Dearest Friends,
IT’S JUST DIFFERENT
1. Heather wanted ice cream the other night and was told that they had white for a flavor. English can get very interesting in other countries.
2. We saw one store that had all kinds of clothes and acupuncture needles. To me, this seemed like a very odd combination.
3. Today we saw a man with a sofa and two chairs on his bicycle. It would never have occurred to me to move all of that furniture on a bicycle.
4. Several times I have seen what I thought were giant bushes on the side of the road. However, it was actually someone carrying an enormous pile of leafy branches which are used to feed their animals. Only when the bush started to walk, I realized that there was a person inside the bush.
5. Meal times are very different here. People eat lunch at around 9 or 10 AM and then dinner late in evening.
6. Most ladies will go to a small tailor shop and have their clothes custom made. Mast produced clothes are not very common.
7. Church here meets on Saturday, not Sunday.
8. It is not very easy to find what you are looking for when you go to a store. Tik was looking for some juice for me today and had to visit five shops before he found it.
9. The gas lines are over a mile long now and some people sit in them for several days before they get fuel.
10. Outside our hotel door, there are three weddings going on right now. All of them have drums and loud horns and are competing to make the most noise. The sound was truly impressive.
11. When Hindus marry, they wear red. So all of the brides are wearing lovely red saris.
12. Many people use a taxi service that looks like a golf cart. They have electric engines and they are everywhere.
13. We have seen elephants and crocodiles. We have driven through jungles where they warned you to watch out for tigers and rhinos.
BEAUTIFUL LADIES
Today, Heather and I had the sweetest privilege. I was teaching a ladies’ conference in a remote village church and Heather was wonderful help. She taught every part of the Bible study with me. I feel she brought a different perspective to the lessons that was very beneficial to the ladies. Some of the ladies walked for over an hour and a half so that they could study the Bible. It was very humbling and challenging to see their commitment to learning more about God’s Word.
I was teaching a book by James McDonald called “Always True”. It is five promises that God makes us when life is hard. Tik was very excited about the study and said that he would even like to teach it to the pastors at a later date. It was miserably hot in the room, but no one seemed to care. The electricity was out so the fans were not working. The longer we’re here in Nepal, we see God changing our expectations for comfort. A bottle of cold water can become the biggest luxury.
In talking with Tik, we found out that many of the believers in the villages do not have Bibles. So next year, we are making a plan to buy many Bibles and to deliver them as we are doing puppet shows. I cannot think of a better gift to give someone than the Word of God. Please continue to pray for these ladies. They are very poor and they live very hard lives. It is not easy for them to find time to study God’s Word as the physical demands of running a household are so extreme. There’s always more work for them than they are able to finish. Please pray that they will remember the promises that we studied today. Please pray that they will find time to study God’s Word and memorize Scripture. My heart’s desire was for the ladies to leave encouraged and blessed. Please pray that God will give them encouragement and blessing as they remember the time they spent today studying His Word.
PRAYER FOR THE CAMPS
Tomorrow, Friday, we are visiting two camps that the government set up for people who lost their homes as a result of the earthquake. It is a three hour drive each way to reach these camps. Please pray for safe travels. Please pray for it not to rain as there is no building we can use for the programs. We have been told to expect huge crowds as children, teenagers, and adults will all be coming to see the puppets. Please ask God to make the people who come receptive to the Gospel. Please ask the Lord to make us wise as these shows could be difficult.
In Jesus,
Linda, Heather, Tik, and company.