It's a wrap....

All good things must come to an end, I'm told... so must a good adventure to far western Nepal. I can hardly believe how fast these last 9 weeks have flown by! But we have accomplished a lot, really, when you look at the overall picture.

The second level on the building is well under way. They poured cement pillars and then poured a cement layer connecting them that is the roof of level two and the floor of level three! It took 3 weeks for this 8 inch thick cement to dry and set up. We have been looking at posts placed every 2 feet supporting this "lantern" or ceiling for the last few weeks. The wooden posts came down yesterday and today so it looks like a big open tent now. We were able to track down the Tharu mistri/ contractor that did the work for us last year. He did a good job and we want him to build the stairs for level 2, build the pillars for level 3 as the rebar is sticking straight up. We have 22 bags of cement and some sand and gravel left over from construction. He will also build 2 more retaining walls at the back of the building for level 3 and the foundation for level 3 with this.

 I have been advised by many here to use up these materials now before they are washed away by rain and wind. I have also been  advised to fill in with the brick work and windows later as we have more funds. It seems prudent so I am going with it after considerable prayer.

Tomorrow Bhaggi, a neighbor will start digging the hillside of the back wall. We need to go another 12 feet back into the hill to pour the remaining foundation of level 3 and the 2 remaining retaining walls. Pray the neighbors , (Jeet') wall can be negotiated as he built his retaining wall without mortar or cement and the water has pushed the mud and stones onto our property about 8-10 inches too far. Either the whole thing will collapse onto our new "lantern" or we will be able to push it back into place where it should be so our wall can be straight and properly supported.

Pray Bhaggi will find a suitable place to throw all that mud an dirt and haul it away. He is asking $600 to manage all that!

We hired Lila to come fix all the little things the Dharamsala girls felt they needed: extend a faucet so Rama can reach it, cover every conceivable surface with "carpet" (vinyl linoleum stuff) because it all gets wet... they had 2 layers of dilapidated "carpet" and a layer of cardboard box over perfectly good tin surfaced cabinets. They set their gas cooking stoves on top of all this. And all three layers were continually soaking wet. Should this ever have dried, it would be the fireman's freakish nightmare! So I got all that off of these wooden cabinets and tried to convince them it was a fire hazard. But NOOOOOOOO they had to have more "carpet!" I laid down the law at more cardboard under there and Lila and I used my new staple gun and fixed them all up... for now. They are happy. and dry.. and now that the weather is cooperating... warm.

 Digri is her old self again...s till weak and doesn't want to try out her new wheelchair ye,t but is smiling and able to knit when she wants to. She does this laying on her stomach in a waterbed mind you!

We got the jail to open up one Thursday and allow us to install the new "library" shelving and books donated by Prison Fellowship! Some of the big wigs from the gov. offices, including the CDO, attended the opening ceremonies and Pavitra had a chance to share in Nepali what this was all about and the love that accompanied it. P-ray the seeds that were planted will sprout.

Speaking of seeds, I was given a lot of Moringa Olefera seeds this week by a good friend and I have felt like Jonny Appleseed distributing them to everyone I meet. When I was in Senegal the 2 times I had the chance, we called this the "miracle tree" there as  the leaves are very powerful nutrition/vitamins and healing agents! I am hoping they will grow at this altitude. I also sent a lot down to Sheshia to the Hansen's disease colony there as I know this is a tropical tree and has a better chance of producing down in the terrain.

I had a chance to teach a session at a YWAM DTS last week! That was really a treat and the class was so attentive. My 4 points: You matter to God, He already loves you to the maximum so you don't have to try to impress Him or get Him to love you more, On the flip side... You cannot get Him to un-love you so don't test Him, An He has a plan and a purpose for you ...it is unique to only you... so just be yourself and discover how He has wired you.

Last week for 5 days, Sundari and I put in 15 to 18 hour days at the bakery as she had a class of 20 taking "tallim" ( training) at the church and they contracted with her for 3 meals a day plus chia at 4 PM for them all. On top of that she had several NGO's send groups to he bakery for meals or pizza or soup of the day. One was the Finnish water works team of 12.  And then there is the usual 7 men from the UN plus our large extended family! So Thursday night we served 48 people dinner!

That was the night I had to pack as well, (took me till midnight!) as Debbie Martin was leaving the next morning and there was a possibility she could get one of my bags in her vehicle headed for Kathmandu.

Turned out she could only get my small bag in but not the suitcase. A few prayers and bagels the next am, Jukka on the finish team offered to take my suitcase with him as he had a flight to K-du the next day!

So great how our big God, worked that all out for me!!!!!!

The last few days I have spent paying all the laborers in the OON ( yarn) factory. We had 18 women making woolen goods and 2 men making handmade wooden buttons! These were all so grateful for the work and pay for these last 9 weeks!

Well I'm packed and ready for leaving dodge tomorrow! My friend Khem, will pick me up about 1 pm at the bakery and we'll head over the next 6 ridges and down the mountains to Dhangadi. I plan to spend the night with my good friend and brother, Balwa and his adorable family. I have a flight on the Yeti tin can ( twin otter... hold 19 passengers I think) at 1420 on Thursday to Kathmandu.

I have 3 days to wrap up all my work there and have a flight booked to Seoul, Korea on Monday. I'm looking forward to the Regency Hotel free stay as I have an 18 hour layover there and then the 13 hour direct flight to Seattle on Tuesday, April 1st. Funny... I arrive in Sea Tac before I even have left Korea!

I am so looking forward to my own bed, an actual shower vs a pour bath and a really amazing salad! and maybe a treat of a little ice cream!

Funny what you miss after a steady 3 meal/ day diet of dal/ bhat! 

So I'll see some of you next week and can take phone calls after I recover from jet lag about Thursday!

Thanks for seeing me through to the end of this adventure! You prayers continue to sustain me!

I'll try to keep you posted of any high adventure.

Blessings... It's a wrap!

