July 15, 2009
8:25PM Kathmandu time

Today was probably our busiest day yet in
Nepal. We woke early in the morning,
6:15am, to get ready to go to a daily morning meeting at the local hospital. After a small debriefing and talk from Dan,
Sofia started her first day of shadowing the sole doctor of the hospital and
rounding with with the entire staff, something which is what should be
happening in every hospital, esp. the USA, but what is not generally done. That fact alone already impressed Sofia and
started off the day really well.

While Sofia rounded with the doctors and
nurses, Dan & I decided to explore the village and take mental notes about
the village. When we arrived yesterday
afternoon, we originally thought this was a very rural village. The more we trekked through the roads,
however, the more that it became clear that it wasn't the case.

We noticed that there very a numerous
amount of merchant shops throughout Besishahar.
We saw stores that sold trekking backpacks, hiking boots and shoes,
Nepali clothes(that are geared for tourists), and even women care
products. Another type of store that we
saw often were wester union/currency exchange shops, which led us to originally
think that the village is receiving most of their money from the men who have
to leave Nepal to work in other cities like Bahrain. As we reached the border of Besishahar, we
then finally realized that the village's main income was from tourism. This village was a bus stop for adventuring
tourists who are preparing to set out to one of the mountains that the village
sits under.

Afterwards, we noticed that there were
many school children heading out to class, so we decided to follow some of them
b/c we assumed that they were all going to a local government-sponsored
school. When we made it to the school grounds,
we saw a large number of students, at least over 200+. That number alone convinced us that this had
to be a government school because of the large number of students. Most privately-run schools have a lower
overall student population to maximize student:teacher ratios.

The students were intrigued by us
non-Nepalese dressed looking people and came to me to have their photos
taken. After we convinced them to go to
classes, we went into the main building to see if we can explore without
disturbing their classes. The moment we
stepped into the building, I looked up and saw a man, who turned out to be the
principal of the school, motioning me to head up the stairs. At first, I was afraid that he was angry at
Dan & I for coming onto school grounds without permission. Dan didn't see him and I had to call Dan
twice before we could go upstairs and meet our date.

Thankfully, Principal Uddhab Ghirive was not upset, but happy to see visitors to the
school! He invited us in and answered
all of our questions on how the school, Earthly Paradise, began, how it was
funded, what happened during the 10 year civil war, and what they are trying to
achieve now. With 1100+ students,
Earthly Paradise is one of the largest privately ran schools in the
district. They even have a school us to
bring students from far off and a hostel to board students who live further
away. Dan & I were extremely impressed
and amazed that this school existed and just how hungry for volunteer teachers
to come and spend time with the teachers and students.

Overall, even just
half of today was a lot to absorb and process through. Sofia, herself, had an amazing time at the
hospital and encouraged by some of the things she saw with the staff and how
they handled some situations today. I
know I wouldn't do her justice in summarizing some of the things she
experienced, so I will let her do the explaining on her own blog when she gets
the chance.

This was a very
productive day. Our time in Lamjung
district started off rocky yesterday, but today it feels like we've gotten into
a good groove. I'm looking forward to
seeing what we'll find out tomorrow and maybe have a little adventure trekking
up one of the local "hills."
We'll be heading out of the district Friday morning and meet up with the
rest of our team back in Pokhara. This
week is flying by so quickly! Can't
believe it's the end of Wednesday already, golly!

July 14, 2009
11:12PM Nepali time

Sofia, Dan, and I are staying in the
mountain village of Bershiadia tonight. 
This is the location of the Christian-managed government hospital that I
mentioned in my last entry.    We woke up
at about 5am and got into a taxi at 6:10am that took us to a micro-bus location
where we were picked up by our friend, S.P., who is the current manager of the
health organization.

Originally, the trip should have only
taken approx. 5 hours, but several complications arose.

1.  45 minutes into our journey from the bus stop,
we encountered what we originally thought was a traffic accident along the
mountain road.  However, after two hours
of getting some tea, crawling up and down the mountain road as traffic moved
very slowly, we finally discovered that the traffic delays were caused by
protesting construction workers who decided to block one side of the road with
mounds of sand and cement materials. 
This obviously would cause a bottleneck and only began to be freed up
b/c of Nepalese policemen who arrived on the scene to facilitate the traffic.

