first interview

Since I got my research visa (I told you that I got my research visa, right? If not, I'm telling you now- I got my reseearch visa!), I will be spending the next twelve months  interviewing a lot of people in order to identify trends in worldview and how they correlate with human trafficking.

I will not typically publish my research on this blog, but I can't resist sharing this with the world. What you are about to witness is an exclusive interview with the big Asmita. Today, in her first ever camera interview, she spills out her heart for the world.

PRIA part 3

Last night we broke every rule in the book.... 

and I liked it. 

I know, ok, I know. I have read all of those development books. I have attended the poverty seminars. I get it. Rich people aren't supposed to give out free stuff to poor people.

I have worked with kids before. I know the protocol. No favorites. No giving of gifts if there is not enough for everyone to share. No sneaking kids out of their house and into your courtyard and then stripping them down and...

Why don't I just tell you what happened?

I went and got Asmita from her house while the other kids were occupied. As I brought her into our courtyard Sundesh was bouncing along behind us, so I let him come too. Cynthia and Meaghan were waiting on the doorstep with the bag of clothes. We told Asmita that we had something for her, and that she should look inside. 

 

Once she realized that they were new clothes and that they were hers, like, those beautiful new clothes were actually for her, I don't even think that hurricane force winds could have ripped that smile from her face.

She was even smiling when her head got stuck inside the dinosaur sweatshirt. 

Remember when I said that I let Sundesh come in with us?

Here he is, about to make his move. 

Once he saw how beautiful she looked, he yelled in Nepali, "My wife!"

Then he grabbed her and carried her off into the sunset. 

And we all lived happily ever after and went outside to play. 

 So yah, that's why we broke all the rules. (You guys totally approve, right?!) Giving one little girl a new outfit is not going to create dependency. The other kids weren't even upset that Asmita was the only one who got a new outfit.

So at the end of the day, the only thing left was one little girl who could not stop cuddling because she felt more love than she has ever felt. It is probably the first time she has ever felt important. She understood that it was more than just a new outfit. She knows that we are not just "rich people" giving out stuff to "poor people." 

We are friends who are giving little gifts (on behalf of other friends) to show just how much we love her. Because let's face it, we all know that Asmita blesses us way more than we bless her. 

I am so thankful for the awesome ladies who made these clothes and let us have the joy of giving them to Asmita on their behalf. 

(Photo credits: Meaghan and Cynthia)

Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2

secure.

I haven't cried in language class in a long time.

I thought I was starting to get the hang of things around here. I thought culture shock was pretty much over, that I was able to control my emotions, and that I was starting to be a big girl. I thought I finally had my act together.

Apparently not.

Dang it. I worked so hard to learn my new vocabulary words and when it was time for the oral test, I froze. I got really nervous because Cynthia just aced her quiz, and if I didn't do as well as she did, well, you know, that means I am not as good as she is.

It also means that I am lazy and stupid and that there must be something wrong with me because everyone else can remember these words and speak perfect Nepali but Bethany can't even conjugate a verb yet because she is just... you know... not quite up to par with the rest of humanity.

I was so nervous that I forgot all of my words. Even words that I have known for months had left me.

I froze up. I couldn't speak. There I was standing nose to nose with my biggest fear: everyone was about to find out that I am not perfect.

Gasp!

I bombed the test and tried to hide my quiet tears.

.........


It's a funny thing, because lately I have been thinking about Luke's story of a sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet. Apparently a "sinful woman" crashed a party full of really good Jews. It would be like a prostitute crashing a party full of pastors. She snuck up behind Jesus, anointed him with perfume, and started wiping his feet with her tears.

The pastor who was hosting the party did not approve of this because he mumbled under his breath,

"Sheesh, Jesus must not really be a prophet. If he were, he would know how unworthy this woman is to touch him."

Jesus, understanding the truth of what was going on replied with another one of those famous parables, and then revealed the kicker.

"Her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Beautiful, right?

Don't you wish you could be free like that woman? Free to love much? Free from the expectation that you have to be perfect?

.......

So why did I try to hide my tears? Why do I feel like I have to be perfect? Why not use those tears to anoint Jesus' feet? I missed a beautiful opportunity to run to Jesus and to be comforted by him. All because I was afraid of not being perfect.

Jesus does not want perfect.

Jesus wants you.

sidewalk chalk.

Thank you, Homefront Team, for sending sidewalk chalk for my friends to play with! They absolutely loved it!

Will you guys please pray for the dear little ones on my street? My soul weeps for their neglected hearts. They are starving for love and attention. Pray that even though many of them never interact with their fathers here on earth, that they might be close friends with the Father who loves them so much more than words can express. 

