The Greasy Rag

After visiting with Lazarus and his wife, we went to see the future site of the pastor traning center he his starting. The building is owned by a Christian man named Raibin Rai (pronounced Robin). Immediately, I felt a sense of Joy in Raibin’s presence. Whenever I asked him a question like “how were you able to provide this building for this ministry?” he would immediately respond, “by the grace of God”. The man has done incredible things with businesses in one of the poorest countries. I couldn’t help that he could easily be a millionaire if he lived in the United States. This wasn’t what impressed me, though. What impressed me is that I’ve never seen so much joy in a person and I longed to have that kind of Joy myself. Though we thought we were just touring the center, we were invited in for food in his house and we met his wife and children which he was glad to show off (by the grace of God). It has been wonderful having Cora with us as we travel because we are able to connect with people that we meet in a new way. Last time I was here with Megan we were constantly having to explain that it is normal for American couples to wait several years before having children. This time we are able to show off our daughter and be able to connect with people on a family level.

I want to have the kind of personality that makes people feel more joyful by just being in my presence. I don’t know all that has happened in Raibin’s life, but I want the joy that he has.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (53)

It’s sad to say that having grown up in the church all my life, I have a tendancy to become numb to stories of the power of God. Today, though, I heard a story of God’s power and faithfulness that reminded me that God is truly alive and working to reach all peoples.

Lazarus has recently come on staff with ServLife and is in the process of opening a training center for pastors where they will come and train for 6 months and then go back to a village where there is no church to plant a church. He is burdened for the many people groups in Nepal that have no church. He is a third generation christian which is very unique in Nepal. His grandfather served in the Gorkha unit of the British army in World War II. While his troop was on a lunch break, he had a vision with a white light that came down from the sky. His troop-mates were stunned because he suddenly fell to the ground and they did not know what was happening. He had a vision of Jesus coming to him and telling him to go back to his village and preach his name though he didn’t know anything about Christianity. One day, he met a General in the Brittish army who was a Christian. He went to the church and saw a cross on the wall which he had seen in his vision so he started asking what the cross meant. After the church service, there was a wedding in which a white woman was marrying a black man. Seeing this, Lazarus’ grandfather decided to believe in Jesus because he had seen that Christianity brings all people together as equals whereas Hinduism creates strict separation between peoples in the caste system.

Continue reading " Stories of Faith" »

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of the things that I love about Nepal is that the culture is vastly different from American culture. It seems that all day I’m surprised by cultural things that I learn here. It seems, however, inescapable that American culture should influence the culture but sometimes it doesn’t make much sense as was the case with the slogan on the water bottle that I purchased today: A water as pure like baby. Being a new father I can say that not all things baby are pure and I’m hoping that this is not the same with the water I am drinking.

Continue reading "A water as pure like baby" »

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There is no easy way to fly half way around the world. Our longest leg of the journey was from Los Angeles to Kathmandu. I’ve made the trip twice before, but never with a baby and I expected the worst. So I was pleasantly surprised when Cora slept the entire flight from Denver to LA. We had brought a stroller that converts to a baby seat and we got to use it on our first flight because there were plenty of empty seats. I was not so lucky on our flight to Hong Kong. They allow you to sit in the bulk head seat and they even provide a bassinet for the baby to sleep. It didn’t sound so bad until I tried it. Each minute of the first half of the flight went by painstakingly slow because all Cora wanted to do was crawl around and there was nowhere for her to play. At one point I held her in my arms for the better part of an hour while she cried. Finally, though, she and I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was 5 hours later and she was asleep in the bassinet. Megan must have successfully transferred her. From that point on, Cora has done incredibly well with all of our travels.

On the flight, we sat next to a Bangladeshi woman who was traveling with her two-year old daughter named Samara. Both the woman and child were sweet and we commiserated about the difficulties of traveling with children. At one point Cora was sleeping on my chest and Samara was sleeping with her mother. I woke up to find that Cora and Samara were holding hands! I prayed that some day Cora and Samara could be reunited in heaven.

