I know what you are thinking……… “Isn’t that a weird place for a Christian organization to have an annual picnic?” Well the answer is yes and no. Yes, it is a strange place for a Christian organization to celebrate another year of serving the people of Nepal. No, it is not a strange place to have a picnic because there simply is not many places to go where there is not a temple. We employ over 800 people throughout the country in various projects. Most of our staff are Nepalese and most Nepalese are Hindus or Buddhists. Many of our staff are devoted Hindus and this picnic was more for them than it was the 150 ex-patriot Christians that we employ.
It is also next to impossible to find a place to have a picnic around Kathmandu where it is safe. The only park inside the Kathmandu municipality is Ratna Park. This park is often the site of political demonstrations and bombings and the weeks prior to the picnic were very busy with several bombings in that area. Each week there are riots in Ratna Park and this week was no exception. A bombing campaign is currently going on in Kathmandu and no place in that area is exempt from the threat of being blown up. Kathmandu has now earned the distinct honor of being the bomb capital of Nepal. Just two days before the picnic a bomb was detonated in the Pharping government office in Dakshinkali, so all of us were a little nervous about going there.
The road to Dakshinkali goes through beautiful mountain villages into the high mountain area on the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley. Kody and I decided to go to the picnic together so we rode on a friend’s motorcycle through the windy mountain roads to reach the peaceful looking little village. Once we got there it did not remain so peaceful.
There were only a few Badeshis (foreigners like myself) who attended the picnic. I think the Nepali staff appreciated the ones who showed up. It shows them that you value them as employees and to tell you the truth, they have more fun anyways. They sing and dance and play all kind of games that I have never heard of. Kody had a great time running around with his new Nepali friends. The food was great and it was true Nepali food, Dhal Bhat. If you don’t learn to like their rice and lentils you will starve to death here. That is all they eat.
As the day wore on several onlookers wanted to join in on the food and entertainment. One such onlooker was one of the craziest people I have ever met. A few of us named him “Legion” for obvious reasons. He approached Kody and I and began screaming at us, waving his arms in the air and waving a stick in my face. He was speaking in Nepali and telling us that he was the son of the goddess Dakshinkali. He then began dancing and continued his dissertation about what a deity he was.
I thought Kody would be in tears at this point. I held him behind me as the lunatic raved on and thrashed about in front of me for over 15 minutes. By this point a large crowd had gathered and I was hoping they could help me calm this guy down before he tried to kill someone. The crowd kept a wide berth and they seemed to be too scared to even touch the mad man.
I tried to politely excuse myself and my son without him noticing but every time I tried to escape he would notice and stand in front of me before going off on another tangent about what a special god he was. He was covered in red powder and eventually started trying to rub red powder on Kody and my forehead. This is a Hindu custom. It means that you have been blessed by whatever priest or saddhu placed the red spot on your forehead. It also symbolized a respect for that deity.
At this point I started making it real clear that under no circumstances was he going to touch my son. I was not wanting to have this confrontation in front of Kody. The last thing I wanted to do was get in a fight with some lunatic in front of Kody. I was afraid it would scare him to death.
The threat that I countered the mad man with apparently registered enough to sober him up and he walked away while staring into my eyes. After seeing that he was leaving I turned to try and explain what just happened to Kody and found him laughing about the whole thing. He was not scared at all! He seemed to have enjoyed having a lunatic dance in front of him. Thankfully, Kody has not been exposed to someone trying to hurt him or me and it never dawned on him that this was anything other than a friendly game.
Meanwhile, back at the picnic, people were saying their goodbyes and beginning to start back towards Kathmandu. I met several good friends and told them that we were leaving. Then one of my friends stopped me…..
“You didn’t drink the water did you?”
“Of course I did. Kody and I both drank several glasses of it” I answered.
“Well I caught them filling the water bottle out of the water hose.”
She said.
You may be wondering what the big deal is. Why not drink the water? Is it really that big of a deal?
