Life in Nepal
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in spite of the what if’s
(Published in Adventist Review, 2003) Backpack slung over his shoulder, Raymond, a blue collar factory worker, rides the Singapore transit bus every day. All week long his routine is the same, broken by moments when he tucks a few dollars in the envelope that stays in his backpack. Every time we make plans for Singapore Read more
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a lei of protection
Nepal’s culture and history are drenched with folklore and festivals. For every event, there’s a story. One of my favorites is the story behind Bhai Tika (Brother’s Day). King Bali Hang was very ill. His sister, Jamuna, watched over him day and night, praying he would be well again. But he only got worse. One Read more
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heirs of the kingdom
(Published 2003, Adventist Review) Raging against the caste system, Mahatma Gandhi said “I do not want to be reborn. But if I have to be reborn, I should be born an untouchable, so that I may share their sorrows, sufferings, and the affronts leveled at them, in order that I may endeavor to free myself Read more
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the club
(published 2003, Adventist Review) Ten feet tall, it stands in my front lawn on a well worn patch of dirt, symbolizing the differences between the worlds on either side of the fence. The basketball hoop is as uncommon a sight in Banepa as is a 225-pound, 6-foot, bearded 17-year-old. And it doesn’t take long for Read more
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blessed with a comfy life
This has been a Monday unlike most Mondays–minimal emails to answer; the meeting that I expected to last an hour was done in five minutes; found things I was looking for in half the usual time; and fixed dinner in less than 20 minutes: Romano crusted chicken, angel hair pasta, french bread with a balsamic Read more
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piggyback trips to the e.r.
My first week on the job, I was asked to identify outreach projects for the hospital–something that would not require extra personnel or funds from the operating budget. Doodling on a legal pad, I brainstormed in solitude, looking out the window every now and then. And that’s when I saw a man walking through the Read more
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looking back on missionary life
Banepa, Nepal, May 2005. Since our first week in Nepal when we woke up to a bomb, our days have overflowed with adventure and blessings, trials and tears. With every turn we have felt the fire of the Holy Spirit melting and molding us into everything but what we thought we ought to be and Read more
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yearning for a lazy Nepali morning
I miss the lazy, long breakfasts in Nepal. I’d hop in the hospital van and ride the pot-holed road to Dhulikhel at 15 miles an hour (which is like driving 120 in the open, paved roads of the Canadian prairies). A fresh pot of tea with slices of ginger brewing in it would be placed Read more
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Jesus among other gods
In the end I leave Jesus among other gods. Having done so, I feel like a traitor, betraying who I really am. Inside out, through and through, I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. You know the forms that ask for details about yourself—height, weight, race? There needs to be a place for me to simply Read more
SAYS FYL 