Saturday, December 22, 2007

Recent Prayer Requests

The following are a few things you can pray for:
  • Protection from all little pests and pestilence
  • My sister and her family... very stressed and about to loose their visas again they are preparing to return to the states unless the Lord opens a clear door for them to remain and obtain a visa under which they can continue to work and serve.
  • Their dog died day before yesterday... tumors and worms in the esophagus on autopsy ( I know this cause their neighbor is a vet!) This has been very hard on them emotionally added on to their other stresses like finances, visas, holiday mayhem, and extra family showing up for 3 weeks to visit!
  • Safe return to Nepal on Dec 26th and 27th. I have an overnight layover in Singapore and the transit rooms you rent by 6 hour blocks was full up and no further reservations were available... pray something will open up on my arrival or it will be a grueling trip back to Kathmandu.
  • Pray for renewal for my tourist Visa... I should be able to get one at the airport in Kathmandu... Pray for the Lord's provision for a long term visa if He wants me there past May or to return again after this stint is up.
  • Pray for Carol Brown... she will be joining me from the Bothell, Seattle area. Her flight gets into Kathmandu January 3rd. She will serve with me the next 5 months. Pray for her safe travel, for easy adjustments to life, culture and service in Nepal and for the Lord to really use her contributions to the ministry of Dare to Care for His glory!
  • Pray for the women waiting for my return in Dadeldhura who have been diligently learning crocheting and are making saleable items in my absence. Pray for their walks with the Lord and for a willingness for them to reach out to their community with God's love in the future. These are believers and we will be opening up the class to poor women in the community when I return. Pray this will also be for God's glory as women network and share with each other as well as learn marketable skills.
  • Pray for the church in Nepal... this Christmas time is a time of great opportunity to share as the community is always curious as to what this holiday is about and many new visitors can be expected.
  • Pray for the Hospital and the staff of TEAM Hospital there in Dadaldhura... I heard today that they closed it as Team's agreement ran out, the new NGO ready to take over did not get the new agreement as we all hoped for, so to put pressure on the Government to give the NGO the agreement they needed they closed all but emergency care and deliveries. Today it sounds like negotiations have not produced the desired results and the government is taking it over. This will likely mean the loss of jobs for many if not most of the staff largely all believers there and so they have few other options. Pray God will be glorified even in this a great trial for about 38 families there in the church. (Perhaps we should extend our Income Generation Training to the whole church where we were focusing on the poor and especially single women before!)
  • Pray for the many who heard the testimony of my brother, Dave over Radio Nepal last Thursday. He was granted a 45 minute interview in which he sang local songs and gave his very clear testimony. He was offered weekly radio time for $100/ week. Pray that if this is a direction the Lord wants us to go He will provide the people and resources for us to run with this opportunity.
  • Dave is back in Chicago... pray for the Lord to open a door for him to return to Nepal again soon if it be His will... be was not bashful but took every opportunity to share the gospel and his testimony that he saw.

A few days until Christmas

Just and update from Papua, Indonesia...

I'm enjoying my time here immensely! All but the heat ( it makes me wilt with the humidity) and the mosquitoes. Did you know there are 2 dangerous kinds here... daytime biters which cause Dengue Fever and Nighttime biters which cause several kinds of Malaria. My Sister Di is the Dr. for all the expats on this island and has had to treat a man with hemorrhagic dengue fever last week ( not that you can do much but rehydrate and pray ) ... he recovered! and Lizby and my new dentist got malaria. I was most pleased to discover the treatment that works the best for this is an herb I've been researching for the last 2 years called Artemisia Annua... most cases are resistant to all the drugs previously tried in this area! So far I don't think I have been bit... I attribute it to my daily dose of garlic... the 'skeeters don't even land and they evacuate!