The truth is that the water in this area was heavily polluted. The water source was downstream on the crematorium and as disgusting as that that may be, it’s the least of my worries. Over 28,000 children died last year in Nepal due to drinking the water. Nepalis have to boil and treat their water or they get sick just like we would. Amoeba, Giardia, Arsenic, Typhoid, and Hepatitus are some of the things found in the water and I do not want anything to do with any of them.
I drove home wondering how long it would take before I got sick. I am so angry at the caterers for being so lazy and cheap that they lied to us about the water. The bottle that they filled with untreated water had a label on the outside that read, “Treated, filtered, drinking water.”
It’s no use trying to vent with your Nepali friends. They just look at you and say, “Ke Garne,” (what to do?) and go on about how there is nothing you can do about it. They just accept whatever happens and go on. I, on the other hand, wanted to grab some caterer by the throat and ask him if he minds if I vomit all over him because it is his fault that I am sick.
My Nepali friends are right though. What can you do? The answer is “Nothing but get sick and not worry about it.” Their attitude is so much better than mine. At least they only get sick. I have to get sick and mad and it takes too much energy to get over being mad. No wonder they get well faster than I do.
Nepalese have this same attitude about everything. They don’t seem to mind whatever happens in their life. The war, the water, the poverty……. “Ke Garne.” They just accept it and go on. Culturally there are so many differences between us and both of us have much to learn from each other.
As I am writing this a huge storm is brewing outside. Wind is blowing with a fury and slamming the shutters throughout the flat that we live in. Our laundry has been scattered throughout the entire neighborhood and donated to several families downwind of our flat.
The storm is indicative of the climate here in Nepal. This week marked the biggest attack by the Maoists since the breakdown of the ceasefire. An estimated 10,000 rebels converged on a small town named Beni which is located on the last leg of the Annapurna Circuit. The rebels began their attack at 11 PM and it lasted for over 12 hours. They completely decimated all the government offices and killed over 100 of the soldiers stationed in the town. Over 30 innocent civilians were killed in the attack. When they left they took over 30 police officers hostage.
The attack is the second large scale attack this month. The first was in Bhojpur in Eastern Nepal. Like the attack in Beni, the Bhojpur attack was a large scale assault that resulted in hundreds of people being killed.
This month also was marked by the “Siege” or blockade that crippled the country and left thousands to starve to death. Vehicles that tried to drive on the highways were burned and in some cases the occupants killed. The blockade also marked a significant change in tactics for the Maoists because they also attacked some tourist buses. In some cases British and American tourists were ordered off buses before they were burned.
The Maoists have also begun placing bombs in popular tourist areas. Several bombs have been detonated in Thamel, the tourist district in Kathmandu.
This increased activity has prompted the US Embassy to issue a warning to American citizens that they should not come to Nepal. Essential staff are still permitted to be here but things have definitely changed. Nepal is not the place it was 6 months ago and things look like they may get worse before they get better.
International pressure is mounting on the Nepal government to go to peace talks again with the Maoists. Please pray for a peaceful resolution to the storm that is brewing in this country.
For those of you who have been keeping up with the current political situation I don’t have any good news. Some have labeled me as the grim reaper for all the bad news that I have reported to them these last few weeks. They just dread opening up their e-mail and seeing a new report from me. Maybe I should get a black hooded cloak and walk around with a sickle at the office?
The truth is that there is a lot of good to report but it is just not my job to go around writing about it. As I have earlier stated it seems as though there is no end to all the suffering that is going on. Sometimes it gets to be a burden and you wonder why in the World our Father passed this job on to anybody. Several people have told me that they do not envy my job and after almost 6 months of doing it I can see why.
The Maoists announced to the media that they have no intention of letting up on their current strangle hold of the country. They literally have their foot on the peoples throat and they are demanding that a constitutional assembly be reassembled and peace talks begin or the problem will only get worse.
Last week a positive report did come in. Due to the shortening food, gas, and basic supply of necessities the Maoists released a statement encouraging private businesses to begin having goods transported into their areas so that people would stop starving to death. Prior to this nobody would dare drive a truck on the roads because the Maoists were burning them and several people have been hurt and killed. This combined with an increase in the frequency of land mines kept the roads completely empty.
