Christianity on the Other Side of the World

(Jesus in Yogi position)

One of the reasons I love traveling is to see how people view life differently than me, which is often represented through religions. In Nepal, I am surrounded by religions other than my own. The country primarily follows Hinduism (80%), then Buddhism (10%), Islam (4.5%), Christianity (0.5%), and other (5%). However, it’s not just the non-Christians that perceive Christianity differently than me. Even Nepali Christians perceive things differently than me. I’m not saying that these differences are right or wrong, but I would like to share with you some of these differences.

First, how non-Christians view Christianity. The people of this land were originally Hindu and Buddhist, and only heard about Christianity through evangelists from Western countries. Most Christians are 1st or 2nd generation here, which has caused a lot of breaks in the families and also causes struggles of bringing something “new” into a culture of many religious traditions. So how is Christianity viewed by these people who have never experienced it before?

1)Many people see Christianity as a religion that is only for the poor. And understandably, because Christians do aim to not exclude, feed, and clothe the poor. However, the caste system is huge in Nepal, showing favoritism only for those in higher castes, so people do not want to support a religion that even acknowledges the “untouchables” and lower castes.

2)Many people see Christians as money-givers and willingly become Christian because they think they’ll be given money. Understandably, because there are many Christian organizations (including the one I am serving with) that give money and volunteers to help causes such as education, rural development, food security, human-trafficking, AIDS/HIV, etc. They also know that many Western cultures, which often happen to be the wealthier and developed countries, are Christian. So they associate Christianity as wealth, and even convert to Christianity in hopes that they will overcome their poverty.

3)Many people see Christianity as not just a foreign religion, but also a foreign culture. It is difficult to separate a religion from a culture because many times a culture is based around religious rituals, traditions, and beliefs. For example, imagine a Hindu coming to you and trying to convert you to Hinduism (which wouldn’t happen because they only believe in being born Hindu, not converting to). You would probably have a hard time figuring out what parts of your culture would need to be replaced with Hindu rituals and which are okay to keep, such as wearing a sari or Western clothes, building a Hindi temple for Jesus, and using cremation for the deceased. It would be hard to separate the Hindu religion from the Hindi culture, as we often associate a religion with a culture. So it is hard for a Nepali to believe that he/she can become Christian without giving up his/her culture.

4)Hindus sometimes convert to Christianity because they find it easy to accept another god. There are hundreds of gods in Hinduism, nearly a god for anything! So they are used to hearing about different gods, their purposes, and how to properly worship them. So when they hear about Christianity, it is easy for them to say, “Yes, I accept this God and now I am Christian.” However, they don’t realize that this also means rejecting all other idols, which is ALL of the Hindu gods. I’ve actually talked with quite a few people who say that they are believers and followers of all religions. But obviously they are not true followers because in Christianity you can only follow God. I’ve also heard of some parents telling their children that they don’t care which religion they follow, as long as they follow a religion.

(ladies worshipping at a leadership conference)

Second, how Christians view Christianity. As mentioned in my Easter blog, there are still a lot of Christians in Nepal despite them being a minority. In Kathmandu alone I have heard of a lot of different churches. Even in the rural mountainous areas, there are Christians and churches. In fact it’s not unusual to hear about Christians who walk a full day through the mountains to reach a church, attend a conference, meet other Christians, or evangelize. So how is Christianity viewed by these Christians?

1)Christians here are united. Churches all work together. Pastors will travel to far destinations on rough roads to lead a conference for training Christian leaders. Easter books and DVDs were funded and sent to Christians ALL over Nepal. When a Christian meets another Christian they are immediately excited and very welcoming to one another. It’s like there is this giant web connecting all the Christians together in Nepal… always providing support, helping however possible, and uniting for the cause of Christ.

