so we are back at the church...oh, did we miss it and the community. did not miss the sound of the rats at night though.
we are excited to have a friend from winnipeg come and visit us. can't wait to introduce him to our friends and show him the sights.
next week routine will start again for us...girls in school, housegroups and church meetings start up. rod and shem are planning another trip to the mountain to visit a village. pray for rod's health and my patience :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
the little jersak clan
i want to tell you a story of this family i am proud to call my own...
everyday rod goes on a bus to rutnabad in the heart of the temple area where many poor people live. he is doing home care nursing for a woman named sushila. usually rod takes a girl with him or we go as a whole family. on one of our trips we were walking by a hospital and on the other side of the street was a woman with leprosy begging for money. we walked about 10 steps passed when rod stopped and said, "i have to do something." so we all turned around and approached her. with hand gestures rod tries to communicate that he wanted to help her. as he took off the dirty rags that covered her feet we were overcome with a smell indescribable. her toes were no more and in the blood and puss flies were lying eggs. he carefully cleaned the wound with little anya pouring water on the bandage for him. as he worked she stood with her hand on his shoulder. the other two were praying out loud and conversing with the people who had stopped to gawk. i took instruction from rod and handed supplies from the medical bag. soon a crowd of over 50 people were gathered...sadly not to support but in curiousity of why these white people would bother to stop and help this woman who surely had deserved such a state. it is good to be different.
everyday rod goes on a bus to rutnabad in the heart of the temple area where many poor people live. he is doing home care nursing for a woman named sushila. usually rod takes a girl with him or we go as a whole family. on one of our trips we were walking by a hospital and on the other side of the street was a woman with leprosy begging for money. we walked about 10 steps passed when rod stopped and said, "i have to do something." so we all turned around and approached her. with hand gestures rod tries to communicate that he wanted to help her. as he took off the dirty rags that covered her feet we were overcome with a smell indescribable. her toes were no more and in the blood and puss flies were lying eggs. he carefully cleaned the wound with little anya pouring water on the bandage for him. as he worked she stood with her hand on his shoulder. the other two were praying out loud and conversing with the people who had stopped to gawk. i took instruction from rod and handed supplies from the medical bag. soon a crowd of over 50 people were gathered...sadly not to support but in curiousity of why these white people would bother to stop and help this woman who surely had deserved such a state. it is good to be different.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
16 hours and counting....
power is off for 16 hours a day...not fun.
school starts in 9 days...yahoo.
we move back to church in three sleeps...okay.
we have 47 days left in nepal...sucks.
it seems i am down to counting the hours and days of something. i look forward to certain things ending like the power coming on and i dread things that mean drastic change.
maybe i need to focus on the here and now.
school starts in 9 days...yahoo.
we move back to church in three sleeps...okay.
we have 47 days left in nepal...sucks.
it seems i am down to counting the hours and days of something. i look forward to certain things ending like the power coming on and i dread things that mean drastic change.
maybe i need to focus on the here and now.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sister Ava :)
Hi folks,
Our family has been healthy generally except for the occasional 24 hour stomach flu. Lately I have been doing a lot of 'home' care nursing in Kathmandu. A lady (Sushila) from church was brought to my attention last Saturday whom had a nasty wound to her little toe (to the bone). It was left for a long time and she was in extreme pain but was stoically trying to hide it. The reason she left it so long was because she didn't have the $5.00 to see a Doctor. Sushila is a widow who looks after 2 boys and a girl. They are very poor but the have the most amazing smiles. I took her to the Patan Hospital to see a Dr. who was very accommodating and now I am doing daily dressing changes at her home. Yesterday Ava was my nurse assistance which was fun to see. Ava and I then thought it would be good to buy some Mango juice's and snacks and give them to the Lepers laying on the Street. I could tell that Her little smile warmed the hearts of these precious people.
The past week I think I have shed more tears of repentance, sadness and Joy than the whole trip combined. I believe God is bring me to the place where I hold back nothing thing and to serve Him/others completely.....I hope He succeeds.
rj
Our family has been healthy generally except for the occasional 24 hour stomach flu. Lately I have been doing a lot of 'home' care nursing in Kathmandu. A lady (Sushila) from church was brought to my attention last Saturday whom had a nasty wound to her little toe (to the bone). It was left for a long time and she was in extreme pain but was stoically trying to hide it. The reason she left it so long was because she didn't have the $5.00 to see a Doctor. Sushila is a widow who looks after 2 boys and a girl. They are very poor but the have the most amazing smiles. I took her to the Patan Hospital to see a Dr. who was very accommodating and now I am doing daily dressing changes at her home. Yesterday Ava was my nurse assistance which was fun to see. Ava and I then thought it would be good to buy some Mango juice's and snacks and give them to the Lepers laying on the Street. I could tell that Her little smile warmed the hearts of these precious people.
