I Did Not Climb Everest, But I Touched It With My Heart

The title of this post came from a quote I saw on a t-shirt on our flight over Everest.  It was an amazing experience, the pictures in the post do not even come close to seeing it with my own eyes.
On Monday, November 19, our plan is to fly over Everest. We got up at 4:00 AM so we can be out the door by 4:45.  We were a little concerned about finding a taxi at the time of the morning but since we live right across the street from the hospital  SAMASYAA CHHAINA no problem!  We're on our way to the Trihuvan Airport.  We've arranged for our flight with someone who knows someone.  We didn't even have to pay for this flight until a few days after we'd gone.  We get to the front of the line and someone comes and gets us, takes us to the front of another line and really takes care of us, we assume it's because we know someone who knows someone else, anyway after we've gotten the first class treatment, he wants $$$$.  So much for thinking we're special, just another white face who they think has $$$$$.  We've been looking forward to this trip for quite awhile, the air has not been very clear and even on this morning we're not positive we're going to see Everest.

On our way to Everest flight

This cute little guy was waiting in line in front of us

Once we got through the clouds look what we saw...........

This was the first time since we arrived that we were able to see the Himalayan mountains

Our little plane

We all got to walk up to the cockpit and look out the front window of the plane

The peak of this mountain is Choba-Bhamre (Holy Mountain)  19,581 feet

Here it is.....Mount Everest on the right also call Sagarmatha  29,028 feet

I just finished reading Into Thin Air, pretty amazing book, pretty crazy people who risk everything just to say they made it to the top of Everest, thus my title:  I did not climb Everest, but I touched it with my heart.

The next day is the festival Tihar, Kent really explains this festival in his blog, I'm just going to share the fun stuff.   The first day we worship the crow, I threw a garland around Hari instead.  He felt so honored and thanked me, he loves marigolds.

Tihar is sort of like Christmas with lots of lights and Halloween all rolled up into one festival.  We decorated our doorway to get ready for the children who would come singing for candy and coins, (the big boys wanted the paper money)

We had 3 different little groups of boys, the later it got the bigger the boys.

On the night  the lights were turned on downtown we decided to take Hari, Rukmina and Hitson to dinner, we all picked our favorite restaurant and drew one out of a hat, Rukmina won, we're going to Fire and Ice for pizza.

Looks like Remmps had the same idea, with Jessica and Laxmi

This is dinner,  pizza and fresh fried potato chips (Kent's favorite)

After we walked around New Road to admire the lights, not quite like Temple Square but it was fun.

All the shops paint the doorways so that the goddess Laxmi will enter and bless their homes with health and wealth, some go way out....

Others are not quite as fancy, this man has a little red trail into his store so Laxmi knows to "come in"

Now this one, I asked the shopkeeper about the swastika, he said, "you know the Germans, it's a swastika,"  I told him "that is not a good sign"  I came home and looked it up, it is the sign of the 4 "L's" for good luck.  They don't even get it.  We see a lot of these swastika signs around and people do not understand the meaning, be it good or bad.

On Wednesday the 14th, we spent the day at home on the computer and skyping the church in Salt Lake to get some more information about an agricultural project we're thinking about doing with our branch.  We had a lot of questions.  Right now we're getting ready to write up our projects for next year.  It takes a lot of time, back and forth talking with S.L. specialist, finding out costs of things, and making sure we have the correct government approvals.  What would take an hour or two at home making phone calls takes 3 or 4 days because we have to go and have face to face with many people to get questions answered.   

Thursday is the last day of Tika, it call Bhaai Tika or brother's tika.  Families gather and sisters give their brother tika, and brothers in return give their sisters a gift.  Rakesh has invited us to his wife's mother's home to participate in this day.  You know how I keep saying I feel like I'm back in the day of Abraham, well, this was another one of those days......

This is Sunila's mother (Sunila is Rakesh's wife), these are her brothers, one is 80 something, the other is 70 something.  She prepares by putting in a leaf bowl a candle on 4 corners, she then takes a small pitcher of water a sprinkles it around them 7 times, she then takes a little container of oil and a leaf and then brushes the oil around 7 times.  She comes back, they remove their Topi's (hat) and she sprinkles oil and water on their heads, shoulders, and knees.  Is this sounding a little familiar to anyone?   She then gives them a tika on their foreheads with 7 different colors.  

She then places a garland around their necks, they then are given a tray with curd, spinach, and a small fish that they must eat.  This is for good luck.  Brothers then put tika on the sisters forehead and give her a gift, usually money.

These are the sisters now giving tika to the brothers, if a sister does not have a brother she may give tika to a cousin.  There are 3 sisters here but only two brothers, the other one is a cousin.  They call them cousin brothers  and cousin sisters all the time.

This is Sunila getting tika from her brother

These are Rakesh's children, Rashisha is giving tika to her little brother Jerrik, she's being so careful.

Sunila is feeding Jerrik the curd which he kept gagging on, but he needs to finish the whole thing.

Now it's Kent's and Greg's turn

Kent giving Sunila tika, we knew a little about this before we went so luckily we had bought Sunila a little gift.  Bangles, a woman in Nepal can never have too many bangles!

Eating the curd, fish and spinach for good luck.

Now the interesting part of this ritual is, once again, no one can really explain why they do certain things or what they mean.  They know some of it is for good health and wealth but that's about all they know.  We came home and looked it up, very interesting.  Kent wrote more about this festival in his blog.   We then were served lunch, dahl bhaat, chicken, pickle (when they tell you pickle, it is not what we know to be a pickle, it is a very, very hot and spicy mixture of I don't know what, but if anybody wants me to eat pickle, I politely decline).  We also had mutton (goat meat) and a few other tasty items.  After we ate they gave us something called "pon."  It is a leaf filled with sweet spices, it's supposed to be a breath freshener after a meal.  Carol took hers apart and ate the inside, wrong, you have to eat the whole thing at once.  So she had to eat another one.  I couldn't fit the whole thing into my mouth so I just slowly ate it.  It actually wasn't too bad.

