25 June 2012

I know it's taken a long time to update our blag. There's been a lot going on, let alone jet lag and trying to adjust the body clocks. Arriving in Kathmandu, we really didn't experience jet lag, so this has been a new ball game for us. I think we are getting on top of things. We have had a house full of company, and we've loved every minute of it. Families are so wonderful and we love and appreciate ours, their strength and support is really appreciated. This post will end our blog. We hope you have been able to get a taste of what we've been involved in. It's been a wonderful experience for us and we express our gratitude and love to our Father in Heaven and thank Him for the opportunity we have had to represent Him and our older brother Jesus Christ. We have been blessed so abundantly. If anyone out there is thinking about serving a mission, we encourage you to go - - - you will never regret it and the Lord will bless you. He has us and we acknowledge those blessings.

 

24 June 2012 Sunday

This morning we went to the Stake Center and reported our mission  to the Stake Presidency and High Council. I don’t know why but I was pretty nervous. President Stahli welcomed us and introduced the High Council. We know most of them and soon felt at ease. Pres. Stahli shared a letter from Pres. Jackson. I almost wondered who he was talking about. It was very complimentary and we appreciate it so much. We both shared our testimonies and a couple of experiences from our mission. It was a wonderful experience.

We returned and it was time to go to the church. It was good to see so much family and many dear friends. We were surprised when Elder and Sister Christiansen from Provo and Elder and Sister Bradshaw from Beaver walked in. We didn’t know they were coming and really appreciated their being there. They had both previously served in Nepal. Also our whole Stake Presidency was there. And we appreciate their support.

 We felt good about our meeting. We didn’t have a lot of time, but were able to share a little about the Branch and about the temple trip, mainly GC’s story. Gene shared a bit more about Elder Adhikari and about some of the Humanitarian work. It was so hard to decide what to share.

Our children and spouses ...oh how we love them!

My siblings and spouses - all but one brother.

Gene and I, Sister / Elder Christiansen and Sister / Bradshaw

Our kids had planned a Brunch for family and friends. Konnie spearheaded it and it was wonderful. We sure do appreciate her and all that she did to help us. We had a good crowd here and enjoyed good food and visiting. After dinner we showed our little movie to those who wanted to see it and they seemed to enjoy it. We have had wonderful day.

23 June 2012 Saturday

Today we went with Brent to the Verizon store. Gene and I both got iPhones. I can hardly believe it. Now to learn how to use it. 

We have a house full with Jason and Tiffany and kids and Brent. Clay and Sam and Family came this afternoon. Our kids were all here for dinner. Stacey, Makayla, Hallie, and the Ricks family were also here. We had sweet and sour chicken over rice, rolls and brownies with ice cream for dessert. We had a good time visiting and then watch our movie that we made about Nepal.

It was after ten o’clock by the time we went to bed. I’m hoping for a good night’s sleep. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow.

22 June 2012

It’s been a little quieter today and we are starting to feel like we are getting on top of the jet lag thing.

This afternoon I’ve tried to work on the talk a little more and l feel that it’s starting to come together. It’s just so hard, we have had so many wonderful experiences – just what to share? I’m praying for inspiration.

21 June 2012

I woke up just after three and got up shortly after 3:30. I’ still trying to put thoughts together for Sunday. I sort of have some ideas, but nothing definite. Today just trying to get back in the swing of things. It's really strange not to have your day planned out for you and things you need to take care of. I'm not sure I like having 'free time.' I will need to get used to this.

We did go to Logan for the CT scan on my ear. Of course they don't tell you anything and we will have to wait till we see the doctor again on Tuesday next week. 

We did stop in the Frame Shop to see Sue and she was so excited to see us. It was good to see her too and catch up a little on what's going on in her world.

20 June 2012 Wednesday

Gene and I went to the temple early this morning. We were there for the 7:00 session. No one had told me they had redone the waiting area and I thought I was in the wrong place for a minute. It’s bigger and it’s beautiful. There’s an organ there and music quietly playing while you wait for the session. It was so good to be in the temple.We were only able to go once during our mission and that was when we went to Manila with some of our branch members.

19 June 2012

I slept better after taking some Melatonin but still I was just so tired today. I will be glad to get my body clock adjusted. I have been walking early in the mornings with Alison. We’ve walked up to Meikles and back. The valley is beautiful and green and the air is clear. You can see the mountains on all sides. Very Nice!

This morning Gene went with me to see Dr. Blotter about my ear. I did have a hearing test and he looked in it. After the exam he said I could still have some fluid or infection in my ear and wanted me to do a CT bone scan. We made an appointment for Thursday and then another doctor appointment for next Tuesday.

Gene did call Church Travel about the $400 charge for our additional bags. We had thought since it was an international flight we could each have two bags and a carry on. But since our flight out of Kathmandu was on Jet Airlines only to Delhi, they said one bag. Church travel said the mission our reimburse us for the charge. That was good news.

We ran a few errands, going in to WalMart for the first time since coming back. It’s a little overwhelming to see so much stuff. We still are amazed and just know we take soooo much for granted.

We are going to bed fairly early and find that we are tired at the end of the day.

18 June 2012

I didn’t sleep much last night. It seems that I woke up about every hour and had a hard time getting back to sleep. Then I woke again about three. About four, Gene rolled over and told me I just as well get up and work on my talk. I did. I started putting some thoughts together, but it’s just so overwhelming. There’s no way I can cover half of what I would like to. So, I guess I just need to prioritize and decide what I want to share.

Alison opened the back door about 5:45 and asked if I would like to go for a walk. I said yes, that I was waiting for her. We walked up the road and then turned in and walked through the new subdivision on top of the hill. There are a few new houses. Smithfield is growing

Today has been a different day for me. I just have been so tired and no energy or motivation. I hope I can attribute it to jet lag and I hope I can get over it pretty quickly. I feel there’s quite a bit to do before Saturday and I just don’t have the get up and go.

17 June 2012

It’s been a wonderful day but it’s now 8:15 pm and I’m pretty tired. Gene was up pretty early and had gone for a walk. I woke up about 5:45 am and actually had a pretty good night’s sleep. I got in the shower and again, the shower feels really nice.

We walked to church this morning. It has been a beautiful day, sunshine and clear blue skies. We can see the mountains and its green and such a contrast to Nepal. We are loving being home, but still, the heartstrings tug us and we miss the people there.

It was good to see ward members and friends. We stayed for Sacrament Meeting. The speaker was a returned missionary who had been home for five years. He said there aren’t that many returned missionaries and encouraged young men to serve and said it’s one of the very best decisions they will ever make. We enjoyed his talk and know we will soon be on the speaking schedule.

