MY ASSIGNMENT

Tuesday October 11^th, 2011

At House at 8:15 PM

My nose is constantly running. Sorry for that lovely imagery folks, I guess it's worth mentioning because the pollution is getting to my allergies or something. I really wish I would have remembered a hankerchief or bandana. I am just getting over this sinus cold thing I've been dealing with over the last three days or so. I am having to cough a lot more than I am used to as well. I don't know what is worse for my health, smoking a pack a day or taking a 10-minute walk around Kathmandu. I feel my body has handled this fairly well, all things considered, but I cannot wait to get out of the polluted valley and into some fresher cleaner mountain air.

Brian has been very encouraging, and he is filled with much knowledge and wisdom. He's got a good heart and a lot of faith – it comes out genuinely in his interactions with his family and those at the Agape Mission. A bad trait of mine is that I am sometimes suspicious of what people may be hiding just beyond their friendly facades, but it's hard to see what is behind Brian. Probably because there isn't anything there. He doesn't seem to hide anything. He loves his family and those he serves, he is not afraid to talk about this, and he is smart. He also has some interesting stories, like how he formed Agape Mission after having a vision of a great waterfall, and then hearing God tell him that God's grace falls the fastest on the least in society – on the women at risk, the widows and poor slum children, some of whom are orphans (please see James 1:27) .

He has also told me how years ago, when he first became a believer in Christ, he quit his job to travel around India and preach, at the Lord's leading. This sounds very risky and bold to me, but he's told me stories of divine healing that happened while in India. Like the time leprosy was cured by prayer; and like the woman who had had a bad heart that was missing a valve, and how after some prayer sessions led by Brian, the valve appeared mysteriously and restored her heart (confirmed by doctors of course!). You can tell he's not yakshitting you (sorry, I couldn't resist). He believes in what he talks about and that he practices what he preaches. You can clearly see it on the faces in our little community – from the children on up to the adults. It is inspiring to see. I want to be more like this.

This morning he took me to a men's breakfast/Bible study with some of the head pastors, development workers and missions people from around the city. Most of them were older gentlemen, likely around my parents' age. Brian was probably the youngest one there besides myself. I listened well and I appreciated all that was shared. I met the pastor of the rather large “International Church” (expatriates and foreigners mostly attend the church), who happens to work for Habitat for Humanity International. There were also folks with cool accents, from places like the UK and New Zealand. I was trying to figure out which accent I like the most – English, Irish or Scottish. The Irish accent wins.

I talked today with Sushila, who heads the Women's Center, a part of Agape that works to train women at-risk – some of whom have been trafficked and subsequently rescued by Sushila and Brian's Agape Mission. I explained to her what Brian wants me to accomplish for him during my time here. He wants me to come up with written templates to document the stories of the people Agape serves – from the street kids through the women that Sushila works with. These documents will in turn help Agape to have some hard evidence of the work they are doing as well as some potentially important trends on the kinds of people that come through their programs. This will help them when they are telling others – including potential donors from the West and elsewhere – about the work they do.

So that is my assignment. I intend to do my best, and I am excited at this opportunity.

The whole experience thus far in Nepal has been tough, dirty, inspiring and wonderful.