2)Christians are a minority. But as just mentioned, this seems to have united them more. I’ve come to believe that when a group is a minority, they unite together for a common purpose. But when a group is a majority, they divide from that original common purpose. It honestly saddens me how divided Christianity has become in the U.S. People put so much energy into fighting over “something small” which results in a divided church. Whereas those “something smalls” are the least of the worries to Nepali Christians who are instead putting their energy into fighting for the recognition of Christmas, or to have a burial ground for their dead to distinguish them from the Hindu’s cremations, or to proclaim to others that Christ has risen from the dead. Whether we’re a majority or a minority, where should Christians’ energy be going?

3)Christianity in Nepal is evangelism-based. Because they are the minorities and want to share the love of Christ with others, church messages often are based around evangelism. Also in result of this, Christians tend to not be afraid to declare to people of other religions that they are Christian and then share the Word of God with them. They are often very confident and humbly proud to be a Christian.

4)Because of the focus on evangelism, there are fewer discussions that dig deeper into Christianity and having a personal relationship with God. It is talked about, but not necessarily how to do it. There is also less historical information about different books of the Bible and the history of Christianity. Maybe that is because the pastors have not studied it (many have become pastors because they are passionate and natural leaders, rather than having professional biblical training), or maybe it’s because they would rather talk about evangelism. This is my experience with the churches here, which I honestly miss with church back home. Although considering how many churches there are here, I don’t want to conclude this for all Christians in Nepal. It is only based on my experience.

5)Demons are believed to be the cause of illnesses and diseases. Because Nepal is an undeveloped 3rd world country, there isn’t knowledge about sicknesses like we have in the States. So when someone is physically or mentally sick, it is often blamed on a demon. For example, I was with a group when a girl had a seizure and instead of helping her they started shouting for the demons to leave her. Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t demons and they don’t cause problems. But I am saying that because of limited knowledge in this 3rd world country, often a demon is blamed when a person has a sickness or disease that needs medical attention.

6)Church leaders often meet with leaders of another church. The church I attend has a group of ten churches that meet together every couple of weeks. I think it’s great to see the churches working together, rather than being in competition. Also, only a few churches in Nepal actually claim themselves as a certain denomination. Most churches just say they are Christian and wonder why they need a specification past that.

7)Christians greet each other with “Jaimasi” which means “Praise Messiah”. The official greeting of Nepal is “Namaste”, which actually translates to “I greet the god in you”. This is Hindu and Christians don’t believe having a god within us or being a god ourselves. So Christians say “Jaimasi” instead whenever greeting one another.

8)Churches are flexible, although Nepali people in general have to be flexible. Because of not having electricity for the majority of the day, it makes anything for church difficult. As part of the worship band, we are constantly planning practice around when there’s electricity, which proves to be difficult as we’re also planning it around each other’s work schedules and getting home before dark. As far as Saturday (church day) goes, we just hope there’s electricity! If there’s not, the pastor can’t use a microphone. The band can’t use amps or plug-ins for power, which usually leaves only an acoustic guitar and the leader belting out the song words. The projector can’t work to show the lyrics to the songs. It just makes a church service difficult! Yet Christians come, adjust to having no song words and not being able to hear the entire sermon, and still worship and fellowship together. The electric frustrations do not hinder them from worshipping God.

Non-Christians and Christians view Christianity in Nepal differently than we do in the U.S. No matter the differences though, we must all learn from one another, walk this walk together, and work collectively for the glory of God.

(ladies praying)

Engapli

Nepali + English = Engapli

I will share with you how Nepali people typically speak English… and why it can be humorous!

•‘V’ does not exist in the Nepali language, so they find it difficult to pronounce. Most end up substituting it as a ‘W’. Therefore, when someone quotes the Bible saying, “I am the VINE and you are the branches,” it actually comes out as, “I am the WINE and you are the branches.” Uhhh… I don’t think God would claim Himself as wine.