We came home after Sacrament Meeting and went to Mendon to attend church with Chad and Konnie and family. Our grandson, Jaxton turned 12 yesterday and was being ordained a Deacon today. What a special young man. We are so proud of him. He’s making the right decisions and will be prepared and ready to serve a mission. Chad and Konnie are doing the right things with their sons. They are good boys.

16 June 16, 2012 Saturday

Actually, I slept pretty good. We were up fairly early and went to the Stake Center to meet with President Stahli and be released as full time missionaries. We had a wonderful visit with him. He did share with us a letter he had received from Pres. Jackson our mission president. We wondered who Pres. Jackson was talking about. We do appreciate his kindness.  

He did say that we would be asked to speak in the wards in our stake. Pres Stahli asked that we be bold in telling people how great it is to serve as senior missionaries. We had told him that with Skype and being able to talk with family often, there is really no excuse for not serving a mission. The Lord prepares a way and there is such a need for couples with so many options available.

After returning home, Gene and I changed clothes and then went to Lee’s Supermarket to get a few groceries. What fun as we walked up and down the aisles looking at all the produce and stuff in the store, all so orderly and looking great. It was a bit overwhelming.

We spent the rest of the day trying to get things put away and emptying out the suitcases. There’s a lot of wash to do and it just takes time.  It is nice to be home.

15 June 2012

It was a long layover in New Delhi. We did have to wait in the transfer area for a couple of hours before we could get to the main part of the airport. By then we were ready for a bite to eat and went to McDonalds. That’s not my favorite place, but it seemed to be the best option. We still have about four more hours and found a quiet corner, but it’s hard to get much sleep in the airport.  Things were pretty uneventful as we waited to board the plane. We were quite far back and the seats were like a sardine can. We were pretty squished. We did have two seats on the side so that was good. We were both able to catch a little sleep on the flight and that was good.

When we arrived in Paris, it was raining. We disembarked and had to run to catch a bus to come inside the airport. We got a little wet. We came in the main terminal and then had to catch another bus to take us to a different terminal and we finally found our gate. It wasn’t too bad, but we think of Nick and wonder how that young man will navigate his way around. I think he will be fine.

Again, it was wait for a couple more hours to board the plane and then it’s Salt Lake City, here we come. We will be happy to get home.

When we went through security before boarding the plane to Salt Lake, they wanted me to open my suitcase and said there were some scissors in my bag. I was puzzled and couldn’t think of any scissors. We opened the bag and couldn’t find any. Finally we unloaded everything in the bag and they ex-rayed it again, they could still see scissors, but couldn’t find them. Finally, finally, they had it narrowed to one specific spot. There was just a little red first aid kit full of band aids and gauze pads. Inside that was a little pair of scissors, about 5 inches long. Everyone was very good about it and it was kind of like ‘where’s Waldo?” They did keep the scissors. I was glad the lines were short. We didn’t really hold anything up.

Patiently waiting for us

Gene getting a warm welcome from son Chad

A warm embrace and welcome for his mom... special!

So nice to have Porter and Jaxton care for our bags. Thanks!

The welcoming committee-so good to see them.

We arrived in Salt Lake right on time. It took a little time to get through customs and then we walked out to cheers and kids there to welcome us. It was so good to see everyone and so good to be back home. We took a couple of pictures and then the guys took out baggage out to the van. We rode with Alison to Layton where we all stopped at Red Robin for lunch. I wasn’t all that hungry but ate anyway. We had a good time. Then Gene and I rode to Mendon with Chad and Konnie where we picked up our car. Chad had licensed it for us and we were good to drive home. Chad said that Paul had asked him if he thought we would be okay driving home...Yeah! It’s good to be on wide roads with painted lines….and organized traffic….even though it’s going really fast.

It was good to drive through Smithfield. There’s not many changes – things looked great. It was so nice to walk in the house. I hesitated just a moment when I turned on the water and realized I could drink straight from the tap. And I can’t describe how nice it was to wash my hands in warm water. So many little things that we take for granted.

We were so tired that bed just sounded great. I don’t think it will take long to fall asleep.

14 June 2012

We are sitting in the Delhi airport with a seven hour layover – time to catch up on the events of the day.

I slept until 4:30 am. Gene was already up and I got up about 4:45, thinking Rempp’s were probably up. They weren’t. We checked email and that kind of stuff. They came down about 7:15. We talked more and went over more information.

Last night we got an email from Sis. Jackson saying that Elder Bogati had an appointment with the British Embassy on Monday, June 18^th. They had sent his application to Pres. Bishnu and hoped that it would get there in time. We hope so too but now someone else will worry about getting it done. Sister Jackson said it would cost lots of money and said for him to be prepared to pay. We turned all this over to the Rempp’s.

Gene took Elder and Sister Rempp to the bank and over to the Social Welfare Council to introduce them. At the bank, they wouldn’t accept the power of Attorney letter because it didn’t have the Notary Stamp on it and also in order to put Sister Rempp on the account, the letter had to include her name. Gene called and had me send an email to Elder Meehan seeing if he could get one. When they got back, we Skyped him and he had a couple of options, one being a Chinese chop with a Chinese signature. We won’t know how that went, if they accepted it or not.

Nick and Chris came to say goodbye, Sarita and Sarea came.Rakesh came and Pres. Bishnu came to load our luggage and take us to the airport. I’ve been a little nervous today, not sure why – and a few butterflies in my tummy.

We left for the airport about 1:00. Elder and Sister Deppong’s, Hari and Rukmina, Laxmi and Manoj were there to say goodbye. We were surprised to see Manoj. He looked good and was happy. He seems like a very nice young man. We took a few pictures and then Gene and I were on our way with all our bags. We thought the hardest part of our trip would be getting out of Kathmandu.

As soon as we went in to check our bags, the challenge was on. We were surprised when we were allowed one checked bag each. We had to pay $200 each for our other two bags. $400. Wow! No options but to pay it. We weren’t very happy.

The flight was on time and uneventful. We arrived in Delhi and had to wait aver two hours in the transfer area. That’s not any fun. It was 8:00 when we got through security and finally, we were in the nice part of the airport. We went to McDonalds and had a sandwich and now we will wait another three more hours before it’s time to board the plane to Paris. It’s going to be a LONG trip home. But we are anxious, ready to be on our way.

13 June 13, 2012

Neither of us slept that great. I woke up at 3:00 and Gene about 4:00. We got up before 5:00 and before we knew it, it was time to go to the airport and pick up Elder and Sister Rempp. Hari had arranged for a van to take all of us and it was a nice big one. And the price was right, only 1400 rupees.

