Contrasts in Kathmandu

We are in the San Francisco airport after a quick night's rest in Singapore Airport and then two flights from there. I think we all four are looking forward to being home.

Kathmandu was an experience of contrast. There is as much warmth and graciousness as there is pollution and chaos. The air pollution was thick and irritated my throat. Mohan said that there are four major problems in Kathmandu: poor roads, poor water, trash removal, and air pollution. We saw a pile of trash on the side of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu that was the size of a warehouse. Mohan explained that the landfill is 20 miles outside of town and villagers frequently stop trash trucks from going there in order to extort money and so many trash truck drivers simply dump there trash next to the river in Kathmandu. He said that there needs to be police protection of the trash trucks so they can do their job.
He explained that they must get a smog check on their vehicles but that the standard is so high that even new cars cannot pass the test, so it is common to bribe the smog check place $15 to get a certificate. He explained that the traffic jams are so bad (I didn’t see a traffic signal in Nepal) that he can easily spend “all day” if he attempts to drive a car from Patan (a suburb) to Kathmandu (about 8 miles).
In contrast to these severe problems, Kathmandu is as full of gracious, loving people as anywhere I’ve been. Isaac and Binu, who have served as our translators on this trip, joined us on a walking tour we did in Kathmandu and then had us over to their apartment for tea. Their warmth felt more like connecting with a good friend for many years than visiting someone you’ve just gotten to know. Sujit and Rajesh, the local travel agents who arranged our hotel and Nepal flights, treated us to dinner two nights ago at a restaurant that features entertainment of traditional Nepalese music and dancing. They and their wives, Shwaya and Beni, also treated us with great warmth. We laughed and shared about our families. It’s hard to feel alone in Nepal.
Mohan came to Kathmandu to shop for items for us to sell for a fundraiser. He went with us to the traditional restaurant. Then he came to see us off at the airport. All of this was above and beyond what I would have expected. I think that the ways Mohan and Sangeeta have poured their time and energy into serving us and our mission the past three weeks, reflects how they serve their FMC staff. God has blessed us greatly on this trip. We are grateful.
Tom Olschner

A Walk up the Mountain

Thirteen days in Pokhara and Bill and I still hadn’t gotten a view of the Annapurna mountain range. We’d only seen Machupachure (the “Fishtail”) peaking through the clouds. So we planned an early morning hike for Tuesday, our last day in Pokhara. We both spent the night in Mount Olive Village, me at the orphanage and Bill, a five-minute walk away, at the Frontier Mission Training Center.

We left at 5:45 and rode motorbikes up the road above Mount Olive toward the overlook. There were seven of us on four motorcycles: Bill, Ovind (from Norway), Yusef, Daniel, Singa, Raj Kumar, and myself. Singa dropped off Raj Kumar and headed back down to take his son, Samuel (age 10 months), to the doctor. As we walked up the trail the morning light was arriving and we could catch glimpses of the mountains. We also served as breakfast for myriads of leeches that jumped on our feet and legs and feasted between our stops to pull them off. Bill probably pulled off about 40. There’s a prevention for the leeches (socks and pant legs dipped in saltwater) but leeches are rare this time of year and Daniel didn’t expect them to be a problem. Bill decided that next time he won’t hike barefoot in his Tevas.

Arriving at the overlook we were greeted with a spectacular view of the Annapurnas. Here we stood a little above 6000 feet elevation looking UP at mountains that, I think, surpass 26,000 feet. Magnificent.

On our way back down, we visited a property that Mohan has purchased and Ovind is trying to develop into the Machupachure Yak Guest Ranch. The hope is to create an income stream for Frontier Mission Center to decrease the dependency on financial support from the West. Ovind and Mohan have great plans. I get the feeling that God has great plans too.