Dawn Didi

We are building yet again:)

Hi Everyone,

Just want to thank you for your prayers! Some of them are already being answered so keep praying please!

Our Radio programmer is out in India studying to become an ophthalmologist. He wrote me that his wife and 2 small kids ( 5 and 1yr) are lonely and want to join him in Chandighar. He has 2 full years left in his courses. He attends a Nepali chu-rch there and if they are together as a family he and she can both work together on the programming. I think it is a good idea for their family to be together.

I want you, our prayer supporters to know about this so you can begin to pray for this. We will pray more funds will come in for programming so I can give them a blessing more before their planned transfer just a month from now in March. We have paid up their salary through January 2014. It would be so great If I could give them their salary for the next 11 months. It is only $100/ month.  Praise God for their faithful service of producing quality messages and programs in the local Dotiyali dialect that reach 140,000 or more 3 x per week in their own tongue!

The building is progressing. The pillars are finished for this next level today so they are collecting "Kaat" ( wooden supports) to build the structure to support the "lantern" (cement slab roof of level 2 and floor of level 3).

 Pray for Sundari.  Her husband is my general contractor on all the building we are doing here. She is very sick these last few days and He is somewhere in the terrai. She is wondering if she should go to a hospital in Dhangadi, Nepal Gang or Kathmandu??? is it just a virus or more serious?  She has been to this local Gov Regional hospital 2 x in 24 hours and still the Dr. did not examine her! She has a history of Lupus and a fragile immune system so it is hard to know what is really going on in her body. But the LORD knows!

SO sad there is no adequate medical care here now!.

Digri is slowly getting better and was able to find strength to knit me 5 hats in 2 days. I send her a piece of fruit everyday and occasionally a piece of cake to encourage her. It seems to be helping along with your prayers and encouragement! Some of you have sent specific words for her and she has taken them to heart! Pray for her full recovery from this UTI

Little Laxmi ( Rama's niece and caregiver - only 10 years old) also has some serious health concerns but there is no Dr. to diagnose her condition. I took some video we hope to send to Dr. Caleb, a pediatrician in Kathmandu, to see if he can help with his opinion.

Sundari's father occupied the bench in the bakery and took pills to try to lower his BP for about 10 days. Both Tara Datt and I tried to teach him how important it was for him to drink water, that his blood is like dhahi ( yougurt) and one glass of water  per day is not enough to keep his BP down and flush out his kidney and bladder stones. He would not listen and simply would not drink water. But he would get up most bitter cold mornings and go up to the old outdoor kitchen, change into a thin dhoti ( sheer gauze like fabric) and sit in the cold and make his own fire and his own rice and eat it before changing back into his Nepali suit.  He is HIndu: Bhramin and cannot eat rice from anyone else's hand.Then he would return to the Bakery Café bench and demand blankets and hot water ( but to wash not to drink!) He ended up with 3 thick Korean plush queen size blankets and a heavy sidik ( comforter) and my extra heater I had lent the family.. all for his personal use in the bakery so he could be near a toilet. So 5 other members suffered with cold for the 10 nights he was here hogging all the blankets! But he is the grandfather after all. 3 days ago he suddenly decided the BP medicine was not bringing his BP down fast enough - he was going to Kathmandu. An hour later he was on a local vehicle down the hill to Dhangadi. He vomited the whole way down the hill and went straight to the hospital in Dhangadi as by the end he was vomiting blood. He spent 2 nights there and yesterday got a flight to Kathmandu. He needs your prayers on many levels.

I must admit I was amused... the one night I made spaghetti for the family, he decided to abandon his Hindu restrictions and ate 2 bowls of my salad and 2 big slices of garlic bread! I'm pretty sure he wasn't supposed to eat from my caste less hand! 

Still no word on the repair for the FM transmitter. Raj is due back tomorrow so hopefully he will have some answers. 

I took a walk for 4 KM's today to view a new house some of our community neighbors have just built. I sunburnt my nose! I'm sure you wanted to know this valuable tidbit of info. It does verify the sun does shine here and yes it is starting to warm up! PTL

Well it is late so I will close this for now.

Keep those prayers coming please!

Dawn Didi

Snowy and cold but feeling better:)

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give you a few updates on life from this side of the world!

The weather has been very nasty here. It has been super cold here the last 3 days with rain, hail, snow and sleet.  We are all bundled in multiple layers trying to keep warm!

We had snow here today. The ground was covered as church let out.The snow in the passes on the surrounding mountains sure makes the hills a pretty sight when the clouds lift! The kids made a small snowman with spoons for arms and coal for eyes and a lellow toy for a nose!

Last night the storm hit us with lightning and struck the transmitter out on Afno FM, the tower just above us...please pray for quick repair so the Christian programming can continue. 

Yesterday we were able to narrow down a contractor for the construction of the next level of the building. We were able to negotiate a good price for the labor and started ordering supplies today though delivery of them was obstructed by the inclement weather! We are still finalizing the contract with the guy so it is just as well.

We are also working with the local Ch-urch and the NGO they have formed- they are finalizing their constitution and proposals but it looks to be a good thing for us to place our interests under their registration otherwise we will have to create our own NGO here in Nepal.( a long arduous process full of beaurocratic quagmires with the existing Gov. ) Please pray for wisdom in this decision and clear direction in this regard.

Thanks to those of you who prayed for my health... it took  a whole week  but I am better, rehydrated and energetic again. Thank God for Tinidozole!

Thanks to those of you who prayed for my cell phone. I bought a new one complete with sim card in K-du 2 weeks ago and on my first week out here had it in my pants pocket. A baby peed all over me and I took them off and plopped them in a bucket forgetting that I had put water in that same bucket earlier... uh huh... 5 hours later I went around in circles looking for my phone! I found it all right- just where I had left it!! I immediately took the thing apart and dried it out but being sick, it was a whole week till I had the energy to walk to town a mile each way to see if it could be saved! Yesterday I took it to the NCell office and presented it to the clerk with the words "now don't laugh..." they were able to fix it and use my same battery and sim card and so there was no charge! PTL! There was considerable laughter amongst all the clerks in spite of my admonition!

