Easter Nepali Style
I’m on the final month of my trip! Time seems to have flown by and I can’t believe I only have 25 days left. How crazy! My team has finally gotten adjusted to Kathmandu, although our lungs would beg to differ. It is insanely dusty here and we can’t go outside without wearing a mask to prevent breathing in all of the dirt. I’ve gotten to do so many incredible things and I’ve made so many amazing memories. It’s been such a blast! I’ve definitely learned so much being on this trip, and God has definitely grown me in my confidence and outgoingness whether through pushing me to lead worship for Nepali church (definitely not my favorite thing haha), bringing a ton of energy and silliness to our slum ministry, and being gracious and patient while teaching English. I’m so thankful for everything I’ve learned and will continue to learn. My team is doing a lot better with health now, most of the sickness is gone now and we’re all trying our best to stay as healthy as possible. I’m also feeling a lot better now and I’m so thankful for all of your prayers.
This past week has been full of so many fun things! I got to celebrate Easter in Nepal and I had been looking forward to that for the entire trip! On Good Friday some people on my team made Passover dinner for everyone and we sat and enjoyed the evening together. I also had the opportunity to watch The Passion of the Christ for the first time and it was so powerful. On Easter, my team got up at 5:30 in the morning (very early but definitely worth it!) and we had a sunrise service and worshiped together on our roof. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many wonderful people celebrating Jesus’ resurrection through praise and worship. One of the my favorite moments of the morning was being able to worship not only alongside my team, but also with the people walking in the streets below us. Apparently it is a tradition for Christ followers in Nepal to “parade” their way through the streets towards the city center on Easter morning, while worshiping the Lord all together. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and it definitely will be a memory I will never forget. After that, we went to one of the nearby coffee shops and had a nice Easter breakfast together and talked about some of our favorite Easter traditions that we have back home. Later that afternoon we were invited to a different coffee shop that is actually owned by Christians and they asked us to lead worship there for everyone. There’s just something about worshiping in English and Nepali with both Americans and Nepalis in a little tiny coffee house that made it feel like home, but not like my home in Colorado, more like a different home I’ve never felt before.
This past week we started going to a new slum and it’s been so much fun to get to know the kids. They love playing hand clapping games and Simon Says, doing the hokey-pokey, and singing Father Abraham. They’re just adorable! Women’s ministry has also been going really well! I love teaching English lessons and being able to just sit and talk with the women. On Tuesday I got to work with a lady who was there for her first English lesson and it was so cool to be able to teach her the alphabet. We were just going through writing and rewriting the letters, and each time she would get to “z” she would clap her hands, say something in Nepali that I didn’t understand, and then do a little happy dance with a huge smile on her face. It just made my day to see how much joy she had just through learning something as simple as the alphabet. By the end of the two hours, she had every letter memorized and she even asked me to give her extra homework to practice at home. She’s such a sweet lady and her positivity and open mind are so encouraging.
This week we also started a different ministry that I had no clue we would have the opportunity to do. We started going into dance bars and talking with the women who work there and getting to know a little more about them. We basically pay for their time and use the time that we have with them to be a light in their dark situations. Our heart behind this ministry is to be able to talk with these girls and eventually offer them a way out by explaining the Women’s Center and how they offer English lessons as well as training in different job skills so that they can get back in their feet and find a new job. Wednesday, we went to one of the dance bars and there were four women who worked there between the ages of 21 and 35. We walked in and they served all of us Mountain Dew. We talked for a good two hours with these women getting to listen to their stories and hear about how they ended up working at the bar. Most of the time our conversation was positive, but occasionally one of the women would open up and say something completely heartbreaking and so difficult to hear. At one point, a girl on my team asked what the ladies dream jobs were and each lady told us that they had no dreams or hopes for their future because it wasn’t realistic to dream about something that would never come true. One lady that we talked to was super funny and had this laugh that was so contagious, but when we asked her to tell us a joke she said that she wasn’t drunk so she couldn’t tell us a joke and that she wasn’t funny unless she was drunk. Over and over they kept saying how much shame they had and how their lives were worthless. My heart just broke for these women. They had no hope for their situations and they had no one to turn to for help. They put their identities and their worth in the fact that they have to work these horrible jobs and they believe that they deserve nothing better in life. While this ministry is very heavy and dark, we were able to be a light to these women and share with them the overwhelming love, joy, and grace that comes from the Lord. It’s definitely a difficult ministry and it’s so difficult for me, but I definitely believe that God is doing so much through this ministry and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Thank you again for all of your continued prayers for myself and my team. It means so much to all of us. I’ve loved being able to share all of my stories and adventures with you and I can’t wait to share the last bit of my trip with all of you!
~ Hannah