Hong Kong is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. We took a double-decker bus from the airport to our “hotel” which allowed us to see the bay and the city on the other side. We were staying in Kowloon in a “hotel” that occupied a floor of the Chung King Mansions. It’s a large building made up of a labyrinth of shops and guest houses. The directions led us straight there which was lucky because it would have been impossible to find without very detailed instructions. We had over 15 bags since we were bringing so many items for the Children’s Home which proved to be quite difficult getting up to our “hotel”. The elevator held 6 people and there usually were 20 people trying to get in it at any one time. It also took several minutes for the elevator to go down one floor because it always went up to the 15th floor and back down whether it needed to or not. When we finally arrived with all our bags we found that the internet can do wonders for shabby accommodations. The team were all good sports and we were so tired that we just crashed on our beds as soon as we got there. I was impressed that Cora slept as long as she did, but Megan and Cora and I decided to give up trying to sleep any longer at 2:00am. It’s just too difficult with Jet Lag and I was afraid to take a sleeping aid because I couldn’t give one to Cora and because I had to be off to the airport early the next morning. Megan and I decided not to fight a losing battle so we got up with Cora and walked around Kowloon and looked at Hong Kong City across the bay. On our way back, we picked up some McDonalds for the team and headed out to the airport a half an hour after the ridiculous hour (that’s 4 o’clock in the morning… I’ve always considered that a ridiculous time of night/morning because no one should be staying up that late or getting up that early).

The rest of the trip went smoothly. We saw the brand new airport in Bangkok and after seeing the beautiful Hong Kong airport, I can say that the Bangkok airport is nothing to write home about. On our next flight, we were treated to a beautiful view of the Himalayas and Mt. Everest! It’s so strange to be flying at 30,000 ft and look out the window to see mountain peaks at close to the same elevation as the plane. Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world at 29,035 ft. high—almost twice as tall as the highest peak in Colorado. I got some surprisingly good video of it since Megan had a window seat. It was a nice beginning to our time in Nepal. It’s the clearest time of year to see the Himalayas and we can see them from the city from behind the foothills.

We praying and waiting to see what God has planned for us on the trip.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We’re getting ready to leave on our two week trip to Nepal on Saturday morning. We’ll be travelling with a team of 5 people to work with the ServLife children’s center and to host a Women’s Conference in one of the poorest regions of Nepal. I have been on many trips like this but I have never felt so much that God has something special for us there. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has poured out their support for us.

I’ll be sending updates to The Greasy Rag as often as I can so keep checking back. Our biggest prayer requests are that our team would be safe and that we would be able to overcome obstacles in order to set up long term projects that would benefit the people of Nepal in significant ways.

Our biggest political concern is the tenative peace agreement between the months-old government and the maoist group which has been operating in Nepal since 1994. We are glad that they have come to an agreement which allows the Maoists to participate in the new government and we pray that there will be peace while we are there and long term. If you’re interested, you can get the latest on that situation from nepalnews.com

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Planning for our next Nepal trip is going very well. We have the dates set for Nov 10 - 26. If you want to follow along on the map, here is our route:

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Things are getting much worse in Nepal. King Guyanendra dismissed the democratic government two years ago (while I was in Nepal) and the situation has been getting much worse recently. Political parties and student groups have organized protests and general strikes over the past two weeks. Children have not gone to schools, the city has an enforced curfew until 6:00pm, and food & supplies are severely limited. Prices on everyday items have gone up 3 to 5 times their normal price. I will have more details to share over the next few days. Please pray for the country and pray especially for the children who are suffering terribly amidst the violence.

I’ve added a few more Nepal pics to my flickr gallery.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not very good with goodbye's. I usually don't feel the emotion until several days after leaving. Most of my thoughts were on the rush of activity surrounding checking out and getting the team back to Denver. We sang some songs with the children and exchanged gifts with Udaya and Bakhti. When our van arrived, we said our goodbyes. I tried to give all of the children a hug. Many of them did not understand that we would not be back the next day. Some of the older ones did and they were very sad to see us go. We couldn't even get Salomi to look at us because she was crying so much. I started to get emotional when she kept asking me why I can't stay longer.

