Some Photos and Thoughts from the Youth-Meets

God provided three opportunities through our local church to teach at one day mini youth conferences. Because we were teaching the same material three times there were opportunities to keep improving what we were doing. We learned a lot about the youth, the church, and the myriad of cultures that exist side by side here. I am so thankful that He provided these opportunities.

The Youth from Algarah area in Kalimpong

I love teaching. Some love teaching because they are excited about the content. They want to pass on the knowledge. And some people are great at that! What I enjoy the most in teaching is the many different methods you can use to pass on the knowledge, motivate, and help people make the connections they need to have that, "Ah-ha" experience. I had three opportunities to try out a few different methods and I found a lot of joy in trying to figure out the best way to help people connect with God through His Word and in prayer.

A pastor reading the Bible to a group of illiterate girls so they can participate in the discussion.

The educational system here works in such a way that the teacher is up front passing on the information as fast as she can while the student listens and writes as quickly as possible. No one asks for their opinion, except during test times. That is why I always have to reassure the folks when I ask for their opinion to not worry about being wrong. It is so hard for the youth (as well as many adults) here to share their opinion. For example, when I asked the youth this question, "Why do we read the Bible and pray?" many had some "good, spiritual" answers. People seemed more open to sharing. But, then I moved on to ask, "Why do we not read the Bible or pray?" No one had anything to say initially. Of course, it was a good opportunity to poke fun and help folks relax a little, and slowly people began to share. "It's boring. I have no time. I would rather do other things. Laziness, etc." I found it funny that even one of the pastors chimed in.

The youth from different parts of the Dooars area

Using paper, markers, video clips (one from Slum Dog Millionaire - which no one had seen!), individual time, handouts, small group times, and large group times, we spent five hours learning how to study the Bible, how to pray, and most importantly, WHY do we bother with these disciplines. We ended with different groups doing Bible study on passages which showed various aspects of God's heart. As they shared from their short small group Bible study sessions and presented what they learned, I could tell that some folks were really catching something new. At the end, when we looked at the list of what God is like, with illustrations from a thirty-seven year old (me!) jumping up and down on the stage to illustrate joy, I could tell that some really understood WHY we pray and to what kind of God we pray to. As one of the pastors shared to one of the leaders about what one youth had said, "We pray and read the Bible because our God is so much better than Amitabh Bachchan(a famous Indian actor). If people are willing to jump into a raw sewage to get the autograph of an actor, shouldn't we be desperate to get to God?"

Engaged in Bible Study at Dalmor Tea Estate

Why do I love teaching? Because my heart is re-taught to love Him again with more passion and zeal. It's good for my soul.

Here are a couple of more photos to enjoy! (Of course, I had add one of our cute son.)

This is how some youth came to the youth-meet!

Our lunch ready to be served

Elijah and a new friend enjoying exploring the area together

Organizational Change

We had our doubts as we started the process to help FECAI clarify its goals and create an evaluation process. We weren't sure that there was the organizational will to implement this kind of fundamental change. Daya initially only asked us to create an evaluation form for the missionaries. Instead, I (Paul) outlined a year long process of getting input from every level to create organizational goals, train the staff as to what the goals are, and train our management how to evaluate progress toward the goals. To be a good example I laid out a clear goal for what I was proposing:

To implement an effective procedure to set goals, evaluate performance, and implement follow-up actions that is consistent across the organization, owned by staff and management, measures both individual and organizational performance, and helps us better achieve our vision: “One Church to Every Himalayan Village” and “Himalayan People; Missionary People”.

Daya saw the need to take the time to train people well for this and agreed to the process. I think he has felt frustrated, knowing that there is a lot of activity in FECAI, but not able to assess how much impact those activities are having.

So far we've had four retreats with different groups of staff and management where the goals have been discussed, debated, and honed. Ownership is growing and Daya and the management team are increasingly positive that this can really help them be more effective in carrying out their mission. Pictured is the Darjeeling area regional retreat.

There is still a long way to go! The goals are clarified, but now we need to learn to measure our progress towards those goals and how to effectively address areas where we are coming up short. Evaluation is always a sensitive thing, and especially so it this relationship-before-rules, face-saving culture. The process is going well, but we have yet to reach our own goal – a goal setting and evaluation process that results in more effective missionaries in the field (and that are more effectively supported by their management team.) We still have a lot of hurdles to cross. Our next steps are to change the monthly report forms to reflect the new clarified goals, and, after a few months of gathering data, train the supervisors how to do employee evaluations. These things will start to deliver a better picture of how FECAI is doing and what areas they need to focus on to better achieve their goals. You can keep FECAI in prayer as they try to strive for their goals.

