What I Did on my Summer Vacation

In May 1999, I went to Nepal for three weeks to attend an annual conference for its missionaries and to see some of the missions. Here's what happened:

Day 1 - Our flight over

Perhaps due to the colourful green ribbons on each piece of luggage (I also put one on myself just to be safe), nothing was lost on the trip over. We flew from Newark to Amsterdam to Singapore and then to Kathmandu, all on Singapore Air. The planes were fairly luxurious for coach; there was even Nintendo games available for each passenger. I did learn that steel-toed boots are not the best footwear choice when going through metal detectors. Our layovers were pretty short, so we never left any of the airports.

Day 2 - Kathmandu 1

We stayed in Thamel, the tourist section of Kathmandu. It's overwhelming at first, with all the noise (cars honk at frequent intervals - we thought at first it was to warn pedestrians but then noticed that it happened even when no one was around), sights (signs all over the place for e-mail, faxes, trekking info, etc.) and smells (because Hindus do not like to disturb animals, stray dogs were everywhere, in varying stages of health). There must have been hundreds of vendors for rickshaw rides or to sell souvenirs, including hashish. I was a bit dismayed that (1) so many tourists must be in the market for drugs here and (2) a few salesman would believe me when I said I wasn't interested. So we made it a game, to see who could get the most offers. I was also offered some other hallucinogenics (maybe because I was wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt), and I'm told, female companionship. I don't recall that being offered, I must have been distracted. I drove a (bicycle) rickshaw, it takes practice to drive one in a straight line.

Day 3 - Kathmandu 2

Jet lag woke us at 4am, but Kathmandu wakes early anyway. We had a large tourist breakfast (recognisable food) and then Dr. Steve Thorson, our host, took us to see some of the various temples and reminded us that children are still sometimes sacrificed in some of the rituals. I decided to postpone shaving so I would look older.

On another field trip, we saw a cremation. It is important for Hindus to have a son, because tradition demands that he be the one to light the pyre at the funeral. It is best held near a river, to ease the journey of the spirit and reduce the chance of being haunted by offended spirits.

Steve Thorson gave a brief talk (over the traffic noises) about some of the corruption difficulties the church is having in Nepal. Some missionaries, it seems, keep better accountability records than others. Since we were discussing Christianity, we had to shut the door of the hotel room (not making the room any less hot) to maintain our privacy. It is illegal to change your religion in Nepal, and foreigners who try to persuade Nepalis to give up their traditional religious beliefs would be persecuted.

Our tourist dinner, at "Fire and Ice" was a close approximation of the menu at Bertucci's. I tried to take back a menu, but they refused, no doubt proof that they are copycats.

Drove a motorised rickshaw. Takes some practice to drive near pedestrians (no injuries, I let the owner take over at these points). I wanted to complete the sequence and drive an automobile taxi, but didn't get the chance.

Day 4 - Bhaktapur and Patan

Bhaktapur is a city that has tried to preserve its medieval feel. To underwrite this, there is an entrance fee for tourists. Most streets were too narrow for automobiles, but some motorcycles roared about. Some kids followed us about, trying to trade their knowledge of US state capitals for candy or money. There I saw thanka shop (highly detailed paintings, usually of Hindu religious scenes, often painted with gold or silver. They can take 2 ½ months to complete.), paper lantern factory (they make their own paper), (earthen) pottery kiln, and wood carvers. I found the post office with the help of one of the children and mailed thirty post cards. (Side note, one of the tourist guidebooks says that if you drop off your post cards in a box instead of the post office, the stamps will be removed and sold and the post card used to wrap peanuts. Against the predictions of some of the others that had lost post cards on their earlier trip, mine made it through)

We didn't spend much time in Patan this day (would later return), but got in some more temples (by now they kind of run together). We were supposed to hear testimony from one of the converted Nepalis, but he was a no-show.

The team from Tallahassee, which would work with us at the conference, arrived this day. They tried to show off with some basic Nepali words, but we were experienced missionaries at this point and were unimpressed.

