Long time no hear...

Wow! Life in the USA has such a way of swallowing us up! We have hardly had a chance to keep you updated on our happenings since arriving back to the USA in late June. And now we are only weeks from departing back to South Asia.

In this blog post we will reflect back on the past half-year sharing some thoughts about making the most of each moment, focus on our family’s various activities, and look at what’s ahead for the nomadic Beine tribe in 2012. We hope you enjoy!

Looking back…
A 6.9 earthquake rumbled across Nepal and Northern India on September 18th, killing 112 and injuring thousands. A week later, a sight-seeing flight headed to Mt. Everest crashed killing all on board. Last April we had sent Ana and Nick on this exact same airline and flight as a gift. Both of these recent events reminded me of the fragility of life and encouraged me to continue making the most of the life God has given me. None of us knows the number of our days. What have you been doing with the gift of life that has been given to you?

After arriving back to the USA on the final day of June we did some camping with friends and our church, enjoyed swimming and hiking in beautiful Washington State, and hung out with our Bhutanese refugee friends. Beyond this each of us had various other things that kept us busy as well. Dave spent two separate weeks in Alaska. First, he was invited to speak on a father-son rafting/fishing trip near Fairbanks, and he took Nick along for his thirteen-year-old “becoming a man” father-son trip. Second, he spent the last week of August near Ketchikan fishing with Joshua for his “turning seven” father-son trip. This trip was only supposed to be three days but they were stranded (along with their friend) an extra three days (in a 10x10 cabin) in the Alaskan wilderness when bad weather prevented the float plane from returning to pick them up. During the Fall Dave’s primary responsibility has been teaching anthropology and intercultural communications at Moody Bible Institute, Spokane, where he serves as Professor of World Missions. Dave loves the opportunity to infect students with the mission bug (we know firsthand the huge remaining need for others to join in the task) and to equip them for that task through these practical offerings. Dave also published a landmark academic article within his specialty of medical anthropology (see http://www.sil.org/sil/news/2011/hiv-aids-research-journal.htm) in October and kept busy with several other consultant responsibilities as well. Beyond teaching, the highlight of his year was hanging out with his family.

Musings from Kimberly
Last year I shared with you my unique position of rest and my musings on how God might use the energy that I felt I had to give. I wondered if I might find work, or if we might get to adopt the little girls that we hope for. Well, God provided the job. In July, I started working for On Site for Seniors, in Northern Idaho (http://www.onsite4seniors.org). This is a small, non-profit company that provides medical and spiritual care to the elderly (and their caregivers) in their homes, or assisted living facilities, or skilled nursing facilities. I recently learned that we serve the top 10% of the nation’s sickest patients, who are often those rejected my other care providers because their care is complicated, fraught with mounds of paperwork and not highly reimbursed (through Medicare or Medicaid). So, I embarked on this ministry of caring for and loving these precious and complex elderly folks. I have been inspired by those on my team whom I have joined; daily they demonstrate incredible dedication and a unique ability to continue to LOVE and SERVE in the face of great grumblings in our society about the cost (on multiple fronts) of serving these sometimes neglected people. I feel like we are on the front lines of continuing the work that Jesus began when he walked the earth.

Just to give you a flavor…many of my patients are on over twenty medications; I am getting an education in drug interactions. Many of my patients are in their 90s; even one is 103! Many of my patients have endured a recent hospitalization and are facing the difficult reality that they may never be able to thrive in their own homes again. Many of my patients have more than ten diagnoses simultaneously; I am learning to consider multiple systems in formulating a treatment plan. Often we coordinate care for patients who are seeing multiple specialists; I am learning the abbreviations of multiple medical specialties. I am driving about 250 miles per week for work; I am learning to overcome my navigational handicap, and for those who have ever driven with me, you know that this is an amazing transformation.

When I started this work, I requested a 50% position but eventually signed up for 60% as the need is so great. Then I found myself working 40 hours per week and realized that it was more than I was prepared to give. The home front was going through changes as a result of my absence (although Dave is doing a stellar job stepping into the shopping and dinner preparing roles), and then our teenager moved into a stage that we did not properly anticipate and I became quickly overwhelmed by the needs both on the work front and on the home front. I began to long for the year of unemployment. But, as is often the case in our faith journeys, I held on, casting myself before the God who cares for me and all of the others whose lives touch mine, and resolution came. Our company hired a nurse practitioner who is partnering with me now to care for all of the patients on my roster, and we have learned a bit about parenting in this next stage which is enabling us to press on. PRAYER is essential to our survival and to thriving in our current situation of great demand. All I can say is that I have great anticipation for my time of REST when that day comes when Christ will call me home. In the meantime, I press on, spending myself for the Savior and for His dearly beloved ones here on earth; I hope He will be fully pleased when my time here is finished.