In Daya's own words from his ministry report:

As Paul had brought a very affective goal setting and strategizing program from his Kathmandu trip, we have started to review our works and trying to set a five year goal for FECAI. It is really exciting.  



First we (Paul myself and Amos) sat together to understand the program and I found it to be very helpful for a ministry like ours. We had started the ministry with very naïve ideas just depending on the Lord of the harvest, Without any tools in hand and without any preparations. I am thankful to the Lord that He has brought us thus far, in His faithfulness. Though the churches of Himalaya, who are working with us still count us in number one position among indigenous ministries but for us it was slowly becoming monotonous. I was running with a big question, next what? 



After my sitting together with Paul and Amos, and understanding the program, we started talking with the Coordinators and the supervisors in separate workshops, in regard to our five years goals and strategy. I am so happy to know that the goal that they also target is not very much different from the target we were targeting. After working together for so long years our passion for the church and Himalayan people are so similar and we are in the same page in regard to our calling and responsibilities. A new hope is renewed inside me. The big picture that I had inside me before eleven years, which was fading inside me is renewed with a new hope. We started bare handed and the Lord enabled us to plant slightly over one hundred ten churches in eleven years. But if we take our steps professionally and strategically the same team can plant over four hundred churches in mere five years, provided we have to go according to the strategy that we are making prayerfully. 



The goal that we are targeting is really exciting. 400 churches with five thousand mature Christians with larger awareness in the community they live in, in regard to the current problems of this present world i.e. HIV/AIDS, Drugs & Alcoholism problems including global warming and other social issues in five years. We can see that the Lord is preparing us to be able to give away ever unmatchable gift to the Himalayan community in this coming five years. We are preparing mature Christians as well as good citizens of the nations of this world and the world across this life, provided, the preparation of the real community workers.   



Until and unless we prepare workers the goals we have prepared remains a beautiful dream that never comes true. So to prepare the workers and to provide tools to them along with the projects involved in the process is a big deal of resources. Beside regular missionaries training, updating them time to time and to provide training for them on social and health issues are very much important. Follow up procedures and the system behind it is very much important to achieve the goal. 

FECAI Annual Retreat

I want to try to capture what the FECA India's annual retreat was like so I created a photo album for you. I didn't have the time to write the captions for each photo, but some of the photos in the album will be obvious. The retreat was a lot of fun with good teachings, fellowship, and good food. Every year, there is the Bible Quiz (by region) and the Skit competition. The region of Assam won the Bible Quiz competition and the region of Kalimpong won the skit competion. Too bad I didn't take a photo of the trophies! They were huge! There is much more to say about the retreat, but I think I will end here. Maybe another time... For photos, you can go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/grafsbiz/200711FECAIRetreat?authkey=VKHMe8t9JB8

Here is a video from the retreat. We haven't quite learned all the words to this song, but we will soon! :) It is so nice to be able to sing Nepali worship songs and understand what we are singing!

Home Sweet Home

After being on the road on and off for the last three weeks, I am glad to be home. We don't have any plans to travel outside of our town until the last week of November. Our trips away from home have been very productive and enjoyable, but now, I am ready to stay put for a couple of weeks. :) I get to sleep in my bed, drink lots of water (I feel like I've had enough tea to last a couple of months), eat less oily food (my skin has been breaking out!), and have lots of introverted time!! It's really nice to be home.

LA Traffic is Nothing!

If you think Los Angeles traffic is horrendous, Siliguri traffic is even crazier. I learned that it takes an hour just to travel about four miles (3.7 miles to be exact) on public transportation during the rush hour. I timed our travel time from our flat to the training venue. We had two hours of commute every day to travel eight miles! Now, that’s traffic for you when you share the same road with cyclers, pedestrians, cargo trucks, cars, and cows!!

Here are some photos of some FECA India women who ended up staying with me this week due to lack of accomodation space. I learned how to make some Nepali food and they got to taste Korean food. It was a lot of fun but I am tired. I'm glad to have my husband home and for some time to relax a bit! :)

Encouraged by the News

Our director in India asked me to edit a letter that one of his coordinators had written with some specific information about the work happening in Assam. There are over four million Nepalis in Assam and the majority have not been reached with the good news. It is a new field for our workers and the majority of the new staff are being sent there.

