From Bangkok on Thai Airways; thankfully it was an easy journey. A judicious repacking, more into hand luggage took us past the check in; good food on the flight; no incidents so safe arrival. Albert, our host had phoned to find Thai arriving late but in the end he was also late but a call to his mobile phone assured us he was on the way.

Saturday to reorientate. A most interesting pair Bob and Sonum came to lunch, he, a Bible belt type American she, a Nepali from Shillong with a previous unhappy marriage from which she was released by the death of her dissolute Khasi husband. Their interest and ministry is now in an area of Kathmandu where Buddhists are living along with their Tibetan style Gompas (temples) and Stupas. After a period of two years of worship, prayer and just living they are seeing real happenings of the book of Acts type – visions, healings leading on to Discipline and witnessing. New believers are in their own community, going to the temple but marveling that they once worshipped these idols of wood, stone and metal. Their sleep no longer hindered by fear and huddled up postures to protect them from marauding spirits.

We are now both well into the routine of work and service. Janette is going with Bano to her school learning much about the challenge of imparting English medium education, with teachers of limited training, and children whose homes offer no after school support. The Maths is not such a great challenge but English requires more preparation and effort. Her interest and inputs are much appreciated by Bano both at the personal level of an older woman, sister and grandma type figure as well as her expertise in teaching.

Colin is going for the period 15.00 to18.00 to teach a course on Islam to 20 students with a good mix of male and female. They are mostly pastors in the area who wish to upgrade their qualifications from B Th to M. Div and so improve their qualifications. There is one Korean missionary amongst them. Good attentive students. Muslims are few in Nepal but Albert the Principal sees this addition to their knowledge widening their horizons and filling out their knowledge. I am gaining much by listening and learning. Information relative to Nepal, the Church and Christians as well as the overall situation.

In the big city here the original glow of the convert church nurtured by persecutions etc is fading and a more regular group emerging with the challenges of second generational nominalism, this is the group that my students are most conversant with. Their understanding of the wider Nepali world out there is limited.

Albert the man in charge is a gentle non aggressive Naga from NE India. He lives on a shoe string. Fees for his courses Rs 500 or about $10! He runs 10 courses per year which then get these people a qualification accredited by the Asian Theological Assoc in Bangalore so a real bargain. He has a dream of a classic liberal arts University type campus out of town etc, etc but to date no resources. The trend in other places, home in Surrey, Bangalore, Chennai and Sri Lanka is for non residential city locations with emphasis on part time or combination study. Internet based courses also emerging in locations like Kuala Lumpur. How far behind is Nepal and how soon will it catch up? It is hard to know as students, if they can gain scholarships, often prefer the residential settings even though they tend to be ghettos. It is hard to evaluate as Albert is on the spot, in the environment, in touch with the local happenings as well as having around and has 40 students in active dialogue. This class has about 20. What is the future? You can only work with what is here rather than dreams!

City Christians are heavily dependent on Church and NGO employment. Many other Nepalis are on remittances from a desperate Nepali Diaspora that has gone to all corners of the globe and Asia looking for any work. Some millions in India, 250,000 on temporary work permits in Malaysia with countless other illegals who filter in through Bangladesh and Myanmar. NGOs are about the only way to do anything for the country as the Govt. structure has been smashed by the Maoists in the areas outside Kathmandu. Not that there was much before but there is even less now. This kind of despair good for the Gospel as there is little else outside of the grace of the Almighty.

Enjoying a variety of food; today Arab sharmas – must be some Middle East returned person in charge. Banu and Albert offering a mix of Nepali, Indian, Chinese and European. A very tasty dish of scalloped potatoes the other midday.

Nepal is a country in painful transition. The formal Monarchy that kept the country together, even if inequitably, has disintegrated. This has been the result of its own internal decay and then the Maoist revolt in the countryside. Unlike Iran with its Sha’ite structure ready to take over and make an orderly transition, Nepal is in form of chaos as rival parties and interests seek power and position to displace the old.