Wednesday night I had the honor of being the invited guest at the home of Kasi Ram and Nirmala. Kasi Ram is a tailor who makes clothes for many of the missionary doctors and medical students (I’ve already had him make me four Nepali outfits!). While waiting for him to finish my outfits, I have sat in his shop visiting with him and his wife for a couple of afternoons. This is their story: Three years ago, Nirmala was very sick and almost died. In fact, her heart stopped for a time and she had to be resuscitated. During this time, some missionary doctors and local church members prayed for Nirmala’s healing and shared with Kasi Ram about Jesus. When Nirmala recovered, Kasi Ram started going to church. Soon he and his entire family became Christians and were baptized. They faced persecution from friends and family but have persevered in their faith and are very involved in the local church. Their son, Bikram (22 years old), attended Bible college for two years in Kathmandu and hopes to become a pastor eventually. He is helping to organize a youth retreat for next month and asked me if I would like to give a talk on purity if I am still in Tansen. His two sisters, Eleni and MonaLisa (like the painting), are 17 and 20 years old and attend college in Tansen, both studying commerce. Bikram speaks English pretty well, as does Kasi Ram, so I was able to con
verse with the family and have Bikram translate so I wouldn’t leave the women out. Otherwise, with my limited Nepali, we would have had a very quiet dinner!Kasi Ram lives in a house that was his grandfather’s grandfather’s. It is a two or three story structure with the kitchen and family room on the second floor. We sat on the floor to eat dinner, which is the traditional way, I think. Dinner was quite a feast. For those who are not familiar with Nepali food (similar to Indian food mostly), I will describe the dishes in detail.
Daalbhaat is the main meal here – rice and lentils. Picture a plate heaped with rice and a bowl of lentils (of varying liquid content). The lentils (daal) are poured over the rice and the two are eaten together. It is not particularly seasoned or spicy. It is the side dishes that make the feast. Vegetables (tarkari) of some sort are stir-fried and seasoned with curry or other spices and served on the side. At Kasi Ram and Nirmala’s, we had a squash/pumpkin/potato-like vegetable side, AND green beans (simi). She also made chikauni (see below) and crisp rothi (bread) and chicken!! 
Chikauni is a potato salad made with yogurt, onions, and various spices and other veggies. Apparently it is specific to the Tansen region of Nepal. And it is quite tasty! Fortunately, Nirmala sent me home with some, which I enjoyed for lunch today. I am guessing it is healthier than our potato salad with mayonnaise. Oh, I forgot to mention that the milk products here are generally from buffalo, not from cows. It has a distinct taste and smell, though I’m not sure if that’s because of the animal species or just the way the animals are raised and grazed here. The yogurt is definitely tangier than what we have back home!After I had stuffed myself on the delicious dinner, Nirmala served dessert – yogurt with banana and pomengranate. I didn’t think Nepalis ate dessert, but apparently I was wrong. I managed to finish off my plate (it was really good) and a cup of chiya (spiced milk tea).
After dinner, the family sung a song From the Rising of the Sun. Of course they sung in Nepali, but I managed to make out a few words. Then they asked me to read a passage from the Bible. I read from John 15 in English and Kasi Ram then read in Nepali. I recognized the word fruit (phalphul) as he read, so I felt like I was following along! Then he asked me to pray for his family and he closed in prayer. It was really awesome to worship with this wonderful Christian family. I thank God for them and for their faith. Please pray for them if you think about it. I think it would really encourage them to know that other people in my country are praying for them and for their small church.
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