Miracles

Today is the last full day of our mission in Nepal. I am sitting at a computer in our hotel which is a little four story full of artifacts and a full length portrait of Grandfather on the wall. The Nepali people value family deeply.
We were privileged to share with many families. I was moved by the love, connection, and heart in which they interact. The Hindu teachers I instructed were given a task to list their values on an index card and put their top value on the other side (credit to Making Choices curriculum.) So many of the men put the word "Mother" as their top value. That touched me deeply, and I have wondered what God is whispering to me in the many expression of love for family.
I witnessed many incredible miracles on this trip. After a power-hike to the training center above Pokhara, I was snapping a photo of a baby and fell sideways off a retaining wall landing on my hip and side on the concrete below. It was a two foot fall, and I was spared incredible harm. Thank you, dear Father.
Bill fell off the back of a motorcycle on treacherous road conditions and rolled off a cliff banging his head and ending in a tomato patch. He bought a helmet prior to leaving that prevented any head injury. He walked up miraculously untouched. Thank you, God.
This same motorcycle broke down on their Christian village journey. Mohan's cousin, Isaac, prayed over the clutch, tweaked it a little, and it ran like a charm. Thank you for your presence and power, Lord.
In a land of water plagued by bacteria, viruses, arsenic and metals, the team has come through without one incident of stomach upset. Thank you, Jesus.
In fields and mountaintops full of mosquitoes, some carrying malaria, we remained unscathed.
Thank you for protecting us, Father.
We have lost baggage at two airports and a purse in a lodge.....all to show up with contents in- tact. Such relief~thank you, God.
To see teachers' and church planters' minds and hearts opened to the reversal of physical punishment-GOD WAS THERE. We praise you, Lord.
To witness the laying on of hands of husbands and wives speaking words of forgiveness and promises of new life-thank you, Jesus, thank you.
To witness transformation through "Brother Bill" and "Brother Tom" preaching and teaching in remote villages, God was at work and visible in them.
In the way Mark selflessly gave of himself, always behind the scenes, running all day long to ensure all the activities ran smoothly, I saw the sacrificial, gentle Love of Jesus.
We experienced weather clearing just as we needed for safe travel and journey by foot. Bill and Tom were privileged to see the entire Annapurna range of the Himalayas the last morning of our stay. We praise you, Lord.
There were many more sightings and Godincidences; these are the ones of great miracle.
With Mohan's vision and God's dreams, I have worked with a team blessed with genius, talent, depth, ideals, passion, intuition, prayer, motivation, energy, integrity, and love.
I want to thank you for your many prayers for us. I know they have played a huge part in the miracles we have experienced. Thank you for supporting us, following our blogs, sharing in ours and the Nepalis' lives, and for being an integral part of God's dreams for His world.
In Christ's Love,
Memory

Second Video Available on You Tube

Dear friends,
Here is the link to the second video that was shown at Trinity this Sunday:

www.YouTube.com/watch?v=1rHJiAAZ3AU

Rob Gosbee made it from photos I had sent him. You'll need to copy and paste the URL into your browser because I don't know how to create an actual link.
Enjoy!
Tom

The Orphanage in Mount Olive

Raj Kumar has been at the orphanage, with his older sister, Karuna, for a year. His uncle had taken them in when his alcoholic father was neglecting them, but when the uncle got sick, Mohan and Sangeeta felt compelled to take them into the care of the Frontier Mission Center (FMC) orphanage in Mount Olive (Garmi). Raj seems to have a permanent smile from ear to ear. His English is quite good so we mostly speak in English except when I’m trying to practice my Nepali with him. He tells me that the orphanage is a good place to live and that Daniel and Prema are good to the three children who live there. He likes his social studies class best and wants to study music and art. When I asked him what kind of a job he’d like to have he said maybe working as a cook or maybe a veterinarian. He plays volleyball with skill and passion. Here is a young life bursting with potential.

Karuna, 16, Raj’s older sister, is as sweet and quiet as Raj is exuberant. She completed “high school” which here means that she has completed the 10^th grade, including passing all her exams. A week ago, Karuna started her “Plus 2” schooling down in Pokhara, which they call “college.” This is roughly equivalent to 11^th and 12^th grades in the U.S. and is designed as preparation for university-bound students. Her school offers two concentrations only: education and business. She is studying business and wants to pursue that in the university.

