Giving Thanks

 I want to share with you some things that we in America take for granted and that I am extremely thankful for. As my adventure in Nepal picked up speed and began to unfold, I found myself sitting on a rickety, run down old bus on my way to Syabrubesi near the base of the Himalayan Mountains. This particular bus ride is well known to be one of the most dangerous bus rides in the world. You see, the traffic in Nepal and especially on this particular highway is best described as organized chaos.  At one point early on there was a tour bus sprawled out across the road on its side with traffic flowing around it like army ants parting around something that has been dropped in their path.  Suddenly, the bus slammed on its brakes and stopped for a quick rest room brake.  The only problem was that there was no restroom or toilet? I was introduced to Southeast Asia’s communal toilet system and forced to squat over a hole in the ground and a bucket full of water to flush with. I’m thankful for our sanitation system and modern restrooms.

But my most memorable moment on the bus ride was the last 10 mile section of the road which was ripped out by a huge rock slide. The monsoon season had been extremely potent this past year and soaked these huge mountains. The bulldozed dirt road was just large enough for one bus to pass at a time. So, the Nepalese drive’s are smart and all leave in the morning and all come back in the evening; we got a very late start that day which meant that we had to pass several other busses, Land Rovers and cars in this 10 mile section of washed out road. At one poin, our driver had placed our busses tires 4” away from the edge where there is no guard rail and a very steep drop of over 2000 feet in elevation. All, and I mean all, of our porters and guides had their eyes on me as I desperately leaned across the bus aisle and towards the mountain side of the road at nearly every bend in the road. They all though it was very funny and were laughing at the tall American who was really quite ready and willing to get out and walk the rest of the way. I’m thankful for maintained roads and modern highway systems.

On the trail the trekking is some of the most breathtaking scenery you will ever see. The river we followed was glacier fed and the most translucent blue color I’d ever seen. The teahouses where we stayed at night were also a welcome friend at the end of a hard day’s trek. The food was mostly vegetarian cooking, which was interesting at first, but Americans can only take so much rice and lentils until they start hallucinating and begin seeing “In And Out” Burger stands at every village. The Tibetan bread was really quite good but if I have to have curried potatoes one more time I will go into anaphylactic shock. I’m thankful for my wife’s cooking and especially for tonight’s Thanksgiving dinner (Please God no curried potatoes).

I wrote all this to set up and describe one very poor family’s living situation in Kyangjin Gompa. Passah is married to his wife and he has four beautiful young children who all lived together in a one room house that measured 10 feet by 10 feet; their entire home was 100 square feet. My home is 1,700 and I’m sure some of you reading this have homes well over 2500 square feet. I was honored by the family and asked to come into their home for a glass of Yak milk. All six of the family slept on a wooden platform without a mattress. A lone Ziploc gallon bag half filled with lentils hung on the wall and was their entire food supply. The kids all had colds and running noses and the mother asked if we had brought coats and sweaters with us. We gulped down our warm Yak milk and dashed to our teahouse to find warm coats for the entire family. I’m thankful for Christians who are willing to give their time and money away to help others who are less fortunate.

On this Thanksgiving Day I’m thankful to God for so many reasons. He first loved us and gave us His One and Only Son to redeem us from a corrupt world system. I’m thankful for the food I have in my house and on my table. I’m thankful for the warm clothes I have stored in my closet and on my back. I’m thankful for my wife and kids who love me just the way I am. I’m thankful for my house and a roof over my head when it rains. But most of all I’m thankful for God , who will be with me long after this life passes away.

I’m going back to Nepal in Oct 2013 so if you want to come along or would like to support us or send a donation please make it out Global Outreach International and mail to  Dean Kellio at PO Box 771, Alpine Ca.

Sherpa

Men, if they are honest, as a rule hate to stop and ask anyone for directions while lost in unfamiliar territory. They would prefer rather to just keep driving around in circles in the slim chance of finding their way to their destination. Stopping the car and simply asking someone for help shows weakness and is not an option. Now, while I don’t claim to understand the psychology of why men travel through life in this manner, it is a proven fact that it is a male behavior. Have you ever noticed that most men have to be in the driver’s seat while driving their family around town? One of my greatest personal breakthroughs in life came in recent years when I stumbled upon the fact that my wife was smarter than I was, and that I could save a lot of aggravation if I only listened to her suggestions. 

Some of you have been following my adventure in Nepal and know that I mentioned I went trekking in the Himalayan Mountains. Trekking anywhere in Nepal for anyone other than a Nepalese National requires a permit and a Nepalese guide with you at all times. Early on in the trek you wind through miles of bamboo forests where it would be easy to take a wrong turn and wind up over a steep cliff, step on the wrong side of a prayer wall or even desecrate a Buddhist sacred area. In fact, there was one peak near to us named Melungtse that no one is allowed to climb. If you are caught climbing this peak it is an immediate death sentence no matter who you are. Also, there are Nepalese military check points set up at different points along the trail to Kyanjin Gumba. Your guide carries your permits and you don’t get past checks points without them by your side (Not to mention the fact that the soldiers are carrying automatic weapons).  