"Just go get Auntie Megan and come back." she kept saying.

Just as we walked out the door, I saw Kawalwati bawling at the window. I don't think that we realized how much we had impacted her. She didn't speak any English, but we treated her and her children the same that we treated everyone else. She is a beautiful woman and a couple of us took a portrait of her because she looks like an Archtype Nepali woman. Her older son is the one that I wrote about earlier who was demon posessed. He had been throwing himself on the ground in fits shouting against the Holy God. The church was the only one that could help her and the child so Udaya invited her to live with them while we were here so they could have help cooking and cleaning (normally Udaya does several hours of work each day washing the children's clothes and cooking). It was such a blessing to this woman that we wanted to provide funds to keep her on permanently. I found out later that one person in our group donated funds to keep her on for the rest of the year. I'll be telling her story and trying to find others who can donate to keep her on next year.

There was a young man there who came by to say "goodbye" to me. I knew him from the last time that I was in Nepal. We had been working very hard to get the yard finished and I had noticed someone who had come by to help us out. I was happy for the help and brought him to help me with the heavy digging. He barely spoke any English so we didn't communicate very much. Honestly, I hadn't payed much attention to him on the last trip. This night, however, he spoke to me in clear and fluent English and was happy to share what had happened to him over the past few months. I hadn't known it, but Udaya was sharing the gospel with him during our last trip. He was hanging around our team and took notice of the way that we treated one another and how we had come to serve Nepal. Just a short time after we left, he became a Christian and was baptized a month ago. Today he is taking his entrance exams into medical school so he can go to the villages of Nepal and help the sick. He kept thanking me for coming and for serving God there. I started to feel awkward because I felt like I really didn't do much at all. It's so important to remember that God is always using us even when we don't realize it.

I sat in the van waiting for the others to pile in and I saw Bakhti at the gate. I waved to her and she started crying and turned her head away. That's when I lost it. In that moment I realized the loneliness that they must feel. They have the church to support them, but they have so much work to do and so much persecution to face. I can't imagine just two people raising 12 children in such a difficult environment without a lot of money. I was so sad that we couldn't be there to work side by side with them each day. It only deepened my commitment to the ServLife orphanage and my commitment to go back and least once a year.

Now we're on our way home and things seem to be going smoothly. We checked into our hotel last night and I was pleasantly suprised with the quality of the hotel. We walked around a bit last night and got some excellent Pud Thai on the street. It's the 18th of September and it's going to stay that way for 36 hours for us. Today will be a long day of travel.

I'm nervous about getting back to my old life. I've had so many life changing experiences and I'm not sure how to integrate it with my lifestyle in the US. I know that the Nepali Christians are working so hard each day to serve God and I feel like I don't do much while I'm in the states. I want to stand side by side with them to do God's work. I can only pray that God will show me and the other team members where to go next.

"So let go, jump in, oh well whacha waitin' for?
It's allright, cause there's beauty in the break-down."
- Frou Frou - "Let Go"

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 8:03 PM | Permalink

The road along the river kept winding and winding. I could feel myself getting sicker and the constant bumps didn't help. I think I was spared from truly getting sick by the constant stops for checkpoints. A trip that would take 2.5 hours in the U.S. took over 6 hours. The roads are in such bad shape which forces us to drive slow. What's worse is the checkpoints every thirty kilometers or so. We got through immediately because there aren't very many white Maoists in Nepal. I felt bad for the others who sat in a long line of cars waiting to be checked. This conflict has brought the already fragile economy to a grinding halt.

The town of Pokhora is a wonderful retreat area and a great starting point for many treks. The town is like a ghost town and I felt bad for every shop owner who was pleading with us to come in and just look. I did most of my shopping at the place where we stayed for the two and a half days in Pokhora: Phil's Inn & Store. The owner is a wonderful Christian woman named Manju. The joy of her faith is written all over her faith. I was happy to help her by staying with her and buying gifts for friends from her. She gave me the best deals in town without having to barter.

