Jim in Nepal #1: Kathmandu

In my new role as the Assistant Director of Development Associates International's MA in Organizational Leadership, I had the privilege of joining one of our twice-yearly week-long gatherings (what we call a residency) of students enrolled in the program (a cohort) in Kathmandu, Nepal. We have over 800 students enrolled in the program in 33 cohorts in 17 countries - thus, residencies are happening all the time and are how we kick of each new term (two courses/term). Each residency consists of a week of teaching and fellowship as students progress through the 12 courses in the program over 3 years. As the Assistant Director of the program, it will be important for me to understand every aspect of the program, including how our residencies operate. 

This was my first opportunity to see a residency firsthand, and it was a great week! A highlight was meeting the students in attendance. Since our aim is to develop and train Christian leaders, all 25 men and women in this cohort hold a leadership role of one kind or another throughout Nepal, from church/parachurch ministries to local and transnational development agencies. Closed to the outside world for centuries, Hinduism has been the dominant religion in the country in every way possible - you'll see a number of Hindu temples, large and small, in the pictures below. Yet, Christianity has grown steadily in the past three decades, from just 25,000 in 1980 to over 1 million today. It was exciting to meet an amazing group of Christians and to hear about what God is doing in and through them in Nepal.

This first post contains pictures of Kathmandu. The second post, coming shortly, will present pictures of the residency itself.

 I had a day to spare back in Kathmandu after our week at the residency (in Dhulikhel, 1 1/4 hrs east of the city).
 

Perched on the back of Narayan's motorbike, on our way to church.

Saturdays are the "Sunday" for Nepal - most businesses are closed and Christian churches hold their services on Saturday.

I estimated 400 people packed into this tin-roofed oven. The congregation sat on rugs spread on the floor. Oh, and the service lasted 3 1/2 hours!

Bill Innes and I enjoyed dinner with Narayan Khadkha and his wife, Subitha, and their two daughters a few hours before my 11 pm flight headed for home.