As I edited the letter, I was very encouraged by the report. Many of the names were familiar from the new staff training in April. When joining FECA India, the staff must be open to being sent anywhere. Many of them come from the cool hills where Nepalis are the dominant group. Assam is extremely hot, Nepalis are in the minority, and it is even less developed. When we were there in 2004, they had put us in the nicest guest house in town, but it had no running water because the pipe was broken. It was the monsoon, so we had buckets collect rain water to take showers. Recently, one supervisor from Assam shared with me how even the Nepali dialect is quite different there, and how hard it has been to adjust. The state is known for its instability and many rebel movements. For many of the new staff, Assam is like a foreign country to them.

I can still remember some of them crying at the new staff training because they were assigned to go to Assam. It was a scary idea for them... they were going to be far away from their family, friends, and familiar surroundings. But, they chose to go, accepted their calling, and many are doing well. Here are a few excerpts from the report.

Mr. N. Sherpa has been diligently working in this place, sharing the gospel, and trying to win people to the love of Jesus. He has been visiting house to house. Presently, he is working among the youths who are found to be more receptive than their parents. He is greatly loved by the people.

Ms. N. Lepcha and Ms. D. Lepcha are at work and doing good ministry.....More children are being added in the Sunday school and their residence is no longer suitable to hold the Sunday school. They are currently looking for another house. Please pray for this matter.

Mr. A. Subba is doing a great job and he has five families assembled for Sunday fellowship. But, he is facing difficulty in locating a place to hold the fellowship. Many youths are coming to the fellowship to lean more about Christ.

Mr. P. Tenzing started Sunday school and tuitions from last month . About 35 children are attending both..... Many of the people here struggle with addictions. He continues to share....He has been staying at another believer's house because the Nepali people, to this date, has yet to give him a house to reside in. Please pray for Mr. Tenzing and this field.

I thank God for them as I remember them in my prayers. I hope we get to visit them sometime soon. Please pray for them.

Reasons to be Khusi (Happy)!

Do you remember the malnourished baby named Khusi that I had written about? I spent some time visiting her at my friend's house today. She has been receiving lots of love and infant formula. Look at the transformation! It is unbelievable. At seven months old, she weighed a mere 3 kg (6.6.lbs) a month ago. Now, she is 5.7 kg (12.5 lbs!) PTL! She has gained strength and has been trying to crawl. Her father has been visiting her every week and recently, he asked Cindy if he could get baptized. He's been studying the Word and slowly began showing interest in J'sus. In seeing his daughter last week, he was moved by God's love demonstrated through this caring family. God is so good.

Look at those cheeks!

Here are some before and after shots!

Left: Khusi a month ago at 3kg.

Right: Today at 5.7 kg

Above: Trying to crawl after one month

Left: After one week of regular feeding

Khusi!

Khusi means "Happy" in Nepali and I believe in Hindi. Khusi is over 7 months old weighing only about 7 pounds. Just a week ago, the father approached Cindy, my ex-pat friend who works in the slum area and asked if she would be willing to take her in for a few months to help her bring to health. After she and her family prayed about it, they decided they are ready for the task. She was able to get all the necessary documents signed and notarized in the court (all in one day!) with the help of community leaders. While Khusi is living there, I am working to look for a Hindi speaking or a Bihari Christian family who will give her the loving care she needs for about 1 year. The father will visit once a week to maintain contact. Pray for Khusi. She truly is a delight... I have been amazed at her alertness level and her engagement level with people even though she is severely malnourished.

Khusi and me being "khusi--happy" together.

Khusi after 1 week of loving care--she looks so much healthier!

A Joking Culture

One thing I really enjoy and love about the Nepali people is their sense of humor. They are hilariously funny and love to joke around. Many times, the jokes are play on words and a combination between joke telling and teasing. I am auditing an organizational leadership program for Nepalis that Cindy Perry told me about and met some great people doing good work in Nepal and here. I learned TONS from my interactiopns with them, by the questions they asked, and felt like I got a course in Nepali leadership issues just by being there. I laughed a lot too and joked around with people as much as I could. Here are some photos.

I'm holding a sign that reads, म नेपलि होइन."I am not Nepali." I joked around a lot with these two men (Tuk & Kamal) and they teased me a lot too. I shared one time that sometimes they speak so quickly that I can't understand what they are saying. They said back, "You look just like a Nepali so we forget." I responded with "Don't you see on my forehead the words, 'I am not Nepali, please speak slowly.'" After that, we were unstoppable.