I did have to hunt down a dentist... lost a very big filling 5 weeks ago in Nepal when it just fell out of my mouth! It turns out one of the SIL staff here is Dentist from Columbia, trained in the USA and serving with Wycliffe here... my parents are staying in a cottage on his property! My sister hooked me up with him and I'm thrilled he was able to repair the damage and do a composite filling for only $30.00!!! He says I'll need a crown when I get back to where I can find competent dental service. Too bad he cannot do it here... I love his prices! He also had a great sense of humor! Hard to find in a good Christian dentist!

A couple days ago we got to go shopping and found some lovely batiks and local artisan shops! You know I love to shop! I also spent some time recovering my sis's dining room chairs and am now making her some kitchen accessories and finishing the drapes she had started 10 years ago but never had time to finish. The sewing machine has been temperamental though so progress is slow.

Yesterday we went to a gorgeous beach about 45 minute drive away then a 15 minute catamaran ride to the island with this lovely beach and a little fresh water lagoon! A slice of heaven! I got my wish to dig my toes in the sand and read a book. The water was gloriously perfect and so was the weather.

Well all for now... more shopping tomorrow and a busy week ahead of Christmas parties to attend and potlucks to plan... ours is a curry potluck at which I'm to show my Nepal slide show on Friday.

Trust your holiday preparations are meaningful and fun and not at all stressful and that you have plenty of time to slow down and reflect on the Reason for the Season and His wonderful gifts to us!

I'm so grateful for all of you and your prayers!
Dawn

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Paradise in Indonesia

The Himalayas upon depature

Sentani, Indonesia

Sunset in Sentani

Monday, December 10, 2007

Merry Christmas from Tropical Paradise

No... I'm not hallucinating though I did have a fever and some "spells" last week. (Thanks for your prayers! A week of stomach flu while traveling almost leveled me but I'm raring to go once again now!)
I really am in a tropical paradise! I'm in Sentani, Papua, Indonesia!
How'd I get here? you ask... you thought I was in Nepal in the Himalaya mountains?...well I was till my parents came through town in Dadeldhura, Nepal to visit for 10 days and offered me my way paid to Indonesia for my Christmas present!!!!

How could I refuse an offer like that? especially after I had prayed about it back in August when I heard my parents were making plans to visit my sister Di and her family for the holiday... I put it in God's hands saying if He wanted me to go too, He'd have to provide the way! I then forgot about it as it seemed a dream too far out of reach to waste any more energy on... until Mom called upon their arrival in Kathmandu and made the offer!!! WHOOHEEE!!!!

We all left Dadeldhura together last Thursday and made the grueling trip arriving here Monday morning at 7:30 AM on the all night, red eye island hopper( 4 stops from Jakarta to Jayapura!).

So here we are... getting ready for a tropical Christmas with many of my family... and counting my many blessings...just wish my kids could be here! I miss them so! Pray for them... our first Christmas apart... to feel God's arms around them and His love transporting them before the Throne of Grace.

After all it was 2007+ years ago Jesus left that throne to come here to be born in the humblest of beginnings, to share His life with us (Emmanuel - God with us), so He could be Life for us and rescue us from death (eternal separation from a Holy God) to Everlasting Life! The Spiritual ramifications are so huge... I cannot really comprehend that kind of love. (but I try!!!)

This year, I also have a new appreciation of how He left His home of luxury and Family and instead, went a very long way to help those who desperately needed help and a Savior.

I wish you all a wonderful, meaningful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dawn

PS I'll be here till Dec. 26th when I fly back to Singapore... there my parents and I part ways... they return to Chicago then South Dakota and I return to Kathmandu on the 27th.
I'll be joined by Carol Brown, our first Dare to Care volunteer the first week of January and we'll go out to Dadeldhura together to serve for the next 5 months!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Tiny Pictures-Get out your Magnifying glass!

This is the view from Dawn's room.
This is the tiny of Dadeledhura .
Women thrashing rice.
Men selling textiles.
And because this is Eryka interpreting on behalf of Dawn, I have no idea what this picture is other than it looks like a house of a wealthier family. Perhaps this is where my Dawn is staying.

