Wander

We took some time to do some exploring in the small city where we are staying. It began with something really crazy. A drive to the top of one of the mountains that surrounds Surkhet valley where we are staying. 

To the Right is the mountain we drove up. The picture is taken from the roof of the small hotel /hostel we are staying in.

At first the road was they typical bad road that I have come to expect in this rural western Nepali region but as we went further and further up the mountain the road went from typical bad to unbelievably bad to "are we sure this is even meant for a car?" kind of bad. 

When we finally arrived at the summit, I took a minute to get my stomach out of my throat, then proceeded to hike around and see the sights. There were some small shops, and by shops I mean small huts with a few things for sale in them. 

It is a sheer drop from the top of this part of the mountain to the valley floor. When the updrafts are right thrill seeking hang gliders will launch from up here.

A short trail around the top gave us great views of Surkhet Valley which has become the new district and provincial capital so there have been a lot of construction and improvement projects in the works which means the roads are a mess, only short sections are paved.

We explored around the summit area for a while and began the stomach wrenching drive 

back down to the base of the mountain. After a short drive and time for recovery we made to a Hindu temple and worship area. The Deuti Bajai Mandir is the most well known Temple in Surkhet. There is a specially dedicated area for offerings to be made by the foot impressions of Shiva on a rock. 

This Shrine complex to Shiva (inside) is a hub of Hindu worship and religious activity at certain times of the year.

I am not sure what people offer to Shiva but I can tell you the flies really appreciated the offerings.There was one priestess there helping people with their offerings. There were also to women who were washing out one of the shrines. I suppose even the gods need baths 

once in a while. It is interesting that there are candles lit on the side of the shrine symbolic of prayers like Catholics do, and there are bells towards the front for prayers like the Buddhists. It seems that religious activity is religious activity no matter where you go. It is like... pick a religion, light a candle, say the right words and hope someone is listening.

After the Hindu temple we took a stroll through a park which was really a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the dusty roads and angry horns of vehicles trying to tell you to get out of the way so they could get by. It was about as close to zen as I have come on this trip.

Bulbul Lake is one of the bright spots in this dusty city. It was recently cleaned and renovated and now seems to be a hub for teens to hang out.

We walked around appreciated a few moments of quiet and serenity and headed out for the last part of our excursion. The site we were headed to next is perhaps one of the oldest if not thee oldest touristy site in Surkhet. A little slice of history is what I really love.

This Buddhist temple or perhaps shrine is better is called Kakre Bihar. It is a Hindu-Buddhist Temple Near Birendranagar city where we are staying. Kakre Bihar has a shaped like the seed of a cucumber so it is called Kakre bihar. The Nepali word 

for cucumber is Kakro. The stones of what remains are strewn around the site and you can see by walking around that they are recreating the intricate designs of the broken stones so that each piece can be replicated and replaced.

This temple is believed to be built on 12th century by a famous king who fell in love with the Surkhet Valley. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1866. Form what I can tell reconstruction this has been a very long process beginning back in the 1980s.

There is a somber beauty that surrounds this place. Almost like walking through a graveyard that even though it looks like it is falling apart you know there is some very old even ancient significance and presence to it. I wonder what it was like 500 years ago to walk the steps to this temple. I wonder how people felt as they approached its imposing size. Perhaps like the Europeans as they approach the Gothic Cathedrals of the middle ages - and still today. 

I suppose this is what religions do. They build massive and impressive structures hoping these structures will impress the God or gods they revere and honor. Religion wants to remind you how small you are compared to the greatness of the deity to which it points. They tell you this is where you have to go to worship your god so that when you get there you can't help but think how small you are when thinking about this god.

What would be really impressive is if one of those gods or God lived as a human so that they knew what it was like to suffer and experience pain and loss rather than just imposing their will all the time. Is that too much to ask? Hmmmm

Just a Meandering Thought...

COMMISSION

Yesterday morning Gordon Conwell held a commissioning service for all the students who will be going overseas this summer. It was in some ways a typical chapel service but there were some elements that distinguished it from others. There was a guy on a guitar who led the songs and a girl on a piano, along with a back up singer to harmonize with the guy on the guitar. There was a podium where people stood to say important words; there were students and faculty in the pews, though with it being at the end of the semester there were not as many as there are at the beginning of the semester.

One member of each team headed overseas got up to briefly share about where they will be going and what they will be doing. Afterward a faculty member came to the platform and put a hand on the shoulder of the team members and prayed. This is the commissioning. It seemed like a symbolic event with little consequence until I began to think about why we even have a commissioning service. The answer lies in the word COMMISSION.

The "CO" in COmmission suggests that I am not alone. There is someone with me as I go. In the commissioning service a faculty member stood next to me, demonstrating symbolically that I am not alone. For all those who are supporting me whether in prayer or financially you are standing with me as I go. Matthew 28:19-20 is the passage of scripture that is usually called the great commission. The last sentence in that passage says, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." That sentence is why we call it the Great COmmission. Jesus said that he is with us.

The "MISSION" in comMISSION tells us that there is something that we need to do. There is a task to accomplish, a goal to work towards, a road to travel. My mission this summer is to teach and mentor students at New Theological College and their satellite schools, to serve in the orphanages in the nearby cities, and to perhaps speak at a local Indian church or two. I have been told that the best thing I can offer the people is myself. This is my mission.

So as I share myself with the people I meet; as I walk the road of mission I do not do it alone. I have been CO-MISSIONED. There are faculty, family and friends, who stand with me in prayer and who contribute to get me there. Most importantly Jesus is with me always. I do not accomplish a single task that He is not a part of or the driving force behind.

Incidentally, Jesus was commissioned too. John the Baptist performed a symbolic ceremony which inaugurated Jesus into his official ministry. Jesus was not alone; besides the twelve disciples he had regular conversation with his "sending institution" - God the Father. Stands to reason that if Jesus did that way it is probably not a bad way to do it. Seems like "CO" anything is a better way.

Just a meandering thought...