Some of the students--the guy with two thumbs up (Rajesh) lives in my city. When I first met him, he seemed so serious, but really he can have people rolling on the floor with laughter. When I told him that I thought he was really serious at first, he shared most people tell him that. I like this Rajesh better!

With Binu & Krishna--We tested the same on leadership style out of 18 people. We're the goal driven, take charge ones, sometimes negatively labeled as "bossy." ;)

The Value of One Life

Whenever I am free from my responsibilities with the organization I'm working for, I try to visit the slum community. I find that I smile more (perhaps because there are so many little kids running around) and that even while drenched in sweat it feels worth my time and effort to get out there. Recently, I've been visiting a Bengali family quite often. Cindy and I have been trying to help a severly malnourished baby girl, Khusi (means Happy). She's 5 months old, but weighs currently a little over 7 lbs. Since her mother left the home (we can't get the full story) no one has been properly taking care of her. Although her uncles and aunts are there, they were not feeding her regularly even after receiving bottles, formula, and some training. So, we've been going regularly to check up on her, to make sure that she's being fed.

Today, I visited her alone as Cindy was busy. She looked better. She smiled as I held her and the twinkle in her eyes were bright. I could tell that the family was looking after her more. They had assured me that they had fed her (she wasn't crying out of hunger), that she took her med, and that they have been cleaning the pacifier in boiled water after it falls to the floor. I brought a piece of yarn and a safety pin to show them how they can keep the pacifier from falling. They all smiled and laughed when I showed it to them. Since I can't speak Bangla, I just spoke in Nepali and used lots of facial expressions. They laughed at me a lot, but laughter is good. My prayer is that she will grow up to be a healthy girl who knows how much God values her. How valuable one life is....

Afterwards, I visited Jyoti, the Nepali mother-to-be. She was sitting in her house tutoring 3 neighborhood kids. I sat with them, helped them with their English homework a little, and later practiced reading the B'ble with her in Nepali. I can tell that she's proud to be teaching me.

A small victory...

I visited Jyoti and baby Topi again in the slum community. It had rained the night before (thank God!), and by 8:30am, the humidity was quite dense and the temperature was already quite warm.

When we arrived at Jyoti's, she was busy working. Although she's eight months pregnant, she was out there in the heat doing laundry by hand, cleaning her house, and busy getting ready for the day. She would not take up on our offer to help and insisted that work is good for her health. Of course, when we came, she stopped all her work, and entertained us for some time. I got to practice some Nepali with her and got to know one another. I met her husband and mom, found out that today will be her last visit to the doctor before the due date, and that she wants the baby to be a girl. I also learned that after 3pm is the best time to visit as they are done with their work and are resting. She insisted that I come back that afternoon (I couldn't since it takes me over 40 min. just to get there with multiple stops and changes), and not to feel bad for interrupting at such an early hour! I promised I'll be back next week.

We walked over to the area where baby Topi lives (Muslim area) and had an encouraging visit. Topi was doing well. I played peek-a-boo with him and he even smiled and played a little bit. I could tell he was catching on. His mother (I call her didi--big sister) just had a hysterectomy done and was recovering. Basically, she was able to get the operation for free by getting a certificate from the council with Cindy's help. I learned that there is something called BPL card (Below Poverty Card) which gives the poor access to some things for free. Often people in the slum communities are not aware of some of the help that are available to them. She was recovering, but seemed cheerful and in good mood. As I listened to Hindi being exchanged, I realized I could understand some of the conversation. I can't speak it, but I am starting to understand a little bit. Her husband was even sober and offered us tea. A small sign of victory worth celebrating today! Thank you, Jesus.

My First Visit to the Slum Community

I've been wanting to visit a slum community for some time and today, an ex-pat, Cindy A. who has started working in the slums took me there. Cindy had asked me a while ago if I'd be interested in teaching English in a slum community where the context was mostly Bengalis. Because teaching in a Bengali context felt like it would split my language learning focus, I asked if there is a slum community where Nepalis are. She took me there today. The community consists mostly of Bengalis, but there is a small enclave of Nepalis. She shared how this is unusual...to find Nepalis in slum communities. I learned that there are about 16 families.