Steve Thorson gave a talk on how he got the call to be a missionary. In medical school, he just knew God wanted him to go to Nepal and be a missionary/doctor and hasn't looked back.

Day 5 - Church service 1

This was the first day that jet lag let us sleep in. We took a bus ride out to the church of one of the missionaries, Dale N. (can't spell his last name). They haven't a regular minister, they take turns (note: Don Williams will be taking some time off this fall, to volunteer for a Sunday, contact the church office). They are also having problems with leadership in the church.

Day 6 - Return to Patan

I took some free time to take a cab over to Patan. A 10-year old offered to guide me around the city (they act friendly at first and then they ask for money later). Since I had been in Kathmandu for days (see 'experienced missionaries', day 4) I knew to reject his first offers. I think I did have a non-tourist trip in the city. I saw some of the regular temples, but my guide also took me on top of a Buddhist stupa (scaled the outside of the dome shaped temple) and (using stairs this time) to the top of another temple where I could look out on the city and he could throw rocks off the roof.

That brings up the question of economics here. You can't encourage begging by throwing your money around because then you have a nation of beggers. You have to be careful with presents, because they might just get sold. I think I gave too little money sometimes (the Bhaktapur boy got nothing but a letter) and then too much other times (insistent donations to temples for unsupported religions). Better to give to faceless charities that are probably corrupt, I suppose.

All of the kids have a "brother" who sells the thanka paintings and I bought one here. Unfortunately, carrying it around you look more like a yahoo tourist than the 'experienced missionary' that I really was. At one point, my guide almost lost me to a pair of older boys who tried to convince me they were better guides.

I met up with some of the others at the hospital where Dr. Thorson works with his wife. It is as modern as they get in Nepal and was crowded too. Still, we prayed to remain healthy. We went back to see his house, rest up and then met the women in our group who were at an AGLOW (not Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling but a women's organisation for the Holy Spirit) meeting. It was held at a luxurious hotel. A bottle of Coke cost 30¢ there, so you can see how expensive a place it was.

Then we went to Dale's house for a traditional dal bhat meal, eat with hands. They had dessert and some other entrees, but what really impressed us was the ice, previously a forgotten delicacy. Dale gave us a talk on the story of missionaries in Nepal. They started off in India a hundred years ago, then moved into Nepal when the border opened in 1951. Dale works with rural electrification, his wife Beth at the hospital as a mid-wife.

(Since the Nepali government doesn't want anyone to change their religion, the missionaries have to have 'day jobs' to justify their presence. Most take a position in a hospital, since those are needed so badly.)

Day 7 - Conference 1

The conference was held in a tony private school, the one used by royalty. But don't let that make you think they used flush toilets. We got there about an hour before the kids and staked out dorm rooms, and strategic bed locations. I saw kids of these nationalities: British (most), Americans (2^nd), Canadian, Norwegian, Korean, Pakistani and German. And I started getting sick soon after dinner.

Day 8 - Conference 2

Walked around the campus in the morning. It's walled in by brick, but has plenty of athletic fields, basketball courts, a pool, and volleyball courts.

Officially sick. But Nick Billman, a 16-year old in the group, is diagnosed with salmonella by Dr. Thorson and is much sicker. He told me that last time he was here he lost about ten pounds, and got sick then too. I wondered if Dr. Thorson knew about this when he got his call to be a missionary. We all unanimously blamed the food for the illness, but there wasn't anything else to eat, although there probably was a McDonald's about five hundred miles away in India.

Devotions went well, the kids were very responsive. Mary, a professional counselor with us, remarked that many missionary kids resent Christianity for putting them in strange foreign countries, but not these kids. They not only had the right answers but believe in them. Or maybe she says that every year.

I slept most of the day. Karen, a college student from UNE, also joined the sick list with a virus.

Day 9 - Conference 3

Not much in my notes for today:

Still sick.

Phil O. sick - heat exhaustion?

Talent show skit - Missippi [sic] Squirrel - a success

Catharine sick - virus?

Slept.

