We woke up at 4:30 in order to avoid traffic at Kulunki Chowk, a madhouse of busses, cars, animals, taxis and people waiting to travel.
The travel time was only 5 hrs ( one hr saving in time) as Sandip wove in and out of traffic as on coming busses were narrowly avoided. This is Nepal and the way driving is done. Many times I just closed my eyes and prayed :O)
We arrived in Makwenpur to the busy streets around 11 am. Dusty roads met us but no rain…and we were glad as we have to navigate the river by a bus right out of a Mad Max movie. WE checked into our accommodations (it could be called a less than adequate place with the sink that had no water and barely hanging on the wall, a toilet that did not flush, beds….well bricks to sleep on) that we would have for one night. It served its purpose for us. We quickly found Bishwa and proceeded to our bus that hung in a line of battered giants. The stood in rows and one could see that long ago they were beast of beauty with bright colors adoring the sides, front and tops. Now retired to run the river taxi service. Five men began to load the blankets…100 of them was no easy feat. Ropes were strung around the great white bag, one man on top quickly became two men while three pushed it up. Grunts and HO HO were heard and others standing around helped to push and pull. Finally loaded on top of the bus we began our journey to the place were would feed and distribute to the poor.
About 5km down the river we can to a “wash” area strew with boulders and rocks. This area a few years ago was hit by a horrendous flash flood, I was told, that turned the river RED.
There sat over 100 men women and children from 5 small villages. As we walked up we could see the large grey pots being heated with wood to cook the food. Chicken, fruit, spices, water, rice and lentils were removed from the bus as men clamored on top and dumped the bag of blankets. Bleating was heard in the distance where goats of various colors were fastened to poles eating leaves that had been gathers for them. And so cooking began. Bags of rice were poured into pots that were boiling…green leaves and a carboard box as placed on top as the rice was cooking and filling the pot. It was a marvel to
watch the precision of this cooking. I thought for sure the rice would burn, but the man and woman cooking knew exactly how long to let the rice cook and reduced the wood under it. Lentils were cooking in the other pot…wonderful smells as everything was spiced up. Then came the plastic bags of cut up chicken ( bone and all) placed in the third silver pot with cut up onion, garlic and spices. The smells from the open fire mixed with the spices was wonderful. The stirring continued with large wooden paddles at least three feet long until all was cooked.
We sang and prayed and gave thanks and ate a wonderful meal and had wonderful community. Six widows sat quietly as we began to decide how to distribute the goats, blankets and bitten rice (a snack rice that has been flattened). Name by name we called up the widows to present the goats to them. Each woman received two goats for breeding this year. We informed them of our desire to breed for selling income as most are living on less than $10 a month and are subsistence farmers with small gardens. Some have children who try to help but very hard for everyone. A woman, with a nose ring dressed in a ragged red wrap, a blue top and a red worn scarf on her head came to receive her goat. She was the same woman who prayed so wonderfully with passion in 2017 when I was in Makwenpur. Upon her feet were old flip flops that had been held together in various places with black thick thread. Her face was filled with joyous tears as she told us she had been praying for over a year to somehow get enough money together to purchase one goat that she could breed -She received two goats and one was pregnant as were several others we gave that day. Her future can be better.
As a note ( a goat of medium size can be sold for around $75- but many of these goats have three babies at a time and so produce good income). We only give female goats as males roam villages and take care of the females! This area is lush so the goats will do well with eating much that is available naturally. So one by one they came. Dressed in their best, flip flops on their feet which were worn down to almost nothing by months of traveling over the rugged rocks. Feet so worn and often covered in sores and dirt. Next we delivered to 100 family’s blankets and the bitten rice in an overcast day that kept the heat away.. I asked God to bless each one as they came up to receive their gift…. Mothers with small children, old men and women all received and your contributions helped with this.
We have evaluated the situation and will do a medical camp in 2020 (hopefully I can get people to do this) and bring sewing machines to the villages to begin businesses.
Feed a man a fish he eats for a day…teach him how to fish he eats for a lifetime.
Our bus did not return so we climbed a 100 foot hill to reach a narrow dirt road to catch a tempo that ran along a cliff top. 5 of us piled in with the driver as we navigated along the cliff…when a bus came along in the opposite direction… I closed my eyes and prayed.
In His Name
Pam