I enjoyed getting to know a woman named Jyoti. She's a Hindu, who is quite energetic, eight months pregnant with her first child, sharp, articulate, and a leader. It was very clear that she has authority in the community and that she's been thinking about issues--as she talked about the need for birth control, more education, supertition, and female infanticide that exists because people want sons. Cindy had led an English camp there for a few weeks and Jyoti had been the star student. I felt excited because it made me wonder if this is a context where I can both practice my Nepali, teach her some English, and learn about the needs of the slum community. Cindy asked me if I'd be interested in building relationship with her because she feels like she's a key person in the community, but she and her team are focusing on the Bengalis who are more needy. I am going to pray about it, although I wanted to say Yes right there.

Then, we visited a Muslim family with six small children. I learned that they can be better off, but all the earnings are spent on alcohol. Their youngest son, who is eight months has been sick with diarrhea and Cindy has been monitoring his health. He's so small...although he's eight months old, he looked like he was about 4 months. He can't crawl or stand up. The mother shared how she had heard that there is a medicine that her husband can take and it will cause him to vomit and stop drinking. She's been putting the medication in his food, without his knowledge. Cindy had one of the team member translate for her in Hindi that alcoholism cannot be fixed by medicine, but that it's a heart problem and only Jesus can help. We prayed for Topi, the baby and promised to return to check up on him.

The needs are numerous. The issues are complex and it will take some time to learn and build relationships. Nevertheless, meeting some of the people gave me a deeper desire to know them. They need Jesus. Whenever I walked the streets and would see women and children picking up plastic bags and little bits of scraps, I wondered where they took them. Now, I have some idea. I don't know why, but I felt hopeful. Perhaps I felt hopeful that I can build relationship with folks here. Maybe it's because I felt like I can show care for one person in Jesus' name. Maybe it was because I felt welcomed by them, and no one asked for anything from me. Rather, I was the receipient of hospitality. I'm not sure, but what I felt like I saw was some sign of hope. It was the highlight of my day.

New Workers Training

We spent a week in a small hill town called Mirik to conduct new "m" training. Teaching and building relationship was really enjoyable, although at times exhausting; the organization end was a bit chaotic as the schedule changed a few times throughout the week. Trying to navigate through indirect communication was also kind of difficult as our Nepali is not that good to catch all the subtleties. But, we made it through leading our first week-long training. (These are pictures of some of the workers.)

One of my favorite teaching session was teaching people how to lead a study of the greateast Book in discussion format and doing a practicum with them. They loved it; they had never done a study together in discussion format. I was a little worried because group participation is not the norm here, and wondered whether people would catch on. I figured I might as well give it a try, and if it flops, I'll learn something more from it. It was a success--Every single person participated! Not only that the next two days, we did B-study by request. I don't know how well it will work on their fields, even though we tried our best to help them to understand there is much room for creativity, especially if there are illiterates in their community. Now, we feel like we have materials we can use and improve on.

Sink or Swim or Just Dog Paddle?

From getting our permit to reaching our first destination, it took 7 shared taxi rides and about 24 hours! Bongten is located in West Sikkim; many tourists pass this town on their way to Pelling or to Khecheopalri Lake. A church was planted in 2004, and we had visited this place when we were out for a month on a scouting trip. We met one of the new believers we had met in 2004. She remembered Paul’s name, and said I was “chubbier” in 2004 so she had not recognized me. (I really have not lost that much weight!) They asked great questions about America and were surprised to hear that only a very small percentage of people in America actually follow Jesus. We definitely got lots of language practice in—Paul gave his first sermon in Nepali at a home fellowship and I gave my first prayer in Nepali. (Don’t be too impressed. We sounded like little children.)

Field Workers Annual Conference

We had a great time in southern China at our sending agency’s annual conference. It was a wonderful conference where keen insights into our lives were discovered and our hearts refreshed. There is something refreshing, encouraging, and life-giving about being with others who are away from home working, even if we are not in the same location. We enjoyed lots of seafood, although NO sushi, but it was still a treat since most of the time – we only eat chicken. Paul got to play basketball and I got to run. What treats! I wish I could post pictures of our fellow workers, but for secu'ity reasons we can’t.

A Marathon

If you thought it was about running, sorry to disappoint you! I attended my first staff meeting, and it was a marathon. :) It was actually scheduled to start at 7:30am, with breakfast, but due to IST (Indian Standard Time or sometimes called Indian Stretchable Time), it didn't start until 9:30am. Except for an hour lunch break, the meeting lasted until 9:00pm. I was so impressed with the staff; they were going strong until the very end. Of course, it was a lot of work trying to pay attention with our limited Nepali, but I did manage to take some notes! Today, I'm recovering. :)