2.  15 minutes later, we were stuck again because
of a construction vehicle had blown a tire and then broke its front axle, on a
bridge.  Needless to say, that took a
while to get through the bottle neck there. 

After those problems, we were able to go
straight to the hospital without much interruption besides getting some lunch.

When we arrived, the hospital staff
showed us our accommodations for the next couple of days.  Though they believed that these
accommodations were very minimal, for us, this was a luxury! The rooms had
western-styled bathrooms, ample space to put our luggage in, and overall a
decent place for us to sleep. 

We then took about a 2 hour tour of the
hospital facility.  As they showed us the
many patient rooms they had, the type of hospital equipment they possessed, I
could tell Sofia look a bit concerned. 
It’s very hard for us westerners, admittedly, to remember that we had
been truly blessed by God.  We take a lot
of things for granted, and in a sad way, we lose touch with how to deal with
situations that don’t have the best conditions, especially in the medical
arena.  In many ways, practicing medicine
in Nepal is practicing frontier style medicine; make due with what you have and
try your best to help those who are sick.

We’ll be staying here for at least
another two nights.  Sofia will be
shadowing the doctors tomorrow and she is looking forward to when the pre-natal
doctor comes in on Thursday and speak with him/her about child care and
pregnancy care.  Dan & I will
probably explore and document the surrounds as much as possible.  There is a lot to do, but until then, time to
get sleep.  Night!

July 13, 2009
2:05PM Kathmandu time

A good and very busy day already!  Sofia & I came back from our visit with
the medical organization.  The head of
the organization explained to us their mission, the work that they’ve been
involved with and their current needs for more willing workers to come and do
long-term work with them.

Our current plan is to head out west to
their 1st hospital building and spend a few days there so Sofia will be able to
interview and assess their medical capabilities, the needs of the local
community and how does the hospital operate. 
After that, we will leave for Pokrara and rendezvous with the rest of
the team there.  Hopefully there, Sofia
will find contacts and continue some more research there. 

For myself, documentation and photo
taking has been going well.  It’s been a
while since I’ve put myself into that mentality.  Hoping for great photos and stories to
happen.  Besides that, we’ll see how much
computer / networking I will be able to help with these next two weeks.  It all depends when the internet drop will be
made at the HOPE house.  Worst case
scenario is it doesn’t happen until we leave, but hopefully not.

Since we’re leaving for the hospital
tomorrow morning, we dropped by the local government school that I taught
English at 2 years ago.  It was great to
see the school and the kids again and most of them remembered me too!  They all especially wanted to meet Sofia and
commented how beautiful my wife is.  Just
shows the good taste and class these students have.  :>) 
I’m hoping to visit them again before we leave for Boston and maybe get
more photos of them, especially my past students. 

Well that’s it for now, rest of the day
to be with the family and acclimate back to the Kathmandu lifestyle.  Namaste and see you later!

July 12, 2009
Sunday 1:54PM (Boston time)
Sunday 11:49PM (Kathmandu time)

Sofia & I are finally settling in for
the night at the HOPE house in Kathmandu. 
The journey here was a long endeavor. 
The flight to Hong Kong alone took approx. 16 hours.  I think by hour 13, I was experiencing a
fleeting bout with cabin fever.  I couldn’t
stop myself from moving and needing to move. 
I also probably was experiencing the side effects of not getting a very
consistent amount of sleep on the planes.

Either case, we made it to Kathmandu safe
and sound.  It was a big greeting and
welcome from the HOPE family and then Mike, Dan, and us settled in to discuss
what the plans are for the next two weeks that we’re all here. 

Tomorrow morning, possibly, I will be
accompanying Sofia to a remote village in Nepal to make contact and work with a
local medical facility.  It’s been
something that Dan had been working on for the past week as he’s been wanting
to make some genuine connections with some of the local medical aid groups that
are serving here in Nepal.  This
particular one happens to be a christian based group who have been doing a
tremendous amount of medical work for the local villagers.  Their reputation has grown and it would be a
great opportunity to hear about the needs of the local villagers and assess
what other steps can and will be taken to continue a good level of care for
them.

After that, the plans are up in the air
as to what we will be doing.  One path
would be that Sofia & I stay at this village for the rest of the two weeks
and meet up with the team two days before we head back to the States.  Other paths involve a shorter trip to the
medical facilities and we either rendezvous with the rest of the team in
Pokrara or head back to Kathmandu first and then head up to Pokrara with them.

