Monday, February 28, 2011

We got up about 6:00 am – still in the dark.  I told Gene that Brent has been so faithful calling us every Sunday evening just like clockwork, now we need to call him. (It would be Sunday evening in the States) We saw that he was on Skype and so we did call him. Oh, he looks so good since he got his job offer in Phoenix. The twinkle is back in his eye and he seems happy. We are just so grateful! He sounds good and said that things are going well for him.

The only power on today will be while we are gone. I finished getting a few things together for our English lesson. And before you know it, it was time to get in the taxi and head to the water project meeting. Now that was an experience. The Taxi driver took us to KTC and Mr Giri was on his motorcycle just leaving. There are no coincidences.  We know that. He did see us and came back, got in the taxi with us and showed us where the Clarion Hotel was.

We went in and there were a couple of gentlemen there. It was ‘Namaste’ and handshakes all around. They and Mr. Giri explained as best they could the water project. I know everyone would like to see it completed but there are always differences of opinions and different ways of accomplishing things. Following Nepali time, others came and they started the meeting.

Most of it was in Nepali. One gentleman came in and we could tell he wasn’t happy that nothing had been done since the last meeting 5 months ago. Everyone agrees that the most important thing is to get clean water to all those people. And LDSC has the same goal. We want that to happen as well, but till we see some progress made, LDSC won’t commit further funds. Again, most dialog was in Nepali so we didn’t understand much. At the end Mr. Giri said that he was pleased with the meeting and what had transpired. They set up a time to visit the site and asked if we could go on Friday, March 4. We told them we would look forward to it.

It’s past 11:30 am by this time and I’m thinking we should get to KTC and be ready to teach our class. But Mr. Giri asks if we would like to stay for lunch with them. Gene mentioned the class and he said that would be taken care of. So we accepted his invitation to stay. And then lunch was another 20 minutes or so away. Finally, we went to a table set up. I think there was about 7-8 of us. It was Nepali food. We asked which ones were hot. We were safe eating Dal Bhat (pulses and rice)which is the staple food of Nepalese, and usually eaten twice a day.  It tasted pretty good. There were some other spicy things served, but we played it safe. Here we’ve been in Nepal for 12 days and that’s really the first genuine Nepali food we’ve had. We liked it and won’t mind trying it again.

We went back to KTC and Elder Deppong was teaching both English classes. It was probably about 12:50 pm. There were about 35 kids there. Sister Deppong has been sick and didn’t come today. I think he was prepared enough, but that’s a lot of kids, and some of the ones in the back really weren’t paying attention. I felt bad and tried to go to the back and help those kids a bit.

Tomorrow Deppong's have a meeting with other NGO’S about ‘Helping Babies Breath’ and so Gene and I will have both classes. I’m sure glad there will be two of us – hopefully it will go a little better than it seemed to today.

We came home and our new computer for the office had been delivered. We were delighted that a new monitor was also included. Our desk space is limited and the old monitor occupied a lot of the space.

Now where is Chad when I need him. I guess we will try hooking it up ourselves. We are just so happy to have it.

We came home and it was nice to be in the sunshine a little bit. It’s been a beautiful day today, warm sunny skies. Tonight, Laxmi and Jessica are coming for Family Home Evening. We are going to watch a church video (Thanks, Craig and Tracey) and have pop corn, cookies and some orange soda. It’s been a full day. We are getting lots of learning experiences.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

We got up about 6:00 am after a pretty good night’s sleep. It’s a little harder to get up when you don’t have power. I came down and got on the computer. Thank goodness for the inverter that allows us to continue using the internet.

Alison called before 7:00 and we talked to her for a few minutes. She said they had played outside in the snow most of the day. Paul got the snow mobile going and the kids loved that. Rick had someone come and push the snow into a big pile, so they made snow tunnels and slides down the mountain of snow. Sounds like they had a good time.

Then I saw that Chad was on so I called them. We hadn’t talked to them for a while and it was good to chat. They looked and sounded good and said that all is well. We love being able to talk and see the kids. Although it’s dark here in the office and they can’t see us very well. Alison said it sure has made it easier for us to be gone.

We needed to help Elder Adhikari find a carry on suitcase and a back pack. Also some bed sheets. I am amazed at how long it takes these Nepali people to make a decision. We took a taxi over to New Road and looked at suitcases for at least an hour, back packs too. We had found some sheets at Bhat Bhateni that worked okay.

Then he wanted Gene and I to go to his place and see what he has. He asked if we wanted to walk or take a taxi. We were both up for a walk and he said it was about 20 minutes. And he walks real slow. I asked if we could walk a little faster. He did for a few minutes.