It seemed as though things may get better until the first intrepid truck drivers began driving on the roads. A high percentage of them were ambushed and their trucks and buses burned so even though I thought we may have good news, I was wrong. Now the roads are again empty and people still live in constant fear.
The United Nations and several other big donors here in Nepal released a statement to the international media stating that they were now considering suspending all their work and pulling out of the country. The counter threat was placed due to several of their projects suffering extortion demands from the Maobodi. This has been going on for years but now it has come to the point that they just cannot go on with the way things are. The future here looks really grim at times.
They are not the only ones suffering from demands for money. Nobody in this country is exempt from it. Most just pay the money and go on with their lives. The Maoists call it a revolutionary tax and if you live in their zone they demand it. Hospitals, relief work, and local businesses are all suffering from the demands placed on them and their staff. Some have refused to pay and of those who refuse, some have suffered terribly as a result. In some areas people have been hung, burned, buried alive, or had their business bombed.
Last night after a week of meetings, reports, and planning sessions about this growing problem I came home to find an e-mail in my inbox. The e-mail was from Michal Hall and she shared with us about her thoughts after watching The Lord of the Rings part 2, The Two Towers.
In the scene that she found so powerful Frodo has become so tired of the difficulties of a journey he never wanted to take that (momentarily) he's ready to hand over the ring to the ringwraith, if that's what it takes to get him back to his carefree life in the Shire. Frodo is ready to kill his beloved Sam, who saved him from a decision that would've haunted him the rest of his days. Frodo snaps out of it and the two enter the following dialogue:
Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights, we shouldn't even be here. But we
are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really
mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were.
And sometimes you didn't want to know the end...because how could the end
be happy?
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?
But, in the end, it's only a passing thing...this shadow.
EVEN DARKNESS MUST PASS. A new day will come.
And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if
you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. Folk in those stories had lots of
chances of turning back only they didn't. They kept going, because they
were holding on to something...
Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth
fighting for.
Michal left us to interpret it however we felt led. I thought about it for a long time. The Lord of the Rings series has always had an impact on me from the first time I saw the first movie. I have found countless parallels to my spiritual walk in the journeys of Frodo and Sam. As I thought about it, I saw it from a new perspective.
I think all of us are called upon to enter a quest in our lives. A quest to find out why we were put here in the first place. Each of us was created for a reason. None of us are here by accident. At some point in all our lives we, like Frodo, will receive a call to do something or go somewhere from our Heavenly Father. It may be to take a job with another company, to adopt a child, to volunteer for a good cause, or to pack your bags and move to someplace like Nepal.
The quest is never easy and it always involves a sacrifice. Often it will make us have to decide between a good decision and a better one. The answers never come easy and in the end you know deep in your heart what you are being called to do.
Seldom do we ever know where the end will be. Frodo had the luxury of being able to focus on an end result but most of us never do. The quest calls us to take the first steps and listen for our next orders to know what to do next. This is where many of us fail to stay focused on our journey.
Most of us fail in some way or another on our journey. We take our eyes of our leader and our ears become full of noise from our surroundings. We lose heart and sometimes abandon the journey all together. The question is not if you will fail, but when.
The hero in the Lord of the Rings series is not Frodo. No, Frodo only did what he was told to do and he would have abandoned that if given the opportunity. Frodo was only doing what each of us would have done in the same situation. The real hero was his friend Sam. Sam was not told to go, he volunteered. Sam could have turned around at any time, but he didn’t.
At times the weight of the ring around Frodo’s neck was heavy, but not nearly as heavy as the load that Sam was carrying. Sam carried Frodo and the ring. Sam carried all the burdens, listened to all the fears, and never took his eyes off the goal.
Each of us will feel like Frodo at some point in our lives. We heard what we were told to do and we do it. We mess up, fall flat on our faces, take our eyes off our leader, and want to abandon our quest altogether. This will happen to each of us……. What many of us don’t face up to is the opportunity to be a “Sam,” to carry someone else’s load when we don’t have to. To voluntarily take up someone else’s cross and help them carry it.