Those plans, though, we’ll leave for
tomorrow.  It feels great to be great in
the HOPE house and to see Prakash and Muta and the rest of the family
again.  While we were being whisked to
the HOPE house, I was remembering the sights, the sounds, and smells of Nepal
again.  Much of it appears to be the same,
but there are noticeable differences. 
It’s a small dream come true, to be back in this country, and this time
having the chance to share this experience with my wife as well. 

I don’t know what God has in store for us
these next two weeks, but we will just trust that He knows what He’s
doing.  We are dependent His kindness as
it is displayed through Nepalese people. 
We are the aliens in this land and whatever kindness or grace we
receive, it is never earned, but a gift that needs to be received gratefully
and humbly.

Two years ago, I participated
with a group of friends from Mosaic
Boston Church in an
exploratory/mission trip to the State of Nepal.  It was a very enriching & challenging season for the team,
as we became students of a nation that was in desperate need spiritually, as
well as politically, monetarily, and socially.  Ever since that first trip two years ago, my personal
interest in the well being of its people has grown.  The people we encountered, including our host family, have
stayed closed to my thoughts and prayers.

After that first trip, our
research and work in Nepal had attracted others in wanting to partner with
us.  Since then, the Nepal team has
evolved to include members from Highrock
Brookline and students from Boston
Trinity Academy.  This year, my
wife, Sofia Chu, and myself will be joining a newly formed team and be in Nepal
from July 11^th to July 25^th, 2009. 

A brief biography of the State of Nepal

The
State of Nepal is a Himalayan country that is bordered by Tibet, China to its
north and by India to its South.  It
is broken up into three different sections:  Mountain, Hill, and Terai Region.  The
mountain region is where Mount Everest is located, resulting in Nepal being a hotspot
for tourists and avid mountain climbers.

Though
Nepal does not have Hinduism as its official religion, Hinduism composes 85–90
percent of the population, while Buddhism, Islam, and Kirant, are the rest of the
minority faiths that can be found within the country.  Christianity has been growing in Nepal, but heavily
oppressed or persecuted, despite the nation’s constitution that allows for
freedom of religion.  According to International
Christian Concern, there is an estimated 400,000 Christians, the
majority of whom are heavily ostracized within their communities.

Nepal
originally had a monarchy until 1990, when King Birenda instituted a
parliamentary democracy, which allowed Nepalese people to begin electing
government officials, such as Prime Minister.  Unfortunately, in 2002, King Gyanendra dissolved the
government and took over command of the military.  A civil war broke out between those who were loyal to the
king and those who were part of the Maoist factions that operated within the
nation.  Eventually, due to
mounting pressure from opposition groups, the king reinstated the democratic
parliament.  The elected government
immediately declared Nepal to be a secular nation and moved to constitutionally
remove the king’s authority and control of the military.  In November 2006, the Maoist factions
and the government signed a peace treaty, and in March 2007, the Maoists
officially joined the interim government. 
This interim government eventually moved to completely abolish the
monarchy and declared Nepal to be a federal republic.  The Maoist factions, since 2008, have had a majority within
the general assemblies of the government.

 Why are we going to Nepal?

Mike:  I have been waiting to return to this country ever since the first
trip.  My heart has been touched by
what I’ve experienced and want to be part of what God is doing in this country.  I intend to continue being a student
and partner with its people.  I
hope that as a student of this nation, those I encounter will hear and see the
words and deeds of Christ through all of us.  My desire is to see God continuing to move and perform His
miracles around and through us during those coming weeks.

Sofia:  Ever since Mike came back from Nepal in the summer of
2007, my desire has always been to join him in his love and excitement for this
country. We were engaged only 6 months at the time he went, and my hope has
always been to go as husband and wife one day.  Through the gracious hearts of my colleagues, program and
education director of the Worcester Family Medicine Residency Program, I am
able to join this year's team with a unique purpose of understanding the
current health care model and health care needs of Nepal. I am also open to any
opportunities that may arise to instruct local communities about safe,
preventative health practices that they may in turn teach others.  Mainly, I want to share the love of
Christ through the training that I have been blessed to receive to a people group
that I have heard so much about but have yet to meet.  What is even more exciting is that our team will be
comprised of a number of high school students from Boston Trinity Academy who
will have a front row seat to seeing the work of God's hands!

