Nepal trip report
• Tuesday, 6.8.2013
Leaving Vienna
Saying goodbye is hard this time, hurts, i don´t know what this trip will bring.
Go for the unknown…
After waiting for five hours in Munich/Germany boarding the big bird heading for Delhi/India.
A real big one! Eight seats a row.
At boardingtime rain starts, getting more and more. Thunderstorm, lightning…
We had to wait four hours to take off. No drinks, no meal, but a claustrophobia friendly set.
Trembling, if I will make it for my connecting flight from Delhi to Bagdogra.
• Wednesday, 7.8.2013
Delhi
Never ending hallways, few people, a soldier with gun here and there.
I ask some official looking guy, how I can go as fast as possible to the connecting flight.
He sends me to a chair to wait and comes back with a more competent collegue
and they both guide me to baggage claim.
I have to bring my baggage through customs and check in again…
Everything worked well!
I sit in an Airbus 330 and gaze through the windows.
Clouds. Clouds. Clouds. Vast landscapes and rare views down to good old earth.
Several times I see a big river. Flooded. Extremly flooded. Fields and streets under water, even villages…
Bagdogra airport, an adventurous setting, combined with a military airport.
Photography strictly prohibited, you will be fined.
I need a visa for Nepal, I was told. In the arrival hall a big crowd of men,
how offer their vehicles for transportation.
Pastor Manoj is weaving from the exit side…
I aks someone for visa, but nobody knows, so i pass the control point to meet Pastor Manoj.
He came with a young man from his church and a driver he rented to pick me up.
They drive on the „wrong“ side of the street. Of course, India was British.
The street has numerous deep bumps, hundreds of people at the edge of the street and also on the street.
Cows and calfs – holy, naturally, and worshipped by the hindus…
Goats of all sizes and races.
Hut next to hut, many of them in worse condition than we have for bicycles…
Each of them is offering something, but few people have money to buy something.
Shoemakers, blacksmith, butcher, tailor, bicycle repair,…
Such an intensity of pictures, my eyes overflowing.
Immigration office India: Papers to be filled in and signed
We go over bridges, through many more demaged roads and through bumps through the Nepali boarder.
Immigration office Nepal: more papers to be filled in and signed, pay some fee…
To the right and left vast tea and rice plants, wood collectors, so many people with nothing.
Dhulabari
Approaching the Tamíd house. Someone dug a narrow line, deep enough to get stuck with our 4×4.
We grab my baggage and walk, it is not far any more…
A first chance to meet the girls in the workshop, they sit on the floor and are working…
Occasionally oen or the other is looking up, smiling.
Well, looking around, our house seems to be pure luxary!
Of course there are some house, displaying that money is at home in this place,
but you can count them by your fingers.
First span of time with teachers and students,
I tell a little bit about us, look at the products they have already finished.
Beautiful. Beautifully made. I would like to know how our clients will accept that!
Closing prayer with the Tamíd team. Man, they are powerful singers! Wow.
And pray loud and all at the same time to the final Amen.
Together we go on Pastor Manoj´s motorbike to his church, take a look at the property,
we maybe build a Tamíd house:
Then we take a short ride to part of the market. one shop next to the other,
you can buy (nearly) everything…
Dinner. Sano cooked something. Rice, vegetables, pickles… Tastes good. And healthy also…
Sunk into bed. Slept like a piece of rock until 05:30 local time.
• Thursday, 8.8.2013
Breakfast, prayertime, some talking, then I try to get the electric sewing machine working. Electric power is not always available, no one knows, when it will drop…
The most difficult part for me was getting the thread through the pinhole.
Then a short demonstration to the group. Amazed.
After that to the market. I forgot to bring a towel. To the LibNepal Kindergarten: There I meet Suzanna and Divya.
Outside we meet Pastor Raju Khadka, who is leading an NGO against slavery, prostitution, trafficking, and for poor children. I will meet him again for an extensive talk on that.
We take a 20 minute ride to Birtamod to get money from a cash machine.
