A clumsy walk up the hill

To Audrey from Dad

Hi Audrey,

More random thoughts. 

1-     I love the murals painted on the walls in the Ogden baptistry.  Might have been my favorite so far.  It makes it look like the font is sitting in the Weber River flowing toward and away from on both walls.  And the Weber River looks a lot like parts of the real Jordan River.

2-     You aren’t going to have any real time to have a temple prep class before you come home and then it’s a whirlwind of a week.  Mom and I were trying to remember if you’d taken any temple prep classes at all before you left.  We’re pretty sure you only took mission prep.  So we are going to be giving you some temple prep of our own over the few weeks you have left. 

3-     First temple prep item:  Many of the sections in the D&C were essentially a temple prep course for the early Saints from 1829 to 1836 when the Kirtland temple was dedicated.  Read D&C 97 and answer the question:  What purposes are given for having temples… a “place of” what?  (v.13), and then what are the promises of the temple to those who are pure in heart:?

4-     We drove home yesterday from Ogden and made it safe all the way to 100 East Hyde Park and the roughest part of the trip was the journey up our little dirt road to our house.  About didn’t make it.

5-     Mockingjay Part II and Alma 51 have a lot in common.

6-     Speaking of The Hunger Games- the movies are all really a lot better than the books.  That’s actually pretty rare.

7-     My clinic fish are swimming around acting all innocent like nothing ever happened.  Bunch of mafia mobsters.

8-     AJ is really into Downton Abby.  I think he started to get a bit emotional last night when a long anticipated wedding finally took place. 

9-     I just saw one of my urinary tract surgeries from last week.  Tough surgery that most GP’s won’t tackle and get referred to me.  And he’s doing awesome and feeling a lot better than he was.  I am amazing.

10-  Getting older is not for sissies.

😊

Keep on making the GVI Nepal Facebook page!

Love, Dad

Reply from Audrey to family 1/21/16

Dear people who raised me 

And my fellow offsprings 

I hope that the whole family didn't think that all I do here is nurse drunk women haha. 

Also I think the world of Jo so I hope they don't think anything bad of her, because I don't. She's so Christlike and she doesn't even know what that means. I'm giving her a Book of Mormon when this is over. 

Also I miss you guys and I was sad that I wasn't at the clue house. I decided that I am very grateful for that house and I got quite nostalgic that I won't be there next year either. It sounded like an adventure! Lots of sickness and sadness that I wasn't around lol. ;) jk glad you had fun. 

Gratitude is a funny thing. Once things are taken away from you, you're suddenly happy that you have them. But actually you don't have them because they are taken away from you... So it's just a hopeless circle that is really hard to win haha. But that's why it's humbling right? It's hard. 

When I came out here I was expecting to be humbled but not in the ways I have been. I mean yes I have been humbled in most of the ways you'd expect. But I've found myself rejoicing over the most unexpected things, like the fact that there's always change in the US. If you want to pay for a one dollar item with a ten dollar bill, no problem! Here it is hard. I am grateful that my siblings are sweet friends as well as family. I'm grateful that our brooms have long handles. I'm grateful that our government has a system of trash disposal. I'm grateful that everyone at home understands my accent, for hugs from mom, and for printers. Im grateful that no one swears in our house. 

I am grateful for the knowledge that families are always together. This has become so important to me lately. 

So today, the day that I'm BEGINNING this email haha, is January 20. Which means I've been gone 15 days, which means I'm halfway done with this. It also means I've been away from home longer than I ever have before. Actually that happened at day 7 lol but whatever. "If I take one more step, I'll be farther away then I ever have been from home." That was misquoted sorry Samwise. But January 20 also means that I have 3 months until my mission. 3 MONTHS. uhhh... ! It also means that in two days, Ryan, spencer and Ben will have been on missions for 6 months. My friends, the work is hastening! And it's hastening quickly so I've got to grab my knickers! #ahhhh 

By the way dad, right before I read your email, like RIGHT before I opened it, I was thinking of how I missed the temple and then I panicked because you're right and I indeed took zero temple prep. So... Yup. Blessings come to those who feed Nepali children porridge. 

Thank you! Keep them coming. I love D&C 97 mucho. 

I'm concerned though, I won't have been to church for 5 Sunday's, I think? And then I'll just enter the temple. Is that a bad thing? Like I feel ok but what do you think? I haven't defiled myself and don't plan to so... ;) 

But it was an eventful day. It was really interesting. I stayed up late drawing maps for the street kids so we could teach them about geography today. It went really well. I taught toddlers the alphabet and how to say butterfly along with putali. I made a kid do squats for talking in Nepali when he was supposed to use English (how I hate disciplining. I hate it but I have to do it). Somewhere in there, I went on a run outside of the city and into a little village around the lake. I tripped and face planted on some rock or something like an idiot and some women rode past me on a motorbike staring at dusty bloody ol' me. But dad! I saved your phone! Yayyyy. I sacrificed my knee instead. Don't need those really anyway. 