What will we be doing in Nepal?

Our
team will be collaborating with a secular non-profit relief organization called
the HOPE Initiative.  Though their primary focus is in
providing computer education training, they had also taken in 5 orphans from
the streets of Kathmandu. The civil war in Nepal left many children without
parents or guardians to take care of them.  Our team will be working closely with the orphanage workers
and assisting them in caring for the children.

Other
planned activities include possible health workshops conducted by Sofia in the
village of Pokhara, teaching English and Math at a local government school in
Kathmandu, and visiting local health care organizations and learn of the work
that they have been involved in.  We
will also continue to conduct surveys, interviews with survivors of the civil
war, and making connections with other non-governmental organizations. 

How can you partner with our team?

The
most needful thing I can ask of you is to please pray for our team.  For the majority of the team, this is our
first overseas trip, and we are looking forward to serving the Nepali
people.  We also know that apart
from Him, we will never be effective or able to communicate the Gospel through
our words and actions to the Nepalese. 
That is the most important request I can ask of you as a partner.

Some
possible things to pray for:

• Pray that we would
  be flexible and faithful to the Lord as a team.
• Pray for humble
  and gentle spirits to be within us, as we become students of this nation.
• Pray for
  meaningful and effective service to the Nepali people no matter our age or
  abilities.
• Pray for boldness
  and cultural sensitivity should opportunities arise to share the Gospel with
  the Nepalese.
• Pray for an intense
  time of spiritual growth and witnessing for Christ.
• Pray that whatever may happen there, God will be
  recognized as who He is & receive His rightful praise.

Secondly,
I’d like to ask you to please prayerfully consider supporting us financially.  Our total expense for this trip that we
need to raise is $4310, which is for
air travel.  Any amount surpassing this goal will be used to support the
work that HOPE Initiative is doing at their computer training centers and care
for the orphans.

If you would like to make
a financial contribution, please make a check out to Boston Trinity Academy and write in the memo statement - Nepal Trip – Mike Chu/Sofia Chu.

Contact us at MChu.Nepal@gmail.com for further details such as our mailing address.

 Thank you for taking the time
to read this, and I do pray that you will consider how you may support
and aid our team as we prepare to go out this July.  We would greatly appreciate your partnership with us on this
exciting adventure to experience God’s work in cross-cultural ministry.  If
you would like to provide us with prayer or financial support, please respond by
June 30th.

Yesterday (04.04.09) was the observance of Ching Ming, AKA Chinese Memorial Day, in which Chinese families all over the world are expected to visit the graves or memorials of their ancestors and pay their respects.  Since this is our first year as a married couple, it was important for Sofia to come with my family for her first time in visiting my paternal grandfather's grave today and pay our respects.

Afterwards, my immediate family ate at Victoria Seafood where we bumped into some friends from BCEC.  Turned out that there was a multi collegiate acappella concert later in the evening and we decided to attend as some of my former students were performing.  Plus, it's been over 4+ years since I attended an acappella concert, so I was excited to go.

The music was fantastic and the atmosphere was definitely jovial.  The best moment for me personally was at the very end when all the singers gathered together to sing one last song, "Let Everything That Has Breathe."  It really was a beautiful picture, seeing maybe close to 70+ people singing in harmony with each other.

It was a shadow of an image I have in mind whenever I think about what heaven & earth will be like when all the redeemed gather around that Throne and sing for our King.  I often think our typical pictures of heaven are too bland and monolithic.  What I saw tonight at that concert was a glimpse of what I honestly believe heaven will be like.

Each singer on that stage sang in perfect harmony with each other, but each person contributed his or her personal touch to it.  So it will be on that day when all of us gather.  Multitude upon multitude will sing as one voice...diversity and unity living hand and hand.  Each of our creativeness, personality, passion, and heart will be part of our individual praise...that fits in harmony with everyone's else.  What a thought and what a day that will be like.

To paraphrase Twila Paris, each person's personal sacrifice of worship contributes to the corporate worship of the body of Christ.  Tonight's concert reminded me of that and provided a very awesome glimpse as they sang in harmony, diversity, and unity.  Hats off to them all!

