13 January 2012
This morning Laxmi and I met Subhadra at the New Road Gate to do more missionary shopping. When we got there Subhadra wasn’t there yet so Laxmi and I went to look at cameras.. We did find a couple of shops that are pretty competitive in price. I just wanted to get an idea of what they would be. Looks like about 11,000 rupees, or about 125 US.
We have had trouble finding shoes for her. We went in one shop and found a cute pair that looked like they were good quality. That’s a challenge here as most stuff is really just cheap stuff from China. Subhadra called and said she was at New Road. We told her where we were and she came to meet us. We looked at the shoes and hurray! She liked them – and they fit. They were marked 3995 but we got a 20% discount making them about 3100 rupees. I’m glad she liked them. We can check that off the list.
Then we went looking for fabric. She still wants a ‘jacket’. We decided on one that’s not lined. She was okay with that. We found fabric for the jacket and some pretty light colored turquoise with white polka dots to make a dress. We also got fabric for a skirt and a blouse. Then it was off to get a lightweight blanket. Whew! We are getting close to done. At least for today. Laxmi and I caught a taxi and came home and after lunch, Subhadra called and we were off again to go to the tailors.
We finally found a tailor who could do what she wanted done and the price was okay and the good thing is, they will be ready in a week. Hurray!It was time to return home. I was ready. Gene has been home and working in the office all day. He is putting a new water project on Chas and preparing the ‘missionary prep’ lesson for tomorrow. I’m grateful for that. I will look it over and help him out. He told me to just ‘jump in’ when I wanted to.
12 January 2012
What a day – and I have mixed feelings about it. I’ll start at the beginning. I got up at 4:45 am, knowing we had power until 5:00 am. I wanted to be able to use the hair dryer. When I was finished, Gene was also up. We got ready and were picked up about 6:30 am and headed over to Deppong’s. There were two Jeeps and we loaded them up with almost 600 hygiene kits to take to Chanute.
It was a four hour drive up there. It was cool and pretty foggy most of the way. When we turned off the main road and headed toward Chanute the road was just dirt, very narrow and very rough. It made driving up to the spring at the top of Cottonwood look like a freeway. It was about 20 km and took us an hour and 20 minutes. In places the road was muddy and we slipped and slid along. And I didn’t even want to look down because it’s straight down.
We made it there and there were lots of school children. We haven’t been in an area where they need help any more than this area. The children were in uniforms, but they were so dirty and frayed. I felt sorry for them.
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| Beautiful Himalayas on the way to Chanute |
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| Some of the 600 students at the Chanute school |
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| No matter what, the kids are always so cute... |
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| I LOVE handing out the Hygiene Kits.... |
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| Typical class room at Chanute....better than some |
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| Quite a view out the windows....no glass in them |
Then it was time for the closing ceremony of the water project we just completed in partnership with the Sushma Koirala Trust. By this time, lots of villagers were arriving and we were happy about that. There were lots of honorary guests as well. They seated Gene and I on the stand, as we represented LDS Charities.
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| One of the new tap stands at the school |
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| Oh, how nice to have good clean water.... |
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| Rakesh showing off the new tap stand. |
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| They have a million dollar view....the mighty Himalayas. |
The program got underway and it wasn’t long before we started wondering just what was going on. It seemed like every other word they were saying (and this was all in Nepali) was Nepali Congress. Nepali Congress is one of the political parties here in Nepal. After a while I leaned over and asked Gene if he felt like we were in the middle of a political rally. Yes, he said that was just how he felt. Needless to say, it made us feel a little uncomfortable.
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| Truck in the middle of the road loading rock stopped us awhile |
We had sat there for over two hours and by this time, Deppong’s are also uncomfortable and feeling like this isn’t what was supposed to be happening. And there were still four speakers to go. Gene finally motioned for Rakesh to come over and asked if we could leave. He looked at us like ‘are you kidding?’ We got the impression that it wasnn’t a good thing to do so we sat there a little longer. Finally, Rakesh came over and said we could go. We didn’t waste any time.
We headed down the mountain and after a little bit, Rakesh asked us how we liked the meeting. (Deppongs were in the other vehicle). I answered his question with a question, asking what he thought of it. He said he thought Hattikhor’s was better. There’s no doubt about it. I did tell him I felt that we were attending a rally for Nepali Congress and that I was uncomfortable and didn’t like it very much. He was a little quiet and didn’t say much about it. I did ask who plans those programs and he said the User’s Committee plans the program.
