Namaste Nepal

I never could have imagined what God had in store when He first led me to Nepal four and one half years ago. I never could have imagined the love He would give me for that place and those precious Deaf students. I never could have imagined the relationships that would come from that trip, relationships that have lasted even through the four years I was absent from Nepal. When I recently returned to Nepal for a short, 15 day visit, and got to visit with my students again, it was like we just picked right back up where we left off. It didn't feel like I had been gone for over four years, it almost felt like I had never left, except they had all grown up so much.
This most recent trip to visit Nepal, was truly a faith-stretching, God-orchestrated trip from beginning to end. I'm the type of person who likes to plan and prepare as much as I possibly can ahead of time, which is exactly how I approached this trip, but as my plans for this trip kept getting changed because of circumstances beyond my control, I had to learn how to take it one day at a time and trust God to work out all of the details... And He did! Turns out His plans for this trip were better than what I had originally planned anyway.
I arrived in Kathmandu, on Sunday, September 27, and after getting settled into my hotel, I didn't really know what to do with myself, because I had gone with the plan to just hang out with my students as much possible since I would only be there a few days, but none of them had responded to my messages yet. So I just decided to wander around in the touristy part of town, maybe do a little shopping, find a place to eat dinner, and head back for an early night in at my hotel ready to start off bright and early the next morning with a trip to the Deaf School. But as I was wandering around I met up with a Rickshaw Wallah who was very adamant about wanting to take me on a tour around the Thamel area and then drop me off at a restaurant. I tried to refuse at first, but then I figured, what could it hurt since I had nothing else better to do at that moment anyway? And as it would turn out, meeting up with him would prove to be very providential in the coming days because of the severe gas shortage in Nepal (http://www.philstar.com/world/2015/10/02/1506313/anti-india-anger-nepal-essential-supplies-dry)(Please pray for Nepal, as there is still a severe gas shortage).

My Rickshaw Tour of Thamel

The next morning I met up with one of my former students who took me around Naxal, and introduced me to several of his friends. I ended up spending the whole day over in Naxal: visiting the Deaf School, meeting up with my former students, visiting two of the Deaf School's hostels and the students who lived there, and ended the day with a Deaf Chiya Chat before returning to my hotel in Thamel for the night.

Naxal Deaf School

Visiting with the girls at one of the hostels

Visiting the girls at another hostel

Chiya Chat

I had originally planned for Tuesday to be my last day in Kathmandu, before heading to the Deaf School in Dharan (where I had taught at four years ago) for a few days on Wednesday. But since it was looking like I wouldn't be able to get to Dharan because of strikes, and since I had learned about a Deaf Drama that was happening in Kathmandu on Wednesday, I decided to stay another day in Kathmandu, and more than likely return to my host country on Thursday without making it down to Dharan (the first of many changes to my original plans for this trip). I spent all day Tuesday in Naxal again, visiting my former students, meeting their peers and teachers, and touring their school and college, before again ending the day at the Chiya Chat. I was also able to video chat with the principal and a teacher at the Deaf School in Dharan, and let them know that I probably would not be able to make it down there because of the strikes in Biratnagar, where the airport was located that I planned to fly into and then take a taxi from there to the School. They confirmed that yes, there were strikes in Biratnagar, and that there were no taxis or buses traveling in and out of there, but they suggested looking into flying into Bhadrapur instead, because they didn't think there were any strikes there. The small thread of hope that I might still be able to make it to Dharan this trip just grew a little longer. 

Wednesday, I had plans to meet with a friend for coffee at a little cafe near her former college, which was about a 30 minute walk from my hotel according to Google maps. I had never been to that area before, but I figured I would just walk there following the Google maps route and hope that I would be able to find the cafe (after all, that I had worked to get me over to Naxal the first day, and there was little hope for finding a taxi or a bus with a seat open because of the gas shortage). As I set out from my hotel, however, I ended up running into my Rickshaw Wallah friend whom I had met on my first night. He asked where I was going, and offered to take me there, wait while I had coffee with my friend, and then bring me back to my hotel when I was done. So I took him up on the offer, which saved me from having to wander around that area trying to find the cafe on my own, and I had a great visit over coffee with my friend. When I returned to my hotel, I called NepFlights, the company I had booked my flights to and from Biratnagar through, to cancel them. The guy I talked to was very helpful with getting my flights cancelled, went out of his way to find out for me if it was safe to fly into Bhadrapur instead and take a taxi from there to Dharan, and helped me book the flight to Bhadrapur. PTL I was going to be able to make it to Dharan after all! Wednesday afternoon I enjoyed attending the Deaf Drama with my former students and several hundred other Deaf. Then I had to say my goodbye's :( But then while trying to find the restaurant I wanted to eat dinner at that night, who should I run into but my Rickshaw Wallah friend again :) He gave me a ride to the restaurant for free and then offered to take me to the airport the next morning so I didn't have to try and find a taxi or a bus. 