In regard to our deep longing to adopt, we have transferred our case to a domestic adoption agency. It turns out that they could not accept our international Home Study, so we are in the process of repeating that for the domestic arena. It is a continual heartache to wonder why God has called us into this longing, without any fulfillment over this eight years. We continue to HOPE, even when it seems that there is no reason to hope. We still would love to raise up two little girls whose biological parents cannot do that. We have thought in practical terms that when Dave turns 50 (in 2013), we should probably stop the search for our daughters and look to God for some other reason that we have been on this journey. I do not know if this is of God, so I ask you to please pray for us. I understand so much better why Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, and why he accepted. Do not worry; we do not have any such plans; I simply understand a little better the pain of waiting for a HOPE yet unfulfilled. Please LORD Jesus, help us rejoice in your plan and gladly lay down our own expectations.

Some thoughts from Nick (age 14)
My experience in Nepal has been a truly unforgettable one. I learned first-hand so many things about people and life in foreign countries. I was also able to make lasting memories and friends. Back in America, I’ve enjoyed participating in sports and church and community events. I enjoy playing music with my friends from our church, school band, and anyone and everyone else. I’m looking forward to the coming winter, especially Christmas and the opening of the ski resorts. Hope y’all have a joyous
Christmas. Peace off.

A Note from Nate (age 12)
Hi Nate here. So far it’s been a good year. I’m enjoying school and having a good time in the States, but I’m still glad to be going back to Nepal. I’ve been making new friends and hanging out with old ones. We have a new teacher named Ethan and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better this year. I would like to thank you all now for your support both in funding and prayers.

Contemplations from Jason, a.k.a. Jake (age 10)
Merry Christmas! I have had many good experiences this year…experiences that I think every kid should have. Some of these are: Taekwondo, being with Nepali kids, teaching people about Jesus, etc. And I think God has been with us this year. I am glad that we get to go to Nepal and America.

Addition from Mom: Jason has explored his thespian passion this year. He started with a drama camp in the summer, and then went on to be a policeman in “Oliver Twist” with Theater Arts for Children and just finished up being Tiny Tim in Dicken’s “Christmas Carol,” with a small company that does dinner theater. It has been so enjoyable to see this natural talent and passion find its expression.

Joshua’s Life (age 7)
Joshua continues to bring laughter to our home. He is a challenge to discipline since you want to laugh most of the time. His brothers have tried to get in on the parenting when they think he needs more discipline; poor guy…who can survive with five parents? His second grade teacher says he is an absolute delight. He played football this year, instead of soccer, and was praised for being the most teachable and cooperative kid on the team. In his leisure time, he is found either out on the lawn, with Jake, playing football, or curled up on the couch, reading a book. He is devouring so many books this year; I hope we can find enough books to keep him engaged in Nepal.

Ethan Smith
We are excited to add Ethan Smith as an honorary member of the Beine clan as he spends the next half year living with us and teaching our kids in Nepal. Ethan is a recent graduate (Biology and Chemistry double major) from Whitworth University here in Spokane, WA. So the kids should find a good science-related challenge this term! And before you classify Ethan as an “egghead” you should know that he recently completed a 4.5 month, 2,663 mile hike on foot from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Following his adventure with us in Nepal, he is slated to serve as a science teacher for the Teach for America Program (http://www.teachforamerica.org/ ). To learn more about Ethan see his bio at http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=11751 and check out his journal at http://www.trailjournals.com/EthanSmith/ . His amazing feat also holds special significance for the Beine family since Dave’s dad was responsible for acquiring much of the trail’s land or securing necessary right of ways when he worked for the US Forest Service over a decade ago. For those interested, Ethan is seeking financial partners to help him get to Nepal and back. Please contact us if you are interested in helping.