About 10 days ago... Tuesday I think it was, I went with Megh Raj and met with the CDO to ask permission if we could go to the jail and bring the gifts we had, to the inmates. He approved ( turns out he was the assistant CDO... the antagonistic one, head CDO, was away in Dehli)  That same afternoon, 4 of the YWAM girls, Megh and I went trotting off to jail. Turns out the "jailer" was in Dhangadi with his very pregnant wife awaiting the birth of their child and the "assistant jailer" was reluctant to let us all the way into the inner court as they had had a recent escape and he did not want to be held responsible for anything going amiss. So we were let into the first passage but had to pass the socks and mittens one by one into the guard through a double set of iron bars and all the male inmates were lined up inside to receive them. We could see most of them and talk to them. They all remembered me and were joking with me. They were all very grateful for the warmth and thanked us for the gifts and remembering them. One of the Ywam girls, Rochelle, had a few minutes to explain why we were there and why we had brought these gifts from our church and that many people were praying for them and it was all because of the love of Jesus. He loved them inside those bars as much as He loves us on this this side of the bars. She did an eloquent job and Megh interpreted very accurately. So they heard the truth and we pray it will set them free... at least spiritually! Thanks to those of you who donated those socks and mittens! They have reached their destinations.

We are praying for another opportunity for Follow up and to take them 2 radios so they can listen to our Chr-ist-ian programming. again pray the transmitters can be repaired!

Turns out Pavitri that came with me to the jail 6-7 times last year has decided to take this prison ministry seriously and took some training and got herself a " get into jail free" card from Prison Fellowship Ministry. She can take me and whoever she wants right into the inner courtyard any time the jailer oks it and has built up a nice relationship witht he jailer. They are allowing PFM to create a small library inside the jail. PFM donated 11,000 rupees for the bookcases and she had them made up already and are ready to install! PFM will then donate all the books those shelves can hold! The inmates have asked for a few books they knew to ask for and those will be obtained as well and the remainder will be Ch-risti-an.... hummm Crazy huh!

So I am waiting to hear the jailer is back in town and we will follow up! (with a present for the new baby of course!)  

I am having guests for dinner tomorrow night... maybe 6. The Leaders and the staff of the Ywam team are to come for spaghetti and garlic bread. They are not sure if they have ever had this before... it will be a new experience for them and a pleasant break from dal/bhat for me!

The paraplegic girls are still cold as we all are here. It just feels impossible to get and stay warm in spite of layers of blankets and triple layers of socks!

 Digri is still very sick and feels she cannot knit or crochet anymore. She is very thin and feels she is slowly dying. The AB and treatment did little to help her feel better and we are trying another AB but she is resistant to so many from frequent and often continuous AB use. The young "green" Dr still has yet to come examine her! Please pray for her. She has been so close to death so many times but by the grace of God, keeps somehow hanging on!

Well I think that covers the picture for now.

I will keep you posted! Could you keep us all in your prayers?

Dawn Didi

Flying through the rails on this trip:/

So grateful to finally have internet! I have been here since Wednesday PM but couldn't get the internet to function! The World Link office was closed for three days and yesterday I was busy keeping the YWAM volunteers busy on 5 different tasks so didn't make it to the office before they closed. ... funny - went and paid up the bill for 2 months in advance and lo and behold the internet suddenly works!

The bus trip from Kathmandu was brutal. The last 4 hours of it was in pea soup fog so thick you literally could not see 2 meters in front of the bus. I suspect the driver switched  with the conductor guy about that time so he could snooze, cause the driving suddenly became erratic and it felt like we were speeding around the corners. Fortunately these were smaller hills, not the actual "mountains". I tried to doze myself, after about an hour of white-knuckling it and just about succeeded when the driver slammed on the brakes and I went flying through the rails. I had had my legs extended on the rail as my seat was just inside the door above the stairs up into the bus. The impact lurched everyone forward and there are no seatbelts on these buses! So I found myself hanging with one arm on the top rail and the rest of my body suspended over the steps. I surely was wide awake now! No real harm but the wrenched muscles when my right arm flew up to catch the rest of me!

I was awake the rest of the trip so yah, 3 AM till we arrived in Dhangadiat 8:30 AM on Tuesday. We spent  a full 32 hours recovering at Balwa's house there before we got a private vehicle to bring us the rest of the 4 -5 hours up the hill on Wednesday. Santos this driver calls me "mom"

It was great to have a traveling companion this trip! Pratiksha, (Shibi's daughter, aged 22) finished her exams in K-du Monday morning so I waited for her so we could travel home together. She has 10 days off and was returning to Dumada, her village, to see her family. This is the same village I grew up in about 6 KM from here. I have known her family well for 46 years and call them my Nepali family  All these kids call me "Mom" as well!.

I went to Dumada today! Joined the YWAM team on their village excursion and we did some prayer walking  and I did a lot of reminiscing and greeting old friends in the village! We had lunch at Bhuwan"s  ( leader of YWAM ) house as his mom made a special feast for us all! Yum. I am praying there will be no negative repercussions to my intestinal tract!

I have had a chance to assess the "sitchyation" at the new paraplegic house and evaluate all the problems over there. Yes it is very cold in that building cause the sun doesn't hit the building but for 1 hour this time of year. The ceilings do drip continuously with "rain" which is definitely condensation from the warm air in the room hitting the cold cement ceilings. The squeegee I brought from K-du  quickly relocates the water  but of course is only a temporary solution. Yesterday amongst other helpful acts of kindness, the YWAM team boys helped me stuff cotton around the windows to fill in the 1/4 - 1/2 inch gaps between windows and walls ( no trim has been applied inside or outside so cold air just poured in through these big gaps). They then used up my precious roll of duct tape and the weather stripping I just brought to seal up on the insides and a tube of "bath and tile sealer" I had in my tool trunk to seal the outsides so that should improve things a little.