Shanti (maybe 12) is the epitomy of sweetness and warmth. She is tiny and I don’t think I ever saw her without a smile on her face. She calls me “Tomuncle” as if it is one word. She and Daniel’s sister, Magdelini, made me cards and bouquets of flowers. Daniel told me that Shanti is constantly busy helping around the house and is always eager to cook or help out.

Daniel and Prema’s first anniversary was last week. Their first child will be born in two months. Prema had been caring for children at the orphanage and Sangeeta thought that Daniel would do well working at an orphanage since he grew up in an orphanage and understands that experience. She asked Daniel if he was wanting to be married and would he like to meet Prema. He said sure. So they had a gathering where Daniel and Prema could get to know each other. That evening, Sangeeta asked Daniel if he liked Prema and would he like to marry her. He said yes. And that was that.

In an earlier blog I wrote about tears coming into Prema’s eyes when we told her that we wanted to buy some groceries for the orphanage. On my last day visiting the orphanage Prema fixed lunch for us all. In addition to the rice and mixed vegetables, she had prepared an omelet for me. None for herself. This is how she lives. Giving away the best that she has. I asked Daniel to divide the omelet among the five of us and he cut half for me and a bite for everyone else. I think Daniel and Prema are kindred spirits.

On Monday Mark, Memory, Bill, and I all went up to the orphanage. Neighborhood teenage boys were there playing volleyball with Daniel, Raj, and Yusef on the court with the net donated by Sports Oasis (Broomfield). Memory and Mark organized the children to read letters that had been written by children at the Trinity Fest. I asked Daniel and Yusef if they would mind helping the Nepali children to write response letters. They came gladly and engaged the children with an incredible warmth and tenderness. “God sighting.” Truly, truly this was seeing the fruit of the spirit flow through these two men.

While Mark and Memory did letters with the kids I got to play some volleyball. These guys have some great volleyball skills! But darkness was falling quickly. Mohan said, “I think we should put a light up here for the kids.” This is typical Mohan. He seems to constantly be thinking of how to do something better and bigger. His vision is as big as Nepal.

After paying for the teacher training seminar and marriage seminar expenses and all of the other projects we’ve done, our team had about $950 remaining. Memory and Mark asked Mohan what were his top priorities at this time for funding. He answered: a water filter ($300) and solar (back-up) lighting ($500) for the orphanage. As a team, we feel privileged to be your emissaries of love to these precious people in Nepal. This little orphanage in Nepal, this little family, has felt loved by God through us and through you. Soon they’ll have safe water to drink and lights to do their homework at night. Thank you for making a difference in their lives.