What’s next…
On January 23rd we will be back on an airplane headed for the second part of our strange nomadic life that has us splitting our time on two very different halves of the globe each year. This year we end our air journey in New Delhi, India, where we will do a little touring, visiting various places where Dave formerly spent years surveying the need for Bible translation. We will first visit the Taj Mahal and then explore the hinterlands of the tribal Gondi people of central India whose unwritten language served as the basis for my Linguistic Anthropology Master’s thesis at San Diego State University (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondi_people). We will then make our way overland from there to Nepal to begin our next assignment at Tansen Mission Hospital (see http://www.tansenhospital.org.np/ ).  Once in Nepal Dave will be busy with his Chepang Literacy and Scripture Use Project facilitator’s role and he will also continue his HIV and AIDS consultant role with the Community Health Project for Tansen Mission Hospital. Beyond this he will also be working on finishing a book on Chepang culture and a second edition of his book on HIV and AIDS in Nepal (see http://www.amazon.com/Ensnared-AIDS-Cultural-Contexts-Nepal/dp/product-description/9993310182). Kimberly will continue her work as a general practitioner at the same hospital and the kids will continue their schooling under the capable tutelage of Ethan Smith, our teacher for this term.

And Finally, the holiday season is often a time for giving thanks: we give thanks first and foremost to our God for making a way for us to know and enjoy Him forever through the coming of his son, our Savior. Also we are thankful for family and friends who have spoken into our lives in so many ways throughout the past year. And certainly we give thanks for those of you who have partnered with us through prayer and/or financially during the past year. We are grateful! In this past year we have seen some long-time supporters pass away, a supporting church decrease their support due to financial difficulties, and Kimberly reimbursed financially less for her work than expected, yet God has met every need we have had. Praise Him with us for his abundant provision in our lives always!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and bon voyage from the Beines!

 The high Himalaya as viewed from above Tansen Hospital on a February morning 2011 (photo courtesy of Nick Beine)

Wanna hear more (or go deeper)? Would you like to know more details about our various Beine adventures? Follow our blog here where we document our life experiences (including those noted above) and/or get our periodic newsletter (The Beine Banter). Write us at david_beine@sil.org to subscribe. 

Wanna join us in our adventure financially?
Give online at:
http://www.wycliffe.org/Give/MissionaryMinistries.aspx
Or snail mail to:
W.B.T.
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200
(Please earmark for Dave and Kimberly Beine
Or contact us personally at:
Email: david_beine@sil.org; kimberlybeine@gmail.com
Facebook: dave.beine; kimberly.beine
Phone us (rings to us both in the USA and Nepal): 509-228-8973

The Journey Continues…

Well, this has certainly been one of the more interesting of our journeys.   Our four days in Bangkok were filled with wonderful fruit, good friends (we unexpectedly ran into some Tansen friends at the Bangkok guest house—what a pleasant surprise!), new cultural experiences for Ana, and simple play.  We resumed our journey toward Spokane at 11:30pm, on a night flight to Korea.  This allowed for four or five hours of sleep.  We arrived early in the morning in Seoul and since we had twelve hours to kill, we decided to take a city tour on a bus.  Dave had investigated the possibility on-line, weeks before our arrival.   It looked so simple: just purchase a ticket at the airport, for a city bus going to the tour bus starting point, get on the tour bus (which would take us around the city for two hours, if we didn’t get off), and then return to the airport on that same city bus.  The website said that all of the tickets could be purchased at one place in the airport.  Do you ever find that website claims do not always follow actual experience?

Well, this isn’t the first time that we have benefitted from Dave’s persistence, but after an hour of seeking answers, we found ourselves on a city bus, experiencing the heart of Seoul.  We tried so hard to stay awake, but the tour bus starting point was 90 minutes away, and I don’t think any of us made the entire trip without dozing off (and some of us saw less of Seoul than we had intended).  Anyway, we did successfully make the transfer to the tour bus, and then selected our first stopping point: the national museum.  The unfortunate detail of our one day in Seoul was the unusual downpour of rain.  The walk from the bus to the museum entrance was between 5 and 10 minutes, which was plenty of time for our clothes and our carry-on bags to become drenched.  We hoped that a few hours in the museum would give us adequate drying time.  The anthropology and history lovers among us really enjoyed the walk through history at this lovely Korean museum.  We were mostly dried (but our bags were not) as we braved the continued downpour several hours later when we had to return to our bus.  Our exhausted Joshua managed to do a “face plant” on the slick pavement before we made it to the bus stop (and he wasn’t the only one to slip in the rain today).  However, not a group to be easily daunted, we re-boarded the tour bus and continued another hour and a half, viewing Seoul, and hoping to get back to the part of the city where we had seen restaurants.  Now we were battling hypoglycemia; the last meal was coffee/hot chocolate and donuts/bagels at 7am; it was now nearing 3pm.  Ana’s instant protein shake (only needs to be mixed in water) was shared and helped stave off hunger pangs a little longer.  Thanks, Ana!