For some reason, the drive out there seemed a lot easier. I was riding in the front and didn't feel the bumps and curves so much. It was also daytime on the way out and new territory. The countryside is beautiful. At one point I closed my eyes and then opened them - imaginging myself to be in the Yucatan or Central America. The rivers dominate and shape the landscape in this region. There is an underground river that runs through the center of Pokhora. Every once in a while, there is a cave or waterfall which you can see. Several rivers feed into the second largest lake in Nepal called "Fewa Lake". The geology is incredibly interesting. As if that weren't enough beauty - on a clear day, you can see mountains towering overhead. Just look up to where you think the mountaintop should be - then look up the same distance again off the horizon and you'll see the peaks. It's as if someone took the Rocky Mountains and nudged them up several steps in Photoshop. I would love to go back and spend more time in Pokhora.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 2:04 PM | Permalink

One of the difficult things about being an American in Kathmandu is that to some people, we are just walking ATM machines that dispense 200 rupees at a time. Even when I meet a Christian contact here, I wonder to myself if they are just welcoming me because I have contacts with money or because they are a brother/sister in the Lord. I just received an email from a pastor in Pokhora that I met yesterday. It contained the following request:

"If possible, kindly send some information about the Pathways Church so that we can remember you in our prayers too."

It meant so much for him to take an interest in our church. All of the believers are so genuine and loving. They truly behave as the church in Acts 2 did - taking care of one another and I have learned a lot by watching them.

One of the things that I have gained from Nepali Christians is the joy that they have in worship. They sing with everything they have and they pray with everything they have. When they pray, I can't understand what they're saying but I know that the two most common words I hear are Danyabar, which means "thank you", and hallelujah.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 1:47 PM | Permalink

that i'll probably never make again in the same day:

1) I Watched the sunrise over the himalayas 2) I played hacky-sack with some Tibetan monks

I forced the team to get up at 4:00am to go to a spot where we could watch the sunrise over the himalayas. We were treated to the most amazing display of God's glory on this earth for about 30 minutes before he rolled back that cloud curtains covered up the 26,000 foot peaks. It was as if God said, "that's enough of my full glory - not too much or you'll start to take it for granted". It was absolutely (and i mean this in the true sense, not in the joe bachelor sense) amazing!

After that, we went to see a Tibetan refugee settlement. I was waiting for the monks to go inside and start their mantra recital when I saw some of the younger ones playing with some sort of hacky-sack. I had to jump in and start playing with them. All those years and I thought my time was waisted on building that skill. It was so surreal and a lot of fun, too. I also bought a small carpet there and some overpriced woven bracelets. The lady wouldn't let me take a picture of her unless I bought one from her at 25 rupees (it should have cost 5 rupees).

The rest of the day was spent looking at some cool waterfall where the river moves from an above-ground to an underground river. It was facinating. Then we went to some caves which were not that spectacular.

Before going back to our hotel, we met with the pastor of the second largest church in Pokhora. They started with 15 believers in 1987 and now they have over 500 and all are converts (1st generation christians). He was working on a second story to the church to hold everyone. He gave me a letter asking us to pray and possibly donate to the completion of the work. I wish I had a lot more resources to give to projects like this.

I'm so glad that the Pathways church was able to highlighting what we're doing here on Sunday. We worked hard to send a video back so they could get a glimpse of what our trip is like. I'm also glad that Sarah got people to read what I've written on the Greasy Rag because it's a lot of hard work to type on these crappy keyboards when I'm dog tired at the end of the day. It makes me feel it's worth it to know that people are reading it. I'm also glad that people are signing up to serve in Nepal. I have so many possible projects for us.

I'm doing my best to learn Nepali. It's a very difficult language to read and write because there are 36 consonants and 12 vowels. Many of the vowels sound exactly the same to me. At the same time, phrases seem to be pretty easy to pick up. I probably know how to say about 6 phrases now and I've written down all the alphabet and gotten a recording of Udaya saying the alphabet sounds.

We're staying at an inn run by a wonderful christian woman. Actually, she and her husband run it, but he is in the states travelling. She had a gift shop downstairs and I did almost all my shopping for gifts there. I was glad to buy from her and help them out.

