IMB Discovery Trip Menu:

• Western Europe 2002
• South Asia 2004

South Asia was a great experience, seeing New Delhi for about a week (without the luxury of my baggage arriving with me. It came a day before I left for Nepal). Visiting personnel and experiencing India was wonderful; crowded but welcoming. 

Riding around the city was scary! I can only describe it as like being in a river of traffic and the drivers navigate around obstacles (like pedestrians, cows and other vehicles).

Agra was an eight-hour train ride to see the Taj Mahal, just a day trip. The town was not too small but the Taj Mahal was breathtaking. Amazingly, once you have been there for two hours, you're ready to move on! We waited around for our driver to return at our designated time. The Old Fort was fabulous, which reminded me of Kipling's Jungle Book era.

Kathmandu is in Nepal; the mountaintop of the world. It was a place that I felt very at home, much like living in Zambia! Here I saw the Kumari (the living godess - vestal virgin, she was "new," about eight years old). The striking feature is that you find shrines everywhere ( in allies and on sidewalks). Many of the photos where taken at the crematory at the head of the Ganges River. Feet in the water at the time of death allows the spirit to flow into the sacred river. There were many Buddhist temples, with prayer wheels and prayer flags. I had an overwhelming sense of lostness. So much spirituality without knowledge of a Savior who loves them and died for them, to bring forgiveness of sin and everlasting life.

The end of my visit was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the South Asia regional meeting. I was able to discuss future plans of personnel desiring to stay more long-term, and experience the vision and passion of this region's leadership and personnel.