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!