We saw Elder and Sister Rempp enter the terminal and it was about an hour later that they came out of the airport. There was a good size welcoming committee there to greet them and they got a warm welcome.

We returned home and Gene and I spent quite a bit of time with them going over what is happening as far as Latter-day Saint Charities goes. After a while we all walked over to Bhat Bhateni’s and showed them around. Then it was back home and more orientation. We did go to Thamel for dinner and Deppong’s went with us. By the time we got back, the Rempp’s were so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open. By 7:30 they went to their room. I suppose they will be awake early and we probably will too. We still have just a little packing to do so we will be ready to fly out tomorrow. We are excited and can’t believe our time in Nepal is soon coming to a close.

We look at them and how tired they are and know that will be us in a couple of days.

12 June 2012

We got up this morning and moved all of our stuff out of the Master Bedroom. We had already moved most of it so it wasn’t that bad. We’ve been busy packing bags and weighing them. Boy, we are going to be right at the limit.

Nick dropped just before noon with his USA visa. It looks great and is valid from today’s date. That means he could go to the USA early if Pres. Jackson allows it – and still enter the MTC on September 5^th.

This afternoon, Debbie and I took the Relief Society Presidency to lunch at Pizza Hut. We had a good visit, talking a bit about Relief Society and how they can ‘raise the bar’ just a little. They are doing a great job, especially considering the challenges they face. I think the major one is that all the materials are in English and there are quite a few sisters who only speak Nepali. So how do you involve them? The lessons need to be in Nepali, but the teacher has to be able to read English and translate it into Nepali. We talked about the sisters needing callings and some of the things they could be asked to do. This presidency is on the ball and they do a great job and I am impressed. But there are sisters who aren’t coming because they don’t understand the lessons and the talks in Sacrament Meeting. It is a challenge for the Branch leadership.  Anyway, lunch was good, we had a good visit. Utpati had never been to Pizza Hut and liked it a lot. It was good but I’m looking forward to a good Supreme Pizza back home.

This afternoon, we have just tried to make sure we have all the bases covered as far as what to go over with Rempp’s. We have rented a van and driver to take us to the airport and bring us back. It’s a 15 passenger, so we can take quite a few people. It will be a fun welcoming committee. I’m sure they will be overwhelmed and tired, but we are going to try and share all we can in the short time we have together.

Tonight Gene went to PEC. We still don’t know for sure if Pres. Jackson is here.  When he got back he said they had a great meeting and that he was interviewing  the four young people going on missions . All is well.

11 June 2012

We talk to Bart, Clay, Chad and Konnie and Alison this morning. Clay said it was his last Skype call to Nepal. Seems impossible. We enjoyed talking to each of them and them seem excited to have us coming home. We are excited to see them as well.

Gene and I weighed some of our bags. I had thought I could go shopping but after seeing the bags were at the weight limit, knew I better not buy much. Debbie, Laxmi and I went to Thamel. Knowing I was at the weight limit really  made me watch what I bought. We’ve sent a bunch of stuff home already. I did find a couple more watercolor paintings that I really like. They are in a tube and are lightweight and don’t take up much space.

We came home from Thamel and put a few more things in the suitcase. Then we went to the Indrini Café and had lunch with Rakesh and Karishma. Karishma is the young woman who just got married. We work with her on water projects through the Trust.It was nice to see her again. Rakesh told us she had just been appointed to a government health board of some kind. Good for her.

Elder Esplin, Karishma Shrestha and Sister Esplin

The rest of the afternoon I’ve put a couple more Branch history pages together. I received a couple more temple stories and have typed them up and put the pages together. Actually, it’s been kind of fun.

10 June 2012

This morning Dipak picked us up about 8:00. Kiran was here and then we went to pick up Elder and Sister Deppong. We drove out to Dhulikhel to see the progress on the overhead tank one more time. They are coming right along. All the scaffolding from last time is down and they are forming the walls.So still need to pour the walls and then the dome over the top. It looks like they have a ways to go. It will probably be the first of the year before it’s completed.

Last time we were in Dhulikhel, I talked with a young father who lived close by the water tank. I took a photo of him with his little daughter and his wife. I printed it and took it to them. He wasn’t at home, but the wife and grandparents were. I got Dipak to translate for me and they were all smiles to see the picture. They’ve probably never had a picture of themselves before.

Grandpa and Grandma with a sister

This little girl was camera shy

When we walked to their humble home, I saw the woman and she was rubbing her teeth with her index finger. I asked Rakesh about it and he said people out in the rural areas often ‘brush’ their teeth using their finger with a little bit of ‘coal, or burnt wood’. Or sometimes a little gritty mud or sand. I guess there are lots of options, but I like Colgate.

Then we went to the Dhulikhel water treatment plant. It was quite interesting. They filter the water through small rocks, then sand and then through a water treatment plant where it is chlorinated and made safe to drink. That’s better than here in Kathmandu where everyone drinks bottled water.

The ride today was beautiful. That’s a pretty part of the country and we had a good time.

When we came home Laxmi is really into cleaning house. I think she wants to have everything sparkling when the new missionaries get here. I don’t blame her.

Deppong’s picked us up about 6:30 and we went over to Rakesh’s home for dinner. He cooked himself – not Nepali – but American food, things like spaghetti, corn, chicken, green beans and carrots and Black Forest Cake for dessert. His sister, Dr. Rita, the pediatrician, was also there. We had a nice visit and it was nearly ten o’clock by the time we got home. That’s late for us being out.

9 June, 2012

Every time I write the date I have to remind myself that it’s June. I want to write May. It’s hard to believe today was our last Sabbath in Nepal. I surely have mixed emotions – knowing we will never be back nor see these wonderful people again. Yet I realize there is no place like home and I’m anxious to see loved ones again.

Church today was interesting. Just before the meeting began, Pres. Bishnu came to us and said ‘this is your last Sabbath in Nepal?’ He knew it was, but said he has just been so busy that hadn’t gotten everything taken care of. We had thought it a little odd that they hadn’t asked us to speak, but I remember when Subhadra left for her mission, not a word was said about her going – so I was okay with that. Well, he did ask if we would take some time in Sacrament Meeting and share our testimonies. As happens often, only two of the four assigned speakers showed up, so we had plenty of time to share our testimonies and say goodbye.

As church started, the generator went off. A couple of the men went out to see if they could get it started, but no luck. I’m not sure if they were out of petro or what, but the rest of the meeting was without any power at all. It quickly warmed up in the room and it was HOT! Windows were opened but it was hot outside, so that didn’t help. To these people it’s an everyday thing.

