Praise Your Name

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 NIV

The last few days I have been in an area of Nepal called Sindalpulchok, in a village called Phalum Sangu. The scenery is spectacular yet the villagers are mostly poor. We stayed in a house that has a squat toilet that smells bad, no shower, no fridge, no oven. On this trip there has been an improvement, a plastic outdoor table setting. The kitchen is on the top floor. To get to this floor you scale concrete stairs on which sacks of grain are stored. There is no light and no railing. By Australian standards quite unsafe. The kitchen is open to monsoonal rains and has limited protection. Although we purchased a gas stove for the hostess some 2 years ago she still cooks on a wood fire, most of the time.

Local builders are building a new home beside the house we stayed in. We watched them from the roof top, where, by the way, there is no railing for protection. You could easily walk off the edge if unaware in the dark.

Back to the builders. These men worked from dawn to dusk with shovels and spades, wheelbarrows and the simplest of tools. The men work in ordinary clothes but most had just sandals and thongs on. A safety issue at home.

We saw old men and women lugging huge sacks of grain up steep slopes as this is the only way they will have the rice or corn flour in their homes.

In such a harsh environment they feast daily on views we would die for. The peace and serenity of the village is also very palatable. I am none too fussed on the staple diet, dal bhat (rice and lentils), yet our hostess cooked rice just how I like it and I was very grateful. She cooked us oatmeal for breakfast topped with chopped fruit- yum!

I have become quite fond of our host and hostess. I prayed for the husband for healing as he had a bad knee and the hostess and I traded hats. I had been given a bright pink hat for my birthday, coming on 3rd Dec. The very first time I wore it, today, I was convicted that I needed to give it away. The hostess was delighted. She gave me her hat and I was also delighted as it is very Nepali.

Throughout our stay I praised God for all I saw. He was everywhere. I also sensed His intense love for these people. They are most special to me. How good is our God! Amen!