How Nepali's deliver babies- Nov. 8th

Warning!The story below has discussion of vomit. And Dawn is a nurse, so she discusses such things freely. I have also edited out the names of the Nepali's involved, for their safety.

I left off with urgent requests for prayer for the young 15 year old with child and we were leaving the next morning to go south to Dhangadi to the plains. My brother,and 3 friends and I piled in a van with her but not before the lad who got her pregnant showed up to claim her. He promised to accept her, marry her, continue her education and take responsibility for the mother to be and the child. I grieved the 4 hours down the hill for the lack of voice for Nepali women to choose their own destiny, and for the child that would be brought into a world where it really wasn't wanted and for a young mother who would now be isolated from Christians and taken into her new Hindu home to who knows what end. But Nepali culture prevailed and even church leaders felt this was what was best and

I packed the OB kit just in case she went into labor on the road. Unless she had the gumption to really create a ruckus when we arrived at the boy's home and met all his family, chances were pretty good I would not be going to Kathmandu as proposed.

While I grieved and prayed, the young girl puked... all the way down the hill!!!! Fortunately for me, she was a quiet little puker! And fortunately for both of us I had saved the air sickness bag from the last airline flight and it was on the top of my bag! We were in the front seat with the driver and I fought to keep it just the 3 of us. I offered to pay an extra 100 rupees ($1.50) to NOT sell another ticket up front for that extra seat!

There were 16 passengers packed into the back... only 2 of those did not puke!!! The rest could not be dubbed "quiet pukers". The driver's solution to drown out the noise of incessant vomiting, was to blare to Nepali radio to overcome the sound!!!!! Yes - it was a lovely trip !!! But to God's glory we all made it in one piece and though Dave's bag was doused in vomit we were glad to be safe in Attaryia (20 KMs) from our friends home in Dhangadi.

After everyone's stomachs settled and we had Fantas and Cokes followed by lunch, we had a serious talk with the "lad" who made us the promises we hoped for and then took all of us to his home and introduced the young girl to his extended family. All the women of the household seemed very warm and understanding and his mother apologized for her son's despicable behavior and assured us they would take great care of the girl and make sure she got to a hospital when she went into labor. I went into great lengths to explain the severity of the medical situation... that the ultrasound showed the baby as breech and that she was already 39 weeks and could deliver any day and might need a C-section.

It was one of the hardest things I ever did, to leave her there. Her own widowed mother had accompanied us down the hill and it almost broke my heart to watch her try to pry herself away from her baby daughter... a child herself, with child!

We found out a few days later on our return trip that the young girl went into labor shortly after we left her and delivered a healthy baby girl at midnight that same night. She weighed 2 kilos and 800 grams! A good size for a Nepali wee one. She came normally... no C- section needed!!!!! PTL. Boy, am I grateful we didn't try to go to Kathmandu... we also discovered the road to Kathmandu was bhundh ( closed) starting that same evening and didn't open for 5 days!

You have to acknowledge that His ways are High above our ways!

We spent a night with a long time childhood friend and his family and the next morning put the young girl's mom on the bus back up the hill and prayed she would have a better trip up, than she had coming down ( no nausea would be great!) We then went shopping (YEAH!) but most of it was for hardware for making my new apartment into a Dare to Care Suite. It currently has no kitchen and no western toilet or hot water. That will be rectified before Dave returns to the USA.

We shopped most of the next day, trying to cash travelers checks at a new bank in town took an hour and 3/4. then we piled into a local bus and headed for Mahendra Nagar. Originally my brother and one of the friends were going to visit a model farm just across the border into India I was going to stay in Mahendra Nagar and shop and find my way to the place where we were all to spend the night with a Christian Pastor who is one of our original leper patients from the hospital my Dad started.