We walked for at least an hour, maybe more. It was really interesting. Gene said this was a real taste of Nepal and it was fun to walk along and take it all in.

He told me he lived with his brother and his place wasn’t much. I asked him if he had a bed and he said ‘yes.’ That’s what matters. We finally arrived there and he had to get the key from a woman with a little shop out front. We walked down an open alley. There was a curtain over the door and he pushed the curtain open and unlocked his door. He said there was no light. And no windows. It was a small room, all concrete, perhaps eight or ten feet square. There were two twin beds with a small table between them. At one end of the room was a small gas cooktop and a couple of buckets with water in them.

I was surprised, the beds were both made. He had his scriptures out and a notebook where he had been taking some notes. He made the comment about how cold it gets in the winter and how impossible it is to sleep. There is no heat and the covers on their beds didn’t look like much. The bathroom was across the way and it wa not what we are used to – enough said. They had to go outside and pump water into buckets for their own use. Oh my, we take so much for granted.

We looked at what he had accumulated for his mission and I think he is in pretty good shape. Sister Jackson said that he can pick up some of what he needs there in New Delhi. Then he goes to the MTC in the Philippines and back to New Delhi to serve his mission. He is so excited and looking forward to it. He expressed to us his desire to serve and said that he had so much faith and knew Heavenly Father would bless him. I don’t know if we will see him again but we sure wish him the best and know he will be a great missionary.

He got us a taxi to take us to Bhat Bhateni. We saw the US Embassy and ask the taxi driver to let us out there. I don’t know what I was thinking but wanted to take a picture and asked Gene and he said okay.  As soon as I snapped the picture, a guard came over and asked us to come with him. Oh NO! I didn’t even think we shouldn’t have done that. He took us into the building and they went to get someone else. I’m thinking, ‘wow! I really blew it- should have known better’. A young woman came out and asked who took the photo and I said I did. She was nice and said lots of people do that. That didn’t make me feel any better. Then another man came and they took us to another room, a small room with no windows, a small table and a couple of chairs.

The same lady asked for our passports. Oh, I’m so glad Gene had a copy with him. They asked us a lot of questions, when we came, how long we will be here, what we are doing, my father and my mother’s names, our telephone numbers,  our address here in Kathmandu. I did my best to be cooperative.

There were a lot of questions and I know she could have confiscated our camera, but she didn’t. She was very kind and said that we had been very cooperative. About that quick, she told us we were free to go. Whew! What a relief. I did that so innocently, but sure learned a lesson.

We left there and walked to Nena and Hager’s and had some lunch. We both had a Philly beef sandwich and fries. Their food is good and it’s a nice clean place.

Raj Giri called about meeting tomorrow. It’s about one of the water project that has been going on for five years. It’s 98% complete and there are about five different villages included, all trying to get water. If they could just agree and get this worked out. Then clean water could reach about 43, 000 people. That would be great!

Gene was busy trying to get a little acquainted with the information for the meeting in the morning. So I tried to get our English lesson together knowing we won’t have time to prepare in the morning. Sounds like a busy day tomorrow.

Saturday, February 26, 2011 (The Sabbath in Nepal)

I got up about 5:45 am with 15 minutes before the power went off. Gene was up soon after. We did talk to Clay and Samantha and family. They looked and sounded good. We could see fresh snow out their back door and Clay said they had 6 – 8 inches of fresh stuff. That doesn’t make me miss home.

I looked at my Relief Society lesson a little more and soon it was time to get ready for church. We left here about a quarter after nine. Sister Deppong is teaching an English class before meetings begin and today she had about 18 people there. A few were investigators. That’s a great thing and shows there’s a lot of interest. I told her I would be happy to help her if she would like.

We attended our church meetings, starting with Sacrament meeting. Things in Nepal are more laid back and nothing starts right on time. We had had the sacrament and they announced the first speaker and she wasn’t there yet – but came flying in just in time. She gave a great talk. She’s a young woman and I was really impressed when I learned that she was baptized just a month ago. There are really some wonderful young people and young families in the branch. Most members are first generation Latter Day Saints and it’s exciting to be here with them.

I gave the lesson in Relief Society. I had written it out and taken two copies and I was glad I did. Rukmina, our Relief Society President, told me that the young woman who had spoken in Sacrament Meeting would translate for me. I gave her the other copy of the lesson. She did a wonderful job. The one thing I’ve learned while here, is that it takes a whole lot longer to say something in Nepali than it does in English – but that’s okay. I did have to modify and leave out some things, but it went well. The topic was Agency, a talk given by Elder Hales, last conference.