I almost forgot after they finish the tika ceremony they give the brothers a tray full of goodies, candies, curd, fruit.  Here is what Kent came home with

The bowl is a hand made pottery bowl of curd (yogurt), it is very yummy. I made yogurt pancakes, yogurt banana bread and then I tried washing out the bowl for about 1/2 hour until Rukmina came in and said "no sister, you just throw the bowl away."   What a very interesting day we had.  Friday was spent grocery shopping again a 3 hour job, working on the computer and getting ready for the Sabbath, the next day.

On Saturday we had 54 visitors from an INGO from the states.  We met up with Chante who had brought us some things from home,  thanks to all who made sure we got those things we needed.  They filled up our little chapel, no extra chairs at all.  The Nepali's love it when visitors come.

On Sunday we had an appointment with the director of the hospital we are working with, with HBB.  We had somethings to get cleared up before the doctors come in January.  We have quite a bit to do in the next 8 weeks.  We then rushed to the YM/YW/YSA conference where Kent and I were asked to speak on "The Light of Christ" through service.  

On Monday, we are having a Relief Society conference.  All the women come dressed in their saris.  What a fun tradition!

Rukmina dressed me for the Woman's Conference in her beautiful black and gold sari, bangles and all. Somewhere I have pictures of her dressing me in it.  It is about 5 meters of fabric that they pleat and  wrap around you, that's about 5.5 yds of fabric and make sure you have plenty of safety pins.  

On Tuesday, the 20th we went to meet with Keshab and Uma, a new investigator family.  They have 2 children and last week their daughter Sweata was baptized in India.  Her cousin-sister, from India is a returned missionary and Sweata went to visit and get baptized.  Hopefully they will all be baptized in the next couple of weeks.  Carol, Laxmi, Rukmina and I all go together we want to have a kurta-surwal made.  Keshab owns a sari and kurta shop.  I bought fabric for 2 kurtas, Carol bought fabric for 2 kurtas, 1 sari and some warm pajamas, Laxmi bought fabric for 3 kurtas and Rukmina bought fabric for 1 kurta.  Carol commented to Keshab as we left, "see how the Lord is blessing you already,"  He smiled and told us he was grateful for our business.

Keshab and Uma, aren't they a cute couple?  They have a sewing center around the corner where we all went and got measured for our kurtas.  I paid about $5 for the sewing part of my kurta and about $20 for the fabric.  That is 2 kurta's (tops) and the surwals are the pants.  Can't wait to see them!  Later that night we went to the new U.S. Ambassador to Nepal's home.  Oh my what a home, I felt like I was anywhere but Nepal.  It was a very interesting meeting.  People got to ask questions.  He was a very nice man.  On our way out,  we got outside the gate and I thought I would take a picture, not a good idea!  I had two security guards come up to me and made sure that I deleted the picture.  It was kind of weird, they watched me take the picture, I don't know why they waited until I was done.  

Yesterday we went to Bhaktapor to visit an inactive member.  Suman is a returned missionary but not active and he and his wife just had a baby a few weeks ago. Hopefully, he will come back to church and bring his cute wife and new son.   This is who I made the baby blanket for.  

Bhaktapor is very old city where Suman lives.  I'm not going to show you all the sights because Kent is going to do a blog about this old city, but again I felt as if I were visiting an ancient biblical city as I walked around and went into his home.  It was four stories, old wooden windows, clay floors and very small and very cold rooms.  This new little mother had her baby all bundled up and laying on a blanket on the floor with the sun shining through a window to keep him warm.  I do not know how they live the way they do, they are amazing and I pray for them everyday. They gave us warm sweet buffalo milk to drink, it was very good.  This city is also where that good curd comes from in the pottery dishes.

Today is Thanksgiving, it doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving, Carol and I went over to the church to throw away lots of old stuff that isn't used anymore, old manuals and teaching aids.  We have to go back to do some more tomorrow and clean up our mess before church on Saturday. After, Kent and I went to the printers to order some HBB workbooks for January and did a little grocery shopping.  I have to fix dinner for the YSA fireside at our home on Saturday.  We then went to Mike's with Elder and Sister Remmp for our Thanksgiving dinner.  They were preparing a traditional dinner for those who wanted turkey and pumpkin pie.  We spent about 2.5 hours eating and enjoying each others company and talking about kids. 

 Appetizer, tomato soup, deviled egg, tortilla chips with guacamole,and carrots, radishes, goat cheese and cucumbers

Turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, veggies and corn bread muffins, I forgot to take a picture of the pie.

Good Food and Good Company

The only thing missing is family, but how grateful I am for my family and for the love and support they show us while we are away.  I'm so grateful for modern technology and that I can call and see them almost face to face, to see my grandchildren and know they won't forget me because we can visit almost anytime we want.  Next week I will put up our little Christmas tree, it will certainly be different this year, I'm sure I'll be homesick but I am grateful for this opportunity to be in Nepal.  I'm thankful for our Heavenly Father's children who manage to live everyday without all the things I have been blessed with and they do it without bitterness and without complaint.  They are amazing and I will continue in this work because I know "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" each and everyday.  I am learning that I can do hard things, and I can be happy and thankful while doing them.  I'm grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ for the blessings and opportunities that are mine because I know He lives and I know He loves me.