Fun with B&J

We leave Kathmandu tomorrow - back to India for a week before heading to Tanzania! A week that is already full and promises to go by as fast as this one did. It feels like we just arrived, taking in the mountains and the valleys that accentuate their heights.

We simply can not leave here without telling you about our friends Bea & Jan (pronounced Bay-ah and Yon). They are such fun and we have had a tremendous week with them as they've fit us in to their very full work weeks! They both work in Human Rights - Bea works for the UN and Jan for Peace Brigade International. Bea's work is focused specifically on the recruitment of children by the Maoist militia. Before that she investigated detention and torture. We have had several fascinating discussions with her in learning about the work she does, including travelling to remote villages to interview families whose children "volunteered" to join the Maoists. It can be frustrating to hear about the UN as a whole and wonder how much effect they can truly have when for the most part their decisions come with little or no enforcement. But as Bea shared, if even a few lives are better/saved because of the work they do, it is worth it. Hearing the real-life encounters brings a totally new dimension.

But they're not all work and no play ... oh no, we have had so much fun exploring the city by night, laughing over fabulous dinners, talking through life and faith and relationships, hiking out to Changu Narayan, and flying up to see Mt. Everest ... we are so grateful for all this week has brought, both in new experiences and new friendships.