Just as we were nearing what we thought was the eating district, we discovered that it was also the political district.  Looking out our windows, we were seeing hundreds of police donning riot gear.  We asked the tour guide what was going on, and she non-chalantly replied that this is the season of political campaigns and the police were simply present to keep everyone safe.  So we disembarked the bus through a crowd of young police and soon found ourselves witnesses of one of the largest political demonstrations in many years.  The protest was against several things, including the trade agreement with the U.S. and university tuition increases.  The riot police had completely surrounded the crowd that was marching down the street and police barricades blocked one segment of the busy downtown streets.   Hunger was really setting in, and we greatly desired to quickly get away from the unhappy crowd of demonstrators.  After a long, circuitous route (Did I mention that it was still raining?  Thankfully, it was only a drizzle at this point.), we managed to purchase a couple of buckets of KFC chicken.  We didn’t have enough Korean wan to let everybody choose their own meal, but the chicken was consumed with gusto and thankfulness.  (We were surprised to find that the Korean wan is considerably devalued; 1050 wan to the dollar.  We were also surprised to discover how high the prices were in Seoul.) 

Now, our biggest concern was how to get back to the airport when traffic was considerably backed up by the demonstrators.  We weren’t even sure how to find the correct location for the airport bus pick-up, in all of the confusion at that particular place in the city.  We were so blessed by an English-speaking Korean man, who clearly identified our confusion and offered help.  LORD, please bless the man who walked us to the correct bus stop! 

We did make it back to the airport, one hour before our boarding time…but alas, with delays for unclear reasons, it turned out to be three hours before our boarding time.  And again, we were blessed: by free food vouchers for 10,000 wan each, in compensation for the extra wait.  We have certainly re-entered the developed world, and our bodies were thankful for the extra food and the warmth of the airport.  Now we are in the air, over the Pacific Ocean, re-living Wednesday June 29^th.  So far, it doesn’t seem as eventful the second time around.  See you soon (for those who follow from Spokane)!

Kimberly,
Reporter, on assignment with the Beine Bunch

P.S.  We’re still in Seattle.  Our flight schedule has been revised four times now.  We hope to make it home before dark tonight.  In Seattle, where we thought all connections would go smoothly, we have found our cell phones aren’t working (for unknown reason), our Skype connection keeps cutting out (thank you to the three lovely strangers who have let us borrow their phones as our plans have changed), we got charged $150 to change our domestic flight because our international flight was late, they requested payment for each checked bag (Thank you, LORD, for the nice lady who waived that fee!), and we’ve abandoned our plan for burgers and hot dogs upon arrival in Spokane.  Still, clam chowder at the airport is a welcome treat.  Even with all of the unexpected changes, we have found nice people all along the way to help us maneuver the situations.  We continue to hope to sleep soundly in our own beds tonight…and I hope we can find kindness for each other in our extreme exhaustion.   Thanks for praying!