I did tell Gene if that was how it was going to be, I wasn’t in a hurry to fund another project up there – but then again, I’m judging and those people really need the help. We do have another project up there. The school we were at is literally the end of the road. The next project we would drive that far and then hike for at least an hour, straight uphill, to another village. That project will start within a few weeks. I suggested to Gene that he go without me. I don’t care for the drive and the biased program and he said that would probably be fine. Then Sister Deppong says, ‘I want to go.’ I’m not sure why. But if she wants to go, I will go along too. I know it would be another story to tell.
It did take another four hours to return home. And when we did get back to Kathmandu, the traffic was terrible. Part of the problem is the lines for petro. The roads aren’t wide anyway and when you have trucks, busses, etc. lined up on the road waiting to get petro, the situation is impossible. Right now there is a shortage…..Now isn’t the time to get into that story.
11 January 2012 Power from 10 am till 3 pm and then after 8:00 pm
We taught English today since we will be in Chanute tomorrow. We still have women coming in and wanting to join our class. We said ‘sure, come in’. They are a great bunch of women. I would say the average age is about 35.Most are housewives and mothers, a few are students. They seem to be doing pretty good. They are anxious to learn, listen, and participate. Again, it’s a lot different than KTC. We’re happy.
We came home and had a little lunch and then Laxmi went with me and we went to Bimala’s shop and I had a haircut. It was getting quite long. It feels good and isn’t real short. I told her not to cut it real short – it’s winter- I need the warmth.
As soon as I got home, Gene said if I wanted a hot shower, now was the time. He showered and said it was great. He had turned on both heaters. I needed a shower and a hot one sounded good. I turned the water on and it didn’t feel all that warm. I thought ‘this won’t take me long.’ Soon the water was nice and warm. I’m not sure that I would say it was hot, but it did feel good. I just stood there for a bit and finally decided I’d better get out. There wasn’t any power so I had to comb my hair and then we sat out on the roof for a little bit for my hair to dry.
I called Sister Deppong and we talked about tomorrow. We decided we should take a little bit of food with us. We will take some peanut butter sandwiches, some chips, granola bars and whatever we can round up. We really didn’t want to walk over to Bhat Bhateni’s and were lucky that Persotum had some jam and some bread. I had peanut butter so we are all set.
We will get an early start tomorrow – we will be at Deppong’s about 6:30 am to help load the Hygiene Kits. It should be a fun day. We are looking forward to it.
10 January 2012 Power 9:00 till 2:00 and again after 7:00 pm
I got up about 6:15, knowing I needed to get the English lesson ready for tomorrow. We will teach Wednesday this week because we are going to Chanute on Thursday for the closing of a water project. After getting it outlined, I pulled out my Relief Society Lesson. This year in Relief Society we are studying the Teachings of Presidents of the Church. And this year it’s George Albert Smith.
I don’t know much about him and after looking through ‘The Life and Ministry of George Albert Smith’ in the beginning of the book, I talked with Laxmi. She is the First Counselor. I told her I felt that if we were going to learn about his teachings, perhaps, we should first learn about him. She agreed and instead of starting with lesson one, I will give the introduction of his life. The lesson this year will be a little harder than the Gospel Principles lessons were.
This afternoon Choice Humanitarian Nepal, one of our water project partners, picked us up and we went to Dharmasthali to close a water project. Elder and Sister Deppong went with us. They were anxious to share with us their experience from yesterday. Dr. Clark and Dr. Bell are coming next week and had asked them to visist some hospitals to check out their labor and delivery process. LDS Charities is looking to implement Helping Babies Breath here in Nepal.
Well, Depong’s went to a hospital and met the pediatrician. They said he was wonderful. When they asked about having a tour of their labor and delivery departments, the doctor said yes. When they got back there, a woman was in labor. They put gowns, shoes and masks on Deppong’s and they were able to watch the delivery. Debbie was in heaven. That’s something she has really wanted to do. For Elder Deppong, it was a different story. The woman was in a lot of pain and was not happy. She was hollering for her mother and really carrying on. About this time, Debbie turns around and can’t see Ollie. They look on the floor and he’s not there. He was feeling ‘faint’ and decided he had better go out and sit down. It was quite the experience for them. Now, what Debbie would really like would be to attend a birth out in a village. I’m not sure how she would ever schedule that…..
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| Group at Dharmasthalie |
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| With the Water User's Committee Chairman. |
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| The new plaque on the tap stand. |
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| Doing his official duties |
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| Having a great day! |
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| I love the women and the babies |
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| So cute! |
Anyway, the program with CHOICE at Dharmasthalie was great. Gene was the Chief Guest and he and I along with quite a few village people and Bishnu representing CHOICE, gave a few remarks. They asked Gene to cut the ribbon on the water tap. He also unveiled a nice plaque with his name engraved on it. This was attached to the public tap stand. They did present Gene with a beautiful scarf and a Nepali hat. (I guess because he is the Country Director) Anyway, he looks dashing. It was a wonderful experience. Dharmasthali isn’t that far from here. It probably only took us 40 minutes or so to get there. It was sunny and warm and felt great. It was a bit hazy, but the countryside there is beautiful. There is a small river that runs through the area and it seems that whenever there’s water, there’s always really humble shacks along the water. It’s pretty sad to see.