We had Branch Council meeting after Church. It’s about the same worldwide. A lot of it was in Nepali, but they were kind enough to tell us what they were discussing and it was okay.

We walked home and had power till four. We left about 3:30 and walked over to Deppong’s and had dinner with them. She had cooked some chicken breasts, little red potatoes and some carrots. It tasted really good. She had made brownies for dessert.

We talked to Elder Adhikari in church today and he still needs some things. He thinks he will need another suitcase, and some of the smaller items, like a towel, first aid, sewing kit, camera case, etc. We will go with him again tomorrow and see if we can finish things up.

We came home and talked with Alison on Skype. It’s a good picture and the sound is great. It sure makes the world a smaller place and I’m grateful to be here at this time when we have the technology to keep in touch with our family.

Friday, February 25, 2011

This morning I was sad to see the internet still down. I have to say I wasn’t surprised. Loxmi, our guard and housekeeper, did call the company for us about 8:00 am and they told us to unplug the router and plug it back in. We did and that solved the problem.

As soon as we were online, Brent called on Skype. He has his new computer and it was good to see his face and talk with him. He said the movers came yesterday to look at hi stuff. His boss wants him to stay in Nebraska till the end of March, so he will probably do that. He seems pretty happy about his move to Phoenix and I think it will be so good for him.

I worked on my Relief Society Lesson and Gene was busy trying to get acquainted with some of the files. It’s going to be a job. I sure hope we are up to it.  Then we decided to go for a walk and went to pick up the books for LDSC we were having copied at the copy center. We are getting just a little more familiar with the areas right close to home. Although, we don’t venture too far. We did get the books and then went to Bhat Bhatini and bought a couple of cups and a couple of bowls. Also, one sharp knife. We also got a few groceries. I do think it might be a little bit of a challenge to find something to eat here. Hopefully, it will get a little easier.

We talked via Skype to Elder Sackley in Hong Kong. He said we were doing great and not to expect too much of ourselves. He said not to worry about reading all the files and stuff, that the best way was just talking to the partners and getting familiar with the projects that way. I do feel a bit overwhelmed with it all. So many reports and things to know. I hope we can do what Heavenly Father wants us to do.

 I did take some photos of our home here in Nepal today and wanted to share a couple...

Gene trying to organize the office

The Living Room

Our kitchen. The M/W and Toaster oven work when we have power.

We really do need a new mattress/

From our balcony - a little shop right by our house

The internet connection was lost again about 4:30 pm. That’s the pits. We did have Loxmi call the company again and they said that it was on their side this time. That is good news. We do have a connection again. I sure hope it stays on over the weekend. It really cripples us when it’s out. So much of what we will be doing 

will be online.

It’s six-thirty and about dark and here we sit without power. Thank goodness the computers still work. It makes for long evenings. It will be good when the days get a little longer. 

Thursday, February 24, 2011

After not sleeping very well for a long time now,  actually slept pretty good last night. We went to bed at ten and I did some paper work. I looked through the kitchen and tried to make some kind of grocery list. The cupboards are quite bare, and there’s not much here. It sounds like the couple before us  went to the store often, just to pick up a few things. In fact they said they it’s about as cheap to eat out as it is to buy groceries. Today we did get a few things and it was about $30 U.S.  A box of Kellog’s Bran Flakes was over $5.00. A little carton of milk, about  a liter was $2.65. It’s imported from Australia. That seems pretty high to me, especially since we both like milk and enjoy a big glass with our dinner.  I’m not sure what we will do….I did talk to a lady from Canada who belongs to the Branch and she said it’s very expensive to eat Western kinds of food here. We might get to like rice and beans.

Elder Rajesh Adhakiri came this morning about nine. We went over to Bhat Bhateni and we did find him four white shirts, 2 pair of shoes, a couple of ties, (Elder Borland left a few that he liked) and a pair of sweats. Then we got a taxi and went over to New Road where the tailor was who made his suit. It looked nice. We also walked quite a ways to where we found a camera shop. It took him quite a while to decide, but we did find a camera.

We returned home and walked over to Ring Road and bought some grapes and a few bananas from a little vendor on the street. Then we came back and have spent the afternoon, mostly in the office. I have organized the bedroom a little bit. Finally, we were able to get the rest of our clothes out of the suitcases. It seems good.

Tonight, the internet is down. We don’t know why we don’t have service. I don’t know if something is wrong on our end or what, but I’m a little sad about it. The power goes off tonight at 8:00 and comes back on at 3:00 am. We will have power till 6:00 am and then off till 1:00 pm. This no power thing is a big adjustment for me. It’s a long time without power.