•They have a difficult time pronouncing the difference between ‘J’ and ‘Z’ because in the Nepali language they combine these two sounds for a letter. So when teachers excitedly tell students that they will be taking a field trip to the ZOO, it sounds like, “We are going to the JEW! Are you excited to go see the JEW?!” Yikes….

•They seem to find it difficult to hear the difference between vowel sounds sometimes. So for example, I was teaching my class some terms and asked them if they knew what a ‘BEACH’ was. A boy answered, “Yes! It’s a female dog!” Oh my! Needless to say, we had a discussion on vowel sounds after that.

•Along with the vowel sound difficulties, we were talking about wild animals one day when a boy kept saying the word ‘BEAR’ as ‘BEER’. Again we talked about the vowel sounds and I encouraged him to master the difference between the two before openly talking about how much he likes bears in public.

•Nepali people have a difficult time distinguishing the difference between ‘sh’ and ‘s’. Often they will just resort to the “s” sound. When I receive text messages, sometimes it takes me way too long to decipher what is being said! Often the text-er will say “C” in place of “SHE”, so a text might say something like, “C is cmg 2” meaning “She is coming too”.

•Along with text messaging abbreviations come word combinations I’ve never seen before. Such as “4M” meaning “FROM”! Often a text is a puzzle in itself!

•‘Th’ and ‘D’ sound very similar to Nepali people so they often interchange them. They will say “DAY” for “THEY” and “DAH” for “THE”. I often wonder if they’re trying to learn how to talk ganster…

•A lot of people around the world pronounce “Z” as “Zed” instead of “Zee”, including Nepal. The end of the U.S. alphabet song rhymes with “Zee”: “W, X, Y, and Zee. Now I know my ABC’s. Next time won’t you sing with me.” But it is different here: “W, X, Y, and Zed. Do you like sugar on bread? If not, it’s time you go to bed.”

•My name is a foreign name to Nepali people. So when they hear my name, they try to connect it to something familiar. Well, the closest Nepali word that ‘KELSEY’ sounds like is the word ‘KHASI’… which humorously means ‘GOAT MEAT’. Lovely connection, isn’t it? My host sister has enjoyed calling me “Kelsey-ko massu” instead of “Khasi-ko massu” which, instead of “Goat meat,” means “Kelsey meat”. Needless to say, I’ve gotten used to the strange looks when I introduce myself!

A Nepali Easter

I met my friends at the bus stop early Easter morning. Quickly we jumped on a micro bus and 45 min later were crossing the Bagmati River into Patan. Many Christian churches had gathered in Thapatali and were marching to St. Xavier's grounds in Jawalakhel. We spotted that the end of the line had just crossed the river. As we drove along it seemed the line of marchers was never-ending. I couldn't beleive how many Christians were proudly marching along this public road in a Hindu country. Each church had a sign proclaiming that Christ had risen! Jesus came to save us all! Different groups had brought guitars and hand drums to play while others were singing and dancing about their risen Lord. About 10 min later, we got off the micro near the front of the line to enter the grounds where we would have an Easter service. All the Christian churches in Kathmandu and Patan joined together on Easter day to have a joint service to celebrate Christ's resurrection. At first I thought this wouldn't be so many people. After all, only .5% of Nepal's population are Christian. However when you consider how many people are just in Kathmandu, aproximately 4 million, you realize that .5% is still a LOT of people (apx. 20,000). We gathered in the grounds... all the Christian churches coming together to celebrate our Lord. Immediately tears came to my eyes. I was just so moved to see all the Christians coming together for one cause... the unity between the Christians and churches here is incredible, exactly as God would want it. I was even more moved by the faith of the Nepali Christians... they aren't just Christians, but they are Christians who are proud to call themselves Christians, proud to procaim that their Lord is Jesus Christ. We sang songs for nearly 2 hours then a message was preached. All the while I just was fighting back tears in my eyes. What is my faith compared to the faith of these people? They are minorities in this country, minorities that are condemned for their beliefs, kicked out of their families, and permanently hated by many. Yet they aren't afraid to proclaim Christ as their Lord. They are people who willingly share about their religion to nonbelievers, not afraid to tell them about the Truth. But I am not a minority in my home country. I haven't been truly condomned for my beliefs. I haven't been kicked out of my family. I haven't been permanently hated by many because of my faith. And yet I still hesitate to share my faith with a nonbeliever. What kind of faith do I have? Yes, I proclaim God as my Savior and am living my life for Him... but am I willing to proclaim it even to those who hate my religion? Am I willing to risk losing everything I have for God? Am I willing to march down public roads of a Hindu country telling them that they are wrong and I know the Truth? I felt so blessed by this Easter in Nepal... to see those following Christ as minorities that are not afraid to stand up for their Savior. As I was reminded of how grateful I am to have a loving Savior that died so I would live, I was also reminded of how grateful I am for His followers that are willing to give up everything they have... for Him. "Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ... You are dead to sin and alive to God! That's what Jesus did... Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time... You're living in the freedom of God." -Romans 6.6,11,13