You can see how desperate we felt, with some else sick every day and no one recovering. Surprisingly, no one older than me got sick, but everyone younger than me also fell ill.

We had a talent show, our contribution being a version of Ray Steven's "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" where a squirrel snuck into a country church causes all kinds of antics and conversions.

Day 10 - Conference 4

As usual the first paragraph of my journal is the sick list.

I walked down to the local shoe store and paid an exorbitant (not everyone will haggle with people who don't speak Nepali well, even if they are an 'experienced missionary') price for some flip flops. Also known there as "chaps", I also dubbed them "Nepali hiking boots" or "VC combat boots." Whether it was the heat or the frequent doffing of shoes, they seemed to work out well for the environment.

I led the Bible study on how some names can hurt others.

Day 11 - Conference 5

Today we had an interesting meeting of counselors, asking the question of whether some kids were being pressured by the other kids to worship more, and whether they should strive for more balance.

We held Bible study on the issue that there is no minimum age before we can serve God and buttressed our arguments with a videotape of "Vegitales," an animated cartoon of vegetables and parables. I had never seen its like.

My group played fierce games of "4-square" (bouncing a ball in a square) and Frisbee keep-away.

In the afternoon, we had a 'shopping' excursion to Kathmandu. Many of the kids stayed at camp, reasoning they lived in Kathmandu and didn't have much to gain from the trip. But we couldn't pass up the chance to ride in a bus that had actual bullet holes in the windows and to eat at the Bertucci's clone restaurant. Nick was feeling well enough to haggle with a tapestry merchant there well enough to cause the merchant to throw the cloth onto the ground. With full tummies, we were able to pass on dinner and were very grateful.

Day 12 - Conference 6

We had a meeting in the morning (I was on time for this meeting, but had earlier realised that losing my watch gave me some license for tardiness) for the whole conference. All of the teams gave presentations; ours were (unpracticed) handbell songs that went reasonably well. Afterwards they held a carnival on one of the athletic fields. Probably the only time where I have seen tug-of-war (Americans vs. everyone else), chess and a game to knock over coconuts in the same place. Also Nepali dancing.

We packed for our mission trips. We were advised to pack light, "even our cameras will seem heavy" were the words that hung over us.

We had a prayer session that evening that was the most powerful time of the trip. After the regular devotions, we invited the kids to come up to us for personal prayer. It was very touching for kids to cry and ask to be closer to God.

Day 13 - Leave for Amp Pipal

The 7 am bus left promptly at 8. But this was a luxury bus, a Mercedes. We had a winding bus ride. I slept, but it was that sleep you have when it's hot out and wasn’t very restful. I had prepared for this ride by riding in the way back of my parents' station wagon (the vehicle of choice before minivans were invented).

Two trucks got stuck in the ruts in the road. I went over to supervise the extraction effort with a tractor but it was fruitless (not my fault). We reluctantly abandoned the luxury bus for a local. I rode on the roof. I had to dodge electrical wires, but was spared the crowded conditions of the inside, also the kids who got sick.

It was very hot when we reached the point where we had to walk. Our guides, the missionaries who worked here, insisted that porters carry everything. While the hike was much harder than anything I had seen in the U.S., the porters went ahead of the group… with most of the water and flashlights. The trail was steep enough in many places that stairs had been made out of stones. Exhausted we make it to the hospital and then find the guesthouse 40 minutes further up the trail in the rain. But at least we got there before it got as dark as it was for the slower members of the group and appreciated the guesthouse's amenities all the more. Bread, jam and soup were waiting. We all slept well. I gladly lost the leech contest (none), for those collected on the walk up. I also fared well against miscellaneous bug bites and only suffered from the virus during the conference and a few blisters.

Day 14 - Amp Pipal Hospital

We impressed our hosts by making it down to the hospital for 10:00 coffee (most visitors need more time to rest, but we are 'experienced missionaries' and the exertion is nothing new to us).