There was a baptism after the block. Sarita’s mom (she married Tim Heath) was baptized. Sarita really wanted her to join the church before she (Sarita) left Nepal. Tim is an American and he had to go back to the USA and get a job in order to get a visa or a green card for Sarita. She is leaving soon to join him in Hawaii.  Her mom only speaks Nepali and lives quite a distance from the church. I was a little surprised they baptized her as she lives a 20 hour bus ride from Kathmandu and won’t be able to attend church again.

This afternoon Dipak, the auditor came and spent about two and a half hours with Gene, getting the financial stuff all in order. We like him and I think he likes us. After he left, Gene said that’s one more thing he can check off the list.

It’s been so hot today and Gene said the humidity is about 65%. No wonder it feels so hot. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the monsoon season to begin.

 8 June 2012

A smile a mile wide - so happy to have his USA Visa!

Nick went for his interview at the American Embassy this morning at 8:00. I talked with him the other day about being prompt and making a good first impression. I also suggested he have a prayer before he goes, that Heavenly Father would help him. Well, he came in with a great big smile on his face. He got his Visa! Hooray!!!!!!!!!!! His visa was the R-1 category which means a religious worker. He said the woman only asked him four or five questions. She asked how long he had been a member of the church. Are others in his family members? They asked him who is the founder of the church? Who is the President today? Who were Joseph Smith's friends? He answered 'Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and Hyrum Smith.' The lady doing the interviewing said: 'And Brigham Young'. Nick replied 'of course, Brigham Young.'

He is so very excited. His smile today is about as big as the day he got his call. He will return to the Embassy on Tuesday to pick up his visa.  We are happy to know ' 'This part of his Mission is accomplished.'

We left this morning about 10:30 and went over to READ Nepal for the closing ceremony of our English Class. We weren’t sure what the traffic situation was going to be today because there is a huge Political Rally downtown. Rakesh said traffic would move, but would be very heavy with lots of buses and cars coming to the Rally.

We went on back roads and arrived there just fine. I wanted to get there a little early to sign the certificates, but one of the office staff was just taking them to Sanjana to sign. Her baby is sick and she won’t be there today. After the program started, she came back and I was signing certificates during the program.

We did have a wonderful time today. A few of the women brought us a small gift. I kind of hate to see them do that as I know money is in short supply here. But I also know we have to be gracious receivers and we tried to be. The thought is very kind and we appreciate their efforts so much.

The program was a little late in starting but it was great. Sushma was the one conducting the meeting. She probably has the best English of all the women. They had a few speakers and a couple of dance numbers which we enjoyed very much. They did ask Laxmi to share a few thoughts and she did well. I’m so glad they asked her. It was a little scary for her, but at the same time, she enjoyed it and it was good for her.

I connected with Rita.

And Sarita, rita, Sita, Sushma, Joshana and Anjoli

Beautiful customes and dance.

I gave the speech representing Latter Day Saint Charities. I told them how they had stolen our hearts and how much we appreciated the opportunity to get to know and love them. I encouraged them to continue to learn and practice the English language. I told them they would always be in our hearts and that we were taking home many wonderful memories of them. It has been a highlight of our mission.

After the ceremony we took lots of pictures and gave lots of hugs. I will truly miss some of them. We got very close to them and we are happy to call them our friends.

Tonight Lazy Gringo

7 June 2012

Thursday already! Laxmi and I walked over to pick up the photos of our English class, then walked over to a pharmacy and picked up the pills for “The Bomb”. Dr Heiner in Hong Kong, the mission doctor said they suggest it for those who have served in Asia. It will clean out our system. We have so much going on, that we’ve decided to wait until we get home to take it. But we wanted to get it here. For pills for Gene and I and a couple of tubes of cold sore medicine it was 270 rupees – less than $4.oo.

We went to READ Nepal again today. We just did one class today and there were about 28 women there. I think that’s all of them. Gene presented information on employment and how to prepare to better compete for jobs. Unemployment is about 40% and jobs are hard to come by. Hopefully these women, who are mostly housewives won’t have to find jobs, but you never know. Things can change so quickly. Things went well. We did talk about making a good first impression and identifying you skills….stuff we learned at the Employment Resource Center in Logan. Hopefully, we gave them something to think about.

Elder Esplin  sharing some employment info.

The women are very comfortable sitting on the floor.

 I called Debbie to see if she wanted to go with me. I had told Gene I really felt we should get a gift for Laxmi from Latter Day Saint Charities for helping us at READ Nepal. She brought Rukmina with her and we went to Ashan Bazaar. Rukmina said Lawmi had said before how she would like a Pashmina Shawl. I had no idea what to get so appreciated the suggestion. This Bazaar is a crazy place. I don’t know how Rukmina ever found the place. We walked through a little dark doorway and wound around a little bit and all the sudden is this Pashmina shop. They had lots of Pashmina. We did find a pretty turquoise one and bought it.

Debbie asked the shopkeeper if they were woven on machines and he said ‘oh, no, all by hand.’ He said they had a factory about 7 km outside the city and invited her to come and see. They will definitely do that. And it would be fun. Debbie also asked if they killed the yaks. He said no, no. He showed us a picture of a yak. It looked a bit like shearing sheep. The hair is quite long and they trim it short. No killing of the yaks.

Gene went to PEC Meeting and I did a couple of pages in the Branch History. Gene returned and Pres. Bishnu picked us up and took us to his place for dinner. It was lovely. They are a wonderful family and have been good to us. He brought us home. It’s been a busy day and a long one.

6 June 2012

How lucky I am that makes saying goodbye so hard.  Winnie the Pooh

I saw this quote on Facebook this morning and thought it was perfect for us as we think about saying Goodbye to Nepal and the many friends we have made here.

When I got up, Laxmi was in the kitchen and had stired up 3X the breadstick recipe. It looked like a lot. I was mostly moral support. We got them all in the pans and in the fridge. Then I walked with her over to the Chowk. We took some photos of our English class in to be printed for the women. Then we  went and bought some produce to make a cabbage salad.

buying cabbage at the market - notice the scales. .

When we got back, Gene and I caught a taxi and headed down to the Social Welfare Council with the PAC Meeting minutes. Mr. Basnet was in Mr. Kumar’s office and told us to wait. We did – for 20 minutes or so and then were able to see Mr. Kumar. He skimmed over the minutes and then he initialed and stamped them. That makes it possible for us to now get copies made and handed out to all those who were at the meeting. Then we can check that off the list. Whoopee!

Some of the Relief Society Sisters at the Farewell Party

We came home, had a little lunch and then I helped Laxmi make the cabbage salad. It looks yummy. We baked the breadsticks and they turned out great!. We walked over, helping to carry all the food for the party. It was a farewell party for Gene and I. Just Relief Society Sisters were invited. Gene was the only man there. It was great. Laxmi gave a little tribute to Gene and I and it was very nice.

