And then there were two...

September 26th

     Today we said farewell to our Canadian (and one South African) cohorts, as they embark on their journey back to Canada.  Russ, Mike, and Nancy, Monopoly Deal will never be the same, nor will mealtimes. We are one heck of a team, if you ask me :).  We are better off for knowing all of you better. Traveling, laughing, overcoming unforeseen obstacles, and learning and growing together has been nothing less than epic; we will miss you!  

     Okay, enough with the sappy stuff :). Oceanside Church in Nanaimo, B.C, Canada has connections with Gulariya Community Church in the Bardiya District of Nepal. Kalu Ram and his wife Saru planted the church in year 2000, the same year that Kalu Ram was ordained.  Saru's family was Hindu originally, but her father heard the gospel whilst in the Indian Army, and became a Christian.  Kalu Ram (who's father is currently a Hindu Priest) became a Christian in his early twenties. They tell us that Nepal was closed to Chrisitanity until the 1990's, so in the early years of their marriage, Kalu Ram and Saru had to covertly walk across the border into India to attend church. Yes, I said WALK into a neighbouring country to attend church.  

                                      

Gulariya Community Church

 

Russ is friends with Kalu Ram, the Pastor of the church, so Nate and I jumped in a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Gulariya.  We were spared the twenty four hour bus ride through unimaginable terrain. This pleases me. We checked in to a local "Guest House", where man eating crickets, lizards, and mosquitoes abound. They have a vendetta against us, we are sure.  We heart our mosquito nets.

    Fluency in English in this district is minimal, so we had to step up our game with our simple (and probably ridiculous sounding) Nepalese phrases. Charades is also a good option.  Nate is good at charades.  Definitely a new leg of the journey, as we had nothing pre planned beyond our arrival in Gulariya; there are moments where this feels unnerving, as we can sometimes plan our Iives to the last detail, and become inflexible to change.  This isn't always easy, but it is good for us!

                                         

                                          Typical street scene in Gulariya