We are also suggesting the girls keep the windows open about 3 inches in the day time when the air is warm and their doors open to get  warmer air in the room to dry them out a little but close them promptly when the sun goes down  and the air gets chilly. This makes little sense to them but they have done it now for a few days and it is helping! 

A consensus of everyone from general contractors to the person on the street is: A) this is the worst it will ever be. B) this happens in every new building the first year and will likely be minimal if any issue next year after the cement has set up properly. C) this is not water coming through the cement roof... it is condensation. D) the weather is already warming up E) the single most effective thing we can do to remediate this is to build the next level of the building.

Sooooooo that is the plan. We will build the educational center... at least the pillars and  the next roof!  4 pillars and the back retaining wall are already in place. We need 8 more pillars and at least the nexk roof. We can then fill in with brick walls as we have the funds. We have $ 5000.00  that should cover the pillars and ceiling but will need to collect for the brick walls.

Many of you have written to ask how you can help so I have prayed and want to share the thought I had in response. I call it the "power of 10"

I appreciate that many of you feel you don't have much to contribute financially... and having been broke myself most of this last year I can relate. But if everyone that gets this email could send in just $10 in this next month - we could have this educational center done in the next 8 weeks I am here.  And if each of you could talk to others about this need till each of you can find one other person who could do the same -and send in $10 then we can complete the interior and furnish it as well and get it functional! now if you can convince 10 others instead of just 1, think how we could exponentially impact the potential here.  Who do you know that you could share this need with?

We envision this as an educational center where literacy, skill, computer and spiritual training could take place and we would have a small library as well as a small boutique where these women could sell their fine products locally.

So could you pass on a Starbucks coffee just twice this week and make a difference in this community with those same resources? I know some of you will want to give more and we certainly won't object! But by us all pulling together with just "10" we will make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds who will use this place to learn and grow. Perhaps you know of a philanthropist or foundation who would assist us in this? Please share with them and clue me in if you know who we could approach to help us improve thousands of lives through this center. We know that every impoverished woman we reach in this learning center will exponentially impact 4-5 lives in her home if not in her own community! If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. If you teach an man to fish you feed him for a lifetime. If you teach a woman how to fish she will feed her whole family and community  for a lifetime and teach that man how to clean his fish!

Will close for now and give you more updates later on our other ministries. Tomorrow I go to talk with the CDO ( chief district officer) to explore what I can do to continue the prison ministry. There are 40 very cold prisoners and I have socks and mittens for them all but am told this CDO ( new since I was last here) is very negative about Christians and has created resistance about allowing ones from the chu-urch in of late to visit. I need the favor of man to proceed. It is a spiritual battle we fight... not against flesh and blood but against principalities...Pray for me please.

Thanks for standing in the gap with me.

We need your prayers !

Oh and please pray for Digri, One of the 2 paraplegics... 

she is running a fever and seems to have another UTI. She gets so very sick with these. We started her on antibiotics yesterday... she needs the Lord's touch of healing! So does a 6 month old baby here in my landlord's home with fever and vomiting for 3 days. The hospital is empty... only a few patients and no supplies. Is there even a doctor? When I was there a few days ago he was due to arrive but hadn't yet!

Thanks for prayerfully considering your part in this educational center for HIs glory!

All for now!

Keeping faith!

Dawn Didi

Donations may be sent to:

Dare to Care

345 N Alfred St.

Elgin Ill., 60123

www.daretocareinc.com    has a paypal link for cc use

One of our young ladies learning to knit

A small group of our ladies learning knitting

More ladies learning to produce product for a source of income to support their families

Safe in Kathmandu

DHi Everyone!

I arrived in Kathmandu last Saturday although several hours late due to snow in Korea.

The usual challenges have been an adjustment... electricity only 3 -4 hours a day ( affects my internet access considerably!) and we have had the pump go out here at the house I'm staying at so no ( ok very limited) water! But life goes on!

 It has been an eventful week shopping for yarn, cheese, groceries to haul out west and researching various solar options for the Para girls home.

I also visited the Brick factory women's project and left them  a large order of jewelry to make while I'm out west and I'll pick it up on my return.

Friday I hung out at the orphanage for a few hours and blessed them with socks and games and a good donation so they can buy shoes for all the now 25 kids! They all look healthy and robust! Full of smiles!

I returned Saturday and went to church with them and then followed them back home to the orphange to share Dal/ Bhat ( lunch) with them. It was great to get to know some of the kids on a more personal level! 7 of the girls are all in grade 9! Please pray for them all in these teenage years! Two new little girls ages 3.5 and 5 came a few weeks ago. They seem happy and adjusted already but pray for them!

Internet has been the pits with the electrical shortages so will close this here and hope I can press send before it cuts out on me again!

Plan is to take the AC deluxe night bus with Pratiksha on Monday. She has exams today and tomorrow and then 10 days off so we will travel the 30 hour bus ride together with a stop for one night( after about 22 hours of it)  in Dhangadi with my friends to catch up on their lives. It will break up the trip!

Pray for safe travel... this is the grueling part but necessary if I am ever going to get there!

I miss my kids already but am enjoying Nepal again so much. The weather is sunny and the Himalayas are gorgeous this time of year!

So glad you have my back with your prayers!

Dawn Didi

Ready To ROCK AND ROLL! 😄

I think I am finally packed and ready to go!

I'm going to try to head to bed and sleep now... for just a few hours and then get up and care for a few housekeeping needs that have piled up since I worked 4 days this week and dealt with a flooded basement on top of all my shopping and packing chores. Funny those dishes just didn't do themselves! That, and a little laundry that shouldn't sit here dirty for 10 and a half weeks!

Thanks to those of you that donated socks and stretchy gloves for the prison ministry inmates and our orphans! It will really bless them!

I'll keep you posted on my adventures! It is always Crazy Wonderful doing life with God this way!

Anne will be here at 12:30 to take me to the airport so will keep this one short!