Deaf Drama

Saying Goodbye :(

The next morning I was sad I had to say goodbye to Kathmandu and all my friends there, but I was looking forward to and very thankful to God for making a way for me to get down to the Deaf School in Dharan despite the strikes and gas shortage. I was also very thankful that I had met my Rickshaw Wallah friend on my first night in Kathmandu and that he was willing to take me 45 minutes out of his way to the airport. 

Rickshaw Ride to the Airport

After an hour long flight delay, an hour long flight in the smallest plane I've ever flown in, and a 3.5 hour taxi ride, I finally made it to Dharan! I was received at the Deaf School with lots of hugs, enjoyed catching up with everyone, and got settled in at the Deaf School's hostel for what I had planned to be just a four day stay. 

My Plane from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur

Inside the plane

Mt. Everest out my plane window

Tiny Bhadrapur Airport

3.5 Hour taxi ride

Finally made it to Dharan!

Almost there

Made it to the Deaf School!

The hostel where I stayed

I had just so happened to arrive in Dharan during exam time before they had a month long holiday. So the students were pretty busy studying hard for their exams most of the time I was there, but we were still able to hang out and chat a lot, and Friday I enjoyed a nice trip with the older students up to a suspension bridge over the river after they had finished their exams for the day. 

Students all lined up at the beginning of the school day

Studying Hard

Exam Time

Field Trip to the river :)

One day I was also able to visit some of my former students who have since graduated and now have jobs working at a hotel in downtown Dharan. 

Visiting Students at their work

I had originally planned to leave Dharan to fly back to my host country on Tuesday morning, October 6, but once again things didn't go as I had planned. All along since I had arrived in Dharan, the students had been telling me that they wished I could stay until their exams ended on Friday, October 9, and that I could stay for one of the girls' 16th birthday party Tuesday evening, and I was wishing I could stop back in Kathmandu for a day or two before heading back to my host country, but I didn't think any of that would be possible. Turns out God had other plans. Monday night I heard from some friends back in my host country that there was some trouble there and it would not be safe for me to travel back when I had originally planned, and that I should extend my stay in Nepal until the beginning of the next week. I was sad and concerned to hear about the trouble back in my host country, but very excited to be able to extend my stay in Nepal. Because now I would be able to be there for the girl's birthday party, and I would stay in Dharan until Friday when the exams ended, and then I would be able to return to Kathmandu for a couple of days and see my friends there before returning to my host country!

Happy Birthday!

On my last day in Dharan, early in the morning, one of the teacher's and a couple of the students took me on a 3 hour tour to visit a couple of temples and another suspension bridge. Then, thanks to help from some friends, I was able to get a ride via motorbike to the airport in Biratnagar, so that I didn't have to go 2.5 hours out of the way through Bhadrapur to get back to Kathmandu.

Touring the Temple 

Another Suspension Bridge

Motorbike ride to the airport

 When I arrived back in Kathmandu, I was able to meet up with my former students again and spend a couple of days with them before they all headed back to their homes for the month long holiday. I was even able to stay at their hostel, thanks to the principal from the Deaf School in Dharan arranging everything for me. In fact, the timing worked out perfectly, as only God could have worked it out, that I was able to return to my host country on the same day that they all left Kathmandu to go to their homes.

The Deaf School Hostel in Kathmandu

I was truly amazed at how God perfectly orchestrated every detail of this trip and guided me every step of the way. And I was truly blessed by all the wonderful people He placed in my path who did so much for and gave so much to me during my stay. From the Rickshaw Wallah in Kathmandu who provided rides for me which was a huge blessing because of the gas shortage, to my students who bought me lunch and chiya and going away gifts and took time away from their studies to chat with me and show me around, to the friendly NepFlights guy who changed and cancelled flights for me so many times without charging me any service charges and called around to find out about strikes and where it was safe to travel, to the taxi driver who was willing to drive me to Dharan despite the gas shortage and bought me momos for lunch and would have picked me up from Dharan to take me to the Bhadrapur airport again if I had stuck with that return route, to the Principal of the Deaf School in Dharan who arranged for me to stay at the School's hostel and eat for free for a week and then arranged for me to stay at the hostel in Kathmandu for two nights and eat for free, to the Deaf Teacher at the School in Dharan who bought me clean water to drink everyday and bread and jam for breakfast every morning and went out of his way to make my stay comfortable, to my friends who arranged safe travel for me through Biratnagar so I could avoid an extra 2.5 hour drive and who took me out for pizza one night and brought me homemade salmon patties another night. I am truly blessed! It was so good to be able to return to Nepal, even if it was only for a short visit. Saying goodbye again was so difficult, even more difficult than it was four years ago, but I hold onto a promise God whispered to my heart on my last day in Dharan and again on my last day in Kathmandu that I will return again someday, and to keep letting Him dream His dreams for me, because they're better than any I could dream for myself anyway. It was hard to leave Nepal, and I miss all my friends there so much, but I also had an overwhelming sense of peace as my plane touched down back in my host country that this is where God wants me for now.

The lyrics to this song so accurately describe how I felt leaving Nepal again