We have had many quests in our lives. The adoption of Kody was the first time I really felt the burden of carrying through with what we were called to do. Had it not been for the “Sams” in our lives then we may not have ever been able to do it. The expense of an adoption, the heartache of watching other orphans be left behind, and the multitude of disappointments that we had throughout the 2 years of the adoption process caused us to beg our Father to let us take another route. There were many “Sams” in our lives then and had it not been for them we may not have finished the process. Now I get to watch Kody every day grow into a little boy and I will never forget those who shed many tears along side of us. The “Sams” hurt just like we did but they never asked for it. They voluntarily bore the burden for us and they are the reason that we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful son.
Now we entered another quest. The call to serve in Nepal. Days like yesterday make we feel like quitting. “Why cant I just go back to my life and forget this? It seems like there is no end to it,” is a familiar prayer. At times I get so homesick that I cannot imagine another day here. Then I get an e-mail from one the “Sams” in our life and I remember to keep focused on what I am here to do. Michal, Charlie, and the countless others who are reading this and praying for us are the heroes in this life. It is you that make a difference. Nobody would turn down the command to be a “Frodo,” but many would turn down the chance to be a “Sam.” “We love you Sam and we really miss the shire.”
The 15 day “Seige”, or blockade, called by the Maoists began on March 8th with a “bandh” or strike. Throughout the country traffic came to a grinding halt and stores were unable to open. On March 9th the bandh was lifted but telephone poles along highways throughout the country had been cut down and thrown onto the roadway. Downed trees were also placed into the roadway and motorists were stranded for days. Landmines were also used to destroy vehicles along the roads. Trucks ferrying food, vehicles carrying doctors and medicine, and tourist buses have been attacked and burned. Government offices were attacked and government officials have been forced to leave their posts in many areas.
The nationwide attack has come at an inopportune time for Nepal. March is usually the beginning of the tourist season and this country is dependant on tourism for its revenue. The recent bombing in Thamel, the attacks on tourist buses, and the difficulty in traveling throughout the country has had a very negative impact on the country’s future.
In last months edition of The Guardian the most dangerous and repressive regimes in the World were listed. Columbia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, and the Philippines topped the list. Time Magazine listed Nepal as the most dangerous country in Asia. This former “Shangri La” has been thrown into a state of fear that it is not prepared to deal with.
If this report seems dismal to you to read them you would not like my job. Each day I receive dozens of reports that I study so that I can prepare reports to send out to our appointees and project managers. Sometimes it seems as though there is no end to it. What is next? What can we do? Is there any hope?
Each day I wrestle with this hidden guilt of being so fortunate. Why was I so lucky to be born in a country where I had a chance? Why am I given the privilege of being able to fly out of here if it gets to bad while our Nepali friends are left behind? Why did I not have to worry about being able to find a job, go to school, or where my next meal would come from? These are questions that many of us ask ourselves here.
I consider myself very fortunate to be given the chance to be here. Each day I am thankful for what God has given me. I have been so blessed by the Nepali friends that I have made, and the opportunity to share in their life.
The truth is that there is hope. There is hope for Nepal and there is hope for the people of Nepal and even though some have lost hope, many have not. Many are praying and excited about what the future holds for Nepal. Many are thankful for the persecution that Nepal is going through because of the strength they have found in it.
I seriously thought that I had something to give to Nepal when I came here, but I am finding out that I had much to learn. Nepal has taught me more and given me more than I ever could give it. I wish all of you could experience the joy that can be found in a place such as this. It’s a joy that I never could have experienced without coming here.
At the height of the Cold War the artist Sting wrote a song about our perceptions of the Russians. He repeated many of the ideas and labels that we assigned to all of Russia and the Russian people because of what had been done in the war. He made his point about mid way through the song when he said, “I bet the Russians love their children too.”
I could not get that song out of my head when I was in Russia to adopt our son Kody. All around me were people who shattered my ideas about them because they loved each other just like we do.