My guides were Amir, a 23 year old Nepalese Sherpa, and Kumar, a 21 year old Nepalese student in training. Kumar, while still in training, has been over7000 meters or 22,965 feet in elevation. Amir was close behind him at 6500 meters or 21,325 feet. My personal best comes up a little short of both these two young men at 4984 meters or 16,351 feet. The Nepalese word “Sherpa” actually means “One who guides” and the more experience in both high altitude climbing and mountain terrain a guide gains, the more valuable and famous he becomes.  

The day Amir explained to me what the word “Sherpa” meant in English a light bulb turned on in my head. I thought to myself “What a great way to explain Jesus to the local villagers”. These people practically worship people who climb over 8000 meters and of course they worship the Himalayan Mountains just by themselves. So in my mind describing Jesus as the ultimate “Sherpa” had some zest and zeal to it. And, besides, none of my seminary professors where trekking alongside me anyways. If you think about it, Jesus said Himself in the gospel of John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

I like the idea of explaining God’s plan of salvation in this way to a culture of Buddhists who have never left the village of Kyanjin Gumba. The truth that Jesus is the One and Only Sherpa, the Father’s Son, who can guide them back to Father God even if it means traveling up and over Mount Melungtse then just maybe they can begin to grasp what it is to have a relationship with God and how very much He loves us all. And you know, they just might chose to receive the free gift of salvation and begin walking with Jesus. As their relationship grows they will become bright lights in their own communities drawing even more villagers to God. Salvation really is much simpler than we tend to make it. For Buddhists the idea they can get to God without working towards it is so freeing, unfettering and breaks their bonds to man-made religion. Jesus said the truth shall set us free! And having a relationship with God through the redemption found in the Son is just what these lovely people needed to hear from us. 

There is already another trip planned to the villages of Langtang and Kyanjin Gumba in the Himalayan Mountains during the month of October of 2013. Pray about coming along with me. If you absolutely can’t come but you want to help by supplying toothbrushes, clothing, water filters, medicine or your love then send your support to P.O. Box 771, Alpine, CA. 91901 in c/o Dean Kellio. You can buy these items yourself or send support in the form of a check filled out to Global Outreach International and I will deliver them for you. I plan to continue writing about my adventure in Nepal in next week’s column.

Nepal

Oh how I love the fall season! As the temperature drops and the weather becomes cooler, leaves begin changing color one by one. Hues of yellow, orange and red will spill from deciduous trees that grace our local mountains. And without missing a beat the blustery north wind will join in depositing even more leaves over the entire countryside. Children will be bundled into warm coats and scarves as they trek themselves to school. Their backpacks will overflow with text books just waiting for the long Thanksgiving break. National elections will finally be over. And with its completion sounds of victory and cries of defeat will be heard echoing across our great country. America, even with all her minor blemishes, is still a bright light shining in a very dark world. 

 I recently had a rare opportunity to visit the nation of Nepal. I spent many days wondering through dirty alleyways, winding my way through the city of Kathmandu. I’ve seen open air markets where an animal carcass is butchered and thrown onto the floorboard of a filthy Rickshaw. I’ve navigated uneven Nepalese streets made up of a rough mix of broken asphalt, chunks of concrete and dirt covered in trash and feces. Children, seemingly left abandoned to the streets, beg for food and money. I’ve witnessed emaciated dogs and cats sprawled out on a sidewalk or laying in a gutter gasping for their last breaths of life. I really was not prepared for the culture shock I experienced in Nepal. Upon my return to Alpine I fell on my knees, kissed the ground and gave thanks to God. 

But what about all those people I left behind? What will be their fate? Who will help raise them from the ashes improving the standards by which they endure each day? And Nepal is only one small country out of many countries all over the world where people need the gift of hope and help. “But what can I do” you might say or “There will always be poor and starving people in the world, what difference can I make?” Well, if we claim to follow Jesus then He commanded us to go into the entire world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all He commanded. So preaching at someone is not always the best way into their hearts. Jesus taught us that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!

In the city of Kathmandu we did meet people who were helping the poor, saving children and loving the hopeless in Jesus name. But high up in the Himalayan mountains in the villages of the Langtang and Kyanjin Gumba you will not find one Christian church. The local people in this remote area are predominately of the Buddhist faith. I had the opportunity to talk to a family about what they believe and share about my faith in Jesus Christ. I explained to the father of the household that the true and living God loved all people. And that He only desired all people from all countries to come to Him and receive His free gift of salvation. You know, as my interpreter translated the gospel to this man I could see this father’s expression, on his face, and he was very interested. He had never really heard this profound truth before.