A Look into Nepali Behaviors

One of the reasons I wanted to live in a foreign culture after SAS was because I wanted to dig into a culture and understand it on a deeper level. As this isn’t possible when visiting a foreign country for a week, I chose to live in a foreign country for a year. However, even after being here for 8 months, I have come to realize that I will never fully understand the culture and keep on making culture mistakes. In this blog post, though, I want to share with you what I have discovered about the Nepali culture after 8 months time.

Nepali people’s top priority when it comes to interactions and behavior is to 1) always be kind, and 2) always show respect to those older than you. So it makes it easy to meet new people as you’ll rarely find a person who shows rudeness towards you. People are generally friendly with one another and do not show judgments. Therefore, it is an enjoyable time to be around Nepali people because they surround us with a welcoming spirit. Nepalis, as mentioned, also show respect to others. They bow to the feet of their elders when entering their home and they ask permission to do anything from their teachers and parents. Because of these two priorities, Nepali interactions are typically enjoyable.

However, as every culture has its good and bad, Nepal does too. And the bad actually is in result of the good. When a person must always show kindness to another, they will hold back from sharing true feelings or thoughts. They don’t want to be rude to that person, so instead they will go to another friend or relative and share their thoughts. This creates lots of lying, dishonesty, and distrust in the culture. I honestly have never been around so much lying in my life, and I have realized it’s because they are trying to save face and keep a good relationship. Although I would argue that a relationship where there’s no honesty and talking behind backs is not a real relationship. Also in result of this, Nepalis approach conflict indirectly. They will send someone else to talk out the problem rather than go themselves. If they are talking directly to you, they will discuss the problem in a very indirect way, or complain about something that isn’t even the issue, hoping that the other person will pick up on what the problem actually is.

Nepalis loooove to talk. Sometimes I think they have forgotten to breathe! Because of this, they will often take great interest in foreigners and ask many questions. I also enjoy it in Nepali friendships when I personally am not feeling so talkative and just want to listen to the other, and they hand that right to me, naturally! However, often they will end up just talking from their own view. Sometimes I have struggled with this because I feel I don’t get a chance to say anything or give my input because I don’t like to interrupt. But the Nepali style is to just talk over each other! So there may be 2 or 3 people talking at the same time! Often too, in the case of conflict, they are stern on standing their ground and not really listening to what the others are saying. Everyone wants to win, therefore no one wins (maybe this is why there’s still hardly an intact government). It also results in a lot of talk, and little action. Again, just look at all the government rules that have not been implemented.

Nepalis are much more laid-back than Americans. They are people-oriented, not time-oriented, so they will do what they are doing until they feel it is finished. It is nice to be able to enjoy a friend and know it’s okay if you’re late to your next appointment. You also don’t even need to make an appointment to go to a friend’s house. You’re welcome to just stop by whenever you want, without an appointment and even without an invitation! However, again this has its downside. It seems if you make plans, there’s about a 25% chance they will go through. They also will change plans but not notify anyone about the changes. It has resulted in very low commitment levels, including jobs. It is not unusual for teachers to be an hour late to their own class, not show up to school because they want to go to their friend’s house, or end their term just a few months in the middle of the school year. This makes it difficult for institutions and even society to grow.