In the Hands of Unseen Angels

Thank you for praying for our journey home.  We are in the air between Delhi, India and Bangkok, Thailand, and it has already been quite an adventure.  It started with our taxi driver arriving 20 minutes later than we had requested.  Okay, we’re talking Nepal; that isn’t really late.  We are so thankful that we actually follow the “three hours early” international flight rules; it gives time for the unexpected.  Just 50 yards into the journey, we hit our first “unexpected.”  The taxi got stuck in the mud at a corner and could not make the turn.  (This is monsoon season, even though the rains haven’t been that heavy yet.)  The side door of the taxi (van) was pressed up against the vegetation and rocks and could not be opened.  We all chose to exit the taxi by the front passenger door.  The four strongest among us (Dave, DW, Nick and the driver’s assistant) got in front of the taxi and started working to rock it out of the mud.  The rest of us stood up on a ledge above the taxi “just in case anything happens” (as moms can be known to say).  They successfully got the van out of the mud and turned onto the steeply inclined downhill path, but what happened next was completely unexpected and I’m not even entirely sure exactly how and why it happened.  I know that the van began to careen down the path and the men on the edges of the front quickly jumped out of its way.  However DW was right in the middle of the front of the van and I saw the van push him backward.  I remember screaming out loud, “LORD JESUS, PLEASE SAVE DW!”  And then I saw the 12-foot skid of the tires on the pathway.  With great relief, I also saw DW in the bushes on the side of the path, about eight feet down from where the van first began to push him down.  It took at least five minutes for everybody to get over the shock (Joshua burst into tears, out of concern for his “uncle DW”), particularly the driver, who apologized more than once.

When we got to the Kathmandu airport, we were told that the flight between Delhi (our next destination) and Bangkok had been oversold, so they weren’t sure that they could get us to Bangkok.  They asked us to sit down near the check-in counter and wait for 1 ½ hours at which time they would be able to re-book us directly to Bangkok, on another airline.  That sounded great to us.  We easily passed the time, waiting and hoping to get up to the next level where we could get something to eat.  After that 1 ½ hours, as the flight to Delhi was boarding, they called us up to check our bags to Delhi, because somehow the flight was no longer overbooked.  We rushed onto the aircraft, missing our opportunity to eat.  The strangest part of this was when they put us on a bus at the airport doorway, to drive us about 100 yards, so that we could board the plane that was about 50 yards from the doorway we had just exited.  Some things defy understanding in a different culture.

So, we made it to Delhi, where they rushed us to the front of the security line, because our flight to Bangkok was already boarding, and for some strange reason, we got stopped because of something in Jake’s bag that looked like a “file or a knife.”  They sent different items of his bag through the scanner at least a half dozen times and finally narrowed it down to his toiletries bag.  It wasn’t anything in the bag but something about the bag.  Just when I was convinced that they were going to slice the seams of the bag to see if something was stitched inside the fabric, they decided there was nothing there and let us go.  Then we had to get through another inspection of our passports.  Again Jake was stopped because his passport expires 12 days shy of 6 months from today, and we were told that he had to have at least six months left until his passport expiry date in order to stay in Thailand.  What?  In the end, the problem was resolved when we learned that this applies only to Indian citizens, not American citizens.  No time to try and understand that one; we went on a mad dash across the airport (I didn’t know Ana could move so quickly; we could barely keep up with her).

We got on the plane in time, and the only excitement so far is the puddle of urine in the lavatory that results from so many passengers unfamiliar with a western toilet.  Ah, the adventures one can have in this world.  I’ll write more before I post this, as the journey continues.  We really are thankful for those who lift us up before the throne of God.  There is a battle going on in the spiritual realm.  And yet I am absolutely convinced that nothing will come our way that isn’t filtered through our Father’s hand.  We are trusting in Him wholeheartedly.  If we were seeking safety and comfort, we would certainly have never left the salt-shaker.  But then again, what good is salt that stays in the shaker?  DW’s final words when we left him this morning were, “God is good.”  Amen!  And Nick cast a pearl my way when this flight started:  “You know we had some potential disasters/problems this morning, but in the end, nothing bad really happened.”  I praise the LORD for the maturity of our oldest son.  By the way, Spokane dwellers, Nick has just surpassed my height; I guess he is growing in all sorts of ways.

Until later…

The only other adventure we had was when the plane was just over the runway, about to touch down, and then it began to rise again into the air and circle the airport.  The pilot said this was due to “too much traffic on the runway.”  Unfortunately, all of that circling brought on Nathan’s motion sickness that he had managed to avert up until that point in the flight.  We are so blessed that he has the grit to face challenges with a “can-do” attitude.  We are all happily settled now in our favorite guest house in Bangkok.  We feasted on roasted chicken, sticky rice, real milk and ice cream for dinner.  We’ll have four days here and then finish our trip back to our other home.  We expect to be in Spokane on Wednesday evening.

Thank you for taking the adventure with us,
Kimberly, for the Beine Bunch

P.S.  The views of “mountains sitting on clouds,” as we left the Kathmandu valley, were incredible!