On our team there were two doctors and suitcases full of medicine, water filters and clothing. Many people were seen and treated for various diseases and ailments. Children were treated to candy and balloon animals from a young couple who accompanied our team. I brought toothbrushes, bought at our own dollar store here in Alpine, which flew out of my backpack like Humming birds at a bird feeder. People snatched up the eyeglasses and grabbed and grappled for the limited supply of clothing we had packed in. Everyone who attended the clinic left with a water treatment filter and a smile on their faces. It took three days of trekking with eight guides and porters to deliver the gifts that completely vanished in about three hours.

I’d like to challenge you all to travel somewhere in this wonderful world of ours and tell another human being just how much God loves them, and if necessary use words. By the way, there is already another trip planned for October of 2013 to the villages of Langtang  and Kyanjin Gumba in the Himalayan Mountains. Please pray about coming along with me. If you absolutely can’t come but you want to help by supplying toothbrushes, clothing, water filters or medicines send your support to P.O. Box 771, Alpine, CA. 91901 in c/o Dean Kellio. You can buy these items yourself or send support in the form of a  check filled out to Global Outreach International and I will deliver them for you. I plan to continue writing about my adventure in Nepal in next week’s column.

Gone Fishing

If I had an office, somewhere on the downtown Boulevard, then hanging in the front window this week would be a sign reading “Gone Fishing”. My keyboard would be cold, my office dark and a lone mouse might be seen scurrying around under my desk after crumbs that were carelessly deposited there the week before. You see, the seat at the Carpenter’s Corner is not going to be occupied for about three weeks while I am off running around an undisclosed remote area of the world. I’ll be traveling on a distant journey in search of someone who might want to hear the “Good News” of Jesus Christ.

I think many of us are really “Hobbit-like” and rarely venture out of our homes on a quest or in search of adventure. We would rather just stay at home content with our boring routines with the occasional trip to the public library or store. Maybe we think that were safe in our homes far away from the snarling traffic found on our modern expressways. Or maybe we don’t like confrontation, so we keep to a low profile slinking around like we are living in some kind of cloak and dagger mystery. Actually nobody likes confrontation but sometimes it’s just plain unavoidable. 

My story begins one day about six months ago as I was sipping tea from the comfort of my “Hobbit-like” home. As the phone begins to ring I wonder if I should screen the call. It seems that every warm blooded telemarketer this side of the Mississippi River has my number. Tentatively, I answer the phone and discover the voice on the other end is warm and friendly, it’s my friend David. “How would you like to travel with a team to one of the highest, outmost regions on the earth?” David blurts out. But as I’m sipping on my Chamomile tea, looking at my feet snuggled in my warm Ugg boots a shiver of cold darts down the middle of my back. Me? Go on an adventure?

“Well, I don’t Know, I better pray about it” I said confidently, knowing that my bank account wouldn’t pay this month’s rent let alone a trip half way around the world. So I hesitated but reluctantly agreed to attend a class on missions that was meeting at a local church. I attended the meeting where the speakers were very interesting and sincere although my mind kept thinking about how terrible it would be to leave the comfort of the Shire. Glancing at my phone I desperately tried to think of a way to get up and slip out the door unnoticed.

Actually, I did pray about it. I told God that if He wanted me to go then three items on my “To Do” list must be crossed off. One, He needed to provide the funds for the entire trip. Two, He needed to provide funds for my entire family while I was away from home. And three, He needed to find a full time job for me when I returned. Snickering, I knew I had backed God into a corner and that there was absolutely no way He could accomplish all three of those items in the next six years let alone the next six months.

Five months passed very quickly and only a handful of support letter’s had came back. With only four weeks to go I had only collected a total $ 257.77 which meant I was just $ 3824.23 dollars shy towards my trip to Shambala. I knew I was not going to be able to go and began to consider what a waste of time and energy it was to send out all those letters. Then the phone rang again.

“Hello?” It was my friend David. “Dean, we had an anonymous donor pay for your entire trip!” My jaw dropped as I desperately thought back to my “things to do” list looking for another excuse why I couldn’t go on the trip. Well, OK God granted my first request to pay for my travel but He still had to provide funds for my family while I was gone and then land me a job when I returned. I was confident that was not going to happen and did not give the trip another thought.

So now here I am writing my story and packing for my trip. As you are reading this I will be well on my way trekking up some of the steepest terrain in the world. Needless to say God crossed off the other two items on my list. A coincidence some might interject but nothing short of a miracle in my mind. Not only did God provide the funds for my family He landed me my dream job that, by the way, starts the day I return. So God is able to do exceeding more than we can ever dream, hope or imagine!