Glimpses of Heaven in this video:

• Sundesh giving up his blue chalk so Alay can have it.
• Asmita's smile 
• Pawana getting enough courage to put her face in front of the camera                   (she is so shy!)
• Deepesh using his wheelchair to help the other kids climb the wall 
• Dancing like there is no tomorrow

7 Steps to Sanctification (while traveling to the village)

Last time, I gave you 10 tips for visiting a village. This time I'm taking it a step further and giving you 7 Steps to Sanctification while traveling to the Village. My step by step guide will have you through the fire and shining like gold in just one week!* 

Each step becomes a little bit more detailed, so we suggest you start from the beginning in order to achieve the best results. 

*Individual results may vary. We cannot be held responsible for accidental death, injury, or temper-tantrums that may result in following this program. Please consult smart people before beginning this, or any other stupid adventure. If you choose to complete this program, you must proceed at your own risk. 

Step 1. It is better to give than to receive. 

Every great Nepali adventure begins and ends on the bus. Such is the case in this program.  

As you board the bus, make sure that you have a barf bag handy. You will probably not need to use the barf bag for yourself, but at any moment your neighbor will turn green. That is the exact moment when you will realize the joy of giving. You will realize that Jesus was absolutely right when He said that it is better to give than to receive. I promise, you are way more blessed by handing the barf bag over to the girl behind you. 

Did you give with selfless joy? Congratulations!

You have now completed Step 1. 

2. Live through an episode of "World's Most Dangerous Roads". 

source

Now that you have been on the bus for six hours and the unpaved road has become slippery, you are probably feeling pretty good about your prayer life. Yes, six hours of bouncing along the side of a canyon- two feet away from the 1,000 foot drop- certainly will enhance your prayer life. 

My friend, keep praying. You still have four more hours to go. You might as well sit back, relax, and enjoy the company of the goat and chickens that boarded the bus at the last stop. 

3. Patience takes time.

You are on the right track! Your prayers have been answered! 

source

In your time of prayer, you asked God to give you a few moments to catch your breath. You told Him that you didn't know how much longer you could survive on that bus, and asked Him to give you a little break. You must be on the path to sanctification because God answered your prayer!

There was a landslide just hours before you reached the low point of the road, so you get to rest while the bus waits for a new "road" to be created through a river. If patience is a virtue, then waiting for a bulldozer to create a new road is like twelve points on the sanctification scale. 

Step 4. Stay at the bumblebee house. 

There it is folks, the place where it happened. That house on the right is where I accidentally ate bumblebees when we missed the bus last time (They totally wouldn't let the bumblebee incident go. They hounded me about it all week.).

Anyhoo, you made it! You made it through the most challenging part of the program! The bus can go no further. You have reached the end of the road. The bus ride is over.

Your friend has made the trek down from her house so that she can lead you back up to her village. However, your friend really, really, really wants to take a jeep up the mountain rather than walking (she only has one foot, so let her win that argument), but the jeeps are all reserved for the next three days, so you will get a chance to perfect Step 3 (because you can't rush patience).

The doorless bedroom

In the meantime you get to stay in a room that doesn't have a door. What a remarkable opportunity! You are working on becoming sanctified and all of your privacy has been stripped away. Perfect. You will be sanctified in no time. Just wait for tonight- Grandma will come in with a flashlight and watch you sleep. And then she will call Uncle and Auntie. Then they will stand there. For ten minutes. With a flashlight. Shining in your eyes. Watching you sleep.

Step 5. Sit in Buffalo Dookie. 

You will be stuck in the town at the bottom of the mountain for three days because the jeep has been reserved, so take full advantage of the nearby river. Enjoy this beautiful Himalayan wonder and take a moment to quiet yourself beside the water and reflect upon your life. Remember, you don't have a bedroom door, so now is your chance to be alone and pray.

As you choose a sitting rock near the river bank, become distracted by the cute baby tadpoles. Distraction will ensure that you do not look down before you sit on the rock and will cause you to plop your rump right into buffalo poo.

an unfortunate reason to do laundry

You will be pret-ty ticked off at this point. Don't fret: you are experiencing the sanctification process at work. Just go change your outfit and come back to the river to wash the dookie out of your clothes. 

*Step 5 should be avoided at all costs. 

Step 6. Take a Jeep "Up the Mountain."

If you are not sanctified by now, this step will have you on the fast-track to holiness.

At 6:30 p.m. on the third day the jeep will become available. Quickly say goodbye to the bumble bee family and get into the jeep.

Goodbye Bumblebee Family!

The jeep will begin the ascension up the mountain (It is actually a jeep-truck thing and you will sit in the bed of the truck.). You will have to stop and let ten villagers into the jeep and they will all tie big boxes of supplies to the top of the jeep. Are you are afraid because the jeep is top heavy? You should be.

As the jeep climbs higher and higher into the night and as the tires become more and more caked with mud, you will find yourself wanting to jump out of the jeep. As you see the guy HOLDING THE JEEP UP SO IT DOES NOT TIP OVER AS YOU DRIVE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF, you will again feel the urge to jump out of the jeep.