Trip to Bidan

Friday through Sunday Bill and I (Tom) had the opportunity to travel with Mohan to the village of Bidan. I rode on the back of Mohan's motorcycle, Bill rode on the back of Ovind's motorcycle (from what I can tell, he is the only non-Nepalese Frontier Mission Staff; he's from Norway), and we were accompanied by Isaac and his wife, Binu, (on their motorcycle) who served as interpreters. In Pokhara we saw more evidence of the Dasain holiday including the two goats tied to the roof of a car. They will be sacrificed and butchered among tens of thousands of animals.
The breathtaking beauty of this country is hard to capture in photographs and even more difficult to describe in words. Truly riding by motorcycle through Nepal is a feast for the senses: forest-covered mountains, raging rivers, farmland terraced into every square foot that is more level than about 45 degrees, and a bustling people who are dressed in bright, beautiful clothing. Before turning off the paved road in Chorundi we visited three of the Frontier Mission staff who are doing church-planting work in the area we were visiting. Mann is a young single man who recently moved to this apartment (no running water, no bathroom, no kitchen, not even any windows!) from a much worse apartment. No wonder these staff can scrape by on so few dollars each month.
The dirt road up to Bidan was quite the challenge, but riding the motorcycles up was preferable to the five-hour hike up it would have been.
Our hosts, Bijay (the pastor) and his wife, Sunita, showed us such warm hospitality. They are one of the wealthier families in the village, with livestock, a tin roof, and an upstairs in their home. Being a Christian in this village makes an economic difference: non-Christian men waste their time drinking and playing cards and earn hardly any income. Christians apply themselves and become successful in their jobs. Sunita seemed to work non-stop. Here she cooks on an open wood fire in her kitchen. Though Bijay and Sunita have hardly any education, they have instilled a passion for education in their three children, ages 16-21. All three are in college or college bound.
Saturday is Christian worship day in Nepal and Mohan asked me to present my parenting material from the marriage seminar. The joy and passion of the singing seemed to lift me into heaven. The congregation of about 120 was squeezed (sitting, not a chair in the building) inside with the males on one side and the females on the other. It was very helpful to have gotten feedback on my parenting material from the participants of the marriage seminar, so I plunged right in and shared my vision of parenting children through love, choices, and communication.
Mohan had asked Bill and I to speak at the annual Youth Conference the next morning. About sixty teenagers had come from all nine churches in the area. These nine churches have grown out of this original church in Bidan which was started seven years ago. There are now over 700 baptized believers in these churches and, let me tell you, these folks are passionate about Jesus. We heard many stories of people being healed and lives being radically transformed in the power of the Spirit.
Here was Bill, in his element with youth, half-way around the Earth. He started out with "Who came the furthest?" One group of teens had walked five hours to the conference. His other "icebreakers" set the stage for having a wonderful morning of interacting with these young believers. Bill taught about having ones own personal relationship with Christ and how we can see the Spirit at work in our lives. Mohan had asked me to speak on "how to find a good marriage partner" and "sexual purity." I asked the teens to break into groups and discuss what they hope to find in a marriage partner. When they then shared their ideas in the large group, they described finding a partner with good character. It became clear to me that these young believers had already received very wise teaching from their leaders. Later when I asked them to write down what they want and don't want in a marriage partner, they worked so diligently I could hardly believe it! It was such an incredible blessing to spend a half-day with these godly young people.
Because I had rained so much the previous two days, Bill, Binu, and I walked down to Chorundi instead of riding on the back of the motorcycles. Bill estimates over 4000 feet elevation drop and my legs are still sore two days later!
What an incredible experience to visit this church that is having such an impact on its community. Sangeeta told us that there are about 60 new believers in these 8 or 9 churches who have done the preparation and will be baptized in a couple of weeks. Where there was darkness, there is great light. Where there was despair, there is great hope. Bidan is living testimony to the power of Jesus' love.
Thank you dear friends for traveling through Nepal with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Tom Olschner

We're Back!

Hello from Nepal,
I can't begin to describe all the feelings, thoughts and emotions I have about this time spent in Nepal. Our journey here is drawing to a close and we will begin our trek home in the morning, Wednesday. We are leaving Pokahara at 9 AM for our flight back to Kathmandu. The views should be nothing short of spectacular. We stay in Kathmandu for two nights, on to Singapore for one night and then home. We are scheduled to arrive in Denver about 6:30 PM Saturday evening. I 'm sure we will all be tired with the 12 hour time difference. It will take some time to get back on "our" clock again. We still have many things we would like to accomplish but the clock is ticking. I think we could stay another month and still have things to do.
Mohan and Sangeeta have been so generous, helpful and giving in all they have done for us. Our love and blessings go to them. Our time here would not have been so successful without all their hard work. The four of us have a team meeting this afternoon to discuss some final decisions we need to make. From there we are going to dinner at the local area director's house. After that we will finish packing and head to bed so we can get up bright and early to begin our trip home.
Thanks to all of our faithful followers who have been posting comments. It has really been a treat and a delight to read what you have to say!
From our hearts to yours,
Mark Lamfers