I've taken over a thousand pictures and many of them are very good. I feel that I'm going to be processing them for 6 months! On the way to Pokhora, I was listening to John Mayor and I listened to the song "3x5".

"I didn't have a camera by my side this time, hoping I would see the world through both my eyes. Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way with words...Just no more 3x5's"

The song really rings true for me now. There is no way to describe the beauty in this region. It really can't be fit into a picture frame; i can only peak the interest of those looking at the pictures and reading these entries to come and experience it for themselves. There is a line in the song that says, "you'll be with me next time..." That's what I hope and pray for every single person that reads these entries or sees the pictures that I bring back.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 10:10 AM | Permalink

Tonight I made bread with Bakhti, only this time, it was a different type of bread than I learned to make from her last time I was here. She called it, "Puri". It was prepared the same way as the Roti, but it was flash fried in oil instead of cooked in a pan. It was delicious.

We took most the day to prepare for tomorrow's evangelism program and to get the video done that we're sending to show at Pathways on Sunday. We were very worried because we didn't have the right port on the laptop to transfer the video but we had already committed to sending a video. I had noticed the sign next door to the children's center read "Recording Studio" so we decided to go ask them if we could rent a computer for a little bit. Not only did they rent us a computer, but this really nice guy helped Mark make the video. The guy was a whiz with video editing and he got it done in just a few minutes. In the afternoon, we went to meet with the head of the national fellowship of Nepali churches. What an amazing man! He described to us all the great work that the churches are doing and the needs that they have. He also gave us background on Christianity in Nepal. Get There are currently 20 churches being planted every month! Just fifteen years ago, there were only 100,000 known Christians in Nepal and now there are over 700,000! That's over 100 people per day coming to Christ in Nepal. I'm preaching, tomorrow, that the harvest is ready and hearing this today only confirmed that Nepal is ripe for the harvesting right now. He also mentioned that a lot of Maoists are leaving the rebel groups and becoming Christians. I took pages and pages of notes from talking to this man. He's also written a book on the history of Christianity in Nepal. When we left, Laruelee thanked the man and was crying. I think he was very touched at her emotional response to hearing all that they were doing.

Afterwards, we played with the children. I had the bright idea of tickling a few of the kids which turned into me running around the yard with 13 screaming kids trying to tackle me. It was so fun for me to run around the yard and fall down on the nice, full, soft grass and know that only 7 months ago we planted that grass. They would never be able to play like that on the hard dirt that used to be there. Next, it was time for their devotions. I am so humbled when I see the children singing with all their hearts, closing their eyes and raising their hands is worship. I read from the children's Bible that Laurelee brought about God creating man. Salomi lead us in a prayer that was also included in the children's bible. I will miss nightly devotions with them.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 12:30 PM | Permalink

I had just gone in to say "goodbye" to the children who were eating their dinner of rice and dahl and chiapatti. I said goodbye and was walking out when Salomi called after me, "Uncle Pet-ar!"

"Yes?"

"How long you stay?"

"2 Weeks?"

"Why don't you stay forever?"

Is there anything better than the unconditional love of a child? They don't care what your personality type is - they don't see your shortcomings - they just want to be with you. I had just been listening to Udaya and Bakhti tell of the miraculous ways of how God has poured out his Spirit on them and how he's taken care of them whenever they were in need. Salomi's question sounded so pure and simple, "why don't you stay forever?" So much of me wanted to say, "Okay, forever" and then send my wife a plane ticket. I so much want to have the incredible faith that Udaya and Bakhti have. Last time I heard their story, I hadn't picked up on the fact that it was in the midst of their worst financial troubles (Udaya was still underway with his court case for preaching in the open air and Bakhti was undergoing medical treatment for her broken foot) that they first decided to take in Anjali. I was thinking to myself that I would have waited until I got renters in my units or refinanced a property or some other way to secure our finances before stepping out in faith like that. How can I come back and change my way of life and thinking? How can I keep from sinking back into constant worry about my finances and house projects and work? It's time to see what God is calling me to do and step out in faith.

