February 19th

7:00 a.m., waking up to the sounds of worship on the rooftop - what a wonderful way to begin the day! The street boys here love to play guitar and sing, and do it every chance they get (after doing their chores!). We have met Pastor Shem and his wife Sumi, the assistant pastor Raju and his wife Bawani (not sure if that's how you spell it), youth leaders Muna and Bikas - all very welcoming and friendly people who have taken us in and made us feel at home. Many speak English but also try to teach us Nepali. Slowly we are learning their names and language. Yesterday and today we went shopping for (you guessed it!) rice and dahl (lentils) and different spices. But the cooking smells and tastes so good! That is, when the electricity is on and you can see. We also got some candles so that we can see the way to our rooms. Might as well go to bed early as the evenings can be cold with no heat (you can even see your breath!) But for a few hours in the early afternoon, it is like a very warm summer day and we are shedding our sweaters. When you go shopping, the cars and motorcycles whiz by you, honking and beeping to warm others they're coming, as you won't find any stop signs, street lights or even clearly marked lanes. In fact, the whole way here from the airport, we didn't stop once. You just keep going and everyone (people, animals) just move out of the way as you go honking past. So far we have gone out and returned home unscathed! And now begins our 'blending in' ...