I keep thinking about that here when I read reports of people being tortured, buried alive, and children being used as human shields in battles. These are people too and they too are loved. I see it every day in the lives of the Nepali’s living around us. These human casualties are real people just like you and me. Their parents, spouses, and children are left hurting just like we would be if we lost one of our family members.
Can you imagine the love God has for us and the people of Nepal? If the love we experience is only a fraction of what He has, then how much does He hurt when He sees such pain? I once asked Him how He deals with so much grief. I could not imagine dealing with all the hurt and pain in the World. He answered me very clearly………………”I share it with people like yourself.” The privilege of hurting because you love someone is just that, a privilege.
Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the World. In February, 1996 the “Peoples War” began and since then this Kingdom has undergone a drastic change. Centuries of repressed anger, hatred, and bitterness swelled up to fuel the insurgency. This once friendly place has become a nightmare for many who cannot escape the terror of the war.
In January 2003 a cease fire was declared and the Maoists and the government sat down for peace talks. The talks went back and forth until August 27th when the cease fire broke down and the country returned to violence. The death toll crossed the 10,000 mark this month and there has been an average of 12 people killed per day in the insurgency since the breakdown of the ceasefire. During the month of February and the beginning of March that number has almost doubled.
The Maoists have declared many bandhs or strikes to celebrate the anniversary of the peoples war. The strikes restrict all vehicle travel and prevents any shops from opening. On average each day of a strike costs the people of Nepal 6.3 million dollars US. This is a sizeable amount considering the average Nepali makes less than $300 dollars a year.
The return of the bandhs ushered in the return of bombing inside the capital. There have been other bombing campaigns inside the capital and across the country but there were no bombs inside Kathmandu during the months of November and December. Since then there have been over 20. Most are what Nepalis call “Socket Bombs” or pipe bombs.
On March 5th two bombs were detonated that marked a significant change in tactics. The first was placed near a busy bazaar area known as Mangal Bazaar. The second was placed in the tourist area known as Thamel. Prior to this time most bombs were placed in an area where there would not be too many civilian casualties. These bombs injured many people and sent a significant message, that they were to be taken seriously.
The bombs announced the beginning of a 15 day “siege” or blockade. The Maoists have stated that they plan to block all transportation, communication, food, and assistance to several places in the western part of the country inside what they call the “Revolutionary Zone.” They are demanding that all government workers or people who work with the government to leave these areas. This siege starts on March 8th.
Please join us in prayer for a peaceful resolution to the insurgency. Please pray for a peaceful resolution to the 15 day siege.
This Saturday, March 6th, is the annual celebration of “Holi.” The holiday is named after the demon godess “Holika.” Legend has it that a demon king named Hiranyakasyap, (Try saying that one three times real fast) had a son named Prahlad. Prahlad was devoted to the god named Vishnu who was the enemy of his father. The father was unable to keep his son from worshiping lord Vishnu so he started trying to kill his son. That is when Holika, the sister of the demon king, decided to help kill the son. She had a special blessing from a Brahma so that she would be unaffected by fire so she tried to hold the boy in a fire to kill him. What she did not realize was that “Agni”, the fire god, knew her ill intentions and burnt her up despite the blessing and left Prahlad alone. That is why on this day Nepalis celebrate “Holi” to remind them that if they have bad intentions they will not prosper despite whatever blessings they may have.
There are many erotic connotations to this holiday also. Another legend says that on this day lord Krishna stole the clothes from his 16,108 girlfriends while they were bathing in the Yamuna River.
With these two things in mind the holiday is celebrated by several ceremonies involving brightly colored pieces of cloth on a bamboo pole. Youth celebrate by throwing water balloons at women and girls. They also throw red vermilion powder on people as they pass by as some kind of blessing. Women hate this holiday as the youth tend to get out of control and throw balloons filled with water, red powder, sewage, etc. Often by late afternoon there are many drunk young people who can become quite dangerous. Many women will not leave their house on the Holi holiday.