Gotta get back in time

Hello from Nepal to all our family, friends and loved ones,
Today's blog is about some experiences we had at the beginning of our trip. We are going back in time like the movie series "Back to the Future" which were released some years ago. When we began our trip and we were in Singapore and we had one day to see as much of the city as we could possible squeeze in. So, as you can well imagine we were on the run, heading every which direction at the same time. Shortly after noon we were hunting for a museum we were interested in. We were standing on a street corner trying to get our sense of direction. I was standing a short distance from the others, taking in the sights and sounds of Singapore. As I was standing there, a young lady from Singapore stopped and asked me if she could help us find what we were looking for. I couldn't help but wonder what other responsibilities she may have had to do at that time, but yet she still was willing to help us poor souls who were obviously lost or looking for something. I thought of how sweet it was for her to help.
One other story I'd like to share is when we arrived in Kathmandu. Memory had made many of our travel plans over the internet with a travel agent in Kathmandu. She sent many emails back and forth arranging our plans. He said he would pick us at the airport. As we made our way through customs and all the outdoor crowds of people, we saw a sign with "Memory Lamfers" on it. What a relief to see that sign. They then loaded all our heavy luggage on the roof of their van, took us to our hotel, unloaded all our luggage and stayed with us for another two hours explaining things we needed to know and helping us with our cell phone. They finally just gave one of their phones to use while we are here. They have also contacted us during the trip to check on some plans.
Both of these stories show me God's generous and giving spirit is alive and well the world over. Without these people in our lives, who knows where we could be now.
Finally, Tom and Bill have gone on a two day journey to some remote villages in the mountains to visit some church planters. Memory and I are going into the heart of Pokhara to stay for these two days so we will not post any blogs for the next couple of days. From our hearts to yours, we will talk soon.
With God's Blessings,
Mark Lamfers

The Holy Sacrament of Marriage

As the day comes to a close, the halls of our conference center are silent, empty, and dark. The scurry of missionary couples and the sweet voices of their children have been hushed with their morning departure. The staff has gone home to be with family for the festival of Dasain. Bill and Tom took huge loads of groceries up the mountain to the orphanage and Training Center (steep, steep, steep and rocky.) Bill went on foot and Tom by motorcycle. Tom is practicing his biking skills for tomorrow's long bike journey with Mohan, Sangeeta, Bill, and Singa to visit distant villages where both Bill and Tom will preach and teach.
The marriage conference was a resounding success. We have all been emotionally processing it throughout this day. It was not an ordinary, but rather an extraordinary, conference. Bill and Mark cared for the children to enable the missionaries the freedom to grow and learn as couples. And, learn they did! Wow! An educator can assess his success by the results of his students. The results were unbelievable. Each man and woman shared their growth at the end of the conference, and each person's sharing lasted ten to fifteen minutes. The sharings were open, tearful, thoughtful, transparent, and deep. With the power of the Holy Spirit, Tom not only changed people's thinking, he changed people's hearts. Couples' marriages and families were given new life.
None of us will ever be the same. The God we love and serve is a God of Restoration and Reconciliation. Without a doubt, Living Water flowed abundantly through the lives of those Tom came to teach and to touch.
In His Holy Name we send our love,
Memory

Nepal Video Shown in Church

Here's a link to the video that was shown at both services last week at church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkC1gnALRas

Namaste,
Bill

A lot of pix from Fun Night

Read Mark's blog next that says some about the wonderful "Fun Night" we had with the 21 couples at the Marriage Seminar. Our skit (Mark's and my arms "helping" Memory and Bill get ready for the day) got a lot of laughs. The end of the evening involved a chorus echoed back and forth between the women and then men in which they repeatedly make up new verses in response to each other. Incredible! It was accompanied by much dancing, smiles, and laughter. This was my favorite part of the trip, so far. Jaymasi! Tom

Dance Party!

It is Tuesday, October 12 about 9:30 p.m. We are all exhausted and ready for bed, but I know there are still several things to do. It has been a long day. We were awakened this morning, about 5 a.m., by people singing and chanting for the local Hindu celebration of Dasain. Tom finished day two of his marriage seminar and is looking forward to the start of day three. I think he might be glad when tomorrow is over so he can relax. At that point all our "work" will be done and we will be able to enjoy some "down" time. After dinner tonight we had a "Festival Night" where we did skits, danced and sang the night away. That lasted for about two hours. I have really lost track of time. It feels like we have been gone forever but I know it hasn't been that long. It has been an overwhelming experience so far and the days fly by so fast I haven't had time to process it all. I am keeping a daily journal so I will be able to reflect back at a later date. Well, it's getting late and we have a 7 a.m. team meeting in the morning. Best get to bed.
Thanks for all your prayers and support,
Mark Lamfers

Tom started the first day of the marriage conference, and we started the morning by worshiping with all of the church planters who had come to attend the conference. It was water to my soul and I remembered how much I love it when the Body of Christ assembles.