However plans changed along the way. We ran out of time, and my brother and his friend never left. We caught a bus back and arrived in the Christian Pastor's town just at dark, in time to walk the 2 km in the dark. We all got the giggles cause we couldn't find the road across a huge mud puddle full of frogs. The friend found rocks to "build a bridge" and we somehow got across without falling in. 100 yards up the road we crossed a river ( ankle deep ) but you try it when you are carrying a 20# pack and your flashlight is croaking on you! We found a 2nd river just about another 100 yards up the road and by this time we had the giggles so bad we looked drunk. Fortunately our friend managed to control his laughter on the other side and find the dirt track that took us to our destination and a fascinating adventure of spending not one, but 2 nights in a village with no electric and no bathrooms!!!! The house had dirt floors and straw walls covered with cow dung for mortar.

My brother got sick there... it could have been the food he ate the day before though the locals blame the fact that he ate "Chuke" ( giant lemons) at night! Everyone knows you never eat Chuke at night!

Finally about noon on the 4th day we succeeded in getting a vehicle ( van) and loading all our steel, tin sheets, pipe, and hardware on and headed north. Five long hours later we once again praised the Lord for a safe journey and fell into our own beds.

Progress on the house makeover has been slow as many interruptions and invitations to lunch and dinner have made for great building of relationships but poor progress on remodeling. I am proud to say as of this morning, we now have a Geyser hot water heater up and running and I had my first hot shower before church today. Our hostess was delighted to get to wash her dishes in hot water for the first time ever and we will all be praising God for this for a long time to come!
Well I've rambled quite enough for one day and as the Dr wants his bedroom back must get this sent and close for now! ~ Dawn~