The past week I think I have shed more tears of repentance, sadness and Joy than the whole trip combined. I believe God is bring me to the place where I hold back nothing thing and to serve Him/others completely.....I hope He succeeds.
rj
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
christmas in nepal...
some photos of the christmas program which ran for 4 hours!!!!! then had a nepali feast for 400 people. many people came from mountain villages to be a part of the festivities.
i was standing in line for food when i was embraced by a woman from behind...and i mean embraced!!! she held me uncomfortably close. i thought at first...how nice...but then that quickly turned to what the...??? then i discovered that as soon as you left room - and i mean i had given only 2 inches since emielia's head was level with the man's butt just in front of us - you would lose your place in the line. i watched in irration as 4 people butted in front of emielia and she ended up crying because her feet got squashed. is it good to get angry at poor starving people? not sure but i was. i was surprised by the level of heated frenzy that happened when food was introduced. people pushing...people yelling...starving people needing nourishment. my angry quickly subsided when i realized this might be the first meal they have had in days. desperation runs rampant here...not sure i want to get in the way...not sure what i can do.
quick updates...
so many people have been wondering about our lack of communication so i will try to bring you up to speed.
we have moved to a new location for the month of january...housesitting...the problem is no internet service so we have to wait until we come to the church to get online. the problem everywhere is lack of water therefore minimal electricity. the power outages are up to 12 hours per day. in february it will be up to 16 hours.
it feels as if the church activity is in sleep mode - the leaders take the month of january off. no housegroups, no visitation, no meetings just church on saturday. i wonder if the inactivity has made us a little lazy :)
our little house feels busy with the kids, and school work. we have been introduced to a beautiful young woman named sara who comes to help everyday. we have been adopted into her family...been invited to birthday parties, baby dedication, suppers. she is the eldest of 4 children, her dad died when she was a young girl, her mom remarried and her step father treated her horribly. her mother is now widowed again and suffers from mental health issues. sara's one sister just had a baby out of wedlock, another sister and a younger brother are home for the holidays from the hostel they live in. sara works to support the whole family. this family is from the lowest caste...which means people will not touch them, will not eat the same food with them and if she touches something it is deemed unholy. it is shocking at how mean people are. she is the most caring and compassionate girl i have met. her dream is to have an orphanage for those children no wanted by anyone. she is our teacher - she teaches us nepali and how to cook. i teach her english and how to bake cookies and cake. it has been fun!!!!
today i went to visit a place that rescues nepali girls that have been sold or kidnapped into the sex trade. many of these girls have contracted HIV and are dying.
so many sad stories and so much need here. i feel almost so overwhelmed that i cannot process the pain - i want to run to my little "home" and bake. talk about denial hey??
we have moved to a new location for the month of january...housesitting...the problem is no internet service so we have to wait until we come to the church to get online. the problem everywhere is lack of water therefore minimal electricity. the power outages are up to 12 hours per day. in february it will be up to 16 hours.
it feels as if the church activity is in sleep mode - the leaders take the month of january off. no housegroups, no visitation, no meetings just church on saturday. i wonder if the inactivity has made us a little lazy :)
our little house feels busy with the kids, and school work. we have been introduced to a beautiful young woman named sara who comes to help everyday. we have been adopted into her family...been invited to birthday parties, baby dedication, suppers. she is the eldest of 4 children, her dad died when she was a young girl, her mom remarried and her step father treated her horribly. her mother is now widowed again and suffers from mental health issues. sara's one sister just had a baby out of wedlock, another sister and a younger brother are home for the holidays from the hostel they live in. sara works to support the whole family. this family is from the lowest caste...which means people will not touch them, will not eat the same food with them and if she touches something it is deemed unholy. it is shocking at how mean people are. she is the most caring and compassionate girl i have met. her dream is to have an orphanage for those children no wanted by anyone. she is our teacher - she teaches us nepali and how to cook. i teach her english and how to bake cookies and cake. it has been fun!!!!
today i went to visit a place that rescues nepali girls that have been sold or kidnapped into the sex trade. many of these girls have contracted HIV and are dying.
so many sad stories and so much need here. i feel almost so overwhelmed that i cannot process the pain - i want to run to my little "home" and bake. talk about denial hey??
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