Overall, I enjoy the Nepali culture’s welcoming attitude but I won’t lie in saying that there are some things that drive me crazy! But this will happen anywhere. Even in my own American culture, there are things that drive me crazy. With each culture, there are great characteristics that make it unique. There are also bad characteristics that hold it back. So these are my 8 month conclusions from observations, interactions, and discussions with Nepalis and foreigners.



As for me, the school year at Elim has started after the New Year of 2068. Although this week isn’t what you may expect for the first week of school- such as half the students missing, many teachers missing, not teaching classes yet, interviewing teachers the day before school starts and hiring them during the first week… Maybe this falls into the “laid-back” and “noncommittal” aspects of Nepal : ) So, I hope you all are well!

Another Year Between Years

Last Sunday, April 10th, we finished the school year at Elim. It seems early, doesn't it? Don't get jealous to quickly, the next school year starts this Monday, April 18th! There is only a 1 week break between school years. So for this week of holiday, what did I do? Well I had originally made plans with a friend, but as I told you before, Nepali friendships aren't reliable. So those plans ended up not happening, which really disappointed me. However, the week has ended up being a great time! I will share with you some of the random things that I've filled it with:

-KFC! I decided it was okay to treat myself to a taste from home. All the rice is starting to get old! I thoroughly enjoyed eating some tasty spicy chicken fingers and a brownie sundae : )

-Basketball in the rain! The monsoon season is approaching and so some evenings have been filled with rain. As I’m playing basketball with the Somali guys, the rain just soaks us. I’ve come to really enjoy basketball in the rain!

-Walking, walking, walking! Whenever I have time, I will walk to my destination rather than take public transportation. And this week I’ve definitely had the time! So I’ve spent an average of maybe 3-5 hours a day walking!

-Phone conversations! With limited electricity, 9 hr 45 min time difference, and chaotic schedules, it isn’t so easy to make phone calls back home. Each week I call my boyfriend, sister, and family, which doesn’t leave room for many other calls. However this week I was able to call my grandparents as well! Of course Grandma Smith was being too social and missed my call once again, but whether I’m talking to her answering machine or hearing Grandma and Grandpa Clendenen’s voices, it was simply music to my ears. Such joy it brought me!

-New Years! Yeah, you read that right! On April 13 (Happy birthday, Denise!) – April 14 the Nepalis celebrated their new year… 2068! That’s right, I’m in the future : )

-Thunderstorms! As I mentioned, the monsoon season is approaching, bringing in lightening with it. Since Nepal’s elevation is high, we are closer to the storms. And let me tell you, the thunderstorms are just AWESOME here. The thunder rumbles for such a long time, even shaking you! I love it : )

-Falafel with friends! One of my favorite places to eat in Nepal is this little street stand in Thamel (a cool part of Nepal) that sells falafels. Mmm mmm mmm are they good! So this hasn’t actually happened yet, but here in a half hour I’m meeting up with some of my Somali friends and we are heading to eat falafel! No rice + delicious falafel + presence of wonderful friends? Yup, it’s gonna be a good day : )



So those are my happenings on my holiday break! School starts here again in just a few days. The school year is broken into 3 terms. I will complete the first term with them up to July 13th, then will head home soon after. I also am REALLY looking forward to just a little over a month when my mom and sister come! Praise God for so many blessings. I hope you are all doing well! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2068!

Making Me प्रौद

Hey all!

So as you know by now, the majority of my work here in Nepal is with refugees, particularly from Somalia. I have become rather passionate about refugee work and also feel like a proud mother when it comes to my refugee students. So, the past couple of weeks I've just beamed with proudness of them and I want to share why with you.