Hi everyone!
A lot has happened in the last week or more since I last had an opportunity to email!
I left off with urgent requests for prayer for Sita, a 15 year old with child and we were leaving the next morning to go south to Dhangadi to the plains. My brother, Dave, Prem and Megh Raj and Raj and I piled in a van with her but not before the lad who got her pregnant showed up to claim her. He promised to accept her, marry her, continue her education and take responsibility for the mother to be and the child. I grieved the 4 hours down the hill for the lack of voice for Nepali women to choose their own destiny, and for the child that would be brought into a world where it really wasn't wanted and for a young mother who would now be isolated from Christians and taken into her new Hindu home to who knows what end. But Nepali culture prevailed and even church leaders felt this was what was best and I have to trust God for her and her little one.
I packed the OB kit just in case she went into labor on the road. Unless she had the gumption to really create a ruckus when we arrived at the boy's home and met all his family, chances were pretty good I would not be going to Kathmandu as proposed.
While I grieved and prayed, little Sita puked... all the way down the hill!!!! Fortunately for me, she was a quiet little puker! Fortunately for both of us I had saved the air sickness bag from the last airline flight and it was on the top of my bag! We were in the front seat with the driver and I fought to keep it just the 3 of us. I offered to pay an extra 100 rupees ($1.50) to NOT sell another ticket up front for that extra seat!
There were 16 passengers packed into the back... only 2 of those did not puke!!! The rest could not be dubbed "quiet pukers". The driver's solution to drown out the noise of incessant vomiting, was to blare to Nepali radio to overcome the sound!!!!! Yes - it was a lovely trip !!! But to God's glory we all made it in one piece and though Dave's bag was doused in puke we were glad to be safe in Attaryia (20 KMs) from our friends home in Dhangadi.
After everyone's stomachs settled and we had Fantas and Cokes followed by lunch, we had a serious talk with the "lad" who made us the promises we hoped for and then took all of us to his home and introduced Sita to his extended family. All the women of the household seemed very warm and understanding and his mother apologized for the "lad's" despicable behavior and assured us they would take great care of Sita and make sure she got to a hospital when she went into labor. I went into great lengths to explain the severity of the medical situation... that the ultrasound showed the baby as breech and that she was already 39 weeks and could deliver any day and might need a C-section.
It was one of the hardest things I ever did, to leave her there. Her own widowed mother had accompanied us down the hill and it almost broke my heart to watch her try to pry herself away from her baby daughter... a child herself, with child!
We found out a few days later on our return trip that Sita went into labor shortly after we left her and delivered a healthy baby girl at midnight that same night. She weighed 2 kilos and 800 grams! A good size for a Nepali wee one. She came normally... no C- section needed!!!!! PTL. Boy, am I grateful we didn't try to go to Kathmandu... we also discovered the road to Kathmandu was bhundh ( closed) starting that same evening and didn't open for 5 days!
You have to acknowledge that His ways are High above our ways!
We spent a night with a long time childhood friend and his family and the next morning put Sita's mom on the bus back up the hill and prayed she would have a better trip up, than she had coming down ( no nausea would be great!) We then went shopping (YEAH!) but most of it was for hardware for making my new apartment into a Dare to Care Suite. It currently has no kitchen and no western toilet or hot water. That will be rectified before Dave returns to the USA.
Shopping took most of the day, trying to cash travelers checks at a new bank in town took an hour and 3/4. then we piled into a local bus and headed for Mahendra Nagar. Originally Dave and Prem were going to visit a model farm just across the border into India and Raj and I were going to stay in Mahendra Nagar and shop and find our way 8 kms back to She Sheia, walk 2 kms to Dharampur where we were all to spend the night with a Christian Pastor who is one of our original leper patients from the hospital my Dad started. There is a whole community of Leprosy Patients there that have relocated because the government gave them land about 20 years ago. They have cleared it all by hand and built quite a little oasis there near a river in an otherwise parched dry land.
However plans changed along the way. We ran out of time, Raj found a friend and went with him, Megh Raj went on ahead to Dharmpur and Dave, Prem and I went on to Mahendra Nagar arriving there about 4 pm and shopped for stainless steel pots and pans and coats for Prem's kids. We caught a bus back and arrived in She Sheia just at dark, in time to walk the 2 kms in the dark. We all got the giggles cause we couldn't find the road across a huge mud puddle full of frogs. Prem found rocks to "build a bridge" and we somehow got across without falling in. 100 yards up the road we crossed a river ( ankle deep ) but you try it when you are carrying a 20# pack and your flashlight is croaking on you! We found a 2nd river just about another 100 yards up the road and by this time we had the giggles so bad we looked drunk. Fortunately our guide, Prem, managed to control his laughter on the other side and find the dirt track that took us to our destination and a fascinating adventure of spending not one, but 2 nights in a village with no electric and no bathrooms!!!! The house had dirt floors and straw walls covered with cow dung for mortar.
David got sick there... it could have been the food he ate the day before though the locals blame the fact that he ate "Chuke" ( giant lemons) at night! Everyone knows you never eat Chuke at night!
He also wore a blister from his new Chappals ( rubber flipflops) and wading streams to and from the churches we visited that became infected and he has been limping ever since. I'd feel sorry for him but I saw what he ate and drank and laughed that he had the carelessness of the invincible!
When we returned to Dhangadi our order was not ready( what a surprise)

My new pad... I have the lower flat



Typical transport











and a truck strike prevented us from getting transportation up the hill so we spent another night with our friends. Finally about noon on the 4th day we succeeded in getting a vehicle ( van) and loading all our steel, tin sheets, pipe, and hardware on and headed north.


5 long hours later we once again praised the Lord for a safe journey and fell into our own beds.
Progress on the house makeover has been slow as many interruptions and invitations to lunch and dinner have made for great building of relationships but poor progress on remodeling. I am proud to say as of this morning, however, we now have a Geyser hot water heater up and running and I had my first hot shower with it before church today. Our hostess was delighted to get to wash her dishes in hot water for the first time ever and we will all be praising God for this for a long time to come!
Well I've rambled quite enough for one day and as the Dr wants his bedroom back must get this sent and close for now!
Thanks for all your prayers!

Young Pregnant Girl-- Oct. 31st

This was Dawn's general email to everyone on October 31st.

Jai Masi ( Praise Jesus!)