Longer ones will follow to be sure!

Blessings!

Dawn Didi

Save the date!!

This next weekend is our Jolly Nepali Bazaar!

Where else can your Christmas dollar buy sooooo much and bless sooooooooooo many!

You think you are buying a gift for Aunt Susie but in reality, it touches the lives of needy precious people deep in the Himalayas of Nepal to change their poverty into self sufficiency and enrich their lives and that of their impoverished children as well. Dare to Care offers" not just a hand out, but a hand up" to countless needy women and their families in Nepal.

Thank you for coming and bringing your friends!  I hope to see you there if you are in the Seattle area!

 If you are not... Please lift us up in prayer!

 Please know you can SPONSOR an orphan ($30/ month), buy a whole month of radio programing( $200/ month), or adopt a widow and her family ( food for a month for 5, plus warm clothes for the kids and shoes on their feet and a hen to lay eggs... all for $100  one time donation)This can be in your loved ones name with a card for you to deliver to explain your gift on their behalf! Gift certificates for our products are also available. Microloan sponsorships are also available.   

Thanks to all of you who have supported us in prayer, encouragement and financially in the past! You are awesome and we Praise God for you every day! You have blessed us and this ministry in countless ways! At this Thanksgiving Season please know our hearts are busting with gratitude for His moving  in your lives as well and are thrilled you have chosen to partner with us in what God is doing in Nepal.

May He continue to bless you and yours!

Dawn... for all of us both here in the US and in Nepal at Dare to Care!

PS Please put up on or more of these fliers in your place of business or life lived out ( church, gym, grocery, library!) Or forward it to 10 people right now ... though nothing will happen if you don't... except you might miss out on how God intended to bless you as He moves His kingdom forward! His blessings are amazing!

Nepali sure is Bazaar!

So here's the story.  We are trying to get the paraplegic building completed.  All that needs to be done is the septic system.  Once completed we can then move the first phase of handicapped women into the house.  We are have a Nepali Bazaar sale beginning tomorrow , Thursday the 25th through Saturday the 27th from 9am till 6pm. 

Would you please stop by and see all the fantastic things I brought back.  Maybe you will decide to make a donation to help us meet our goal and take something home for a kingdom cause.  Check out the flyer attached for more details.  Hope to see you at the bazaar.

Join us at the Music Festival July 19-23

If you would like me to come visit your neck of the woods and speak/ share about Dare to Care please let me know.

If you have any leads of foundations that might respond to our requests for grants to enable us to complete the educational level and the guesthouse level of our facility or even this level for the disabled (LOL) please let me know. We have a couple people who have offered to write the grants for us if we can find appropriate foundations interested in our causes.

 I will be at the Photosynthesis Music Festival in Neah Bay, WA for July 19-23! I just confirmed a complementary 10x10 space. Pray I can be salt and light to the thousands visiting that weekend and for some manpower help that weekend and of course, HIGH DONATIONS!. This is an event put on by my son and his business partners which has made me aspecially excited.

Any more fundraiser ideas and muscle is always appreciated!

Happy 4th of July. Be safe and blessed.
Dawn

I Limbo in Limbo...

I am currently in the Black Hills of South Dakota soaking up sunshine and love from all my family.
We just had a big Seaman Family Reunion over the weekend at "No Name City" campground in Sturgis. It was great to see relatives galore and get tons of hugs from everyone!

A highlight was an authentic Kansas City  BBQ cooked up by my cousin's oldest son and his wife who cook competitively- like on these food network shows! I am not regularly a big meat eater but we all chowed down on the best ribs, tips and burnt ends "Gold" ever, and I consumed half a bottle of protease digestive enzymes so as not to pay the piper in consequences! Yummy.

Since I have some spare time (yes, I did get let go at Hospice for needing to extend my return from Nepal!:()I have decided to stay on an extra 10 days with my folks and sister Di and family here from Indonesia. It is a rare treat to have time with them - However, in many other respects I am in limbo or am doing the limbo!

Ok, that's all for this post ... please let me know how I can pray for you!
In Limbo,
Dawn Didi

Update and Pray Request:)

As last you heard I had to leave Nepal with the building project unfinished, but close to being completed. I have just heard that nothing has been done on the septic since I left because the monsoons have caused excessive flooding and the hole has filled up with water, prohibiting any further progress. We did get an estimate from the contractor on what it would take to line the tank with rock 18 inches thick to be capable of supporting a cement slab on top so a  vehicle could be parked on top... the figure is twice what we had projected. 

 

Bottom line we need $3000 to pay for the lining and the expenses we incurred on dozing and excavating the septic twice! 

 

Also the windows and door people came but installed them backwards and my helper had gone to Kathmandu when they came so we will now have to get them back up from Dhangadi and have them re-do them! You can see why I wanted to stay and see things through to the end!... soooo frustrating

 

I was praying things were progressing and  the girls could be transferred into their new home even this week but that is clearly not happening now.. Please keep praying with me for completion and a smooth transfer and transition.

 

We could really use your prayers for the following;

Pray that with the monsoon rains in full force the banks of the mountain we have built on, will hold and remain in place and that the retaining wall will do its intended function and retain the dirt and keep it in place! Pray the tin shack perched above our site will continue to hang on to the side of the mountain and there will be no injuries, damages or casualties as the family therein refuses to move to safer ground!

 

Pray the septic will be able to be completed soon. We dozed and dug the hole only to have the monsoons break that night and wash most of the mud back in the hole. So we get to do it all again! The day I left the dozer was due to come again and this time with a tipper ( dump truck ) to haul it all away! That is all on hold with the hole filled with water! So having to repeat all this literally sunk us another $3000 in the hole! I am trying to raise that now so I can wire the funds to them the end of July! PTL $450 came in this weekend for this urgent need!

 

Pray too for the 48 prisoners at the jail that we were visiting weekly. There are 43 men and 5 women and one 5 yr old boy born in the prison. 5 of these (2 women and 3 men) have accepted Jesus and need fellowship and teaching and encouragement. The others still need Jesus and the healing and forgiveness only He can give. 