When we got back, Deppong’s went with us and we went to the Bakery Café and had a bite to eat. It’s been a great day. The rest of the week is just as busy.
9 January 2012
We had a wonderful visit with Brent this morning, talking almost an hour. He said that Billings had contacted him and wanted him to look at the Casper job coming up. He said he’s not interested – only on one condition – that they would give him the Area Director job in Billings when it opens up. He would like to return to Big Sky Country. He doesn’t mind Arizona and in fact, told his boss about Billings. His boss told him that his future looked pretty bright in Arizona. It will be interesting to see what happens.
We had to hurry and get ready for English. It was a lot of fun today. We talked about the little words in the English language that make so much difference – am, is, are, they, she, and it. We talked about simple sentences and we had an activity they liked. We showed some pictures and had them make up sentences about the pictures. I pulled a book off the shelf and asked them about the pictures. I was surprised and so were they as the pictures were about a lady about to have a baby and then breast feeding. We all had a good laugh.
We came home and had some ramen noodles and a piece of bread. This afternoon, finally, Subhadra came and Laxmi went with us and we walked over to the Chowk, looking for more missionary clothes. It is really hard because EVERYTHING in the stores is for winter – hats, coats, sweater, boots, gloves, etc. What we need for her is summer stuff and it’s hard to find. It reminded me of when Gene and I were preparing to come to Nepal. It was wintertime at home and we were coming to a warm country. It was a challenge, but I could order things or I had the big stores where stuff was on clearance.
We did go to a few fabric shops and bought fabric for a couple of skirts and blouses. We sure haven’t had any luck finding shoes. They are all sandal type – open toes or flip flop style. AND to top things off, while we were out, it started raining. We were out without an umbrella. We hadn’t had rain for weeks. I was starting to get a little wet and ready to call it a day. It was about 4:30 PM. Subhadra wanted to take the fabric to Kabita’s husband (the tailor). That was great with me. Laxmi said she would go with her. I called Gene and he met me at Bhat Bhateni’s and we walked home.
Gene did get a revised price on the Five Village Project. He said it looks a lot better than it did but there is still some things we won’t pay for again – like 100,000 Rupees for an electric bill. They were supposed to be collecting a few to pay for those kinds of things. I would like to see this project completed….We will see what the Meehan’s have to say. Pres. Perkins and Matt Heaps seemed to be in favor of finishing the project. LDS Charities have already put so much into it.
We cooked up a pan full of potatoes, carrots, broccoli and onions for dinner. It really tasted good to both of us.
8 January 2012 Cold day in Kathmandu
It’s a cold day today. I hated to get up, but wanted to wash up the dishes. I had asked Laxmi to go shopping with Subhadra and I and since we were also having missionary meeting before, I thought I could wash the dishes. I was glad I did…it felt good to clean them up. And I wanted to get my hair washed and dried before the power went off at 8:00 am.
Deppong’s came over about 9:00 am. I fixed hot chocolate and a slice of zucchini bread and everyone enjoyed that. We had a good missionary meeting. Lots of stuff coming up. First and foremost on Deppong’s mind is the ‘Helping Babies Breath’ initiative. Dr Clark and another doctor from the US are coming next week. There have been lots of hurdles to jump and more coming up. The government is a big hurdle and why should ‘helping babies breath’ be any different. They want to run a three month trial period here in a few hospitals. The hospitals aren’t where we want to focus our efforts. We want to be in the villages where volunteers are helping deliver babies and many are dying because they just don’t get that first breath. Anyway, it sounds like it will be late summer before this really gets off the ground.
I did go shopping with Subhadra for her mission stuff. Bikki came along and I had asked Laxmi to come too. We ended up down at New Road and the Bazaar down there. What an experience. When I go shopping, I have a list, and move forward and get it done. These Nepali’s take all day. I would be walking along and turn around and their way behind me. Three hours later we have hardly bought anything. Then they were hungry and so we stopped at Hot Breads and I bought them a hamburger. I didn’t want one. Everything was just setting out – who knows how long it had set there. The worker put them in a micro wave and heated them up. I found a couple of cookies that had been wrapped in plastic. I hope it was safe.
After eating I told them we need to be more efficient and get things done. The afternoon was a little better. We were able to check quite a few things off the list and it’s a good start. The plan is to go again tomorrow after our English class. We need to find some skirts and tops. It looks like we will need to buy fabric and have the tailor make them. We will also check Bhat Bhateni’s for a few things. It seems hard for Nepali’s to make a decision. She is always asking me if it’s okay. I ask her if she likes it, then let’s get it. It’s been an interesting day.
