Reminiscings from the Roof of the World
A Nefarious Business and Closing Days of Trip 2
Because the Maoist banda was still in effect a walk around Narayanhiti Royal Palace and the national government buildings (just a short walk from Thamal and Student Guest House) was the highlight of January 2. Our Nepali and American team divided into two groups at the corner and each team set out in opposite directions to circumambulate the palace grounds praying for the government and the kingdom. My group began walking down the south side of the complex. Our leading for prayer was for the king and against corruption in the political system and leadership. After rounding the corner we walked the back side of the complex. About midway there was a large bamboo grove. A strange raining sound was coming from the grove so we stopped there and prayed that the Holy Spirit would rain down integrity over the palace and government and that He would clean house and do laundry in the palace.
On the north side, across the street from the palace was Naga Pokhari, a 17th century water tank the size of a large swimming pool. It was home to an abundance of cobras, which are considered sacred, and the site of religious rituals. We prayed against the demonic in the area for a while and then proceeded back to the first corner to meet up with the other half of our team. Since we had taken a lot of time I was surprised that they weren’t already there waiting for us. We didn’t know that they had passed by the cobra lake and finished the circuit long before us, so after waiting a while they had returned to the guest house.
As we stood waiting I noticed there was an astounding amount of activity considering the restrictions of the banda. Watching I realized that all the traffic was police. Vehicle after vehicle, flatbed truck after flatbed truck passed all filled with arrested Maoist protestors. I also realized that many people were walking past us on the sidewalk. As I watched them I suddenly realized that my pocket was full of brochures. I thought, “What an opportunity I am missing!” So I started passing out pamphlets to everyone that walked past. After several minutes I looked up toward the street and saw a policeman, gaze fixed on me, walking rapidly across the street. I froze thinking, “What have I done? Am I an idiot?!” Memories of the believers I had met just days before who had served months in prison filled my head. Conversations I had overheard among Robby and his friends about the conditions of the Nepali prison rang in my ears; since the prison does not feed inmates they were planning meal delivery to Christians incarcerated for doing exactly what I was standing there doing. I also remembered Katie relating stories from her first trek about police officers who had become Jesus followers. All of these thoughts flashed through my mind in just seconds and I am embarrassed to admit how terrified I was. My impulse was to throw the brochures in the face of the policeman and run. But realizing how much worse that would have made the situation I somehow managed to keep my boots planted. The police officer walked, almost jogged, up to me his hand outstretched. Placing a pamphlet there I was somewhat relieved to sense a Nepali friend walk up beside me. He immediately engaged the officer in conversation, walking him through the message of Truth as they read the tract together. After talking for some time my friend pointed out the contact information and gave the officer directions for Saturday’s church gathering. As I type out this story twenty-three years after the fact, my heart is pounding a little faster than normal and I sharply realize that I often imagine myself far more fearless and brave that I actually am.
Wednesday morning the banda was lifted and we headed north to Kodari on the Chinese occupied Tibetan border. The northern part of the “highway” was built by China and came pretty close at points to four-wheeling. In fact during monsoon season the road frequently is washed away and it is not unheard of for busses to “fall” off the mountain along that route. At Kodari, Nepal and China are separated by the Bhote Koshi River and there is a long bridge connecting the two countries. This, however, was much different from the border with India where we had been free to walk across and pray on Indian soil. On the other side was an army station with numerous armed Chinese soldiers closely watching us, looking more than ready to use their weapons. At the bridge’s midpoint was a bright yellow line painted across the road and our friends warned us to not step across that line. Oddly, just one day after my encounter with fear I had another encounter, this time with defiance. I felt like a child on the playground and a line had been drawn in the sand before me. Thankfully for me and the entire team I managed to control that urge and kept both my feet away from that yellow line. Our Nepali friends were, however, allowed to cross over and shop at the China Border Market where they purchased several “Eskimo blankets”, greatly desired for their warmth. I felt obligated to inform them that was a misnomer because I had never seen an Eskimo with a blanket like those, lol.