 

Pray the 6 -8 folks that went with me each week will maintain their connections with the" jailbirds" and keep visiting and encouraging. I personally never ever thought I would be involved in Prison ministries but God has surprised me with how much I enjoyed meeting these folks and teaching them to crochet and singing local songs to them and even dancing Nepali dances with them. They weekly confirmed that our visits were the highlights of their week and how they felt our love and kindness. The cookies possibly accounted for some of this sentiment!

 

Pray for the radio ministry geared to illiterate and lonely women telling them they matter to God and HE loves them!, will continue. We are behind in our payments to the FM station as all our resources had to be directed for the paraplegic facility. This takes $200 per month and we are 7 months behind. We still have 3 slots per week of 15 min each to broadcast. 

 

Pray especially for those creating the radio programming and who are responsible for the technical aspects of this vital ministry and that the LOVE will shine through.

 

Pray for 2 really bright students to be able to further their studies. One girl, would love to come to the US or anywhere she could attend Chiropractic School as there is nothing in Nepal for this and it interests her. If not, she is considering Physical Therapy for a major, and would have to go to India for the training. She is one sharp cookie and would attend medical school if she thought she could afford it.

 

The other is Chet, who dreams about becoming a Chemical Engineer. He just passed his big SLC exams and placed 2nd in the district. He is incredibly smart and speaks great English and is very interested in studying science.. I am praying for him to get into Sunshine Bible Academy( or similar)  for his 11th and 12th grades and for scholarships to allow him to progress as his family is very poor.

 

These are a few of the needs I observed most recently and covet your prayers for.

 

More program updates;

The orphanage in Kathmandu with 19 kids in it was going great when Diane and I visited. The kids loved the games we brought them and were implementing the baseball and mitt a gracious donor sent and within minutes of them receiving permission to play with it, all 19 were outside playing and we heard a "CRRACK" in the window! Fortunately the windows have exterior iron bars so we were not required to confiscate it!

 

The Brick making women made some fine jewelry to send back with me. They are doing reasonably well but 2 widows decided they just cannot make it in the big city so have returned to their hill villages to farm their fields. Unfortunately this may mean their kids will not be attending schools and instead helping mom in the fields and minding the goats- a 14 hour / day job!. 

 

The Bakery was going great up till my departure, though they are concerned that with all the foreigners gone, their business will plummet. I was able to remind them that God has built this business and HE will see to it that they are blessed if they just focus on Him. He will bring new clientele and keep them in HIS hand. I reminded them of the verse that "the Righteous will never go hungry!" In fact how often have they been instrumental in feeding the hungry because they were sensitive to real needs and able to share generously from their hearts and surplus. This couple are some of the most generous and loving people you could ever hope to meet! Pray for them as they serve others through their bakery. 

 

Well that is the update for now and I promise to keep you informed of any new developments.

 

Dawn Didi

Last leg of my journey

Hi everyone!

Have had no internet for the last 6 days both in Dadeldhura or in Kathmandu! But no surprise for Nepal... we did have water though... and lots of it... both in the pipes / drum for bathing and washing... and a little too much in the atmosphere!

On Thursday after 3 days of hunting, a dozer miraculously, came right down our street and Megh was able to convince the driver we just needed a" half hour of his time"! He called the boss and got permission and 10 minutes later it was digging out our septic tank. 2 meters deep x 12x 10.  An hour later it was done!

Our mistake was we didn't have a "Tipper" ( dump truck ) to haul the dirt away so the dozer plunked it beside the house and kinda pushed it back and we hoped to find a way to deal with that later, ie next day and allow the workmen to get started building the 18inch walls inside it to support the tank. In theory it works... it reality it doesn't because one must factor monsoon surprize storms into the equation! It POURED rain all night and washed much of the dirt right back down into the hole and even caused the 1 meter margin of safety near the house to cave in, in one place. In the process the neighbors water drums got covered up as well so I spent considerable time assuring the neighbor we would make it right and buying them a new drum to tide them over. Well by now the dirt is no longer dirt, but heavy mud and impossible to move by hand, so we again were trying to track down a dozer, this timewith a tipper to haul it away. Alas paying for the job twice! The day I left ( Saturday) both were due to arrive together! Pray it really happened and that the workmen can finish lining the hole safely!

The doors and windows slated to arrive Thursday, still had not arrived Sunday when I called.

Sabi was asking for my painting supplies Sunday so that is being done. The walls and ceiling are dry enough to paint at least the first coat.

The Phlam Man ( iron man) making the big outside steel door had it made but was tardy in delivery on Thursday so we asked him to please wait till Monday or Tuesday now to install it so he doesn't wreck the new cement floors that just got poured on Friday!

So much still to wrap up but all designated to specific individuals to complete... and it will get done... Nepali style! Eventually!

I put 3 capable women in charge of arranging furniture and supplies, and Thirtha the maintenance man, is doing the electrical and plumbing... has to wait till the cement floors are dry to install the sinks and toilet... he will also manage the disassembly of their iron beds and reassembly of their new water beds complete with their new water heaters!

The good news is I got out of Dadeldhura with minimal rain on Saturday AM though it had rained all night. Tula, the driver I had booked, stood me up and we spent a harried hour trying to find another vehicle to get me to the airport but I got there on time, the flight took off 10 minutes early ( pilot afraid  of the weather?) and we got to K-du on time. However Yeti Airlines succeeded in somehow ripping my suitcase to shreds and it took 45 minutes I didn't have, to file a report to discover I needed to bring the suitcase back empty the next day and they would repair it.

The next day was a bhundh... nothing moved, nothing was open till after 5 pm! It was my only day to accomplish loose ends. SO I met with Yam ( in charge of the Brick women ministry that make our jewelry, at 6 PM in Jhawelakhel and the DDL college kids for dinner at 6:30.

