I had a Nepali meal tonight – in Singapore.
P is in his third and final year
at a Seminary here in Singapore. He is the first pastoral candidate from the Anglican Churches in Nepal to actually go to Seminary. He and K have been married about a year, and they invited me to their student apartment for a hot chicken curry meal. I got to cheat since they set out knife and fork for me to use, but partway through the meal they explained that in Nepal this would be eaten with just scooping it out with one's hand-- the way the women and kids were eating in Africa.
K is from a Christian family, but P is the first convert from his Buddhist family. His grandfather was head of t
he local Buddhist temple in their village, so it was seen as betraying the family for him to become a Christian. In this culture, you are supposed to follow your parents' lead and defend them no matter what. When P's father started talking about killing him, his mother told him to flee, and the national pastor who first befriended him took him in for 2 years. He was going on 20 then. Now he is the first seminary-trained pastor from the Anglican Churches that will be going back to his people. He and a friend have even started a weekly Nepali service here in Singapore. This ministry indicates his calling to the ministry and prepares him for the service in his home land. The Nepalis they reach are mainly here as house servants working for rich locals
This was an interesting introduction to Nepal, but tomorrow I see the real thing.
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