Here is the last letter I wrote you from the land of impossible internet service/ challenges... gotta warn you it's wordy... but oh such great mind expanding information! Enjoy!

I'm here at the Utse again in Kathmandu and will fill in blanks later... too exhausted to elaborate any tonight but am safe! Thanks for your prayers!

 

 

Well here we are again without internet connection… for all the money we paid we sure aren’t getting very good service with World Link! Heard the boss man was supposed to show up today but no one saw him! He is here for his Tihar holiday… what a pain… hopefully they will improve whatever it is on their end that keeps konkin’ out!

I am starting to feel the pressure… making lists of all I need to pack and wrap up before I leave here day after tomorrow. It is a really long list already! But it should be doable if I don’t get too many interruptions… oh that’s right – interruptions are my ministry. Pray I will handle them gracefully.

It’s complicated by the fact I still don’t feel well. Seem to get a fever every night for the last 5 nights! Just today developed a little dry cough… no other symptoms! Weird huh! I just feel my energy sapped. It took me 45 minutes this evening to walk back from the bazaar which normally takes an easy 20. It ended up getting dark on me and I didn’t have a flashlight. Half way up all the power went out so where I had been trying to maximize the experience enjoying the Tihar lights (it is called Festival of Lights)… I now had to pick my way through the dark at the end and I was a half hour late for dinner at Krippa’s.  But Yo Nepal Ho! and she forgave me, fed me and we had a great evening together.

I did accomplish a few things over the last 2 days, however.  I told you about the earthquake that shook a whole bunch more dirt onto our building site didn’t I? Yah - NOT good!  Can’t work on moving that dirt till the “lights” have faded after the holiday ( which ends tomorrow!!!)

Today I quietly went to the CDO myself… yes it is Tihar… but a little birdie told me I would find this dignitary lounging in the sun outside his office and I did. I met with both the new CDO boss and the old CDO who I had met last spring who treated us and our charity cause with great favor. They graciously gave me their ear for 15 minutes. Praise God I again found favor in their eyes and have their awareness and understanding if not support here.

On a happier note, got Jo with a vehicle, and his driver, Sant ( who has called me “mom” for years and still needs your prayers!) to drive me down to the bazaar and beyond with a large piece of foam in tow. We delivered it to BB, a paraplegic man who obtained his injury via a gunshot wound to the back by the Maoists during the war a few years back. The Nepali Gov. has given him a tin shack to call home and he has become a believer as has his wife. She pushes him uphill over a mile every Saturday so they can come to church. What, 3 years back, my Uncle Don donated 3 waterbed mattress for the 3 paraplegics. You may remember my ramblings of getting the 2 girls out of their old beds and  into their new beds and the way the Lord worked during a water shortage to provide enough to fill those 2 for the girls.

Well  BB carefully wrapped his in a sheet and tried to keep the rats away from it. Last spring I asked his wife how it was working out and she replied they didn’t know where to put it or what to do with it! (Imagine having a priceless gift and hiding it cause you didn’t know how it could save you!) He had to go to Kathmandu In April, for treatment cause his bedsores were so bad! So while he was away, Doyl, Dr. Pfrom the UK,s father, David and I went down and fitted his existing wooden bed with sides to hold in the water mattress, a larger horizontal plywood surface,  and adequate support on the legs . Actually they did all the work while I held the tools and pretended that I was really useful! So we got the frame ready!

Saturday at church this week, his wife ran up to me and said he’s coming home today! He has been in Kathmandu for these last 7 months and he has had 4 surgeries and is now healed. I said “good so he will love his new bed tonight!” her face fell. I don’t know how to put the water in the bed! She said.

I told her I would come after the honorary 83^rd birthday garden ceremony and work party for my father…say 4 pm?  The party went late and by 4 pm I was running a full blown fever and could barely walk a block let alone a mile each way. So it got postponed a few days… yo Nepal ho! He has lived 5 or so years without a waterbed so what’s a few more days.  So now we got it in the bed and filled and after my excursion to the CDO’s office I swung by for a follow up. I found him in the center of the bazaar with some friends and when he saw me the proverbial Cheshire Cat grin lit up his face! I teased him… you slept in a new bed last night and loved it, didn’t you!?!

IT WAS FUN! He said…rockin’ and swaying!

 let’s go see how full you got it! So we wheeled through the bazaar together. They had it exactly filled right… I showed them how they could tuck in sheets or whatever and reviewed not to bring anything remotely sharp near the thing nor let children play on or near it.

She asked “can 2 people sleep on this at the same time?” You betcha! ( or the Nepali equivalent came out of my mouth awful fast and the wink I gave her was received with full comprehension!)

 I had my last 2 butterscotch candies in my pocket… I left them on their pillows… I’m sure a gesture they have never received before.

Oh also got laundry washed in warm water today as we had enough water to create pressure for the gas geizer to work! Got a late start to that though so it is still on the line overnight!

Went down to the Dharmsala and collected most of all the items the girls have been working on : ear muffs, infinity scarves, monkey hats, revamped mitts, Knitted Christmas stockings and newborn bootie/mitt sets amongst other things. It is all lying on my guest bed waiting to be packed tomorrow.

So my time here has come to an end already! In a little over 24 hours I’ll be coming round the mountain one more time.  We will celebrate N’s Birthday… is this 16 or 17? 17!!!She will also leave here on Friday and go to K-du with S’s oldest daughter who will be starting college. So the 2 girls have the abominable bus ride to endure. I will NOT feel guilty about the generous gift my friends slipped me on my exit out of town to enable me to avoid the never ending bus ride and take the flight from Dhangadi to Kathmandu on Saturday!! I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY!

This gives me a night in Dhandadi with my friends, Balwa and Chandra, Krippa’s folks.  I hear another friend, David Bhatta has a flight out of the same airport 20 min before me… he has just lost his father after a long struggle. He is from Chicago (well Nepal originally...Dumada infact) and his daughter Melanie, an RN, has been working here at the hospital in Dadeldhura the last few months. If you would, pray for them during this time of loss.

Also pray how God would use me at this airport… last two times He healed airport policemen from my praying with them and you praying back home!

I know, I know… once again way too wordy… but there is just so much to tell!

Once I’m home I’ll try to send a few pix… it took over an hour to upload 5 pix to my daughter to post on our blog! Hey so you can check that out if you have a minute!  www.daretocareinc.com

Don’t know when I’ll have internet next to send this… guess you’ll know just slightly after I do!

Dawn Didi