Notes: In 1956, Jonathan Lindell (USA) signed an agreement for UMN to start a dispensary, school and community health programme. The location allowed by the Nepali government was Amp Pipal, which as our hike can attest, is a good ways from the nearest road. In 1969 Dr. Helen Houston built the hospital, open 24 hours a day. The number of patients grew to 40,000 in 1997, pushing the facilities to its limits. Prices were increased (still much cheaper than you'll find at Bryn Mawr hospital), and the numbers dipped slightly to 38,000 in 1998.

It’s staffed by eighty people, six of whom are expatriates. Only five are doctors (one Nepali). They try to hire women when they can, but this can backfire because if a man's wife works, he doesn't. Not even housework.

Their budget is $165,000, about a quarter of which is a subsidy from UMN. The long term goal is to make the hospital independent of UMN, to prepare for the time when the mission would no longer be there. Hence, the need to include and train as many Nepalis as they can.

We had a quick tour. They have had to put some beds in a hallway, despite the heat from the galvanised aluminum roof, due to room shortages. There is only one microscope, but it used about twenty thousand times a year.

After a nap, we hiked up to the nearby Mt. Liglig and discovered an old stone fort. No idea how long ago it was built, but moving those stones up the hill couldn't have been fun. Probably as much fun as climbing a mountain to attack a fort with a spear.

The power was cut that night. Nepal can't generate enough electricity, so there are periodic blackouts. They use solar charged batteries to provide some light during these times.

Day 15 - Community Health Programme

The next day we walked over to talk with the administrator about the CHP. He seemed a little nervous to have to give his talk to all these Americans. This programme reaches out to the villages, instructing on matters of health, infant care, safe drinking water and sanitation. They also provide mobile medical clinics. We would later see videotaped interviews with some of the success stories. One woman bragged that she can now sleep until dawn because the water source is so much closer to the village.

The CHP is staffed by twenty-three people, only one of which is an expatriate. Most of the funding comes from MRDF, a Finnish missionary group. They work six years on a Village Development Community before leaving it in the locals' hands. Their annual budget is $81,000.

That evening, we had coffee with David and Sandra Rodgers (he is the director of the hospital, she runs the guesthouse) to talk about the needs of the villagers, corruption in the government and a comparison of the 1^st and 3^rd world (the usual bit on how we have more TVs than they do and consume all of the world's energy output). I joined their mailing list, but having gotten anything yet.

Day 16 - Journey to Krishna's village & SCH

We leave in the morning to go to the village of Krishna, who runs the SCH orphanage. One of our team members knows him very well and is called "Mama" (uncle). The hike isn't bad. The village is an authentic one, no tourist trap. However, that said there wasn't much there. About four huts. We inspected them and walked over to a scenic overlook where a crowd of locals came around for a look (at us).

Based on the appraisal of the sleeping and washing conditions, the group decides to go ahead and leave for the orphanage that day (some of us are more 'experienced missionaries' than--, oh never mind) after lunch.

I think that if we had all known what it would mean to walk on the river floor in noonday heat we would have stayed. 'Nuff said.

At the orphanage we were able to wash up and eat dal bhat. I led devotions (excuses that I left my bible at the village were ignored. We had left some of our stuff there for the porters. Being low caste and unworthy to stay in the Brahmin village, they had already left so our stuff would not arrive until the next day). Listening to the kids pray aloud in Nepali was beautiful.

Day 17 - SCH / Gorkha

The next morning four of us went to nearby Gorkha. One the way, our leader casually remarks that not only are Christians persecuted here, Americans are the target of violence by Maoist guerrillas. I quickly add "eh?" to each sentence to appear Canadian. Apparently some guards who don't like working at these backward regions can get a quick transfer to someplace better by committing an act of violence, for example shooting an American tourist.

We looked around at a palace once used by the king, with so many steps to it that there are two heliopads. One of the group members risked above treatment when he inadvertently brought a camera into the palace but escaped without incident.

That night at the orphanage we distribute the presents we brought. The kids were very disciplined and waited patiently to open them. We caught them posing with their new hats in the mirrors. Saturday night is folk dancing night, and we were invited to join in. Sorry, no pictures available of me dancing.

