Honey's Bucket List: Cleanliness

YFor people who have so little and have to work so hard for what they have, they work hard to make there places clean. The wash the street in front of their houses at night. They sweep their sand/dirt yards all throughout the day. The broom is made of rice stalks tied together with strips of stalks. The sweep the house with this as well. Many carry water from a central point in old coke and sprote bottles to have any water to do chores with. Most families are multi family woth 10 or more people under one roof. So there are many people available to do the chores. Where I am, I believe that it is mom and dad, and their 6 children are grown, but 102 yo Mother lives in a small room out back. 2 girls who have no home or family are her all the time, but don't sleep in the hose, so must sleep somewhere out back as well. People are always coming through the front gate and don't know if they are just passing through or if the also live out back. Pastor Man and Anita are the kind of people who would never turn anyone away, so if there is a place here better than what they ave, I'm sure they are welcome. I am invited to come anytime and bring all of you and I'm sure they will ake a place for s and treat us like royalty. That seems to be the way of Nepal. A very beautiful country filled with warm and loving, caring, sharing people. They are very happy and really don't miss what they don't have. Almost makes me resent what we have, it does spoil our true existence. We miss the pleasures of life because of all our advancement. Hummm.

I will spend some time today cutting off legs and sleeves. I brought long pants and long sleeves for Nepal and it is NOT cold unless you are in the mountains at night. Ave only seem a couple of mosquitoes, and it was night so went inside. glad I brought scissors. Hope I can cut off enough to cover the weight of all I've bought. Some things were just irresistible. My flight yesterday was the best ever. A little 20 sweater on Buddah air. Would have been 6 hours by bus but 20 min by air. Got here in time to go eat dinner at a hotel cause the power was out here. They call restaurants hotels. They have only been in the eating out culture for about 3 years. Before that that the only paces that served food ready to eat on site were hotels, to travelers. So now if a place serves food ready to eat, it is called by locals , a hotel. They are learning that fast, cause they are everywhere. Some are in closed buildings, some huts, some jut free standing you sit they cook kinda like a picnic. But they do have tables and chairs and me use and napkins. It works. Sometimes the menu is on the wall,and they don't always have napkins. Every time I find napkins or toilet paper, I take a little extra. It has often come in handy.

Speaking of seating, the church hase a few chairs, mainly for senior citizens. There were about 70 people there yesterday and 8 of us were in chars, everyone else sat on the floor. Kids met outside with no chairs. The service was in Nepalese so after the music I went outside with the kids. They were from about 4-12 yo, about 20 of them with 1 teacher, and very well behaved. People either walk to church or take the bus, but come ready to praise and worship.

Yesterday I needed an ATM before I left, so pastor took me on his motor bike to town and showed me around. Glad I didn't see it sooner or I would have ad to buy another suitcase to send home. Really beautiful, indian fashions. It is much closer to India so mor Indian influence in fashion. There was a beautiful river and many families out...you guessed it, washing clothes in the river and pounding them on the stones. Now they will take them home and lay then out to dry on the shrubs. Shrubs bad flowers are amazing. I recognize a lot of them, but they are larger here. Our shrubs are trees here. Makes for many flowers with lots of large blooms and leaves. When I was ready to leave, 4 of the youngest children in the house, made me a beautiful bouquets. They were so proud a,d I was so blessed. I loved pastor and Anita and their 25 yo daughter Pratima. She was home with her little girl to visit. They all took me to the airport. Mom and dad on the bike and the rest of us in the Taxi. Mom and dad stayed u til the plane took off. It was about an hour late. I thought they had eft when they took us into a secure area and looked through our carry ons, but later I looked through the window and saw they were still there waiting to be sure I got off ok. Remember when we used to do that. Mine was the only plane at the airport so they knew which one it was. Anita, mom did not speak English, so what little talking we did was through dad or daughter. I really felt a kinship to mom, and really wanted to share just with her. I think we could have talked for hours. At breakfast I asked Pratima to translate and told mom, when we get to heaven I think we will all speak the same language and I look forward to sitting with a cup of tea and talking with her. She made a lot of hand motions and smiled real big, and I know she looks forward to that too. We hugged and patted each other a lot and smiled a lot.

Some of the ladies at the meeting I did