasks will be to consult with FEBA and the Nepali people in order to better meet their current needs (eg. health, education, agriculture, etc.) in their communities. We will be backpacking from village to village talking with Nepalis about their most pressing needs in life and recording their comments to be put in a report for FEBA and international donors. We are so grateful to have this opportunity as development consultants in tandem with one another. After we get back from Nepal there are many unknowns. No need to worry.... we do have more than a cardboard box to live in when we return! We actually have a small apartment in London. Come visit us before we are living in a mud hut somewhere else, of course mud huts are amazing too! Also we may have opportunities to continue work with Tearfund or possibly other NGOs, if we get any responses back from other development jobs we have applied for. We will keep you posted. Miss you all.

Double Rainbow


Video on our work in Nepal from FEBA

Weekend Away in Scotland

So after spending the last month of the summer doing our dissertations in order to finish our master's program, we decided to take a weekend away in Scotland. It was the breath of fresh air that we needed. Road trips with good friends are wonderful, especially when they end up in Edinburgh, Scotland. The beauty of Edinburgh...

























The Edinburgh Castle