Finally in Nepal!

We made it to Kathmandu. And we made it in style (or at least, first class). We were upgraded at the gate as we were boarding,  and let me tell you, it was, in the words of uncle Eddie in Christmas Vacation, "Real nice, Clark."

Wide, reclining, leather, massage seats; equipped with a personal TV screen with a vast database of movies, games,  and TV shows. All the oppulent comforts, luxury service, and great food that you would expect from an airline that flies gazillionaire oil sheiks around the world.  I don't want to tell too much or some may think we're doing this for the wrong reasons! It was a small gift of God after a 13-hour layover.
All was peachy until we got to Kathmandu and discovered that Madison's and my luggage didn't make it. Not cool. Here's the mystery: Jesse's luggage was waiting for us. After going to the authorities with our tracking tabs and tickets, we found out that Madison's bag is evidently still in Chicago. Mine, on the other hand, is not even showing up in the system! What?! "No problem," the Nepali baggage claims guys told us, "They will probably be here tomorrow." I really hope so.

Kathmandu is an incredible city! As always I was expecting something much different. This is a sprawling, buzzing metropolis that feels (in many ways) like going 100 years back in time. Some parts of it remind me of other third-world areas of the world where I have been. But it is more exotic and strange. Hinduism and (especially) Buddhism is everywhere. The lostness of the majority of people is evident. There is sooo much to do. This is just the starting point for us. We're going to make contacts with people who have contacts among some of out target people groups and go from there.
Please keep praying!