Tag Archives: Bhutan

Round Two

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Last time I told you about the beginnings of Ariel and I’s encounter with the Bhutanese refugee ministry that we joined. This time, let me take you in a little deeper…

On Thursday night, Ariel and I went to Target to get some things for the kids we would be teaching. We went through aisle after aisle finding things we thought would be useful to us. We got some cute stickers to pass out, some brand new crayons, paper to draw on, highlighters for prizes, neat pens, Play-Doh, and more. we also got a cool box to put it all in. We’re quite professional, Ariel and I.

When we got home, Ariel began to work on our lesson plan (she is an expert there, after all). we decided to teach about Jesus feeding the 5,000 people with only two fish, five loaves of bread and a major miracle. She created a whole curriculum, including a lesson, questions and appropriate craft. We definitely felt prepared.

Saturday arrives and we pack up our box, our Bibles and our lessons and head of north Dallas. We missed a turn on the way up, so after about a ten minute detour, we got there a few minutes late (but there really is no late here!). We sang some songs with the families all together (one song in Nepali that we knew the chorus to (no idea what we’re saying, though), a couple of songs where all we could do was clap, and a song in English that the missionaries taught the refugees). Now was the time. We took our three children into a separate room and began teaching them. Things didn’t really go as planned, though, because they had already heard our story on TV! We quizzed them on it and then started coloring, allowing them to teach us!  Ariel and I began to ask them how to say different words and phrases in Nepali, ensuring their continual amusement as two white girls tried desperately to wrap their tongues around polysyllabic words in a language where cloud and monkey apparently are said in almost the exact same way. What an adventure! I do remember how to say “black,” and we are definitely going to study some words before we go back so that we can impress them! Haha! we definitely had a wonderful afternoon with the kids. In the end,  few more boys came, giving us a total of five silly boys and a wonderful girl (as well as a very amused mother who sat in, too!) ranging in age from six to fourteen. We were promised that more children would come next time, so we are looking forward to that challenge.

Next weekend, Ariel will be attending a cool conference, so it will be Mark and I attempting to cross cultures and share Jesus with some new found friends. I love this job. :)

Meeting Bhutan

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I have always loved meeting people from other countries and getting to share in their cultures (see many posts here for more details). I recently got a chance to become involved in refugee ministry here in Dallas. Yesterday, my roommate Ariel and I went to house church with some people who minister to Bhutanese refugees. It was an amazing experience that I will always remember.

We arrived after the apartment full of people had already begun singing in Nepali. Talk about being thrown into the culture! The language is complex and beautiful, and I really enjoyed listening to it. It was interesting, though, when they requested that Ariel and the missionaries and I had to sing a couple of songs. Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone! Hearing new believers talking about how they wanted to give their lives and trust to God was amazing as well. They have been through a lot, from being kicked out of Bhutan for speaking the wrong language (Nepali) and being the wrong religion (Hindu) to being relocated to Dallas, so it is amazing that they have decided to become Christians and begun following God with a great desire.

Next week, Ariel and I are going to start a children’s ministry so that the eleven or so kids can get something out of it as well. I’m looking forward to watching that develop into something great! I know it will be difficult, but the reward will be greater than I can imagine. We are definitely going to need God’s help, though! Oh, and prayers would be greatly appreciated!