So it's that time again when I need to leave the country as per my "X" Visa regulations. I'm not complaining, it's just a little inconvenient as far as timing goes. I have to leave the country every 6 months so that India can keep its tabs on me. I was in Turkey in October/November, so my 6 months is coming up... my husband and daughter did their visa run in January (went to Sri Lanka for the day)...the question was, do I just take the kids to Canada and stay there till the end of July as per our regular summer visa extension application annual trip? or do I take a short visa run before going back to Canada? Bottom line--3 months is WAY too long to be away from the church here, and 2 months too long for the kids to be away from their dad.

I considered going away with some girlfriends, but flights to Thailand (where I'd really like to go... for the shopping!) are just too expensive. For some reason, I have NO desire to go to Sri Lanka... at ALL. So I started investigating other options. This is the thing I LOVE about being in India. Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Dubai... they're all just a short 4 hour or less flight away.

After some research, I came to the conclusion that Shawn and I should take a trip without the kids. The last time we did this, was BEFORE we were parents. I think it's time we took some time just for 'us'.

My two options became either Dubai (been there, done that, LOVED THAT, would do it again) or Nepal. There are packages available for around the same costs for both places. At first thought, Dubai seems the natural choice... great malls, amazing coffee, cleanliness... but the more I thought about Nepal, the more excited I got.

See... I'm a mountain girl. I do love the ocean, but if I had to choose, I would choose the mountains any day. I was born in the Rockies, and it's just in my blood, I guess. I've been to see where the Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music, and if there are mountain ranges for me to see, I wanna see them! So, Nepal seemed like a good choice. But... Dubai is also a great choice....

Then this girl came to church. She comes whenever she's not working as a flight attendant, and two Sunday's ago, she brought her mom who was visiting her. When I went to say hello to them, I discovered that her mom is visiting from Nepal! So I spoke to them about what Nepal has to offer, and I got more and more excited about it... but still wanted to keep my options open.

And then this girl says "if you're going to Nepal, I would love it if you visited my mom and dad and the 20 Tibetan orphans they have living with them!"...TWENTY ORPHANS?!? ummmm... ok!

We meet MANY people here who have invited us to come and visit their ministry, see what they do, etc... and you just can't say yes to everyone, but when this girl started to tell me about the ministry her parents do, something within my spirit just jumped and I knew, that I knew, that I KNEW that we needed to do this.

This girls dad is a Sherpa. He fled from Tibet many years ago and walked for 2 months before he made it safely into Nepal. He got a job as an interpreter, interpreting the English Bible into Tibetan. As a result, he became a Christian. (I love that story)... he continues to minister to far, unreached villages around the place where they live, which is right on the Tibet/Nepal border.

When reaching a specific village which takes 4 days and 4 nights to get there (if you're a Sherpa... longer if you're average Joe), he started to hear about children that have been full or half orphaned. (Single parents have it really hard in this part of the world, and as a result, orphanages are full of children who are from a single parent home.) His heart went out to these children and he brought 4 of them home with him. 20 years later, they now have 20 children living with them!

When these children reach their home, have never had a bath, never brushed their teeth, never seen a car... they are mountain tribal children... and they are lovely.

These kids are being given an education, and learning skills that will make them a vital part of their village when they grow and are able to go back. I love this vision of this girls parents, and I can't wait to go and meet these precious blessings that have such an amazing call of God on their lives, that He brought them out of their terrible circumstances and is giving them a shot at not just living life, but living it with purpose, and giving them something to bring back to their homes. Don't mistake me - I believe we were all created for a purpose that's greater than we could even imagine in our own little human brains... but there is a special place in my heart for rescued children. Whether it be from trafficking, to being orphaned. Each child is so special...and none of them are accidents.

So... our trip is scheduled for the beginning of May. I'm excited. I thought this was going to be a Second Honeymoon of sorts...gonna see the Himalayas... but as it turns out, when we stop living life for our own selfish desires, God is able to come in and use us for His purposes...and His purposes are ALWAYS more exciting; more fulfilling and more satisfying. This is what it means when we 'die to self to find that we can TRULY live'.

I don't know all of what God has planned for us in Nepal... but I'm ready to find out.