Gene and I took a few minutes to express some thoughts. Then we had a lovely meal, which was a pasta salad, a cabbage salad, and breadsticks with Black Forest cake for dessert. Quite a few of the sisters wanted to have their picture taken with us and that was fun too.

It’s been a wonderful day. The week ahead looks to be pretty busy. I’m okay with that. It will be fun.

5 June 2012

I read in bed for a little bit. Of course, I woke up about 5:15 am. After reading my scriptures, I read in Pres. Monson’s book. I’m about 85% through it and will probably have it finished by the time we go home.

I had hoped to get my hair done fairly early but not early enough as the power went out. So I thought I’d better get it washed so it could air dry. Good thing I did. I fixed some French toast for breakfast and by 8:00, Elder Bogati was here. Judy, from Hong Kong, had sent a bunch of stuff for him via email and he needed to have some things scanned in and send it back to her. It is all stuff for is visa for the UK.

Soon Sajana came. She was going with Anu and me over to get Anu’s physical and her dental done for her missionary application. Anu soon came and we took time to fill out her application before we went to the clinic. We were able to finish it – then went to the clinic where she paid the fee for ex-rays, a couple of lab tests and will need to go back on Thursday to pick up the results and see the doctor. The cost for today’s visit was 1200 rupees or about $14. Couldn’t do that at home for that price.. .

At the Clinic where the missionaries go. . .

A separate little room for everything - you wait outside.

Sajana helping Anu with her Missionary Application.

Anu Lama - filling our missionary papers.

Gene, Nick and Rajesh came around the corner. Gene had been with Nick to the Nabil Bank where he paid the visa fee for the USA. It was $190. He has an appointment for his visa interview. It will be Friday morning at 8:00 am. I think we are about there as far as his visa goes. Hopefully the interview will go well.

Sajana went with Anu to the Kantipur Dental Clinic to get her dental part of the application. I appreciated Sajana doing that. I gave them money but didn’t feel like they needed me to go.

Gene and I went over to Deppong’s. I thought I had solved the mystery of her movie. I plugged in the thumb drive and there it was. It was beautiful and she was so happy. I copied it onto her desktop. Then I brought her thumb drive home because she wanted a copy of our movie. Later when she tried to pull up the movie, it wouldn’t play. I’m not sure what is going on. Maybe for some reason the thumb drive needs to be in. I think we will try and burn it onto a DVD. That would be nice.

Ollie went back to the Cewick Clinic to have some more Basel cell carcinoma taken off. Debbie called a couple of hours later and things went pretty well. A plastic surgeon had come and he did the surgery. She said they did take a pretty good chunk out of his cheek. Hopefully they got it all this time.

Rakesh stopped by this afternoon. He did have one small change for the PAC Meeting minutes but he said they looked good. We will take them in tomorrow to the Social Welfare Council, get them signed and stamped and then make copies for everyone who attended. Rakesh will help get them to the members of the Ministries. Oh, it will be so good to have that done.

Our calendar for this last week is really filling up. I am glad – busy is good.

4 June 2012

Wow! A busy Day! We began by talking with Alison for a few minutes. They have just returned from Helena where Paul’s brother Mark’s daughter was baptized. It was a quick trip for them, but they had a good time. Alison even stopped in to see my sister Enid. She was so surprised to see Alison. I wasn’t sure she would know who she was.

About 7:00 Skype was ringing and it was Elder and Sister Brown, along with the Deppong’s. Browns wanted to tell us that they had met the Rempp’s, and the Mendenhall’s to fill them in on the wheelchairs in Nepal. They said they are so excited and anxious to come.

Then it was time to go to English. I wanted to stop at the little market over there and pick up some candy for treats for a little game we were playing. English went well. We had big classes today. We did ask the women if they would be interested in having another class on Thursday. It would be about Employment and how to prepare to find a job. Most of the women are housewives, but I told them that life can change so quickly and you never know when you might need to return or enter the workplace. They seemed excited to come and learn about it. We will have both classes at one time – 11:00. I’m thinking we will have a big group. One woman asked if she could bring her daughter. She is getting ready to go to the USA soon and the woman thought it would really be good for her. We told her to bring her along.

They always wanted pictures taken

This woman gave Gene a nice vest and hat & me handbags.

We came home and had lunch and then Gene and I tried to finish up the minutes for the PAC Meeting. Rakesh called this morning and asked how we were coming with them. I’m glad he checks up on us. The minutes have got to take priority and we need to get them handed in.

Maya and Sajana called and they were at the Police Station still trying to get their refunds from the beauty school. Finally today they did get some cash back – not as much as they should have, but some and I think they were happy about that. We are happy as well. They will give us the money and we will l put it up until they decide which school they want to go to and then the money will go toward tuition at the school.

It wasn’t long and Rajesh Bogati came. Judy from Bangalore had sent him some things to do with his visa and we needed to help him. Also Nick came and we finished his visa application online. Tomorrow Gene will go with him to pay the fee at the bank and set up the appointment for his interview. Then hopefully, he will get his visa. Elder Bogati still needs to enter information online and we hope to get his visa soon.

About 6:00 Kiran from CHOICE came. He needed to pick up a couple of checks. Gene got to write checks for close to two million rupees today. We won’t be doing that much longer. We really like Kiran. He was such a big help with the minutes for the PAC Meeting. We just had a good visit with him tonight.

It’s been a long day and a lot has happened. Tomorrow’s looking pretty full too. Doesn’t look like we will coast to the finish line. . .

3 June 2012

Brent called from Pennsylvania where he's still on vacation. He's staying with friends in Hershey, PA and having a great time. He heads home tomorrow.

I've worked on English class. We finish up this week. I might be just a little emotional about it. Gene said he wouldn't mind doing a little bit on 'finding a job' if any of the women are interested. The last couple of lessons in the book are a mini 'Career Workshop'. We do have some young women who are students and I think some of them would be interested. Most of them are housewives, but I wouldn't be surprised if they came as well. We would just do one class with all the women invited. I've done most of the teaching but I told Gene he would do a much better job with the employment information than I would. He would be happy to do that if there is some interest.

We went to the bank and then over to Deppong's. I had put a movie together for them. I copied it onto a thumb drive for them but they haven't been able to get it to work. I thought it would be a quick fix. Not so. I worked for a while trying to figure out what was wrong. Couldn't do it. Finally, Elder Deppong suggested we go to lunch. We did. We went to Thamel and enjoyed a nice lunch. Then stopped in a book store and browsed around for a bit. It was fun.

