On Tuesday morning, February 8th, international connections for phone calls and internet connections were restored. These were our thoughts this past week.

Tuesday, February 1st, at 10 AM, the king of Nepal himself came on Radio Nepal and in a 28 minute speech, announced that he was dismissing the current government and taking over the executive power of the government, making himself the head of a new Council of Ministers. A majority of the senior ministers of the outgoing government, as well as five former prime ministers, have been placed under house arrest. Other political leaders were jailed.

He declared the country to be in a state of emergency. As a result, certain parts of the constitution were being suspended, including the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of press, right to privacy, and the freedom from preventative detention (i.e., one can be arrested without cause). Freedom of religion remains in place, but with the freedom of assembly suspended we do not know how that will affect church services. So far though, there has been no problem with holding weekly worship services.

Immediately after his speech, all phone and mobile lines were disconnected. Since then, we have not been able to connect to the Internet or make any international calls. It also meant that people and party groups could not communicate with each other within the country. As the week continued, phones have been re-connected at different times of the day and for various lengths of time. However, international connections for phone calls and internet connection are still cut off.

Meanwhile, life in Kathmandu seems normal. Where we live we see people going to work and coming home as usual. All shops are open. There are more security personnel on the streets, but our life goes on as normal.

While we are fine, we do find the situation a little nerve-wracking. Mind you, communication has now returned to what it was like back in the 1980s when we were here, communicating by letters that took 3 weeks to go one way. We will have a difficult time going back to that, though, being used to email communication as we are. It is funny how it seems such a very difficult thing to do, but that may be what we have to do. Although our daily life has not changed, this loss of communication makes us more aware that we just don't know what will happen from day to day.

It has also made us realize that while we place our trust in God to see us through each day, we also place our trust in things like … communication from you, news around the world, living in a democratically-controlled country… ability to keep up relationships by email.

Friday evening as I was getting ready for sleep, I was thinking on these verses:

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3: 17-19.

Although our situation leaves me with less control over my daily life than I like, still God is the one in whom I need to place all my trust. God is my strength in this situation and will help me face each day.

Then, on Saturday morning we went with two friends to a fellowship of about 25 Christians. This trip was a on a very bumpy road up the side of one of the mountains. Up there, overlooking the valley, it was beautiful; and it was so peaceful! Although the fellowship was small, their singing was great! A chicken and a kid goat joined us at various times in the small room where people were sitting on the floor singing to their hearts content! Eventually, the animals were chased out with many squawks and bleatings. As a visitor and guest, Bucky told the story of Joseph from Genesis.

After the service, I had an encouraging time getting to know the few women there. One 30-year old woman has 5 children, one of whom appeared to me to have cerebral palsy; she doesn't know how to read and doesn't know about birth control. The few women there don't get together for fellowship during the week. So my mind started swirling with ideas of ways to get resources to her and the women as a group.

As the taxi driver was safely driving us back down from the heights of the mountain, I was thinking about how God had truly given me a gift that morning, a flower blooming in the seemingly desolate desert. We are frustrated by a lack of communication, and find ourselves more aware that we do not know what tomorrow might hold. But God had given me this flower. He had showed me that there are also good things to focus on these days. For His gift to me that day I am grateful: a flower blooming in the desert.

Meanwhile, we do need your prayers. Our daily lives are normal but there is a new uncertainty in the air. Living in that uncertainty is hard some days. We need prayers for God's grace as we cope with the anxiety of what tomorrow might bring. As part of uncertainty, we specifically need God's grace to deal with the lack of communication, waiting patiently for its return or for the return of the communication of the 80s!

For our Nepali friends, and for all Nepalis, we ask that you pray that God will use current events to bring peace to his beautiful but troubled land.

Thank you for your care.

Carole Sydnor