Finally it is late enough to go to the „cyber“, a small internet shop. great, it works, at least the audio side…
So good to hear her voice… tohoo wa bohoo back home from livestock and crazy neighbour! Poor wife!
We go to visit student Sabina Tamang. She is having serious back problems. We pray for her and she serves us a wonderful, very sweet chai.
Her Pastor, Ram Thapa (Koninonia church) is the next, we visit. He asks for prayer support for their ministry (church planting, door to door mission, bible school).
Dinner with rice, buffalo meat, fish…
Waiting for Éva to call me.
Deep sleep.
• Friday, 9.8.2013
We have to decide on the buttons matter: we leave the ones finished with the big plastic ones,
but from now on go for the wooden buttons.
Deepa will go to India tomorrow, only chance to get them soon.
Or maybe not, there is a muslim holiday and shops may be closed.
“Hope – Network for children, Nepal” they call the ministry of Raju Khadka. It is a Nepali NGO.
They serve to poor children and pray for slaves, prostitutes and victims of human trafficking.
Last Christmas the handed out presents to 2000 kids.
They also do “awareness conferences” for children, parents and teachers.
We pray together for God´s guidence to reach the victims.
Because of the boarder to India being so close, „business“ with kids is booming.
An estimated 1000 kids may be subjects to the matters in that era.
They think and pray about building a shelter for for those trying to get out of the opression.
On our way to the market to buy winter fabrics. Sunita, Binita, Manoj and myself.
We bought but a lot! 10m for lining, 20m in five different unicolors for the top parts and
60m Nepali design for the lower parts of the Tamíd design.
We also got two cotton carpets for them to sit on when working instead of the plastic stuff!
The girls are happy over the selected materials!
Thank You, Jesus!
Break. Siesta.
Preparing for the youth meeting this afternoon. I shall preach and share from our life and ministry…
7 young people, among them 2 already married couples. I talk about the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1, with Bezalel, Nehemia and in the arts, and how God dwells in His people´s worship.
I tell the story of Tamíd, pretty long, and they carefully listen.
A blessed time.
A short talk with a housebuilder, I will draw a sketch of what it may be like. We talk mor tomorrow after service.
The structure is getting more clear.
Back home I sit and draw past midnight…
• Saturday, 10.8.2013
After shower, breakfast, e-mail checking we go for church.
On the motorbike for 5 minutes to the church building.
I did not know until then that should talk again, but it was a very blessed time. A testimony of our life, about Tamíd and God´s guidence. The congregation really listened.
A short talk with the housebuilder. I give him a copy of the plan.
He will start calculating…
We go towards Birtamod, about 12 km west, having an invitation by Baskhar´s parents. He is leading the Kankai Education Foundation, a big college with hostel.
A delicious meal, nice family, highly educated. Some smalltalk about what God is doing with us…
On the way back Pastor Manoj is spontanously asking to visit his mother close to the WE highway. Sure we go .
She is about my age, but looks like 80, suffering from massive hip problems, hardly able to walk.
She asks me to pray for her, wants to have my hand laid on.
She is Christian. Sometimes. But then again, sometimes more Hindu…
Before I can start, Pastor Manoj´s sister is coming, together with her doughter and newborn granddoughter. Shortly after the neighbour came, Bible in her left hand and a 14 year old girl with Down syndrom at her other. She can not speak.
I shall pray for all of them. Phoo…
A privilge, a challenge, a chance.
Done. Everyone is happy.
A goodbye from their hearts with many thankyous and waving hands…
Oh, Jesus, help and save!
• Sunday, 11.8.2013
Get up early, some bananas for breakfast, onto Manoj´s Motorbike heading southwest for about 40 minutes; at first on the „eastwest highway“ which is a wider street with hundrets walking, cyclists, motorbikers, goats, cows, buffalos and busses with double fills, baggage on the roofs, some mor people also, some on the bumper and some extra courageous in the open doors.
On the left a Hindu procession going to one of the funeralplaces at the river.
On the right groups of college girls on their way to school.
We take a turn to the left and ride a small pathway between rice fields, passing pineappletrees, banana bushes, mango trees, bamboos…
Individual bamboo huts, cows…
Pastor Manoj stops somewhere and parks the motorbike.