We returned home and I've been trying to figure out why Deppong's movie won't work. Finally, I remember Alison said you have to have the file with the pictures you used on your computer. If you move the file, the computer doesn't know where to look for them. Why did it take me so long to remember that? I've put their picture file, the music and anything else I think I might need on a flashdrive. We will take it over and see if we can get them fixed up. It's been a great day.

2 June 2012

It rained pretty good during the night and has cooled things off. Oh, did that feel good! We got up and soon I noticed Lenore online, so I called her. We had a good visit. Then we talked to Alison for a minute. She is talking to the car insurance guy trying to get some insurance on our car – then Chad will get it inspected and licensed, so we will have something to drive when we get back.

Then we talked to Chad and Konnie. It was Chad’s birthday yesterday. I can’t believe he’s 40 years old. My gosh! What does that say about us, his parents? (Don’t answer that).  The kids are now out of school and hopefully they can keep them busy. We talked about our coming home. They are excited and we are as well.

We went to our Sabbath Day meetings this morning. There weren’t that many there when we started but after Sacrament we had a pretty good crowd.The investigator class had about thirteen people in it. I think we will have a few baptisms soon.  It was our Fast and Testimony Day. We love to hear the testimonies of the Saints here. We will miss our Sabbath Days with them.

In Sacrament Meeting Pres. Bishnu made an announcement for the Relief Society. She said on Wednesday, there would be a going away social at the church for Brother and Sister Esplin. Oh!, That’s the first we had heard of it. I know the Relief Society likes to do their own little going away party. It is very nice of them.

After church I couldn’t find Gene. Finally, I walked upstairs and he was just coming out of the library with Pres. Bishnu and Anu Lama. They motioned to me and said that Anu wants to go on a mission. Hurray! Pres. Bishnu asked if I would be able to go with her to get her physical and perhaps dental work done on Tuesday. I would be delighted to do that. She will be the 6^th missionary we have had the pleasure of helping since we’ve been here. She joined the church last July and you have to be a member for a year before you can go, but by the time, we get the call submitted, and back, it will be a year. Her friends in the branch are so happy for her decision. I know it will be a lifelong blessing for her and for her family.

Sajana, one of the young returned missionaries (she went to Australia ) told me that Anu had called her and said that she has been thinking a little bit about going on a mission. She just had the opportunity to apply for a good job here in Nepal and didn’t know what to do. Sajana told her to pray about it and Heavenly Father would help her know the right thing. So, she did and she got her answer – she should go on a mission. Some of these young people  go without a whole lot of knowledge about the church because they haven’t been members too long. I think of the scripture that says if you convert even one soul how great will be your joy. I think that one soul is often ourselves.

1 June 2012

We started the day a bit wired and up wound   because of a couple of emails we received. Can’t write it here but there will be more stories for when we get home.

Deppongs came over to take Nick down to pick up their suits. They knew we were having a bit of a rough day and brought us a card and a copy of ‘The Report’. The Report is something we’ve  teased each other for a long time about things going in the report. Today, we actually got a copy of it. We truly appreciate it and it will go home with us….a way to remember some of the little funny things that have happened to us.

This afternoon, I worked a little more on the minutes for PAC Meeting. Then Nick came over and we tried to do his US Visa Application. We couldn’t get his picture to attach and finally decided he needed a regular size passport photo. He went to get one and brought it back on a thumb drive. He came about 5:00 and it was after 7:30 when we finished. It was quite a lenghtly application. We were just glad we could do it online.

We talked to Nick about getting a little shopping done and encouraged him to take his mom and Laxmi with him. He needs some exercise clothing, a couple of belts, athletic shoes and some miscellaneous things, like shampoo, deodorant (he didn’t know what that was) a comb (he said he never combs his hair, just runs his fingers through it) and puts a little ‘oil’ on his hair to make it shine. And that’ regular cooking oil. It’s a bit interesting. This young man is certainly going to learn a lot. I sure hope he has a good first companion. Nick is a great kid, but living  in the USA for a couple of years is going to be a HUGE culture shock.

31 May 2012

I slept good last night. Part of that is the stress of PAC Meeting is over. All that’s left is writing up the minutes. I was elated this morning when I got up to find an email from Kiran from CHOICE with his notes from the meeting. Wow! All the sudden I feel much better about getting the minutes done. Kiran had all the questions from members of the SWC and other ministries listed. And he included his answers and responses to those questions. I immediately wrote him a note expressing our thanks for his help.

We went to English today and it was delightful. I told Gene I am going to miss those women and while there, I did tell them so. They made me feel good when they said they would miss us as well. With about 15 minutes of class time left, I wrote today’s date on the board and then ‘LAXMI’s BIRTHDAY”. The women began singing Happy Birthday to her.  I told them that Laxmi had wanted to do the Hokey Pokey at her party but it didn’t happen so we were going to do it today. They liked the idea and we had a good time. Then we passed out a little treat and they thought that was great too.

This afternoon, I started writing up the minutes. We pulled the minutes that Elder Borland had and many of the same questions were asked then. So, that makes it easy. It will take a little time, but I’m feeling a whole lot better about things.

We have had a little rain shower this afternoon and it’s helped cool things down just a touch. And oh, does that feel good.

30 May 2012

Laxmi came in and was really surprised that the dishes had been done. I just told her “Happy Birthday”. I I did ask her about the sink. It’s plugged up and she said that happens quite often. She said she will get some drain cleaner from the plumber shop and she can clean it out.

I spent the morning  putting  together our English Lesson and Gene spent the morning fine tuning preparations for the PAC Meeting.

We got a phone call from one of those coming to our PAC Meeting and he said he couldn’t get there till after 5:00. Soon we heard from another member. I guess there was a meeting some of them were going to be involved in. Anyway, all the sudden our meeting time is pushed back.

We went over to the Ambassador Hotel about 4:30 to get things set up. The accommodations were actually better than I thought they would be. We waited and waited. Of course we have to remember where we are. Mr. Kumar and Mr Rimal came and after waiting a bit longer for Women and Children to come, Mr Rimal said ‘let’s start’. So we did.

The meeting went okay. The partners reported on their projects and we had a Power Point presentation. I think we would have felt a lot better had the projector been better. We just couldn’t get it to focus very well and I’m sure those in the back of the room had trouble reading or seeing clearly what was going on.

At the end, Gene asked if there were any questions. And there were. Mr. Rimal had quite a few as did others there. The partners responded to most of them as well as Gene answering quite a few.

