From Ryan Augustin

After a ten day excursion throughout Nepal's southern country side, we are back in Kathmandu for some much needed rest. For those who have been faithfully reading these posts, I'm sure the phrase, "This trip has been unbelievably amazing!" has been rather redundant, but completely accurate.

As amazing as these experiences have been, there nonetheless have been some trying times. Although I am an experienced runner and am relatively in shape, I could not have even imagined the amount of work put into our seven hour hike to one of the first mountain villages. With only one set of clothes completely soaked through with sweat and grime, there was no shower, good food, or air conditioning to look forward to on the top. Just when you are ready to start the complaining, though, the Lord provides the most spectacular views and generous people to keep you going.

Of all the humbling experiences we have encountered so far, the magnificent way the children breakout in song with incredible fervor and expressive dancing has been very inspirational. As fond as I am of our traditional American worship, the spiritual unity seen with even the smallest children is incredible.

Although the sun has been hot and the sweat overwhelming at times, the Christian camaraderie along with the natural excitement of spreading the Gospel has given us more than enough energy for our treks in Nepal.