Day 3 - John 1:19-28

He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." ~ v.20

"I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' " ~ v.23b

Day 2 - John 1:6-18

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ~ Isaiah 53:3(NIV)

How does God experience sadness, despair?  How does the Almighty One, the Creator of all existence squeeze himself down into a limited body of a broken race?  It is incredible enough that he would come down, but to the extent that he did...

He didn't come with constant fanfare.  He came into the world that He created, that exists because of Him, but it did not know Him.  He came to his own people, but they did not know him.  The One who has counted the hairs on our heads...the one who sees the suffering of people and does something about it...he wasn't recognized...He was ignored.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~ (v.14 ESV)

Yet, he dwelt amongst us.  God Almighty made his home with us.  He didn't leave;  He didn't ignore;  He didn't give up on us.  He wanted us to know Him & His Father.  He wanted to be in community with us.  He wanted us to see Him, recognize Him...KNOW Him.

Jesus, you experienced a sorrow that few ever feel, but you pushed on to reveal the countenance of Your Father through your dwelling amongst us.  You have spoiled us with so much grace beyond what we can measure.  Thank you for pushing through the sorrow that we might experience the joy of knowing You!  Praise Your Name!

As I wrote about in my last entry, the Mosaic Boston community is practicing Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading) as one of the ways to observe this Lenten season.  Though I'm not sure how consistent I can be in updating my xanga, I would like to share whatever thoughts I may have for that particular daily passage and maintain a record of it if possible.

Day 1 - John 1:1-5

A very familiar passage for anyone who has grown up in a Christian background.  It starts off with the statement that Jesus (Described as the "Word") existed before the creation of anything.  He was with God the Father before time began because He is God the Son.  He holds equal standing with God basically.

The section that caught my eye was v. 5:

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (v.5)

For a while, I was having trouble understanding what did John mean that the "darkness has not understood it."  "It" being the light of Christ.  Then, however, I read the ESV version...

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

Our Lord & Savior cannot and will not be contained.  The darkness around us would want us to believe that He can be explained away.  Words are spoken of his inferiority or limitations or nonexistence.  Even us followers many times place restrictions on where He can go, what He can do, or what He can say into our lives.

It's useless...

He will not be limited.  He will not stay inside the boxes we create; the lines that we draw; the expectations we've placed;  Jesus will not be stereotyped, maligned, or marginalized.  He will overcome them all because He is the light that shines in darkness.

He is more powerful...
...more beautiful
...more wonderful beyond a limited understanding!

The NIV & ESV both got it right.  This darkness will never understand Him nor will it conquer Him.  He is Jesus, the light that brings life to all men!

Lectio Divina - It's from the Latin for "Sacred Reading" and it is a practice of reading the Scriptures that came from monastic circles.  Of late, this form of reading has gone outside of Roman Catholic circles and has been making it's way into other denominations.  For Sofia & I, this will be the third year that we'd be participating along with our church.

Lectio Divina, in short, is a simple method for followers to take a new look and approach to the Scriptures, and in this season of Lent as we approach the somberness of Good Friday and the celebration on Resurrection Sunday, it is a fitting method (in my opinion) to take a 2nd look at the scriptures with rawness and purpose.

More can be said of course, but for simplicity sake, I'll attempt to surmarize the basic steps.

1. Lectio (reading/listening) - The first step that needs to take place is the thoughtful and intentional reading of the scriptures.  This step requires that the reader not skim or quickly surmarize the passage in one's mind, but to take in each word.  It is reverential.  It is approaching the scriptures as a lover reads the words from his/her long lost beloved.
2. Meditatio (mediation) - When you find yourself drawn to a particular passage, take the time to meditate and percolate on what it is saying.  This process is meant to go throughout your day as you chew on what God is saying in this passage and how it applies to you.
3. Oratio (prayer) - This is the time for your response to God.  This isn't the time to repeat Christian jargon, or codified prayers.  It is simply the time a child approaches his/her Father and be honest with him.  This isn't about performance or measuring up, it is about communion with your Father.
4. Contemplatio (contemplation) - The final step is to simply be still and know that He is God.  He dwells within each follower of His Son, bask in that Truth, enjoy His Spirit's presence.  Listen for His voice.

I hope this encourages you to may be try out Lectio Divina during this Lenten season.  God has used this in the past to encourage me to take on certain tough challenges (such as Nepal).  Maybe he'll use it for you too.