“We have to walk from here.”
So we danced on the narrow dams between the rice fields towards a river.
„We have to cross that river.“ Oh, dressed up for sunday…
Trousers up, slip out of the sandals and then: splish, splash. The water is surprisingly warm, it would be no refreshment for swimming.
1 ft deep, wet up to the knees, out of the river on the other side. Sand in the sandals. Maybe that´s where the name comes from?
“This is our church” an points towards a bamboo hut 4 x 6m, loosly woven bamboo stripes form the walls, sheet metal for the roof.
We have a little time to wait and sit in the court of the farm, bamboo and mud huts, 1 cow, 1 calf, 3 goats, owned by the elder of the congregation.
Chai is served. Hot and sweet and very good like always.
In church there are a dozen adults an 8-10 kids sitting on the floor.
Women to the left, men to the right.
„Seek ye first / Halleluja “ by Karen Lafferty (USA) sung in Nepali.
Everybody prays. Loud. All at once. Amen.
Offerings. Each and everyone gives something.
Pslams. Songs. A welcome for me.
I preach 30 minutes. Psalm 16. tamíd. lasting. forever. always.
Share bout our live. The birth of tamíd, our goals and vision.
And Luke 17, 10 as our motto.
The elder was an alcoholic until 3 years ago. Jesus set him free.
We go through Birtamod to the bank and back to the workshop.
Some girls are waiting for an application talk for the tamíd project.
Sunita, Sunita, Manisha, Sabita.
Take pictures, write down names and facts.
They will have to be patient until we hear from God, and be sure it is possible and affordable.
I think we could have dozens of applicants…
Here we go! Binita and Deepa have to produce a winter prototype. They seem a little insecure. They maybe never have sewn a zipper into a skirt. And it´s ME to show them???
After lunch we drove to the market to look for long zippers for the winter collection. Yes! They even fit the Uganda zippers!
Short intermission.
We visit Pastor Ram. He is very interested to learn about christians in Austria and Europe. „Can´t you send outreach teams to Nepal?“
Dinner with Ram´s family. Mhhm.
At 07:00 PM it´s pitch dark. riding the motorbike through the night. No electric power, no streetlights, but lots of walkers, animals…
Other drivers flash at us. Too much weight on the backseat…
Anyway, we come home save and well.
• Monday, 11.8.2013
Breakfast, prayertime with the team, short planning for today…
They should finish 10 kid´s skirt sets and ten adult sets for me to bring it to Austria!
I have to start preparing my departure. Unbelievable, how fast it passed.
I pack the first bunch of products, the shopping bags, into my suitcase.
Kid´s skirt sets and adult sets follow, as well as the winter prototype.
We need a scale for the suitcase! I don´t want to have to open it at the baggage drop.
Yeah, that is difficult. A scale they have at the hospitals.
Go to the cyber, the internet shop, for online check-in.
We go through the book keeping, talk about the future.
Successful sales, that´s what we need now!
• Tuesday, 13.8.2013
Departure day. Seriously!
Packing, sorting, waiting for finished skirt sets…
Yesterday that had no electric power for 3,5 hours. The skirts could not be finished like we planned. Today they work full power. But it is still less than we planned and need.
Saying goodbye is hard for all of us.
A last time of prayer together. I bless everyone of the girls.
Tears. Smiles. Loughing…
Secretly handed over gifts. “This is for Éva!”
Suitcases packed. Heavy.
We got a simple spring-scale with a hook. 22 kg for the checked and 8.5 kg for the cabin. Perfect.
An adventurous ride to the Nepali border, Immigration office Nepal, Immigration office India, street patrols, controls at Bagdogra airport entry. All went well.
Jaimashi, Pastor Manoj! …and Daniyabad!
Well. Here I sit at Delhi airport and have 9 hours to wait for my connecting flight to Frankfurt. Free wifi for 45 min. Cool, but too short. I will try to log in once more later tht night.
Gate 15. Waiting for boarding 02:05. Takeoff 02:35.
Yes! Going home!
All went well at the customs.