We have been enjoying having my brother here. He loves being home! Everyone enjoys his natural ability to communicate in their language and it has come in handy numerous times to begin building relationships with everyone from the District Police Officer to the Chief District Officer.We, along with church elders, have been talking with these dignitaries in the process of trying to assist a 15 year old girl who got herself pregnant ( forced by a 16 year old classmate ). She didn't tell anyone until 3 weeks ago and now she is almost due. There was a court case filed by her widowed mom and her uncle against the boy who fled and for the last 2 weeks was not willing to take responsibility. We have talked with her at length as a church to assure her of our forgiveness and support since she has confessed and asked for forgiveness and had things pretty well worked out for her to go to Kathmandu to have the baby. She does not love the boy or want to marry him, she wants to give the baby up for adoption and wants to continue her studies and eventually become a nurse.

There is a church in Kathmandu that will take her in and assist her and 3 families in that fellowship would love to adopt. We have a family in a different church that would take her in and help her with her education if we can find the financial means to make that happen. We have a pledge of $100 for starters and $25/ month for a year. We estimate a need for $500 for travel, delivery ( more if a c-section) and 6 weeks room and board at this church. She'd need at least $60/ month to stay and study in K-du if we have calculated correctly.

Her family canceled/dismissed the court case and the legal papers are in order. Our plan was to leave in the morning and go to Dhangadi and spend the night there and then I would accompany her on the bus for the next 16 hours to Kathmandu.
2 setbacks have occurred today. The "Boy" suddenly called ( he's been missing for several weeks) this morning and has decided he will "accept her" and admits the child is his and his dad can relax and no longer push for the DNA testing ( only available in Kathmandu for 200,000 rupees). He agrees to marry her.

This puts a curve on the program and he wants us to bring her to Dhangadi to him!!!!!! I just took her up to the hospital and asked for a few tests as she has had no prenatal care and a few who knew estimated her at 36+ weeks. We just did an ultrasound and discovered she is 39 weeks and breech!!!!! And I'm going to take her on a 24-26 hour ride!!!!

Dr Arun assures me there are hospitals every 3-4 hours along the way and her being primip she will be fine even if she goes into labor along the way! He is giving me an OB kit and gloves and a baby blanket for the road. He obviously has more confidence in me than I have !!!

So I'm calling for urgent prayer for protection and safety and that I won't have to deliver any babies on the way!!!!!!! She still wants to go to Kathmandu and doesn't think he would be a good match for her if he did marry her. She is sure his call is the result of pressure from his father and family.

Young Pregnant Girl-- Oct. 31st

This was Dawn's general email to everyone on October 31st.

Jai Masi ( Praise Jesus!)

We have been enjoying having my brother here. He loves being home! Everyone enjoys his natural ability to communicate in their language and it has come in handy numerous times to begin building relationships with everyone from the District Police Officer to the Chief District Officer.We, along with church elders, have been talking with these dignitaries in the process of trying to assist a 15 year old girl who got herself pregnant ( forced by a 16 year old classmate ). She didn't tell anyone until 3 weeks ago and now she is almost due. There was a court case filed by her widowed mom and her uncle against the boy who fled and for the last 2 weeks was not willing to take responsibility. We have talked with her at length as a church to assure her of our forgiveness and support since she has confessed and asked for forgiveness and had things pretty well worked out for her to go to Kathmandu to have the baby. She does not love the boy or want to marry him, she wants to give the baby up for adoption and wants to continue her studies and eventually become a nurse.

There is a church in Kathmandu that will take her in and assist her and 3 families in that fellowship would love to adopt. We have a family in a different church that would take her in and help her with her education if we can find the financial means to make that happen. We have a pledge of $100 for starters and $25/ month for a year. We estimate a need for $500 for travel, delivery ( more if a c-section) and 6 weeks room and board at this church. She'd need at least $60/ month to stay and study in K-du if we have calculated correctly.

Her family canceled/dismissed the court case and the legal papers are in order. Our plan was to leave in the morning and go to Dhangadi and spend the night there and then I would accompany her on the bus for the next 16 hours to Kathmandu.
2 setbacks have occurred today. The "Boy" suddenly called ( he's been missing for several weeks) this morning and has decided he will "accept her" and admits the child is his and his dad can relax and no longer push for the DNA testing ( only available in Kathmandu for 200,000 rupees). He agrees to marry her.