It was so wonderful seeing the kids. Nir and the other younger children came home first and they shy when they first saw us. The new kids are so incredibly cute and sweet. The youngest is now Rita (before Nir was the youngest) and she is shy at first but she comes alive when she sings and dances. She danced and sang better than any of the others (except for Salomi) and she's only 5!

Next, I saw Salomi peer around the doorway when they came home from school and I was so happy to see them. They did a wonderful presentation of singing and dancing. I think that it was good for the team to finally meet them. The children each come from such difficult places. Most have lost parents due to cancer, aids, or the ongoing conflict with the Maoist rebel group. We will be bringing back pictures, videos, and stories of each child and hoping to get sponsorships for each of them.

One boy, Santos (I'm sure that's not how his name is spelled), came recently. His family had been slaves but were freed recently when the government banned slavery. Although they were set free, there was no help from the government for them to get on their feet. His family came to Kathmandu looking for work. Santos had been plagued by demon possession. He would go into a trance before throwing himself to the ground in fits and another voice would begin shouting abusive things against God and others. His mother was told that the church was the only place that could help them. The church prayed for him and the fits stopped. After some time, the fits began again and the mother was desperate. Udaya told her that if she would come to live with them and help out with the cooking and cleaning then they would take care of her and her two children and they would pray for the child every day. Since the boy came into the home, he hasn't had any more episodes and is eating well and playing with the other children. The youngest, who would have had no hope for an education otherwise, is at the school with the other children now. I shudder to think what it would have been like for these children if it weren't for the ServLife children's center.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 11:56 AM | Permalink

The teej festival is a Hindu festival where women have a day to gather and celebrate. They usually gather at the temples and pray for husbands (or future husbands) and families. We went to different parts of the city today to view the festival which was beautiful. Many of the women were wearing saris of traditional red but each had a different design. They were celebrating and dancing and it reminded me that women all over the world have an inconquerable spirit.

At one of the larger temples, thousands of women waited in line to go through the temple. While they waited, they danced and laughed. At one point one of the dancing ladies motioned Laurelee over who responded by joining in the dancing with her. She drew such a large crowd that I was jumping up to capture a picture above everyone's heads. We also visited the Christian church where two thousand women gathered to celebrate. They were listening to a woman preach on John 4. Tomorrow at the church they will be doing the singing & dancing portion of the festival so we're going to go back and visit during that time.

It was at the church that I got to see Bakhti and it was so wonderful to see her. I wanted to give her a huge hug when I saw her but I didn't think that would be appropriate. The first thing she said to me was, "How is sister?" (meaning, how is Megan) Later that day, Udaya was talking to the home on the cell phone and Salomi got on the phone and asked him, "When is Uncle Peter coming?" I can't wait to see the children and Salomi who is so full of life.

By the time we finished visiting temples & such and I was feeling very tired and a little sick from sunburn. I had been raining so I didn't wear sunscreen but the sky cleared for long enough for me to lobster up. We decided to come back to the guest house and rest up and see the children tomorrow.

We visited the Swoyambuh temple, which is the monkey temple. This time seeing it, I had a strong feeling of oppression - so much that all I wanted to do was leave. I walked through and took a few pictures of the skyline before heading back down and waiting near the van.

A word about the food: delicious. In Kathmandu, you can get many types of food including western food. I enjoy eating "authentic" meals, but sometimes it's nice to have cooking from home as well. This morning we ate breakfast at a coffee shop nearby called the "Himalatte Cafe". We ate a wonderful omelette and hash brown breakfast with espresso drinks and great music in the background. Other than the Yak Cheese (which was delicious - somewhat like goat cheese), it tasted like one of the best omelettes that I would get at home. For lunch, I had Paneer Marsalla Dawa which was a sort of giant crepe made from rice-flour, stuffed with some curried vegetables. The "Panneer" inside is a Yak milk product that has the consistency of soy. There was some soup and a dipping sauce made from coconut milk. It was spicy and tasty. I also had a strawberry milk shake which was a strange combination but actually complimented the meal quite well.