First, my 10th grade Somali refugee student has been nationally recognized in Nepal! 10th grade is the graduating year here and intense exams are given. He is the first international student in Nepal to ever take these exams! Now, the reason I find this so impressive is because 4 years ago he didn't even know any English. And now he's taking such intense exams in English to graduate in a foreign country! And not only is he expected to pass, but he's expected to be one of the top students in the whole country! So I've worked with him one-on-one extensively and it just makes me really proud of all the work he's done for this national recognition.

Second, just today one of the Somali families got news that they are finally being relocated! They've been here for 4-5 years waiting waiting waiting until they day they get to go to a safe, developed country where they have opportunities, good schooling, and can earn money. When they first came to Nepal, they imagined it'd be only a month. Can you imagine waiting for 5 years?? So they just got a 2 weeks notice that they will be moving to California! So not only is this great news for the family that is going, but it's great news for all of the Somali refugee community here. Things are finally rolling, opportunities are coming, and their hopes are rising! So as sad as I am to see this family go, as they are all truly wonderful, I'm happy to see that a more positive life will soon be in their hands so soon.

That's my quick update as I'm just really happy right and wanted to share with you! Hope all is well!

Nepali Festivals

There are countless festivals in Nepal! Since Nepal is primarily Hindu, and Hinduism has hundreds of gods, there are many days to celebrate. The schools get at least one additional day off every 1-2 weeks because of so many festivals. I would like to share a few of them that have stuck out to me since I arrived 7 months ago.

Gai Jatra (August-September)
Literally means “Cow Festival”. This day celebrates those who died in the previous year. Children dress up as the deceased with costume and make-up. Cows are decorated and are believed to guide those that died to Yama.

Teej (September)
This is the Women’s Festival. All women fast for 1-3 days. Married women fast for their husbands’ well-being and prosperity. Single women fast in hopes to find good husbands some day. Red, fasting, and dancing sums up the Teej scene.

Dasain (October)
The importance of Dasain is equivalent to the U.S.’s Christmas. This is the big holiday of the year. It lasts for 15 days and celebrates the goddess Durga’s triumph over evil forces. Goats are sacrificed and their blood is scattered to ensure safety for the next year. Families have parties at each other’s houses, men play cards and gamble, and everyone dances.

Tihar/Diwali (October/November)
Nearly as important as Dasain holiday. On the first day, crows are worshipped. Second, dogs. Third, cows. Carnation necklaces and tikas (the red dot on the forehead) are placed on dogs and cows on their special day, including the strays running the streets. On the fourth day, the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is welcomed into homes by decorating the entire house with lights. It reminded me of Christmas in the U.S.! Nepal even allows a full night of electricity during Diwali! The fifth day, brothers are worshipped, tika-ed, and given gifts.

Shivaratri (February)
Shiva’s birthday is celebrated. Sadhus (very devoted Hindus who’ve dedicated their lives to Shiva) from India and Nepal come to Pashupatinath Hindu Temple in Kathmandu. They freely and nakedly bathe in the Bagmati River, which is believed to be holy (uh… if only you’d seen it you might think otherwise), and smoke weed all night long.

Holi (March)
It’s known as the Festival of Colors to bring in Spring. How is it celebrated? With water balloons of course! On this day many people won’t even venture out of their houses because water balloons are freely thrown at any passers-by. And the balloons aren’t always filled with water… sometimes colored paint, or even urine, gum, or broken glass. I’ve heard that sometimes people will even come into an open house and cover people with paint! A week before the official Holi day, people start preparing. This week I was nearly hit by a water balloon (or I hope it was water…) walking home to and from school 3x! So many people have told me that I should stay in this day, especially because my white skin is a target! The official Holi day is this Saturday… so we’ll see how I survive it! I might just have to throw a few water balloons myself : )