I was tired when we got back. I made a pot of the BEAR Creek soup. Gene said the propane tank on the heater had run empty and he took it apart, tried to adjust the flame and got it going again. I wouldn’t want to be too long without it.
7 January 2012 Power till 9:00 am then again from 2:00 – 5:00 pm
We talked to both Lenore and Jason before we went to church this morning. Church was so wonderful. It was our Fast and Testimony Meeting and the testimonies shared were very inspiring. Karin Panta told about his father experiencing severe heart pains. They took him to the Teaching Hospital but were unable to get doctors to care for him because they were so busy. Finally one doctor came and told them he needs to be in ICU and that he probably wouldn’t live for another hour and to prepare themselves for his death.
Karin said their family took the chance and got an ambulance and transported him to the Gongala Heart Hospital. Karin said he had the impression and the opportunity to lay his hands on his father’s head (He is a staunch Hindu) and exercise his Melchezedik Priesthood to give him a blessing. He said immediately his father’s condition began to improve. It’s been a few days, but he has returned to his home and is doing much better. The power of the Priesthood is real and we are so grateful to have it in our lives.
In Relief Society, Sister Rukmina had planned to show a video. She was called out before the meeting began and when she didn’t come back we thought we should go ahead and start the meeting. We had a song and the prayer and then pushed start on the DVD player. It was a welfare training DVD for Bishops. Rukmina came back in and I pulled her aside and told her this DVD was for Bishops training.
I suggested she bear her testimony and turn the meeting into a testimony meeting. She liked the idea. She did bear her testimony (in Nepali) and then Pratima (G C’s wife) bore her testimony and shared her story. I hope to get a copy of her story. It is amazing. She told of her Father Pana being the first person baptized in Nepal and how she was baptized at that time, but didn’t really understand much. She was a teenager and made some wrong choices and went down the wrong path for a while. She married a nonmember and had a baby. They were later divorced. After a bit she returned to church activity. She shared how the Gospel has blessed her life and how she met GC and wanted to be sealed as a family – how she encouraged him to get their family to the temple. She wanted to go in November as that was their original wedding time. That was able to happen despite many trials and challenges. Pratima and GC are wonderful members of the Kathmandu Branch and are such good examples for the rest of us to follow. I did ask Pratima if she wouldn’t mind, to write her story down as I would love to share it when I get home. She said she would do that. I really hope so.
Today, the first ever Deacon’s Quorum and Teacher’s Quorum Presidencies were called and set apart here in the Kathmandu Branch.The Deacon’s Quorum President is Hitson Magar with Eli Dearden and Nirmal Pun as his counselors. The Teacher’s Quorum President is Nirajan Pun and his First Counselor is Bishal Nepali. This is a great thing to happen here in our Branch and will give these young men responsibility and opportunities to learn to serve.
Today we took Nick’s picture for his missionary application. Pres. Bishnu interviewed him and we were able to get his papers and photo scanned in and sent to President Jackson. Now we will wait patiently for his call to come. We are all excited about his opportunity to serve.
6 January 2012 Power 12 noon till 7:00 pm
Oh, the house is cold and it’s so warm in bed. I know I keep saying that but it’s true. We did get up after seven and prepared for a busy day. Gene and Elder Deppong went to the Bank and the Social Welfare Council to drop off the amended project for CHOICE. While he was gone, I cleaned out the corner kitchen cupboard. It’s had a lot of mixed matched plastic ware. I threw some away, washed some, and put the lids in the drawer. It’s been hard to find containers and lids that match. Hopefully this will help.
This afternoon we went to the Cyber Center Graduation. They were awarding certificated to those who have been in a six month program for computer training, sewing, and knitting. It was held at a bigger venue and was a whole lot better than having it at the Cyber Center. Mr Rimal from SWC was the guest and he said how they appreciated all that LDS Charities does, but still would like to see us do more outside Kathmandu, and be more involved with the VDC, keeping SWC informed of what we are doing and working through proper channels. Of course he does. That way they get a slice of the pie. We felt that his comments were out of place and done in the wrong setting. Oh, well……
Afterwards we went to Pizza Hut and had Pizza. It tasted great! And it was warmer in there. They must have had some heat of some kind. We got home in time to change clothes, put some eardrops in my ears and turn on our little propane heater before the lights went off. The joys of another day and load shedding in Nepal.
1 comment:
Wow you guys are great. I'm not going to complain about hot water any more! Super great work on the projects! Loved the pictures. The views must be awsome! Reese's
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