I ran up this little mountain and found a ginormous spider web and an equally ginormous spider... Eek. I'll send a picture. 

The view from where I stopped on the mountain made me think about a lot of things. It was quiet compared to the city where our house is, and also much greener. I just sat and looked and looked at the jungle book trees, the colorful square houses, the woman who was pointing at things with her dark skinned baby. The dust drifted just above the field below where another woman and her children put things in a straw basket. I thought, first, "I'm in Nepal." Second, I thought "I feel at home." 

It was kind of a first, here. I just felt very comfortable in that moment, all by myself, staring at foreign people and foreign spiders and foreign trees on foreign mountains. I don't know why nature does that to me but I seem to connect with myself and God better when I'm in it. I think it's so easy to be close to him when you're surrounded by his creations and you have a solid view of the sky. I know he's out there somewhere. 

Then it was Richard's birthday. Richard is an older Australian man who says witty things. We went to this place with a live band, and everyone knows I sing because I've been teaching some of the kids a song, so they kept asking me to get up and sing a song. I told Bibek (the Nepali dude who dances) that if he could get them to let me use their guitar, I would sing. Guess what happened? I played a beautiful guitar on a cool stage in front of the volunteers and some people from Nepal. It was fun but I'm sick so it wasn't my best. But still fun and a lot of people videoed so hopefully I'll get a hold of that sometime. 

Mom:

Oh you guys are so kind. That was cool of you to say because I've been trying REALLY hard to be positive here and sometimes it's difficult. I've definitely had many negative moments. I need to write Makk a letter soon. Wow I'm bad at writing anyone but you guys and Ryan haha. 

I'm laughing picturing teesh with her mouth of curdly cracker tomatoes. Whatever it was hahaha. Keep eating weird stuff please. Ah man tomato soup sounds good! I want to take some recipes home with me because the food here is actually so so good. They feed us a TON. It's a problem. 

Hahahaha! Those pictures were hysterical! What kind of game is that hahaha. 

My weekend plans are paragliding and hiking so don't worry about it for now because I have enough money. But next weekend we might go trekking and that's gonna be a little more (not sure how much yet, maybe around $200) and I haven't bought my $120 plane ticket home yet so yeah.. Just stick some Benny's in my account and I'll be enslaved to you when I come home... 

Thank you. Love you. 

You can access my account yes? You don't have my card but you have my account info in that folder I made for you. 

I haven't gotten time to watch that video but thank you. :) I will. 

Dad: 

Once again I miss the temple. I wanna go to the Ogden temple soon. I wish there were a Nepal temple!!! It would be so gorgeous... 

Hahaha why was the road to our house dangerous? Did you hit a peach tree?

I don't know what to say about hunger games and alma 51. Maybe I'll read that chapter and then I'll have something but for now.. Cool! 😎

I liked the movies so much. Haven't seen part one yet. 

The fish. I'm pretty sure I told everyone in my house that story haha. What a lot of munted creatures. 

Dad you ARE amazing! Truly incredible! My goodness gracious. I can't believe your urinary tract skills or computer hacking skills or pie making skills. 

Ps I want pie. 

Getting cooler isn't for sissies either 🤓 

AJ: I hear you're emotional over downton abbey. I'm proud. Please give me a plot line. 

Yes I know a kid from Ecuador! He's quiet but he's very nice. Smokes always and swears always but we have a good time. Uh... I don't know what part of Quito. I'll ask. He loves meat and talks about verde. 

Ian: make me a summary of school and girls and social life and bucket hats and video games. Ready go! 

I miss wrestling with you. Never thought I'd say that. 

Teesh: wow girl what face expressions you make. Keep eating ice cream for me. 

Frosty: I want to buy you one of the toys here that are way popular- they are these tops that they spin fast with a string and you can do cool tricks. Tell me what you think of that. 

I have to tell you guys- mostly mom and dad 

Thank you! THANK YOU for letting me do this. I don't know how to express my appreciation but you guys are brave to let me do this and I know it wasn't an attractive thought in a lot of ways, but I am learning so much and that's the second best gift ever, next to being your daughter. :) 

Have a happy time. I sent pics over whatsapp and ill explain them someday. 

Share with whomever you think wants this. 

Namaste!