This puts a curve on the program and he wants us to bring her to Dhangadi to him!!!!!! I just took her up to the hospital and asked for a few tests as she has had no prenatal care and a few who knew estimated her at 36+ weeks. We just did an ultrasound and discovered she is 39 weeks and breech!!!!! And I'm going to take her on a 24-26 hour ride!!!!

Dr Arun assures me there are hospitals every 3-4 hours along the way and her being primip she will be fine even if she goes into labor along the way! He is giving me an OB kit and gloves and a baby blanket for the road. He obviously has more confidence in me than I have !!!

So I'm calling for urgent prayer for protection and safety and that I won't have to deliver any babies on the way!!!!!!! She still wants to go to Kathmandu and doesn't think he would be a good match for her if he did marry her. She is sure his call is the result of pressure from his father and family.

Oct. 28th, 2007

I'm still helping Dawn catch you up on all that she is doing. So here is from Oct. 28th!

Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!
My brother Dave arrived in one piece last night and we are rejoicing in the Lord's protection and provision for him on many levels!
It was a series of hassles starting with a flat tire on his way to Midway airport that led to him missing his flight to Detroit by 10 minutes followed by rerouting to Ohare where he just made the flight running and sweating for Detroit but the flight attendant thought he looked "drunk" so they made him disembark and wait for the next flight to Detroit so therefore missed the flight to Amsterdam. There, they failed to change his ongoing ticket accordingly. So he sat in the Amsterdam airport for way too many hours!
But he is here now with many stories and seems to be thrilled to be back and all the local people are charmed with his fluent language and humor.
We postponed our "Income Generation meeting" till tonight so Dave can participate so I must dash for that now and will let you know the outcome.

Oct. 25th, 2007

This is a post Dawn tried to publish on Oct. 25th.

Greetings from Dadeldhura Nepal!!!!

I'm so excited to finally be here and settled after weeks of travel and excitement!
I arrived on October 11th with a relatively smooth trip from Kathmandu out to the far west and made it up the hill in only 4 hours... record time!
I spent a couple days at a guest house here near the hospital ( my Father built years ago) and found a family who wanted to rent me an apartment in their home as my permanent abode.
The family is wonderful! They are most hospitable and accomodating. I am renting just one room so far and by the end of the week will have a second ready just in time for my brother's arrival. Dave will be here for about a month exploring if he is to come and work here full time as well.
In another 2-3 weeks with Dave's help we ( landlord and Dave and I ) will make the remaining 2 rooms habitable with one as a kitchen! We plan to also put in a "western toilet!" and make a new bathroom there and put a hot water heater and a shower into the current Nepali bathroom. Yes... I realize how very much I have taken hot showers for granted in the past!
Since I have no kitchen at present the family has persuaded me to take all my meals with them so I'm eating curried veggies 3 x day and either roti ( bread) or Bhat (rice) with that and lentils. It is starting to get routine... but still tolerable and at least I don't have to cook!
It is great to think that this "Blog Thing" might actually work! I have high hopes... the last 3 attempts didn't go through so I'm getting closer!
It is getting quite cold here in the evenings... we are all starting to prepare for winter!
Pray for adequate warmth... I think of all the villagers who have no means of getting any warmer!
My first big meeting with the local NGO I hope to work with with Income Generation Potential is tomorow evening... think of me and lift us up!
More to come!
Dawn

Safe in Dadeldhura, Nepal!

Hi Everyone. This is Eryka standing in for my mom on the Internet front. Mom has had some difficulty posting to Blogger, so I'm taking her emails and transposing them into blog entries. It also appears she doesn't quite understand all this Blogger terminology, because I found some drafts of posts that she tried to make available to you, but couldn't quite figure it out. So this post is from Oct. 18th, 2007.

