Like you we started our week celebrating Christmas. It was a little different this year. We wrote the Christmas program for our the branch here in Kathmandu and were in charge of the presentation on Christmas day. I accompanied the singing while Rick led the music. It really stretched both of us. We had practices after church because it is so challenging for people to return mid-week but that didn’t always work out. We definitely could have used more practice. But it came together well enough and the food and Santa afterwards made it all worth it!
Since we were out of town most of the previous week we had some catching up to do which kept us busy. We also managed to catch a cold on our trip and felt the need to rest between tasks. Fortunately it wasn’t too debilitating and we were able to head out again for a day trip to the hill villages of Lalitpur where Latter-day Saint Charities and CHOICE have been building water systems. It has really helped the people in this area to have consistent water flow and plenty of water for irrigation. They can take their produce a few miles up to the roadside and sell it for a decent price. These people are amazing. Sure they have problems and earning a living is a challenge but they are such hard workers and are happy with so little.
We first went to an area called Malta just to see the water project there but for some reason we drove right past the road…maybe because it didn’t really look like a viable road.
When we got into the village the first thing we saw was a woman carrying a load of fodder for her livestock.
We walked a short distance to the water tank and saw where they will be constructing a building to house the office and storage area. The program is self-sustaining with each user paying a small monthly fee for their water. This amount is enough to pay the technician and the upkeep of the system.
Here are some random pictures from Malta. There will be 190 tap stands in this community. Most are completed and we will return for the “inauguration” ceremony in March.
Following our visit to Malta we stopped in at the maintenance training that was being held as part of the project. We then went to Bagmati Rural Municipality 3 for their official Inauguration Ceremony. They were very excited to have us visit and honored us with garlands, tikas, hats (a shawl for me) and snacks. The ceremony was held at the home of the woman in blue and black. She is quite the character and spoke to me in enthusiastic, rapid fire Nepali with her huge smile. I just had to smile in return because I have no idea what she was talking about.
There were several dignitaries there including the municipality chairperson and the water users committee chairperson. They spoke, we spoke, Kiran from CHOICE spoke. Then there was the ribbon cutting, snacks, and lots of pictures. We also helped hand out some backpacks with school supplies provided by CHOICE and DōTerra.
I have to say that the women of Nepal are incredible. Many are raising their children without the support of a spouse. They are industrious, clever, tenacious and beautiful!
Not only did a woman host the celebration but another woman donated the land that the water storage tank is built on. She has an orange orchard and we had the privilege of picking fruit from her trees while supporting the local economy.
I love finding places like this last photo where plants manage to grow in what seems like an impossible place. Not only do they grow but they can thrive. I think the women of Nepal are like these plants. Life is very challenging and yet they persevere and succeed. Challenges build character and help us become our best selves.
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