Hey, folks. John again.
I would like to thank everybody for praying for my trip. It was totally amazing. The Lord blessed with safety and a good time. I took a few minutes to write some thoughts about the trip. They are arranged in no particular order, so enjoy.
I traveled really light. In country, travel (as with many developing countries) was difficult, to say the least. With just my backpack, I didn’t have to deal with hauling a suitcase around.
Their standard of living was pretty amazing. Almost everyone I met was happy and content. Most people did not even have running water. One of the first things I did each morning, and the last thing each night, was to pump water to clean up with.
It was refreshing stepping back to a calm focused way of life. The good folks that I met were unencumbered by the busyness of life that we in the States often have.
The community I visited was mostly a farming community. They worked 12 hours a day. The heat and humidity were something else. They did not use tractors or other automated equipment. In fact, they had not even seen the kind of big tractors that I have driven. When they tilled the land, it was at least three guys using hand tools, working in a line. It would take them hours to do something that most farmers in the States would have done in less than two minutes.
I had two goals for the trip. The first was to spend time with my friends who live in country and to encourage them. The second was to broaden my world view and experience life in a developing country. Both of my goals were a smashing success. We had a blast, and I learned a ton.
If any of you have a chance to take a trip to a developing country, I highly recommend it. Here are some suggestions, if you do that. Travel with someone, or meet someone, who is experienced with traveling. Get immunizations before leaving, based on what the CDC recommends. Pack light, and bring a water filter. I used a Life Straw in a sport bottle and only got a minor illness that was probably food related.
I was in the air flying back when the earthquake in Nepal occurred. Please pray for everyone that was affected by that disaster. I know now, more than ever, how little those people have, and how long the road to recovery is. Please send what support you can to help everyone in need. Millions of people are without the basic necessities of life.
To answer a few of your questions.
What were your expectations?
I seriously had no expectations, only the goals I mentioned earlier. I find on trips like these, it is best just to see how things develop, and be ready for anything.
Will you go back some day?
I do not know if I will go back. Maybe some day.
Where are all the pics?
I posted pictures from my trip, had second thoughts about it, and asked for many of them to be removed. I made that decision based on multiple factors. Sorry to disappoint, but thanks for understanding.
How many changes of clothes could you fit into your backpack?
I brought three sets of quick-dry hiking clothes. I would wash a set every day, so I always had clean clothes.
Did you have cell coverage?
Cell coverage was pretty decent most of the time. I unlocked my old Iphone 4S, and put a local sim card in it.
Did you like the food?
The food was fantastic. I ate many things that we wouldn’t dream of eating in the US.
Where I slept“Let your conversation be without covetousness;
and be content with such things as ye have:
for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Hebrews 13:5
Dinner, anyone? (Yes, it’s true.)
When John was riding on a small trolley, a little girl who wanted to sell stickers to the passengers, peered in through the trolley “window.” What a heartbreak. Statistically her future is very bleak.