Tomorrow we'll begin to paint some rooms at the children's center and also we'll begin to talk about some future projects with the center. We'll also go over our plans for the big day with the church. We have an all-day gathering planned at the church focusing on evangelism. We'll be sharing testimonies together and having some discussions about the cultural factors (in Nepali and American cultures) that affect the acceptance of Christianity. I'll be giving the message in the service which I'm a bit nervous and excited about.

I'll try to post some pictures from the festival soon.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:50 AM | Permalink

We touched down safely in Kathmandu, went through customs and immigration and met up with Udaya. Everything would have been exactly as planned if this were yesterday. Our flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok was delayed and so we missed our connecting flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu. Thai Airways was nice enough to put us up in a 4 star hotel near the airport with meals included. I can't say we suffered much for it because the hotel was exquisite.

Bangkok is an assalt on all the senses. We didn't have a lot of time, but we got into town long enough to race around on some Tuk Tuks and plead with the driver not to take us on the standard shopping stops. They get reimbursed for gas if they take you to certain jewelry shops and tailor shops. I had this same experience last time I was there so I pleaded with them not to take us. "I'll give you extra money, just please don't make us go to these shops."

"Okay, I won't take you there." Was the reply. Next stop: Jewelry market. "No, no, this is traditional Thai center." No it wasn't. It was a plain jewelry shop where we all felt awkward because everyone knew that we weren't buying anything. Since everyone knew that they wouldn't reimburse the Tuk Tuk driver for gas and he kept taking us to more shopping places. We finally left some money on the seat and took off on our own. We saw a beautiful temple and had fun racing around before catching a cab back to the hotel. It was just enough for us to get out and enjoy the town while still taking it easy on our weary bodies.

Unfortunately, it was cloudy when we flew into Kathmandu so we didn't get to see the Himalayas. I looked out the window and saw the valley far below. At the next break in the mountains, suddenly the valley was a few hundred feet below. The topography goes from sea level in Northern India to 4500 feet in a very short distance where Kathmandu is situated. After Kathmandu, it sharply rises at the Himalayas with peaks of over 26,000 feet. It's breathtaking to say the least.

I should have warned the team of the craziness that awaits when you exit the airport. Suddenly there is a swarm of people wanting to carry your bags for money. They don't ask, they just grab and when you're completely overloaded with bags, you really don't have a choice. Everyone walking with you wants a tip even if they weren't the ones carrying your bag. Once you make it through that, you have the drive to the hotel to brave. There are no lanes, no divided roads, cars get through however they can and honk constantly to let people know where they are. You feel as if you've just barely escaped an accident 10 times along the way. This is Kathmandu. Like I said, I should have warned the team. But I was so excited to be in this place again that everything else slipped my mind for about an hour.

It was so wonderful to see Udaya once more. Though our last encounter was brief we made a deep connection and had missed him. I'll be excited to see the kids and Bakhti tomorrow.

The rest of the evening was spent conversing and making plans with Udaya as well as getting to know the area around our hotel. It was raining all afternoon and at one point we got caught in a downpour. We found our hotel and sloshed back. The hotel is in a tourist area of Kathmandu known as "Thamel". It's perched on a hill divided by narrow winding streets and shops selling all kinds of touristy wares from Pashmina shalls to paper products to Yak wool jackets. You're overwhelmed, but there's no time to stand in awe because there are people, bikes, motorcycles, and cars honking at you to watch your step. We had the added hazard of deep puddles created from the rain. It's harrowing and addicting.

Tomorrow we'll be going to several sites to view the Teej festival. I don't have a lot of information about this festival except that it is a Hindu women's festival where they dance and celebrate and pray for their husbands. The church is having a service of their own so we'll get to fellowship with them as well.