 I was able to sneak in the back door of the cargo company during the day,and get all my excess baggage shipped in spite of the bhundh as they are across the street from my hotel and I had inside connections!

I also got the hotel to send out my torn suitcase for repairs and they  only charged me about 3$ ... much less than trips to the airport and back... in the rain!

Most of my 2 days in Kathmandu it poured rain. A phone call back to Dadeldhura confirmed it had poured rain solid for 2 days there as well so most believe the monsoons are officially here... and in answer to my prayers God allowed me to exit without event and delayed the deluge to allow my passage.

The turbulence and the pathway of our Korean air jet last evening was amazing to observe, as the pilot clearly was trying to avoid massive cloud banks taking our route far south( all the way to Dacca)  of the projected trajectory on the map! The Monsoons really are here.

 Standing on HIS promises in faith... re: believing for things yet unseen... yes but with a tear in my eye! He will complete HIS project and yes, bless others as they minister to these girls too.

 I am in Seoul, Korea... I board the last leg of these flights in about 2 hours! It will be good to get home to my own bed and the next day dig / putter in my own garden.

Thanks for standing with me in faith!

Dawn Didi

Down but not out...

I am discouraged tonight...I learned this PM  that it is not at all probable that I will get my miracle and get to see the girls properly installed in their new place.

The main contractor had to take a day off for personal reasons 2 days ago and while he sent his crew, they are just not fast and able to push through like the boss. Then this morning it POURED rain and I mean POURED! a virtual torrential deluge... so the crew did not show up till the sun came out at 2 pm. The floors were starting to be poured and cement spread at 5 pm when I last checked in and the boss tells me it will be 5 days before anyone can walk on them and 7 before we can put a heavy iron bed on it and fill it with 500 liters of water!

Also we have not been able to secure a dozer again to dig out the septic... we may have to hand dig it and then it will be 5 days to line it and 2 days of drying time. so realistically we are looking at 10 more days till we can make it habitable!

Window guy can't get here till Friday either... and Yo Nepal Ho... he could also get held up with his schedule...so bottom line... I am the one to plant and water but not the one to harvest... someone else is meant for that.  

Pastor Prem and my landlord, Tara Datt ( also an elder in the chur-ch), have offered to take charge of the transfer and Sabi, the widow who donated the land, is highly motivated to see the project through to completion ASAP. She was ready to paint today and I held her back explaining we would just be in the way of the workman trying to get the floors laid. I have nicknamed her "dozer"!

. Jamani is my house keeper and has offered to get all the bedding and supplies for them. from my house, down to the new house. We will go through everything tomorrow and role play where to put what and how to arrange it all.

Thirtha is the maintenance man from the last hospital and built their beds in the first place and has filled their waterbeds in the past. He is our contracted plumber and electrician and I could not have a better man on the case if I tried! He has a sharp mind and can figure things out better than most and is very handy at all kinds of things. He will disassemble and reassemble their iron waterbeds, install the new waterbed heaters and make sure the new bunks get installed and secured to the existing iron structures! 

As a team they are all capable... things might just not have the designer touch I was planning to put on the event and it won't have the flourish and pomp and celebration I was planning to bring to it. There are no other foreigners here at present... they all leave Thursday and I leave Saturday.

It will be ok... it will all be just fine!

So it is a lesson in trust ... to try to let go of my control once again! I remind myself He is God and I am not! And I'm not giving up on miracles yet... just trying to be realistic. I tell everyone who comes here to check their expectations at the door... it is my turn now. I am determined to enjoy these last 3 days here!

Thanks for your prayers and votes of confidence! They all have meant so very much!

We now have water! first time in the 10 weeks I have been here in Dadeldhura, that I didn't have to take a pour bath with a glass of water- maybe 2 on a good day! Now pray it won't flood out my flight on Saturday! This may be the start of the monsoons!

Must get some shut eye... the storm kept me awake most of last night .It sure cleared the air and the view of the snows was spectacular this evening from my porch!

Toodles!

Dawn Didi

 

 

Keeping Positive

Having trouble sleeping tonight...

 I heard a few hours ago (via email) that I have been fired from my Hospice job back home! Bummer! I am feeling a little shellshocked as I thought I had everything worked out with them. For 3 weeks I have been emailing various managers trying to determine my schedule and trying to communicate the need I had to extend my ticket and have not heard from them except to hear " send your availability to the new manager", 3 emails later I have yet to hear from her but an email tonight informs me ( HR) that I have been terminated!

God must have bigger and better plans for me. Please pray I will be patient as HE reveals these to me and that I will be able to joyfully continue serving Him regardless!

On the positive note... I am virtually weepy with amazement at how God is coming through for us here in the 11th hour. In the last 72 hours he has moved 2 wonderful donors to very generously cover all the remaining expenses on the first floor of the paraplegic facility and some of our radio ministry needs as well. We praise God for his faithful provision and have full confidence the few remaining needs will be cared for as well ie rent for the apartment we keep here(90$/month) and the salary for the radio technician/programmer. ($100/month) 

God also brought 3 people to my door today that have exactly the skills we need to finish up the project! One we have been hunting for for 5 days! Another our door and window man... and he came without being called! And the electrician/ plumber who can start tomorrow!

Last week it seemed impossible to finish. Today the contractor said that with this heat, not only could he remove the bamboo poles holding up the new roof 2 days early, but the cement floors and plaster should dry in 5 days vs 9! Guess I'll stop complaining about the unprecedented heat!

So I choose to keep focused on all he positive evidence of a great big God at work on our behalf and keep looking up.

Thanks for looking in the same direction... HE hears our prayers!

2 Weeks To Go>>>>

Hard to believe I have already been here in Nepal 8 weeks! So much has happened and so much still needs to happen before I can wrap up this project and feel at peace about leaving. But I have 2 weeks left and a God still in the business of doing miracles so will hang on remembering how often in the past HE has come through for me in the 11th hour! 

