Even though I am excited to come back home and enjoy the luxury that I live in there, it is going to be tough to say goodbye to Nepal and the people who live here. It has been a really awesome and eye-opening experience. Another thing I am going to miss very much is the Norwegian House. Everyday we have been in Nepal, this house has felt more and more like home. It is also awesome here because I am constantly surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ and it is very uplifting to my spirit.
I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity to come to Nepal and teach kids The Gospel. I was very nervous to stand up in front of them and teach my lessons; I didn't want to mess anything up (which I definitely did more than once). But seeing those little faces looking and attentively listening to the stories we told made it worthwhile. The translators also helped out because the kids probably didn't know if we messed up more than a little bit.
Getting sick was only a minor setback in the grand scheme of things. It was really hard for me to feel like I had a purpose here during that time, but my health was restored quickly and I remembered that my sickness may have actually helped someone. One of the nurses at the hospital seemed pretty interested in a Christian book I was reading. I wish I had talked to her more about it but I hope that it at least sparked her curiosity enough to make her look into it more if she is not already Christian. Maybe some of the kids would take to heart more of what I said when I was there and some of them would be more impacted by another team member that had to cover for me. There are a lot of reasons I can think of that could have been why I got so sick while I was here. I also got the honor of meeting my new friend Bishal. I know I've already said it but he was such a blessing to me and my dad and he is a great guy who kept me entertained for a couple of days when I just had to sit in bed. Honestly if I had to do it over again, I would gladly do it.
Raju, Rajan, and Binita are also great people that we had with us. That whole family is so caring and compassionate and faithful. They are awesome and I'm so glad I got to meet them. I hope to see all the people I met on this trip again soon! But if not in this life, at least I know I will see them again in the next in heaven.
Another thing I'm going to miss is all of the dogs. They are seriously everywhere and I absolutely love it. I want to kneel down and scratch each and every one of their heads and hug them. I don't care how mangy they are, they are still adorable and they have feelings too. Today on the van ride back to Kathmandu, I was thinking I should come back here after I get my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. I could come here for a week or a month or however long, and just pick up all the random dogs on the streets, nueter/spay them, and return them back to where I found them. I mean... I love puppies and all, but a lot of these dogs aren't well taken care of and I don't think my efforts would cause a major change in the dog population, but at least I could do something. Being a crazy animal lover is hard to do here because they say don't pet the animals! The other day while we were waiting for our taxi to get gas (funny story - ask me about it sometime - or maybe someone else blogged about it), a healthy looking dog walked over to me wagging his furry tail and he sat down right at my feet. It seemed like I was his master or something because he stayed there for quite a while. I loved him and I almost gave in and pet him but then he decided something else was interesting and got up to go check it out. Anyway, I probably should stop talking about the animals because otherwise this post would take everyone about ten years to read.
I hope that I never forget my experiences here in Nepal. Until now, I didn't feel much emotional change. But thinking about leaving here is almost bringing me to tears now. I want to see more children, spread The Gospel more, and let this little light of mine shine brighter across this nation so that they all can be saved. But I know that we are leaving this country in good hands.
Someday, everyone will see all of God's glory and know that he is the One True God and the only Savior; but until then, the pastors, teachers, missionaries, and other servants of the Lord will be working to bring The Gospel and salvation to as many people as possible!
Thank you for following the blog throughout the trip even though I posted much less often than expected. I will most likely have at least one or two more posts (maybe in Istanbul, then one when I return home). Now it is past my bedtime so I probably should sign off. So good afternoon, or night, or whatever part of the day it is!
Love,
Erica
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