Frequent Visitor Norm Harsh Presents Program on Country of Nepal

Les was born in Japan where his parents were missionaries for 45 years. Debbie and Les met in the ninth grade. After graduating from Northwestern University Medical School, Les and Debbie were looking for a country to serve and they found Nepal.

Norm told us that Nepal is landlocked, by China to the north and India to the south. Nepal doesn’t like either of those countries so they set their clocks 15 minutes different from those two.

Nepal was a kingdom until 1990. It now is a democratic kingdom. Boys get more education than girls. There is not supposed to be a caste system, but there is. There is no begging on the streets, but there are cattle. Cattle are sacred to the Hindu nation.Nepal was a closed kingdom until 1951 when the borders were opened. Doctors came in first. Christianity was outlawed until 1990.Tansen is the town in which Debbie and Les work. It is 3,000-4,000 feet above sea level. You spend 90 percent of the time walking up or walking down in Tansen. A trip from Tansen to Kathmandu is 200 miles but takes 8-11 hours. People also drive on the wrong side of the road there.

Debbie and Les work through the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, although you have to have something other than religion to get into and work in the country, so officially they are part of the United Mission to Nepal.

Les is in charge of the Tansen United Mission Hospital. They treat 14,000 people per year in the emergency room there. Norm relayed a sad/happy story about a girl who was treated there.If you are interested in donating to their efforts, you may do so at contact number 13421A at the hospital at www.advancinghope.org.