A Fun Weekend, by Nate Beine

Last Saturday we went to our Didi (a woman who cooks and cleans for foreigners or wealthy Nepalis) Jibu's house.  It probably takes about half an hour to walk there but my mom and dad kept stopping to take pictures so it took about an hour.  She has three sons named “Suedeep,” “Sondeep,” and “Beepin” (these are probably not the real spellings of their names, but simply how they sound).  They have come to our house before to play.  Suedeep had bought a Checkers and Backgammon board so he wanted us to teach them how to play, so we did.  

Teaching checkers

After that we went to see their animals while the adults talked in Nepali.  They had rabbits, goats, and the tamest water buffalo I've ever seen.  You see, water buffaloes are like big cows with horns and have a bad reputation for pushing people off high mountain paths. People use them for their milk and for plowing fields but they're quite dangerous.  I was standing two feet away from it, just out of range of harm, given the rope that secured it, trying to get in a picture with it, when Beepin jumped down from the rafters of the stable (which is where they keep the food for the animals) onto the water buffalo’s back!  After that we had a fun time riding it.  

Ride'em cowboy Nate!

 For lunch we had Daal Bhat (a meal of rice, lentils, and sometimes vegetables that most Nepalis have two or three times a day).  The rice and vegetables came from their own fields. They even had chicken that they'd killed that morning.  After lunch we played in the field, drank chiya (a common Nepali tea), and had a water fight while the adults talked.  We decided to go home because of a thunder cloud that we saw coming toward us and because we wanted to get home before dark.  This family is Hindu so please pray that we'll be able to tell them about God and Jesus and that they will listen. 

As some of you may or may not know, my brothers and I are doing Tae Kwon Do now.  Since yesterday was Republic day (the day that Nepal became a republic) all of the people doing Tae Kwon Do marched around the town in their suites with an ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation) banner.  They ended down at the big field called “Tulelikel.”  

Can you spot the four blond boys- well three blond boys and a nearly bald white boy- among the sea of dark haired kids?

At the field, some of the people did demonstrations; first, a black belt did some cool spinning moves with a long wooden pole.  After that,  nine people kneeled down on two legs and a yellow/green belt (which is only the fourth belt) did a flying kick over them and broke a board.  Then  a couple more people did  regular kicks to break boards, and then the real fun began.  First, two people knelt down and another one lay face up on top of them.  Someone placed two bricks on him to hold up the boards.  Then they stacked panes of glass on top of the bricks and in between each pane was a board soaked in kerosene.  They lit the boards on fire and another yellow/green belt chopped through them!  Once the boards and glass were smashed the three guys jumped up, and no one got hurt.  After that a second degree black belt (who sometimes teaches us) had a red belt get down on his knees, put a board with two bricks standing up on it on his head, and the black belt broke the bricks in half with one chop!  Next, two red/black belts kicked tube lights in half and two people held another tube light up as high as they could and a Black belt did a back flip and kicked it in half.  It was pretty fun, and Stephen (one of our friends), who is a red/black belt and helps teach us said that maybe the guy who broke the bricks could teach us how.  I'm glad that I do Tae Kwon Do.

By Nate

(P.S. The events contained in this message were not necessarily approved of by my mom.)

Just a few tidbits...

What do you do when water is in short supply?  Ana taught us that you wash your hair with the rainwater runoff from the roof.




What do you do when all the beds in the Surgical Ward are full?  Well, here they put the lady who just had a hysterectomy in the hallway on a mattress on the floor.  It's a little awkward to do the post-op exam with multiple male onlookers who are lingering in the hallway.



There are so many things that I gladly embrace here, "strange" new ways to which I become accustomed.  There is one that I still struggle with...yesterday, I had to use the squatty potty at the hospital for something more than urinating.  After I had relieved myself, I looked around and saw my only option: a bucket of water...and then the sink in that room was non-functional.  Toilet paper is a foreign product.  I'll let you fill in the blanks that I have left in this "tidbit."  Some things I have yet to embrace as normal.

Thanks for following us, in our adventures,
Kimberly, for the Beine Bunch

A Rare Blog Entry From Dave

It has been a while since I (Dave) have done a blog entry.  I want to do so this time mainly with pictures and limited commentary.  You will “hear” two stories through these pictures:  First, our family’s visit to the Chepang village of Odare on April 01-03, 2011 and second, my one-day HIV training trip to the western edge of Palpa District on May 03, 2011.    I hope this gives you a better idea of the kinds of things we are doing here in Nepal and provides you a better idea how to pray for us. 

