2 February 2012                                                     Power till 9 and again after 7P:00 pm

Since we had power until 9:00 am, I was determined to have a hot shower and turned on the geyser and the small heater in the extra bathroom. Success! I let it heat for about an hour and 15 minutes and it was worth it. Hot water – oh, a little bit of heaven. That meant I was dressed and ready for the day a bit earlier than usual.

We talked to Bruce and Kerren for a few minutes before going to teach English. Then it was grab a taxi, hurry home and grab a muffin and head to the airport to see Sister Subhadra off for her mission to the Philippines. She looked so happy. Her father and mother and brothers were there. There were tears shed but I think everyone is happy for her. It will be a great experience for her and she will be a good missionary.

Sister Subhadra ready to leave for MTC - Manila

 We returned home and I made some cheddar broccoli soup. It was a package the kids had brought brought and it was very good. And quick too. I like there are leftovers for when we get back from Chanute tomorrow.

I also made a batch of oatmeal cookies. I read through the recipe and thought how I’ve missed a step or two when I have made them before. I followed the recipe exact and they turned out great. For one thing, you are supposed to roll the dough in balls and then flatten them with a fork dipped in sugar. They look like bakery cookies. We will take some to Chanute with us.

Gene went to PEC and while he was gone, Rakesh called and said he was bringing some sandwiches for tomorrow. I told him that would be great. I am taking apple bran muffins, cookies, oranges and some granola. We won’t starve that’s for sure. I’m looking forward to it. She be interesting as we hike up to a mountain village. I hope the day is clear and sunny. We will leave in the morning about 7:30 am.

1 February 2012                                               Power till 10:00 and again from 5 – 8:00 pm

I can hardly believe it’s February. It makes me feel like the time is really going by quickly. Some days I feel like it’s still a long way to go, but on the other hand, I know our time will be gone and we will be headed home before we know it.

It has been pretty quiet today. We walked over to the ATM, stopping at Saleway’s on the way back. It’s a grocery store. We had been able to find the good tuna fish there, but it’s been hard to find anywhere lately. We also walked over to the Bakery Café and had a plate of spaghetti for lunch. The Bakery Café is right next to Bhat Bhateni’s. We’ve been here a year and have just gone there this past month. It’s pretty good. Most of their help are deaf, mute and it’s good to see them have an opportunity. And they do a good job.

Guys always trying to sell rugs on the streets

 It was really a nice day today. The day times are quite comfortable and we haven’t turned on the heater in the day time for a couple of days. But when the shade hits, it cools off pretty fast. In the morning I take the long johns off and put them back on in the evening.

I did clean out the fridge today and that feels good. I’ve crocheted on the leper bandage and Gene has worked on preparation for Missionary Prep class.

This afternoon, I also typed the General Agreement between LDS Charities and Social Welfare Council into the computer. It needed to be done so the new missionaries and Hong Kong can revise and rewrite it.

31January 2012                                          Power from 9:00 – 1:00 and again after 7:00 pm

What a day. It seems like I’ve hit the ‘delete’ button on the computer many times today. Some days are just more of a challenge than others. Finally, I just decided I needed to let things rest for a bit…we will go back to it another time. 

With her brothers and her nephew - checking weight on her bags

This afternoon Laxmi and I went to see Subhadra. (She’s the sister leaving on a mission this week.) It was an interesting experience. When we got to her place, we walked up about four short flights of stairs. They were very dark and just put together, it seemed to me, quite haphazardly. (it’s hard to explain – one of those…you have to be here…)Her nephew had taken the key and the door was locked. We stood there for a bit. The communal bathroom was just across the hall was quite stinky and I wondered how long I would have to stand there. Finally, her brother climbed through a small window, gaining access and opened the door from the inside.

Again, every time I go into a Nepali home, my heart is heavy. I’m sure there are Americans who live like that, but it’s pretty sad. They don’t have much. These guys did have a window or two and that helps to have a little light. When I was there, I thought of the scripture that says ‘organize yourselves.’ There was stuff just piled everywhere and there’s just nothing else to do with it. I count my blessings that I don’t have to live like that. We are so blessed.

Subhadra was all packed and I had taken our scales and we weighed her bag. It was about 5k over the limit. She had a lot of stuff I wouldn’t have taken had I been her. A big dictionary that must have weighed 3 pounds by itself. Anyway, it took a while but we got her bags within the weight limit and things are good. We will see her off at the airport on Thursday and she will be on her way. It will be such a good experience for her.

I came home and took Jesus the Christ and sat on the deck and read for a little bit. The weather was nice this afternoon and it felt good to sit in the sun.