I'm so excited to finally be at my destination. I have overcome some big hurdles to get here but am safe and sound at last!
I have rented a room from a lovely Nepali family and have promises of having 3 more rooms within the next month so will have a whole "flat" of my own. As I have no Kitchen as yet they are feeding me 3 meals / day with their family. It's a good thing I like Nepali food!
The weather is turning cold... we are at an altitude of about 2000 meters or 6500 feet. So my days are spent settling in, planning for increased cold weather/ winter and waiting for the current Deshai Holiday to adjourn so we can begin meetings with the NGO and finalize the future of the ministry to the widows and orphans and impoverished people of the surrounding villages.
Many income generation options are available and narrowing down what we think would be the most effective will be one of our biggest challenges.
So far the receptiveness of individuals to my vision and offer to assist for the next 8 months has been very positive so now our collective planning begins in earnest!
I hope to update you all soon! It is a relief to finally be able to blog from here as most of the journey I could not access my website for whatever reasons!
So ... more to come and wishing you warmth and peace!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Cruising to Japan

It is so exciting to think I am almost to Nepal!!! I have come so far... and seen such gorgeous country!

We cruised up through Alaska with ports of call in Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, and Whittier seeing massive glaciers and whales breaching along the way. Then we went to Kodiak, AK and followed by 5 days out to sea. Unfortunately it was 5 days in a storm and we had some rough waters and although my travel companion and I felt "puny" as she called it at times we both survived well and really never got sick! The fresh gingerroot( great herbal remedy for nausea) I purchased in Kodiak served us well!

We have since had 3 wonderful days in Muroran, Japan, then Vladavostok, Russia, and today in Pusan Korea! Each was spaced by another "sea day". The weather was perfect and we had awesome exploratory adventures and are once again at sea and due into Kagoshima, Japan by 6 AM tomorrow. Then it's on to Dalian and a day later Beijing China. So my cruise adventure is winding to a close and then some serious travel begins. But I'll catch you all up on that and include a couple pictures when we get to Beijing.

Suffice it to say it has been "quite the experience" and we have met so many awesome people on this ship!

I just spoke with the cruise director moment ago who reassured me he will schedule me to speak publically on our next "sea day" to those who wish to attend my lecture re: my humanitarian vision to help the destitute of Nepal with a hand up! I'm thrilled he will allow me this opportunity!

Well it is "sayonara" for now and I wish each of you smooth sailing in your daily lives!
Dawn

Monday, September 3, 2007

Slow Boat to China...


Well I am counting down the hours till departure for my big adventure and getting ready for serving the widows and orphans in Nepal.
Saturday the 8th, my elderly but spunky travel companion and I, leave for the airport where we do NOT fly out but get a bus to Vancouver (3-4 hour trip) where we board the cruise ship. It will literaly be our home for the next 22 days cruising past Alaska, Korea, Russia, Japan and ending in Beijing!!!! I realize it is a hardship but someone has to do it. So come sail away with me!!!! (stow aways are only charged if caught!)
Meanwhile I'm up to my gills in suitcases and knitting needles as I sort the piles of wonderful items that have been so generously donated for the widows project. Yarn, paint, knitting needles, crochet hooks etc. have all come in! I even got the rock tumbler and the dremmel tools requested on the list so PTL everything listed has come in with the exception of the needed funds to purchase 5 sewing machines locally! 2 machines have been donated here and a kind man is rehabing them and making sure they are worthy of being shipped! We are also still in need of shipping funds to get them and another suitcase of supplies over there. If you have any contacts in the shipping industry that would do pro bono work for this small scale venture please email me at daretocareinc@yahoo.com !!!
Your thoughts (warm only please!) and prayers mean so much! Thanks and and I'll up date you in a few days!
Dawn

Slow Boat to China

We are down to

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Welcome to the Dare to Care blog!

Thank you for checking in with us. We are so excited in your interest in our mission. We hope to keep this up to date and we covet your prayers.
(By the way, this picture is of Dawn Bove trying to get perspective!)
Feel free to check out our website at www.daretocareinc.com.