Beine Family Adventure to Odare (A Chepang Village) April 01-03 (no fooling!)  (Chepang Trip photos courtesy of Anastasia Carlson)

The boys ride up top

The trip began with a winding 4 hour jeep ride to the town of Pokhara where we over-nighted. Then on the second day another one-hour drive east along the national highway followed by a final one-hour drive north (and to the top of the ridge) along a "jeep road" that now reaches the village.  The boys were able to ride on top once we got off the main road.  The "jeepable" road is a big change from our first visit to this village nearly ten years ago when you had to walk all the way from the highway.  They also now have electricity and water taps, another big development.

According to some sources upward of 1/2 of all Chepang are now Christians.  There were no reported Christians in the group when our New Zealander teammate Ross Caughley and his family first began to live among the Chepang in 1968.  Here is a door of a local house in Odare, announcing the occupants' Christian faith.  What a HUGE change for the Chepang over the past few decades!

 
We arrive at the church and begin meeting people

Inside the church.  Notice the Beines interspersed in the crowd.  Also notice Ross in the chair at the back right and the sick man in the bed at the back left.

 Ross preaching in Chepang.  Ross has been working as a linguist on the Chepang language for42 years.  He completed the New Testament in 1993 and Old Testament translation is ongoing.

 Dwarika introducing the Chepang literacy materials

The newly completed Chepang Song Book

Dave presents a set of literacy materials to the church

Ro

 Ross presents a copy of the Chepang New Testament (completed in 1993) along with a Chepang language dictionary "hot of the press."

The newly delivered literacy materials in use!

shy to have her photo taken

Beautiful Chepang Young Lady

Chepang Mother and her Children

Great Smile!

 Kimberly examines the leg of the man in the bed.

 Kimberly examines the Xray while Jake looks on.  Amazing where you end up doing medicine in Nepal!

 Prayer for the sick man

 another young man is prayed over

Kimberly examines another young man.

Josh discovers a "treasure" (goat teeth) nearby

    Ross does some after-church visiting

Lunchtime!

 Kimberly exiting "the facilities"

Saying our goodbyes

Until we meet again

One-Day HIV Training in Western Palpa District (May 03, 2011)

I currently serve as an advisor on a HIV and AIDS prevention project in rural Palpa District of Western Nepal.   Here are a few photos of our team’s recent field visit to do a one-day HIV training for a mother’s group at the western edge of the district.  The day began at 6AM with sunshine, a 3 hour drive followed by an hour-long hike to the village, and ended with a downpour. Based on this visit (and other such visits to other project areas) I am now meeting with the team to evaluate the materials and presentation.

Along the way (about 25 miles from Tansen) we stopped at a random hotel (an eating place) for breakfast and I noticed a Dwarf couple with baby running a hotel across the street.   I was told that the baby was 1 year old.   About a year ago I remembered Kimberly telling me of a pre-natal case she was caring for, a dwarf  lady (it is rare here for Dwarfs to have children).  I decided to cross the street and ask if she had delivered at the mission hospital. She had and Kimberly had been her doctor!  The baby is named Smirti (which means statue) and is healthy.  Amazing who you can meet in the strangest places!

Over the Ridi River…

Following the trail upstream for a way…

And then up to the ridge…

A simple village house is “borrowed,” emptied out and swept, and the women begin to arrive (two hours late!)…

And the teaching begins…

The village women listen intently…

Games are played to illustrate the impact of HIV upon the body.  Here candy wrappers (representing germs, virus, bacteria, etc.) are thrown at the victim while her hands are tied to represent the body’s compromised immune system.

Information about AIDS is shared in one corner of the room…

While a gun rests comfortably in the other corner (amongst all of our other training materials).

 

A little dancing is done in honor of our coming…

We are “encouraged” to “hurry it up” when the boys of the home return home from school and begin to play video games near the end of our presentation and so we pack up and depart...

We run the hour down the mountain as fast and as safely as our legs will carry us given the slippery and muddy conditions of the trail and arrive to the jeep drenched in the midst of a pitch-black thunderstorm.