Krishna's testimony

I got this second hand, not sure when it was given:

Krishna was raised Hindu, in the Brahmin high caste. His marriage was arranged. He went to Kathmandu for school and work, village opportunities being what they were, where he is exposed to Christianity and gradually decides to convert. His family disapproves, and bars him from seeing his wife, but they are able to run off together and she later converts to be a strong Christian.

His parents have since reconciled with him and have a good relationship now. Occasionally, though, there are flare-ups and talk of him being ostracised by the others in the village.

Story of Orphanage

Whilst in Kathmandu, Krishna is struck by two girls begging and takes them in. He checks out the official channels, but they can't find any background for them, so he is able to take them in. With funding from Dale and the Hunsberger family (Phil 'mama' Hunsberger was on the trip) he is able to buy land and start building. The orphanage is not supported by UMN, but only by private donations, mostly from US. $45 pays for one child for one month, and they have 18 right now.

They haven't told the government that it is a Christian orphanage so they haven't any problems from them yet. Future issues are: separate dormitories, a dining hall (instead of eating on kitchen floor), a guest house, and what to do when the kids are too old to stay.

SCH Vision

SCH was created with the vision that as innocent creatures of God all children are entitled to live a childhood free from unnecessary want, hunger or fear.

This vision particularly encompasses those children who are orphaned with no parents.

A home and environment can be created in which children are raised to know God are able to fully develop their God-given potentials and are exposed to routines, learning opportunities, and experiences that will prepare them for leading lives as responsible adults who can raise their own families, society and the nation.

Day 18 - Return to Kathmandu

Up a bit early due to barking dog, official rise-and-shine at 6:00 for breakfast and hike to bus stop. Remember when we were told to pack light? My pack weighs in at 25 kg (55 lbs.). One of the orphans got sick on the bus ride back, but nothing was stuck in the road. Krishna said that no, that bus driver really was reckless, they're not all that daring on the curves.

We stay at the UMN guest house in Patan and then go to Krishna's house for dinner and a tour of their chicken farm (lots of chickens in cages).

There was a power cut on the way back. It was fascinating to look at the bazaars continue in the candlelight - this is how it was in the old days.

Day 19 - Church service 2

I've got some notes here, but nothing remarkable. Col 1:3-14; 1 Cor 12: 4-18; Mt 5: 15-16; 1 Cor 12:24-27; Col 2:6.

After church, the group went back to Thamel where I was a little surprised to see a screening of the New Star Wars in one the bars, on videotape for free.

For dinner, the group selected Yak & Yeti, the 5 star restaurant for the discriminating third-world traveler. Still, we are told not to eat the lettuce. Afterwards, it was off to see Star Wars, which is delayed a bit due to a power cut and failed portable generator.

Some of us went to Amp Pipal and SCH, the others to Tansen and Butwal.

Tansen:

There they stayed with Korean hosts and got a tour of their hospital. At a bazaar, they were openly stared at by villagers (this was not regular tourist grounds). They also saw the local school and Buddha. The next day they went shopping and watched "Police Academy2." It's right here in my notebook. The Korean child has his own fetus. In a jar. One finds unusual pets in the Third World.

Butwal:

This is a hot desert region, where they have some industry. They had a tour of a hydroelectric plant, but my sources couldn't hear anything over the din of the machinery. On the way home the spare tyre fell off at the same time they had a flat, so despite some passenger panic, they at least knew where the spare tyre was kept.

Day 20 - Last Day

We finished our last minute packing and I took a walk through the city with Phill Hunsberger. We saw a real carpet factory and played street cricket with some kids. Then onto the flights.

In Singapore, I got a chance to escape conditioned air and see the world's largest outdoor fountain and use an ATM at the 7-Eleven. Singapore is apparently a city of shopping, kind of unremarkable for an American, but a holiday hotspot for people who crave clean shopping malls. It's also fairly humid there.

Perhaps the longest ride was in the van back from the airport.