We Don't Monkey Around

We have only been here for two days yet so much it seems like a lot has happened already in such a small amount of time.

Our first night we got to go sleep to the soothing noises of car horns, dog fights, monkeys(?), birds and other such noises that are right near our hotel that we are staying at.

Kyle and I (Stephen) woke up early thinking it was probably it was around 9 when it really was 5:30am. We went to explore the city for a little. Since it was so early and also because it was Buddha's birthday, the shops were closed so it was great to walk the streets while everything was calm. We got to see a lot of life happening with people sweeping the streets, men carrying huge dressers strapped to their head and chest and also seeing people starting their days.

Afterward,we all went to grab a morning cup of tea over at our friend Rhoman's place before we met at a more western style breakfast restaurant. We got to meet with John the founder of Tiny Hands and hear his vision and heart for his organization.

After that we took a very long walk to a temple way up on a hill called the Monkey Temple. This place was PACKED. With a lot of people going up and down the vast amount of stairs. It was hard to keep our group together and that was very stressful trying to make sure we were all nearby.

When we got to the top, we saw a lot of things. We saw many altars being prayed to, lots of candles, the prayer bells being turned and lots of people walking around and praying. Some of us were very overwhelmed with everything that was going on especially since there was a lot of chaos with so many people. A few people also felt heavy from the forces being prayed to and the spirits being given so much prayer and hope for. After that we all walked down, found a spot and made sure to pray all together.

Then we went to the Tiny Hands office and got to hear about all the programs including their children home and and their anti-trafficking border stations that are in place to stop the children being trafficked. Often times the little girls are tricked into believing they are going to be maids or workers in order to honor their family and be able to send money back to the village. These border monitors stop suspicious people and ask tough questions to see if both the adult and the child's story line up. This can be a hard process because the children are told that the police (and border monitors) are evil, so this can be a long process. It was amazing to hear of so many rescues and to see pictures of some of the women who were saved.

We then went back to the hotel, rested and had orientation with Rhoman. Though we are only staying for a month, we got see a lot of the material that people who are working for longer time have. These first two days have been jam packed with learning about culture and trying to orient ourselves to the city. We also learned fun phrases. Here are a few:
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Fun Phrase Time!

Namaste (Naw-Muh-Stay) - common greeting used everywhere.
Jaimasee or Jaymasee - "victory in Christ", used amongst Christians
thik cha? (teek-shaw) - "Are you fine?" You would then respond with thik cha back.
dhanyabad (Done-Ya-Bod) - "Thank you"

These are just a few phrases but we'll post more later!
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After that we had our first Nepali meal with rice, chicken, a lentil sauce, spinach, a baked bread that looked like a chip but didn't taste like one, potatoes with vegetables and a type of hot sauce. It was good. A few of us even braved eating with our hands. Though Justin saw a rat run by, the restaurant was such a nice environment and the people are very friendly. Definitely worth going again!

Prayers:
- for God's joy and love to be throughout as we walk the streets and possibly visit more temples.
- for patience as we wait to work with the children and women.
- for our well-being and our safety.

Sorry for this long post! Thank you so much for reading this :] I hope this blog post finds you well.

You are Loved!
-Stephen