Thanks again for all who are praying faithfully for us. We have definitely seen God working and I will detail more later about how I see him using each team member.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:15 AM | Permalink

The team is getting ready to leave tonight at 8:10pm. We'll fly to LA, then on to Hong Kong, next to Bangkok, and finally to Kathmandu. We'll arrive on Sept 4 in Kathmandu where it is roughly 15 hours ahead of Denver time. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us and encouraged us so far. Here are some prayer requests as we travel:

• Prayer for a safe journey

• Prayer that we won't go crazy on the long plane flight

• Prayer that we meet up with Mike (who is doing some diving in Thailand) and Udaya at the airport

• Prayer that God continues to bring in the necessary funds for our trip (we're still a few thousand short)

• Prayer for the process of refining the all-day evangelism seminar with Udaya

• Prayer that the political situation is stable and safe in Kathmandu

I'll be sharing some more specific requests once we get there. Another exciting opportunity is the process of evaluating an animal farm. Udaya has prepared a business plan and we'll be taking a look at the issues involved in starting a farm with approx. 50 goats, 500 chickens, and a vegetable farm. It'll be fun to help out in any way we can especially for me because I have a degree in Crop Science.

Check back often as I'll be updating the site with status and stories as often as I can.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:26 AM | Permalink

I'm pretty excited to be leaving for Nepal in one week. A lot of things have been packed into the agenda for this trip but I've also left a lot of room left open for exploration of what we can do to further help the orphans in Nepal. I've also left a lot of room to try and form friendships with the Christians there who endure so much persecution. I will try to share stories from there so make sure to check the site regularly for updates from Sept. 2 to Sept. 18.

Thanks to all of you who have supported the trip financially and by supporting me. I will need all the prayer I can get because I feel a lot of weight on my shoulders as the team leader. There is a lot of tension in Nepal as the Maoist rebels are becoming more active. Please pray for God's protection and guidance.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm planning another trip to the ServLife Orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. I'll be taking a group from Pathways Church. If any Pathways attenders are interested, let me know.

When I visited the orphanage last January, I got to know 7 lovely children as well as the couple that runs the orphanage, Udaya and Bakhti. I have great respect for them and I hope to establish a more long term relationship in order to support them spiritually and financially. They have doulbed the number of children this year and I hope to get all of the children sponsored.

If you're interested in sponsoring a child or helping to send a team to Nepal, please let me know: plarson[at]jiffymedia[dot]com.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 11:44 AM | Permalink

The U.S. envoy in Kathmandua, James Moriarty has been accused of playing golf with Nepal's Crown Prince Paras instead of having serious discussions about the need for democracy in Nepal. His spokesman said he'd check into it and further replied:

"whether he (ambassador Moriarty) played golf or not, the message to the Government of Nepal was the same and that message could be delivered on a golf course, it could be delivered in an office, it could be delivered at a residence, it could be delivered at a dinner."

It could be delivered in a house, it could be delivered on a mouse. It could be delivered in a car, it could be delivered on a 3 par. I will deliver it, sam I am...

I must have missed the golf course last time I was in Kathmandu.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've received some profiles from the new children that the orphanage that I visited in Nepal has brought in. It breaks my heart to read these children's stories. Having seen the wonderful care that they will receive, I am also joyful that they've been given such a wonderful blessing.

Continue reading "Orphans in Nepal" »

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 12:10 PM | Permalink

Wow. I just saw this post on Zay'dsDad about Udaya. He was in the paper for being arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can't help but evaluate your own faithfulness when you meet a man like this.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nepal's king is obviously not paying attention to world events right now. He's detained over 750 protesters nationwide since dissolving the democratic government on February 1. Given the rampant corruption in the government and their disobedience to an election deadline, his actions are defensible, but people want to be free. If you try to shut them down, you only embolden them. I fear for the state of Nepal in the next few years. Watch for even more protests in the coming months.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An opinion article explains the goals outlined by Nepal's King. The author argues that the king has clear goals to provide a much better democratic system than the one set in place in 1959. The system he has outlined even takes away much of the king's own power. Read the article.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Megan forwarded me a story and gave the following comments:

Another brilliant quote from King Gyanendra..."They must say what they must say, and we must do what we must do," the king was quoted as saying by an independent Web site, nepalnews.com.

Posted by Senator Pete Larson at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)