In the afternoon we walked up the mountain where I had my first visit to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Most of the monks were away but we were able to visit with the five who were present. As we walked Emma saw the word HELP on the mountainside, created by erosion. I had no idea that in a few months I would again visit that monastery.
On the drive back to Kathmandu Robby pointed out that along this highway there were many villages devoid of females between the ages of twelve and thirty. All of their daughters had been sold. There are numerous ways that young girls are transitioned from the rural villages to lives of forced prostitution. Deception is usually the root of the transaction. Greed also is often a motivation for a family to send their daughter out into the unknown. And there is also ignorance; who would imagine such treachery if they haven’t been informed. A man will visit the village and approach a father with a marriage proposition for his daughter (Most marriages in South Asia are arranged.). The man is wearing blue jeans and a wrist watch so the father presumes that he is wealthy and will provide a comfortable life for his daughter and so the marriage is set. The marriage however is a sham, a cover for the nefarious business of trafficking girls into the sex industry. Other fathers are offered a sum of money as prepayment for a job for the daughter as a domestic worker or in a carpet factory. The “prepayment” is enough to put a metal roof on his small house which will greatly increase his status in a village of thatch-roofed homes. The job waiting the girl, however, is not legitimate. And so numerous girls are trafficked into slavery in Kathmandu and many, many more to the large cities of India where they will be resold like commodities and then “seasoned” through starvation and deprivation, torture, intimidation, psychological manipulation, isolation, and gang rape until their will is broken and they will do whatever they must do to survive.
On our previous trip to Nepal we ladies were allowed to briefly visit a home for rescued women and girls to see how they would respond to foreigners. We were told up front to not ask to take photos. At first they were very shy, most hiding out of sight, but as we sat and chatted they quickly warmed up to us. We were served the usual tea and biscuits and then the ladies asked to have a photo taken with us. That was huge! They only requested that the photo never be shown publicly (as on social media so sorry I cannot share it with you) since their families had no idea what had happened to them and that knowledge would bring great shame to the girls and their families as well as ostracization from their community.
Our final event before flying home was to revisit that home. Since many of them were learning cosmetology as a potential marketable skill we had brought gifts of Mary Kay products as well as clothes and toiletries. Katie was sick with a fever so I was leading and spoke to the women from Romans 8. Afterwards our team visited an orphanage and also left gifts for the children there.
For our final evening in Nepal our Alaskan team hosted the Nepali team at a wonderful restaurant where we feasted on sumptuous Tibetan Hot Pot, laughed in abundance, shared Christmas gifts, and shed many tears of farewell.
Departure was Friday, January 5. Passing through Tribhuvan International airport in those days required frisking and several security checks. At the final check which was at the door to the tarmac I was delayed. While a female security agent completely unpacked my carry-on bag I was holding my breath because I realized that for whatever reason I had put some pamphlets and some Nepali New Testaments in the bag. She looked at them briefly and then repacked my bag and shoved it across the counter to me. I quickly pulled out a brochure and a Bible and with both hands (the polite way to offer a gift in Asia) held them out to the agent. With a big smile she accepted my gift.
Debriefing was once again in Hua Hin, Thailand, and we had a wonderful couple of days resting in the sun and talking through our experiences of the previous days. Some of us wanted to get clothes made (quite inexpensive there) and found a tailor shop. As it turned out the tailors were migrants from Burma and of Nepali origin. They were quite excited that we knew a handful Nepali words. So, in the end we were able to gift them with the Nepali tracts and New Testaments that I had so weirdly packed. I am not sure that I realized it at the time, but as I remember the moment now I am amazed at God’s providence.
We arrived home on Monday, January 8, very tired. I was also very hungry since the flight was packed and the only food that was left for us at the back of the cabin was century eggs. We all politely declined and dreamed of eating biscuits and gravy when we arrived home.
Coffee, Tea, and Reverie 