Today, Mark and I were busy taking care of the kids ages 5+. Needless to say I'm exhausted. Even though the day was long, it warmed places in my heart. Especially this one boy named Safal. He is six. He calls me "Uncle" and holds my hand when we walk down the street. We like to make paper airplanes and kick back and fourth the soccer ball.

The relationships we are building here are achieving depth and there are times I know my heart won't allow me to stay away from Nepal for too long. The people here are incredible in so many ways. They have faces that were meant to smile. They are a hard working people. Allow me to repeat; they are a hard working people who posses an attractive humility. I'm warmly greeted most everywhere I go, and it has become a reflex action to draw my palms together at my chest whenever I greet someone or when I am thankful. When I'm back home, this will be a difficult habit to break.

I'm falling more in love with this place, but I hope it's not in a naive way, like a tourist who is seduced by the beauty of a new place would. Even though I am a temporary visitor to this place I like to think that I am not completely unaware to Nepal and her suffering. Time stands still here, and it's easier to understand why the metaphors for life here came to be.

Namaste,
Bill

Please pray for our Marriage Seminar

Well, it is 9:00 p.m. Sunday night here and all but two of the families have arrived for the three-day seminar which starts tomorrow. We should have 20 couples in the seminar, 8 grade-school kids that will be cared for by Bill and Mark, and 5 babies and toddlers who will be cared for by two Nepali women.
It is obvious that this group getting together is for them, coming together as family. They are so pleased to see each other and spend time together. Many of them came long distances. Two couples arrived this morning after a 19-hour bus ride (complete with goats, I hear!) from Western Nepal. Uttar and his wife, Manu, (at left in photo) took a 14-hour motorcycle ride over two days to get here. Mark and Bill were teasing me, saying, "Tom, this marriage seminar better be good!"
I feel so blessed to get to spend these next three days with these folks. We will all be learning together, I hope.
Today the four of us walked up to Mount Olive to meet with Basu (second from left, next to Memory), the principal of the high school. He is full of ideas for improving the education for his students and for partnering with Americans. We discussed his plans for creating a computer lab at his school. Mohan has shared with us how important it is to him for FMC to be supporting improvements in the community as part of their mission to the community.
Just down the hill is the FMC Training Center and Mohan gave us a tour and shared about their ministry there. It is incredible how much they've done on so little. They have built the Training Center for only $17,000 and it includes a classroom, kitchen, seven bedrooms, a dorm room, bathrooms, and storage rooms. Several of the FMC staff live at the Center and they use it many times each year for trainings for the FMC staff.
When we arrived back in Pokhara from Mount Olive we saw these two women who greeted us. I thought that I recognized the older woman from yesterday when Bill and I worked on the road with the villagers. But these women greeted Memory as if she were a long-lost sister, and I'm sure that neither of them had met her before. They hugged her and smiled and they and Memory spoke back and forth, none of them understanding hardly anything that was being spoken. This country seems to be filled with warm, friendly people. And you mix that with Memory Lamfers and you have yourself quite a love fest!
Yesterday Memory finished up the three-day Teacher Training Conference and it was a resounding success. So many of the teachers raved about how helpful it had been to them. Mohan asked Bill and I if we would head up to Mount Olive (about a 50-minute walk from here) and pitch in with the villagers on their project of improving the gravel road to their village. Mohan has been a catalyst for helping the people of Mount Olive to come together and improve the road which gets washed out during the monsoon. It was such a joy to see that community working together on that project. The work yesterday should have completed enough of the improvements to get the daily bus going again between Mount Olive and Pokhara. Here is Bill carrying a rock that was HUGE.
As I write this, now at about 10:00 p.m here in Nepal, it is 10:15 a.m. in Arvada and I can picture you at Trinity visiting between services. I am so glad to be here as your representative. May God's rich blessings be yours this week.
Jaymasi, (the Nepali Christian greeting: "To Jesus be the Victory")
Tom