 

Today the "RCC" walls were completed. These are the exterior walls of the next level and are retaining walls. They are designed to hold back the mountain should any further slippage occur with the imminent onset of the monsoon rains upon us. It really can't prevent the tin shack above us from falling but it should keep it from falling on the girls and the existing building if it should tumble! We felt it was imperative we get this done now before the rains as it is a major structural concern so have diverted the funds intended for electric, plumbing, plaster and paint ( and associated labor) to this!

The cement roof should be dry on June 6th. The bamboo posts can then be removed that are currently supporting the ceiling/ roof and the contractor for the plumbing and electric can swoop in and lay the appropriate lines.  The current contractor can begin plastering the brick walls with cement. I have asked him to do the doors and windows first so I can call the window people up from Dhangadi ( 5 hours away) to come measure and get the doors and windows custom made and on their way. Once the walls are plastered, the cement floors are poured. It takes 9 days for this to set up.

You do the math... I have a flight out of Dhangadi to K-du on 6/15!

 

This means that short of an absolute miracle I will not be the one to move the girls into their new home and get them settled. But I keep telling myself "it is not about me". Perhaps someone else needs to be blessed to do the close and reveal! Alycia has volunteered that if she is here and I leave her a map  of the new layout, she will arrange the furniture and help Thirtha get the girls moved in. I am so grateful for her willingness and realize what a huge responsibility she would be undertaking! Pray for her if she should get stuck with all this work!

 

While we are waiting for the 6th to arrive our contractor will be working on 2 projects we forgot to budget for... the septic tank and a ramp for wheelchair access to the new facility. Please pray for the extra $3000 needed to cover these additional expenses. A bag of cement is now $12.50. We need another 142 bags to finish the plaster, floors, septic and ramp and that is not counting sand, gravel and rock and iron rods to support it all. What a shame construction costs have doubled since October when I last got quotes on materials!

 

So while I would hate to sound like I'm begging... I'm going to ask each of you please pray and put whatever energy God might lead you to lend to this important cause, whether it is a" pass the hat" in your church or small group or setting out a can at work or a bake sale. If you know any celebrities that would do a charity concert or have connections to a philanthropist or a foundation that we could appeal to for a grant... this would be a great time to let us know if we could contact them! Thanks for your prayerful consideration and support. And to the many of you who have already generously given we so appreciate you and we are trying to be the best possible stewards of every dollar and dime you have donated for His kingdom glory here!

 

On other fronts:

The 2 hospital staff that were being held in custody were released last Monday! They were held over 26 days with no charges and when the supplies were counted that they had supposedly "stolen" they exactly matched the inventory reports. I don't understand why these supplies couldn't have been counted earlier... but Yo Nepal Ho.

 

All the staff got paid on Tuesday! They got their 1 month salary due them ( for the month they were told not to work) and an additional month bonus. However they did not get their retirement funds yet. Perhaps later? they may have to each make trips to HDCS hdqtrs in Kathmandu in the future to get what is owed them. 

 

Megh ( my general contractor) tried refusing 3 times but got sucked into doing the "handover"on the hospital because the administrative staff refused to come out and the gov officials are handing over the hospital to. Megh has not worked at this hospital for over 5 years except in the capacity of running the local radio station owned by HDCS. This is a huge burden and undertaking for him to sort out all the chaos and account for all the equipment, inventory and supplies.

 

Megh thinks there should just be a few more days of dealing with the inventory and then the handover should be complete. However rumors indicate the gov/ political leaders will be demanding $ they think is still coming in from donors to HDCS they think is rightfully part of the handover so I'm guessing Megh will not see a good night of sleep for several more weeks yet! 

 

Pray for Megh caught in this hornets nest. He is my brother and friend and is doing an amazing job negotiating with all the Tulla Manches ( big wigs) and trying to juggle the many other things on his plate he had going before he was dragged into this hospital mess!

 

The prison ministry is going great! This week 8 of us went on Thursday and Doyl and Prakash both brought their guitars and we did a little program for them. I took cookies for everyone including the 20 staff ( guards) so those were a big hit. There are now 5 who have believed in there, 2 women and 3 men. Pray for them to have fellowship with each other and to boldly share their new faith and to grow in wisdom and faith. A couple inmates asked 2 of our group for their cell #'s and want to call re: questions they have about what they have read from materials we have given so that is encouraging too.

 

Last Sunday  was National Outreach Day so 3 teams of 5 from our church went village to village and through the bazaar passing out tracts and stopping to talk with any who had questions. Pray for every piece of literature to touch someone's heart with God's love. Today our church enjoyed D*****

encouragement to love our neighbors in really practical ways beyond just handing them a tract. It was my turn to share with the women's group and I felt led to share about blessings... not just how we can be blessed by God but how we can be a blessing to others. In that vein, I felt convicted to make some cookies tomorrow and take them to the TSF ( tin shack family) whose tin shack balances precariously above our construction site but the family refuses to move to safety... the mother yelled at me the first few days I was here and though I try to say Namaste every time I pass through her walkway, she usually refuses to return the greeting. I am praying about how I can love her in spite of her hostility. Please pray for me in this regard!

 

Things are pretty quiet at the bakey with most of the Bideshi's ( foreigners) gone. The Restless Team from the UK have hung out as it is their last week here. They invited me to their Sports day, yesterday, in the village they have worked in the last 2 months. It was a 1 1/2 hour walk down to the valley and 2 hour up. It was a really fun day and I was pleased to have been invited. On my way back,a Dr. named Alec, ran up behind me on the path, walked with me for a few minutes then ran on. I caught up with him in the bakery, only to find he beat his best running time and did in 29 minutes what took me over 2 hours to walk! and part of that was while walking with and chatting with an old lady! Oh to be young again! I am over twice his age!

 

Well time to turn in... must go to the bank in the morning to see if a wire transfer has come through and to inquire what the terms would be to take out a construction loan if necessary to complete the project. 

 

Looking to the Source of all our resources!

Thanks for joining me in this regard!

Dawn Didi