When you come out of your frightened shock, you will wonder why there are two Nepali men holding you back. It is not until you hear all of the other passengers yelling at you that you will realize that in your state of shock, you had subconsciously moved five feet towards the tailgate of the truck bed and were about to jump.

My friend, don't jump! You have too much to live for!

Wait until the jeep stops to realign itself and then jump out.

(Repeat as often as necessary. I jumped thrice.)

Step 7: Laugh at the days to come.

God must love you, dear child, because after two hours of this mess, the driver will refuse to continue. He will say that the roads are too bad up ahead and you must walk the remaining several kilometers to your friend's house. God has again answered your prayers for mercy.

Our view as we hiked up the mountain.

It is only a few hours walking and an 1,800 foot elevation gain. Besides, the rain is not that strong right now, so you are probably really thankful to be walking through the night and not riding in that jeep.

See? The 7 Steps to Sanctification is working! If, at the beginning of the program, I told you to walk up a mountain in the rain, in the dark, (in a skirt!) at 10:30pm, you would have been ticked. But after going through this program, you are elated to be walking! You are even laughing as you walk up the mountain thinking about how stinking crazy your life is.

Laughing at the days to come, are you? Why, you are practically a Proverbs 31 woman already! (Boys, you can be a Proverbs 31 man, like King Lemuel.)

Cheers to you! You have successfully completed the 7 Steps to Sanctification. How does it feel? Is your heart as pure as gold? Do you feel more alive? Would you do it again?

If you were satisfied with this program, recommend it to a friend to receive a free copy of our new program: How to have fun in the Village which will be available to the public next week!

Village photos

Hey guys,

I realize that I promised you a post about the previous visit to the village... but, um, well... I have a lot of homework, so it's going to be a few more days.     Here is a preview to whet your appetite!

Fishing

volleyball

suspension bridge

a little one staying dry

brata--bhanda

This shin-dig kicked off at 5am.

I guess you have to wake up early if you want to become a man. 

And you have to do other stuff too... like get your head shaved. 

The poor little guy was shivering cold! 

Yesterday my landlord's son had his "Bratabhanda." It is like the Hindu version of a  Bar Mitzvah. This ceremony is only for the Brahmin caste, but Brahmin boys must complete this ritual in order to be "religiously perfect." Also, he has to do this before he can get married. The most notable part of the ceremony is when he gets a sash made of string that he wears for the rest of his life. 

Krishna, my landlord, preparing for the ceremony.

There was a lot going on, and I didn't understand any of it. Occasionally I would ask someone what was happening, but most of the time I still did not understand, even after having it explained. Hinduism is a very complex religion with tons of symbolism. Most people don't actually know the meaning of what they are doing, but they do it because it is part of culture.

So festive! 

Many people brought trays of offerings. Rice, money, flowers, and fruit were covered by little doilies.

It was so crowded when they were giving the offerings. 

 

Finally he got to wear a fancy outfit and we all got to eat yummy Nepali food. 

The end. 

the other end of the table

Yesterday morning our internet was down and I really needed to write my spring newsletter, so I went into town to use the internet at a little cafe. I settled down at one end of a large picnic table and got to work. A few minutes later, some post-colllege-I-still-don't-know-what-I-want-to-do-with-my-life kids walked in and sat down at the other end of the table.

At first, I didn't know that they were Christians. In Kathmandu we get a lot of New-Age, vegan hippies who are trying to find purpose in life by saving the icebergs, and these guys seemed to fit the mold. They were wearing trendy clothing, talking about the newest hip-tastic bands, and helping each other decide what to order from the menu.

I continued to work on my newsletter, occasionally taking a break to eavesdrop. As I resumed the conversation for the third time, the hipsters had stopped talking about bands I've never heard of and were talking about fasting... and meditation... and the strength of the Lord. 

It was pretty cool. 

Apparently, "Sarah" was having a hard time being here in Nepal, and one of the the dudes and his girlfriend were trying to encourage her. I've been begging for encouragement from the Lord lately so, craving some refreshing words, I leaned in.

With growing earnestness, he ended with this, "Keep doing what you are doing, girl.  The Lord will come and meet you where you are at."

Ahhh, man, thanks! That is exactly what I needed to hear... NOT! Dude, what does that even mean? Of course he is going to meet me where I am at. Because wherever he ends up "meeting me" is where I am at. I can't not be where I am at. Duh. 

My bet is that he heard someone else say that phrase, like in a really good sounding prayer or something, and he stored it up for a rainy day.

But here's the thing, it's not just that what the dude was saying was empty. and hollow. and cliche. 

What he said was wrong.   

Because in order for God to "come and meet me" he would have had to leave me. The only way to "meet" someone is to leave and to come back again. 

But God is not like that. 

He never leaves. 

Not in the desert. Not in the valley. Not when the water rises and not when the earth shakes. He is like my neighbor's body odor. There is just no way to get rid of Him. 

So "Sarah," wherever you are, God is not going to meet you where you are at. He's already with you. 

and...

he. 

will.

never.

leave.

Ever.