 

30 January 2012                                        Power from 10:00 – 2:00 and again after 8:00 pm

What a great day! My spirit’s are high and I’m loving life. I’m not sure why the change but I’m happy. I’m feeling more positive about life here in Nepal. I’m sure part of that is the weather is starting to warm up a bit and the days are getting just a little longer.

This morning we were in the dark, again. I got up and washed my hair so it could dry before we talked with the kids. Soon Chad and Konnie called and we visited with them. Next it was Clay and his family and then Brent also called.

We were running a little late and had to hurry to get ready to get to English Class. There were quite a few women there when we arrived. I find I am getting quite attached to them. And I think they like us as well. We had a good time today. We talked a little more about adjectives and then went into words that show ownership. Gene tells me I’m having way too much fun – and I do enjoy it. A lot of it is ‘off the cuff’ and that’s fine. I hope they are learning something….and I think they are.

This afternoon we make a grilled cheese sandwich from the freeze dried cheese Konnie had sent. It was great! We do miss things we took so much for granted at home. This afternoon I have looked at English for Thursday and done a little crocheting. I also sat in the sun and read Jesus the Christ for a little bit. The sun is warm and actually I think things are starting to warm up just a little bit. Hooray!

29 January 2012                                                Power from 11:00 am till 3:00 pm…that’s it!

This morning I had an email from Veda and one from Janel. They both told me that our dear friend Eloise had a stroke last Thursday and they had taken her to the hospital in Salt Lake. They said she is doing a little better now. Boy, that’s a bit scary to me.

This morning we walked over to Deppong’s and had our missionary meeting. There’s quite a bit going on. We did some calendaring and talked about some of our projects. It’s looking like February will be quite busy as we are headed up to Chanute on Friday. Next week we will go to Pokhra for three days and the next week we will be in Chitwan. I do like to be busy.

We sat in the sun again for a few minutes and read. Gene has spent much of the day getting information together for Hong Kong concerning the Five Village Project. We just aren’t sure which way it will go and we surely don’t want to be the ones who make the decision. We supply the information and then we turn it over to those higher up.

I have prepared the English lesson for tomorrow. It’s been a little harder for me. It’s seemed quite fragmented and it took a while…but I think we’re okay…we will go with it.

Today is Hagen’s fifth birthday. I can hardly believe it. All the grandkids are growing up. It’s so nice to be able to talk with them on their birthdays. And it sounded like he had a fun birthday, complete with a ‘Mario’ party.

28 January 2012                                                                            Power from 1 – 6 pm

What a pleasant surprise to wake up about 6:15 and still have power. I jumped out of bed, wanting to take advantage of that, washed and dried my hair. An even bigger surprise was that we still had power when we left for church at 9:25 am. I’m not sure what’s going on but I’m happy.

Church today was wonderful. In addition to a good sacrament meeting with a good crowd in attendance, we had a wonderful time in our Missionary Preparation class. We had five young people there today. It was Sister Subhadra’s last time as she leaves Kathmandu on Thursday, headed to the MTC in the Philippines. At the close of the class, we asked her to share her feelings and bear her testimony. There are times I wish I understood Nepali. This would have been one of those times. She did express herself and there was just such a sweet feeling in the room. She will do a great job.  We did take treats again today and I’m sure the saying is true: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. They love the cookies and said they would come every time. Today we even had Krishnal Grung there. We such would like to see a little more interest from him. Hopefully that will come.

Our Missionary Prep group...wonderful young people -

 Usha taught our Relief Society Lesson today and used the talk by Elder Uchdorf – Forget Me Not. She did a great job. She is such a wonderful woman. During the lesson, most of which was in Nepali (and I don’t have a problem with that) I leaned over to Sister Deppong and said “you can just feel the love in this room – we are going to miss this” and she totally agreed.

We are going to miss Usha here in the branch as she will be starting a new job at a hospital in Chitwan. She is a little nervous as she will be in a supervisory position and people under her are her seniors. She will be great and will be able to set a good example and perhaps share the gospel in that part of Nepal.

After the block, Usha’s sister Tara was baptized. That was also wonderful. She is probably between 25 -30 years old. She has been a Jehovah’s Witness. She requested that she be confirmed today also so Usha could be here for it. And they did that. After her confirmation, she stood and shared a few feeling and said that she had previously been baptized, but now realizes that it wasn’t done by the proper authority. Today she was baptized by one holding authority and is happy to be a member of Christ’s true church.

Sister Deppong, Tara, Usha and me....

Tara's baptism with Pres. Bishnu and Bro. Pana

 The rest of the day we did some reading and I even had a short nap, snuggled beneath a thick fleece blanket. I sense just a touch of change in the weather. I hope so. This month has seemed kind of long and I’m sure it’s because of the cold and the long dark hours. February is only a couple of days away. It will get a little warmer soon……I hope.