I had really been concerned about the minutes. I’m not good at it and we had asked Rukmina and Laxmi to come and help us. Rukmina was really caught up in the meeting and was just listening. I was sitting by her and asked her to make she she kept track of the questions and who asked them. She wrote very little. Thankfully at the end of the meeting, I asked Kiran and Krishma both, (Partners) if they would send me a little write up of the meeting. They said they would.

Part of the meeting included a meal and it was actually pretty good. After eating all of us from LDSC talked about the meeting and shared what we remembered. I tried to really get a few notes down to jog my memory. I’m sure the writing of the minutes will fall on my shoulders.

We were quite pleased after the meal when everyone started leaving. Mr Kumar, the new Member Secretary (The Top Dog at the Social Welfare Council) came over and started talking to us. He seems like a very nice man – very personable and he seems very personable. He talked to us for 10-15 minutes and seemed really interested in Latter-day Saint Charities and what we are doing. We were glad for that opportunity. He asked about our going home and we told him ‘yes’, but that another couple would be coming to replace us.

It’s been really hot today and there is no way to escape it. When we have power we can run the fans, but often the power is out. Especially when we go to bed, it’s so hot it’s hard to sleep. The hot season should last a few more weeks until monsoon.

29 May 2012

Boy, it was a long night. I woke up about 3:00 am and had a hard time getting much sleep after that. Not a good time to do that as today was a busy day and I’ve kinda been dragging. I think part of that is the heat. It’s really quite hot in Nepal now. We are hoping for some rain to cool things off, but it hasn’t happened for a bit.

Today Laxmi and I finished preparations for her birthday party. We made breadsticks and got them in the fridge, then cut up vegetables, gathered dishes and made sure things were ready for guests to arrive at 4:30 pm.  Laxmi and I decided we had better bake the breadsticks as we didn’t have power from 1 – 5 this afternoon. Mid afternoon, Gene and I went to READ Nepal to borrow their projector to use in our PAC Meeting tomorrow. When we got there, Pratima and all the staff were in a meeting so we had to wait about a half hour. It was okay. We did get the projector and we also bought a little muffler (scarf) and a journal type book for Laxmi’s birthday present.

When we got back I tried to catch a nap but it didn’t happen. About 4:00 I cooked the chicken. Oh, it smells good. Laxmi cut up the watermelon and it was a good one. Deppong’s and Rukmina and Hari came and soon some of her family. This was about 4:30. True to Nepali custom, we didn’t eat till two hours later, because all the invited guests hadn’t arrived. Finally she said let’s eat. I was happy about that as I have a hard time waiting so long for people to come.

The food was good and looked pretty on the plate. I think her family liked the American food. After dinner we lit candles on the cakes and sang Happy Birthday. She did open a few gifts and she had a great time. She, and everyone else, thought celebrating a birthday with a party was a grand idea. Nepali’s don’t celebrate birthdays much.

After that, we hooked the projector up to the computer and watched the movies I had made. They enjoyed it. Deppongs liked their movie a lot.

There were lots of dishes and I told Laxmi we would do them in the morning. After everyone left and the power came back on, I talked Gene into helping me do them before we went to bed. I’ve always liked to surprise people that way and know she will be surprised when she comes in tomorrow morning. I guess you could say, it’s another ‘birthday present.’

28 May 2012

The big news this morning in Nepal is that the constitution didn’t get signed before the deadline. Now the government has proposed fresh Constitutional Assembly elections on November 22. People are feeling there will be legal and constitutional crises. Every politician is blaming everyone else. Many people feel that the country is headed for another stage of political turmoil. I think we are getting out of the country at a good time, but I feel a little apprehension for the new missionaries coming in. I know the Lord will bless them as He has blessed us.

Today is the day the Rempp’s enter the MTC. That makes it sound like our time is short. I know it is creeping up on us. When I think we only have two more class periods of English plus the closing ceremony, I can hardly believe it. And just two more Saturday’s to attend church. I say again, I have really enjoyed our time here, but I have to be truthful and say I’m ready to go home.

We talked to Jason and Alison this morning. Clay and family are staying with Jason in Phoenix. Jason was kidding me (because I know what he thought of Nepal when he was here) and asking if we would be home six months and put our papers in again. It seems that we are getting asked that question more all the time.

We went to English and though we didn’t have as many women as last Thursday, we had a pretty good group. The lessons were a little harder today, but I got them up in front and we did practice English. After the second class, someone brought out a camera and then everyone wanted their picture taken with us. I’m sure that will occupy quite a bit of time on our last day.

We came home and after lunch, Laxmi and I cooked potatoes for potato salad. Then we went to Bhat Bhateni’s and picked up a few things. We came home and put together the potato salad and made a creamy macaroni salad. Then we did the dishes. It’s funny how many dishes you dirty when you’re cooking. We cleaned up the kitchen and then Gene and I walked over to buy a watermelon. It’s a pretty good size one and it was 280 rupees. I didn’t think that was a bad price.

After dinner, I made a couple of cakes. Oh, I will be glad to get back to Fahrenheit and my oven. This little toaster oven is better than none, but not the best. I also cleaned out the fridge, cut up the chicken and got the marinade on it and did dishes again. I’m tired tonight.

Laxmi was going to make rolls. Tonight she came in with my bread stick recipe and was asking me about it. I had thought about suggesting the bread sticks, but had decided against it. She wanted to know how to do the bread sticks. I explained the directions. She didn’t know what Parmesan Cheese was. I told her I had some. (the kids brought a big jar from Sam’s Club – it’s been nice, and it’s about gone. Good timing!) We will need to make two batches. I told her to come in the morning about 8:30 and I would help her do them.

Other than that, preparations for her birthday party tomorrow have pretty much been done. Now, if we have power to cook the chicken and the break sticks, I will be happy. The time consuming stuff, we took care of today. I hope things turn out well and that we have a good time tomorrow. She’s excited about it.

27 May 2012

We started out the day by talking to Alison, Chad and Konnie and Brent. All is going well at home. This is the last week of school. It’s hard to believe. It doesn’t seem like that long ago, they just started back. Where does time go? Brent is in Chicago with Chris Stockdale and his wife. I could see in the background, that they were in an apartment quite high up and though it was dark, the busy city of Chicago all lit up out the window. I’m sure he will have a fun week.

We walked over to the bank. The streets were really quiet. Today is the day the constitution was supposed to be signed. I don’t think it is going to happen – and who knows what will happen next. There is a lot of uncertainty in Nepal right now. It makes it hard to plan things. I know Sister Deppong would like to nail down a time for Dr. Clark and his team to come to Nepal to do Helping Babies Breath, but it’s almost impossible to do right now. I think hard times for Nepali’s are ahead.

We came home and after breakfast, I studied the English lesson for tomorrow. It’s hard to believe there are only three more class periods and then the closing program. We’ve gotten attached to these women. Today I finished tying ribbon on the little boxes and putting a little note inside each one. We will give each of the women one. We bought 30. I hope that’s enough.

After lunch we went over to Deppong’s and had a missionary meeting. I think they will be sad to see us go. They still have three more months – I think Debbie is ready to go with us. Of course, she does want to get HBB going but that’s really up in the air, all because of the political stuff going on. We had a good meeting. There are things we would still like to do, but we are running out of time. We would like to go to Pokhra one more time to set up a sewing center and then over to Chitwan to do the same. But that’s a three day trip and I don’t think we have a three day block. I would really like to go out to Dhulikhel one more time to see the progress of the overhead tank. We will just have to see what happens, especially with bandh’s and strikes. I don’t think we have seen the last of them.

I had told Debbie if she would get some pictures together, I would help her put a movie together. She did have photos in a file. I copied the file onto a thumb drive and brought it home. I must have worked on it a good five hours, right up till bedtime. I had to group pictures together – they were so random. And I was able to put music to it. I’m feeling pretty good about it and hope they like it.

26 May 2012

We got a new load shedding schedule last night. They’ve added about one hour more electricity each day. It’s better than nothing, but hardly noticeable.

I made some bread sticks before going to church. When we got to church, there were many visitors there. One group of seven American’s, mostly from Utah, had been visiting in China, Tibet and now Nepal. They were BYU professors and were nice people. Bikki taught our Sabbath Day class and he was a little nervous about it, but did a great job.

I did talk to Nick and also Brother Patch. Nick, with Brother Patch’s recommendation, has decided to stay with the original plan and report to the MTC on September 5^th. Brother Patch said that if in the visa interview, the Embassy thought he was going for any reason other than missionary work, they could very well deny his visa. He told Nick it would be better, to just go, enter the MTC, and fill his mission. Nick felt good about it. When we got home we emailed Pres. Jackson with his decision. We got an email back pretty quick. He said they had sent it in and had just gotten confirmation about the change of dates, but he said, ‘We change assignments on our missionaries (usually passport and visa problems) like most people change their socks!’. He said he appreciated his desire to get it right.  Brother Patch suggested he go over to the bank and pay his fee for his visa and make an appointment for an interview for his visa within the next couple of weeks. I would like to have this all in place before we leave.

Today is the last time we will see the Patch Family. They are leaving this evening, doing some touring in Europe before returning to the United States for the summer. Christopher will be with them for about five weeks, then he will come back to work. Gretel and the kids will return mid August in time to get the kids back in school. Gretel said the kids are leaving with real mixed emotions. They hate to leave their friends. Then she shared with me a quote from Dr. Suess that she told them. I loved it. It was “Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”  I think that’s going to be good advice for me.

We came home and fixed dinner. I cooked spaghetti and some cabbage, and baked the bread sticks. It was about ready when here comes Sajana and Maya and also Nick. Nick had some questions about a big long visa application questioner. Gene went over that with him. I talked to Sajana and Maya. They are still wanting to go back to the beauty school and see if they can get some of their money back. I think they will take Rukmina and Laxmi with them for backup. They really feel that they’ve been wronged and they have. I don’t have a lot of hope in them getting their refund.

25 May 2012

Oh, it’s been a wonderful day. About 10:30 Elder Bogati came and we went to the Social Welfare Council. When we got there, Mr. Basnet was there in Mr. Kumar’s office. We told him we needed to reschedule the PAC Meeting and he turned his book right to May 30. They had us scheduled. Surprise!  He went in and talked to Mr. Kumar, the Member Secretary and it is a ‘go’. We are happy about that. It is the day we were going to have Laxmi’s Birthday Party, but the PAC Mtg. takes priority and we will do the party a day earlier.

Then we went to pick up Gene’s and Elder Bogati’s suits. They look nice! The tailor gave them each a couple of ties. We also brought home Elder Bogati’s white shirts and will run them through the washer for him. He doesn’t have access to an automatic washer. We had taken Laxmi with us. Sometimes I feel like we use her for a ‘security blanket.’

Nick was here and we read him an email we just got from Pres. Jackson. He said he had talked the Missionary Department and with Nick’s Mission. He has the option of delaying his entering the MTC until October 16 if he wants to. That way, he could go to Taysom’s and spend time with them, go to the temple with them, do some shopping and get his Patriarchal blessing.. Nick is a little disappointed thinking he would have to wait another month, but at the same time, if he wants to do any sightseeing and go to some different temples, this is the only chance he will get. We will give him a few days to think about it and then make a decision.

By this time it was almost 2:00 pm. Deppong’s came and picked us up and wanted to take us to lunch. We went to the Roadhouse Café in Thamel. We had never been there and it was very good. It’s a pizza place but they have other choices as well. Gene did have a pizza and it was probably the best pizza we’ve had in Nepal. I had a chicken burrito and it was also very good. We had a mango fruit smoothie and it was cool and refreshing. We had a great visit. Deppong’s are realizing our time is really getting short. I’m beginning to realize that as well.

After we visited at the café a bit, we went to a trekking store and Gene and I each bought a couple of pair of North Face hiking pants. They are nice. By the way, the exchange rate is up again today. We like that.

We came home and typed up the letters, AGAIN, for the letters of Invitation for the PAC Meeting that has been rescheduled. Again!  Rakesh came and picked them up and will deliver them for us. He is a great guy!

24 May 2012

The Supreme Court said it was illegal to extend the time frame for signing the Constitution here in Nepal. We wondered if there would be a bandh today, but all is quiet. I’m tired of Bandh’s and wonder what this next week will be like. The deadline is Sunday, so maybe we will be able to gauge things after that date passes.

It’s been a good day. This morning as I lay in bed I had the thought that it might be nice to write just a little note and put inside each of the little wood boxes we are giving the women at READ Nepal. I typed up just a little thing that thanked them for making our time there so enjoyable and that we would always treasure the experience we had there. Then I signed our names and Laxmi’s name. When she saw her name with ours, she was so excited. I couldn’t leave her off. She’s been a big part of our teaching there.

We were able to go to English and it was delightful. We had lots of women in both classes. And they were happy to be there too. It seemed they had a lot of hands on experience today as we got all of them up in front and speaking English. At the end of each class we did take some pictures and they liked that. We only have three more classes (if we don’t have any bandh’s) and then our closing program. I think I might need a little package of Kleenex.

We came home and had a sandwich. And then I read for a little bit. I’m almost half done with Pres. Monson’s book “To The Rescue.” I am enjoying it and getting to know Pres. Monson a lot better.